Two Delaware Woodcocks by Steven M. Kendus

I had a nice woodcock hunt last Saturday, December 17, 2011.

I deer hunted in the morning with no luck, so I arrived at a public woodcock hunting spot later than usual. I walked the entire field once and didn’t get a point from Gus, my vizsla. I hunted this area numerous times in the past, so I knew birds had to be present somewhere.

I walked the field again, this time paying special attention to the edges and wettest spots.

Within minutes, Gus locked on point. I stepped in and 3 woodcocks flushed from a raised patch of land in a marshy area. I dropped one with my Fox Sterlingworth 20 gauge. After Gus retrieved him, we pushed on. Gus point another lone bird on the edge of the field in a briar and honeysuckle thicket. The undergrowth was so thick, the timberdoodle couldn’t fly up, so it came straight out at my head! I ducked out of the way, and let him pass me. I drew a bead on him, and dropped him at about 25 yards. Check out the video below.

Two woodcocks in about 90 minutes wasn’t bad, so I called it a day. I will be back out this weekend.

I participated in a doe management hunt on Delaware public land on Monday, December 12.I saw a ton of deer, but came home with none.

For those of you who don’t know, this entire week is an “antlerless only” season, so only non-antlered deer can be legally harvested. Because the invited hunters on the management hunt were targeting mature does, we were encouraged to pass up doe fawns and button bucks. Here’s how my hunt went.

I arrived at my stand location about 1:30 PM. I saw my first deer — a 3-point buck — at 2:20. Around 4:00, two fawns and a mature doe came within 15 yards of me. The fawns presented easy shots, but I never had a clear shot at the big doe. I let them pass.

Around 4:30, I saw 8 deer running across the field that bordered the woods in which I was hunting. They entered the woods about 250 yards from me and made their way to me by 4:45. Now all 8 of these deer were in front of me at 20-30 yards. Wouldn’t you know it? Every one of them was a buck! There was one giant, one smaller shooter buck, and 6 little bucks.

Are you kidding me? I see does during buck season, and bucks during doe season!

Bring on the woodcock!

Be sure to check out my friends at Marblehead Flyfisher in Centreville, Delaware to pick up great gifts for the fishermen on your list. They are having an open house Saturday, December 10, 2011. Details are below.

Marblehead Flyfisher Holiday Open House

Saturday, December 10th 2011

Come join us for some food, fun, & friends. There will be raffle prizes, casting demonstrations, and all of the cool, new gear for the 2012 season.

Tube Fly tying by master tube fly designer Andrew Niethe of Spirit River

Please stop in and do a little holiday shopping, get some food and refreshments, or just hang out and say hello.

We hope to see you there.

5716 Kennett Pike, Centreville, DE

(302)654-6515

www.amarbleheadflyfisher.com
amheadflyfisher@gmail.com

Gus pointed and retrieved 36 birds on a stocked pheasant and chukar hunt

I know many of you count on reading my hunting updates to give you ideas of how things are going in the Delaware woods, fields, and waterways, but I also record my hunts on HuntingTheFirstState.com so I have a record to refer back to in future seasons. As usual at this time of year, I forget to record info about my hunts on this site.

However, I make sure I jot down hunting notes on scraps of paper and post them around my office so I can record them later. Here are my quick notes about my various woodcock, pheasant, duck, and deer hunts over the past several weeks.

11/17 New Jersey Woodcock and Snipe Hunt – I headed to New Jersey public land with my vizsla Gus to hunt woodcocks and snipes before work. Gus pointed and flushed several woodcock in one public hunting field, but I just couldn’t get shots through the thick brush. I then went to another public location that typically holds snipes. Gus and I found no snipes, but I somehow managed to lose the controller to Gus’ e-collar from my lanyard. I spent 40 minutes walking the field until I found it.

11/19 New Jersey Woodcock Hunt – I hunted woodcock on New Jersey public ground with daughter, my friend John, and his son. Gus pointed about 7 birds. John shot 2, and I shot 1. Again the cover was so thick in areas that we couldn’t get good shots.

11/21 Delaware Duck Hunt – I hunted a private Delaware pond with my friend Bill on Monday 11/21. The fog was extremely dense around first light, so we couldn’t see birds, and I am sure they couldn’t see our pond, let alone our decoys. We heard some shooting, and after about 90 minutes, a pair of wood ducks buzzed our blind. They flew over our heads, and we lost sight of them. About 20 seconds later, the two wood ducks dropped in from my left on the edge of the wood line. I fired at the lead duck, and ended up dropping both with one shot. Not wanting to push my luck, I packed up and headed to work.

11/24 Delaware Deer Hunt – I bowhunted deer on Thanksgiving morning in North Wilmington and saw nothing.

11/25 Delaware Woodcock Hunt – I brought my neighbor’s 22-year old son Sean on his first woodcock on Friday 11/25. Gus pointed several birds, and Sean got a couple shots that were close misses. I bagged one woodcock.

11/25 Delaware Deer Hunt – I hunted deer with my bow in North Wilmington. Saw nothing but 2 red foxes.

11/26 Stocked Pheasant and Chukar Hunt (with bonus woodcock) – My daughter, six others, and I hunted stocked pheasant and chukars over Gus. Gus had his best day of all time. He pointed and retrieved 36 birds (yes, 36), and got every hunter a limit. After the stocked bird hunt, my daughter, my friend Bill, Bill’s son, and I drove to a Delaware public hunting spot for a quick woodcock hunt. I arrived later in the day than normal, and the birds moved to the edge of the woods and into think briars. Gus pointed two woodcocks, and we harvested one.

11/26 Delaware Deer Hunt – Went to Greenville with the bow. Six does came into the meadow about 10 minutes before the end of shooting time, but none came closer than 100 yards.

Meet Hunting The First State Author and Pickup the Perfect Holiday Gift for the Hunter on Your List

Kendus will be signing books at Atlantic Books in Dover, Delaware on December 4, 2011 from 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Just in time for the holiday season, Steven M. Kendus, author of Hunting The First State: A Guide to Delaware Hunting, will be signing copies of his book at Atlantic Books at 1159 North Du Pont Highway, Dover, Delaware, on Sunday, December 4, 2011 from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Books will be available for purchase.

The second edition of Hunting The First State: A Guide to Delaware Hunting provides an in-depth look at hunting in Delaware and the surrounding region. Author, hunting and outdoors columnist, and Delaware native Steven M. Kendus uses his hunting wisdom, experience, and research to preserve Delaware’s hunting legacy by sharing important history, tactics, locations, tips, and tricks associated with Delaware hunting.
Hunting The First State provides insight, statistics, reader-submitted photos, and first-hand accounts of hunting in Delaware. Hunting The First State discusses common game species such as white-tailed deer, Canada geese, and ducks, but it also offers insight into Delaware coyotes, wild turkeys, red foxes, woodcocks, quail, snow geese, crows, rabbits, and more.

“I love signing copies of Hunting The First State around Christmastime because I know many of them will be given as gifts,” says Author Steven M. Kendus. “Giving the hunter on your list a book about Delaware hunting is cool enough on its own, but giving a personalized copy is even more special,” says Kendus.

See www.HuntingTheFirstState.com for additional details about Hunting the First State: A Guide to Delaware Hunting (Second Edition).

New Jersey opening day of woodcock from Steven M. Kendus.

It is officially my favorite time of year. The deer rut is on, and woodcock season is open locally.

Opening day of New Jersey’s small game season was yesterday, November 12. While many hunters chose to hunt deer, I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to bring my vizsla Gus out for his first woodcock hunt of the season. I arrived at my New Jersey public land woodcock hunting spot around 8:15 AM, and by 8:25, Gus was locked up on a woodcock. With one shot, Gus and I had our first bird of the season. The cover was unbelievably thick, so while Gus was pointing birds, I just couldn’t get to them before the birds flew. Or, they would fly low, giving me no good shot through the thick brush. After about 8 points from Gus, I managed to harvest my limit of three woodcocks. Check out the photo.

After my harvest my woodcock limit, I switched to steel shot and tried my luck for snipe at another spot. The field where I normally find snipe was bone dry, so it didn’t produce any.

I arrived home in Delaware around 1 PM and hit the deer woods by 2:30 PM. I made a mock scrape several days ago, and I placed a tarsal gland in a bush. By 4:45 PM, I noticed a buck walking toward me. At first glance, I figured he was a basket rack 8-pointer. Being early in the season, he was a borderline shooter for me, but I clipped my release onto my bowstring just in case. (I was hunting with my bow, even though the Delaware shotgun season is open.) The buck was sticking his nose to the sky smelling the tarsal scent, and he began walking right to me. He stopped to lick several branches on the way, and he gave me a perfect view of him. His right antler was broken off near the base.

Not wanting to shoot this buck (he would have been small even with both antlers), I gave him a pass at 20 yards, 10 yards, and 5 yards. He never knew I was in my stand, so that was a benefit. I figure he lost that antler in a fight with a bigger buck, so I will try that spot again soon.

*** UPDATE – 11/13 ***

Damn. I was out checking a trail camera today, stepped awkwardly on a pine cone, and rolled my ankle. I have a tennis ball size knot on my ankle that I have been icing for four hours. What a time for this to happen! I will continue to ice and hope for the best!

Here’s my article that ran in The News Journal on November 3, 2011. – SMK

While shopping at an outdoors store several years ago, someone questioned my search for a specific type of bird hunting shells during the heart of the deer rut.

“What kind of hunter are you?” he asked. “You ought to be worried about deer. Forget those birds.”

I quickly responded with some witty barb centered on the fact that I already harvested two deer. But his question stayed with me: What kind of hunter am I?

If the question was posed with multiple choice answers like A) big game hunter, B) small game hunter, C) duck/goose hunter, D) other, and E) all of the above, I would circle E with no hesitation.

After all, in Delaware alone, I hunt deer, rabbits, squirrels, turkeys, ducks, geese, woodcocks, snipes, pheasants, quail, doves and crows. I’ve also hunted bears, hogs, various species of antelope and deer, wildebeest, and other mammals and birds in other states and countries. If I could base my definition on the types of animals I hunt, the answer would be easy.

Further considering the question, I thought about the hunting methods I use. I mostly use a bow for hunting big game (although I sometimes use a shotgun, rifle, or muzzleloader), and I use shotguns of various gauges for waterfowl, upland birds, and small game.

Quickly analyzing that basic data, I can provide a simple answer and succinctly define myself as a hunter who pursues various game species using various methods.

However, the answer is more complex and deserves more introspection.

To be clear, I am not a hunter who enters the woods with a bow and arrows or a loaded gun and takes shots at any animals I see. I am an ethical hunter who enjoys the spirit of the chase just as much as harvesting game, and I enjoy the diversity that Delaware’s woods, fields, and waterways offer.

Rather than strictly hunting deer one or two weeks of the year, or solely hunting ducks or geese during the open seasons, I consider myself to be a versatile hunter who enjoys the unique challenges presented by pursuing assorted game, at different times of year, and in varied habitat.
I am a hunter who appreciates the solitude of deer and turkey hunting, and I use my time afield as temporary escapes from life’s daily pressures. Sitting alone in the woods with my senses keenly tuned in to the natural world around me provides a relaxation that I don’t think I could achieve otherwise.

Conversely, I also enjoy the exercise, companionship, and faster pace of hunting small game with good friends and high-energy pointing dogs. Woodcock hunting ranks near the top of my list of outdoor activities, and I sincerely enjoy watching my dog work to find, point and retrieve the birds. I typically hunt with several hunting partners who also enjoy the pursuit of woodcocks, so the camaraderie surrounding the hunts is just as enjoyable as finding birds.

I am also a hunter who is just as much student as I am teacher. I am always looking to learn new game-specific tactics, techniques, statistics and biological facts, and I am always happy to share my findings, insights and opinions with others. I record notes about most of my hunts, so my hunts are just as much about observing and acquiring knowledge as they are pursuing game.

I am a hunter who likes to hunt. Period. If there is a hunting season open, I will find a way to enjoy it.

Therefore, I won’t define myself as any type of hunter.

More importantly, I won’t define you as any specific type either.

Three Delaware ducks shot during the October 2011 Nor'easter

As strange as it may sound, I hunted ducks in rain, snow and sleet yesterday — and it was only October 29. Yes, a nor’easter formed off of the east coast yesterday and battered the mid-Atlantic states and New England for most of the day. I hunted in southern New Castle County, Delaware, so I was on the rain/snow line for the most of the day. However, the strong winds and precipitation blew a bunch of migrating ducks onto the banks of the Delaware River, so there was a lot of hunting action.

I arrived at the blind site before dawn and set the decoys out. It was 39 degrees and raining, but the temperatures dropped throughout the day. By shooting time, it was 36 degrees, but the ducks were moving. A pair of wood ducks came into my decoys about 20 minutes after shooting time, and I dropped the drake. A lone teal hovered over the decoys, but when I swung my gun, she took off.

About 90 minutes into the hunt, my buddy Bill showed up. After sitting for another 30 minutes, three more wood ducks tried to pitch in. I shot another one. The other two took off. About an hour later, two more wood ducks came in, Bill shot and dropped a drake. As he went to retrieve it, it flew away. Soon after, a lone northern shoveler came in, and Bill dropped him. By now, it was about 35 degrees.

Bill with a nothern shoveler

The windy was blowing about 35 mph from the northeast, and rain was getting in every exposed nook and cranny. We broke for lunch and to warm up and dry off a bit.

We returned to hunt the afternoon, just as the rain was changing to sleet, then snow. We saw a bunch of ducks, but none wanted to pay us a visit.

With so many things going on in everyday life, I sometimes overlook posting my hunting updates to HuntingTheFirstState.com. I haven’t hunted as much as I would have liked, but I do have some interesting updates. See below.

Duck Hunt – 10/28 – My friend Dave and I hunted ducks this morning on a nice little pond near the Delaware River. Today was a ‘blue bird’ day, but since it was sandwiched between moderate rain yesterday and a nor’easter tomorrow, we tried our luck. We finished setting out the decoys around 6AM, and waited until shooting time around 7AM. I figured ducks would fly early, and they did. Within minutes of legal shooting time, hunters were shooting all around us. We had some shots at few ducks, but we left empty handed around 8:30 AM (since I had to work).

Duck Hunt – 10/24 – Dave and I hunted another pond near the Delaware River. We bagged a mallard and a wood duck before calling it quits around 8:30 AM.

Duck Hunt – 10/22 – Afternoon – I tried a little duck hunting spot in southern New Castle County and had shots at a pair of wood ducks. I bagged the beautiful drake pictured below.

Delaware Wood Duck 2011

Deer Hunt – 10/22 – Morning -  I took one of my daughters deer hunting in the morning. We thought we had a good chance at a deer until all hell broke loose at first light. Today was the opening Saturday of the first Delaware duck season split. It sounded like a war zone. After 2 hours, we left the deer stand. My daughter opted to hunt squirrels instead. She shot one gray squirrel.

Deer Hunt – 10/15 – Afternoon – I was running late and arrived at my Delaware muzzleloader hunting spot at 5:30 PM. I quickly changed and entered the woods at 5:40 PM. As I walked to my stand, 3 does walked across the path in front of me. I dropped one with my Thompson Center Encore at 5:50. Sometimes things just work out! I was thankful for the nice doe for the freezer.

Deer Hunt – 10/15 – Morning – I went to a bowhunting spot before first light. I hunted for an hour and had one little doe behind me. A construction crew showed up near by, so the noise ended my hunt.

Here is my article that ran in The News Journal on October 20.

When the United States Fish and Wildlife Service issued this year’s Waterfowl Population Status report in July, I am sure many of you began counting down the days to Oct. 21, the opening day of Delaware’s regular duck season.

Waterfowl survey results and estimates presented in the report show strong breeding populations for multiple duck and goose species throughout much of the United States and Canada, which could equate to strong migrating waterfowl numbers in the Atlantic Flyway.

According to the surveys conducted by the Fish and Wildlife Service, breeding duck conditions were excellent in much of the eastern survey area of eastern Canada, Maine, and northern New York. Most of the area received normal to above-normal precipitation resulting in full rivers, streams, ponds, lakes, bogs, and other wetlands suitable for breeding, nesting, and brood-rearing waterfowl.

Although duck estimates in the eastern area are not at record highs like in the U.S. and Canadian prairie regions (the overall prairie population estimate is 45.6 million birds), the duck numbers remain strong. Population estimates for mallards, mergansers, ring-necks,

green-winged teal, and goldeneyes remain similar to last year’s counts and close to their long-term averages. Black duck estimates were also similar to last year’s counts, but unfortunately their population numbers still trend about 13 percent below their long-term average.

Snow and ice melt occurred slightly later than normal in some goose-nesting areas, so survey results for Canada geese show that most of the United States will see average or slightly below average numbers of migrating geese this fall. However, the number of Canada geese in the Atlantic Flyway may buck the trend. The 2011 Atlantic Population surveys yielded an estimated 194,000 breeding pairs of Canada geese (27 percent higher than 2010) and 919,300 total Canada geese (18 percent higher than 2010) in the survey area, which may result in Atlantic Flyway goose hunters seeing increased action.

Although some homeowners, farmers, golf course managers, and park rangers may not believe it, the population of resident Canada geese in the Atlantic Flyway (geese that inhabit the southern Canadian provinces and the U.S. states that compose the Atlantic Flyway) has declined by an average of 2 percent annually since 2003. This spring’s weather in the Atlantic Flyway was generally cooler and wetter than average, so the decline in resident Canada geese populations may continue.

The waterfowl breeding population habitat surveys are conducted by various federal, state, and provincial agencies, and they cover more than two million square miles of North American waterfowl breeding areas. Since aerial and ground counts are affected by such factors as weather conditions and area accessibility, it is important to remember that the population statistics and trends presented are estimates based on counts, past data, and various calculation models.

While there is no foolproof method of predicting exactly how waterfowl population estimates will affect hunting, a little homework never hurts. Armed with the data presented in this years’ Waterfowl Population Status report, I am confident that successful duck and goose harvests await many hunters in our region.