The Delaware hunting seasons are almost over. As usual, I have been trying to cram in as many hunts as possible (which leaves me little time to post hunt updates). Here’s a chance to catch up. Details of my past 4 weeks of hunts are listed below.

12/28/2011 – Duck hunted a private pond with no success. As soon as I walked into the pond before dawn, about 25 ducks flew out — all before shooting time. None came back. I tried the pond again in the evening and saw nothing. As an added bonus, I stepped in the deepest hole while walking out and flooded my waders.

12/30/2011 – Had a great pheasant hunt at Meadowview Preserve in New Jersey. Two neighbors, one of my daughters, my vizsla Gus, and I went on a stocked pheasant hunt in 60-degree weather. Weird weather for the end of December, but we had a nice hunt. We harvested 12 of the 16 stocked pheasants.

Great Pheasant Hunt at New Jersey's Meadowview Preserve

12/31/3011 – Curt Barkus, Gabriella, and I went on our last Delaware woodcock hunt of the season. What a great day it was! Gus pointed 3 woodcocks, and we harvested two. What’s more, Gabriella harvested her first woodcock — ever! Beautiful!

Steven and Gabriella Kendus with Gabriella's First Delaware Woodcock

1/7/2012 – I had the privilege of covering a 4-H Shooting Sports youth hunt. Literally, I saw about 100 deer. I will provide details in an upcoming post.

1/14/2012 – Since the Maryland woodcock season is still open, I purchased a Maryland license and hunted woodcocks with Curt Barkus. Within one hour of our bitter cold morning hunt, Gus got Curt his limit of 3 birds. We pushed on for 3 more hours, and I harvest one woodcock.

Curt Barkus with his first woodcock of the 2011-2012 season

1/16/2012  – Paul Quigley, Curt Barkus, and I hunted woodcocks in Maryland. It was even more cold than the previous hunt. We hunted hard and Got Paul his first two woodcocks in several years.

Paul Quigley and Steven M. Kendus with Quigley's First Woodcock of the 2011-2012 Season

1/21/2012 – Hunted deer in a snow, sleet, and freezing rain storm. I braved the elements for a morning hunt. While I could take the weather, my bow couldn’t. Ice from the freezing rain encased my bow, quiver, and arrows, so I left the woods by 8:30 AM.

Mel Toponce with a Delaware Woodcock

Outdoors writer Mel Toponce joined me for a day-after-Christmas Delaware woodcock hunt. Mel, author of many hunting articles for various outdoors magazines and owner of Toponce Ranches (California), has hunted woodcocks from Canada to Louisiana, but today was his first time pursuing timberdoodles in the First State.

Mel is visiting family on the East Coast for the holidays, so he drove up from Virginia to meet me in Smyrna, Delaware. I picked him up around 7:30 AM, and we were in woodcock fields by 8:00 AM.

Mel, my vizsla Gus, and I walked my trusted woodcock spots with little success. Gus found no birds in the first two sapling fields we visited, but the third field proved to be the charm. Several flooded areas surrounded the third field, and I could tell after my first boggy step that there were woodcocks among the saplings. With woodcock splash (droppings) marking the ground, it was only a matter of minutes before Gus locked up on the first doodle.

Mel walked to Gus, and the first bird flushed. Mel dropped him with his second shot. I marked where the bird fell and made my way toward it. Gus and Mel also headed toward the downed bird. As they walked toward the fields edge, I saw another woodcock flush. Astoundingly, he landed mere feet from the location of the downed bird.

I called Gus and Mel over. As Gus approached the live bird, the doodle flushed. Mel swung on him and missed with two shots. As woodcock typically do, it only flew about 40 yards and pitched back into the sapling thicket. After retrieving the downed bird, we made our way toward the second bird.

Gus located and pointed the doodle, and Mel went in for the shot. Gus held the point for at least 3 minutes before Mel was able to flush it. The woodcock flew up, and Mel dropped him with one perfectly placed shot.

Gus pointed another timberdoodle, and I walked in to the flush him. Standing right behind Gus with my eyes into the sun, I stomped the brush and flushed the bird. The bird flew straight up, and I dropped him while the bird was no more than 6 feet from my gun barrel.

Mel, Gus, and I tried another field but found no other woodcocks and called it a day around 1:00 PM. We were both satisfied with the late-season Delaware woodcock hunt, and we may try to reconnect later this week.

If you are interested in hunting Columbian black tail deer, black bear, rio grande wild turkeys in California’s Solano and Siskiyou Counties, give Mel Toponce a call.

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.

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.

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.

Delaware woodcock hunting season closed last week. Check out the videos below for a recap of my 2010-2011 season.

With so many things going on I have found little time to post actual hunting updates. I had some time off over the holidays, so I spent some time hunting in Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey. Here’s a quick recap.

Steven Kendus Bow Hunting Delaware 12/27/2010

12/18 New Jersey Snipe Hunt – I tried for some New Jersey snipe 12/18, although we were in the midst of a deep freeze on the east coast. During my two-hour hunt with my vizsla Gus, we got up two snipe. One was on the edge of an unfrozen stream, and one was hunkered down in the underbrush of a hedgerow. I manage to get some shots off at the second bird, but they were clean misses.

12/24 Delaware Woodcock Hunt – My friend Curt, my 11-year old daughter, and I hunted Delaware woodcocks on Christmas Eve morning. The ground was frozen solid, but we still found woodcocks. Curt and I each shot one, and my daughter got a shot off at one with her single-shot .410. At one point, Gus pointed three woodcocks sitting together. Two flushed at once, but only my daughter shot. As we commented on the double flush, the third one flushed, and none of us was ready to shoot!

12/27 Delaware Deer Hunt – We had a nice snow storm the day after Christmas, which left about 5 inches of snow at one of my suburban hunting spots. I braved 40 mph winds and 25-degree temperatures to get in a late afternoon bow hunt on 12/27. I saw a ton of tracks, but no deer.

12/28 Maryland Deer Hunt – I hunted in Maryland with my muzzleloader for about 3.5 hours on the afternoon of 12/28. I saw a ton of tracks, and even tried to follow some fresh ones. Unfortunately, the tracks all crossed onto the neighboring property, where don’t have permission to hunt. I heard some deer blow, but I saw none.

12/31 Delaware Deer Hunt – I went back to my suburban deer hunting spot on New Year’s Eve. Legal shooting time ended around 5:16 PM. Around 5:05, a fox walked passed me. I made a few calls to him, and he stopped. As I watched him, I noticed a lone deer coming toward me. As the light faded, I lost sight of the deer, but I could hear it moving. After shooting time ended, I began climbing down from my stand. The deer was about 10 yards behind me, hidden by a pine tree. It bolted away.

1/1 Delaware Deer Hunt – Well, if I wanted to shoot geese with my bow, I could have done so easily. I went to a suburban spot for some bow hunting, and there were about 150 Canada geese all over. I was able to creep into shooting range of a few, but I opted not to shoot since I didn’t want to spook any deer that could be around. As I walked toward my stand, I saw a deer jump up about 80 yards away and bolt. Again, I waited until the last minutes of shooting time. As I turned to grab my bow off the tree hook, I saw a buck standing 50 yards behind me. 9 times out of 10, the deer approach from the exact opposite angle. This one caught me off guard. I waited to see what he would do. He continued walking another 10 yards, until he got got right into the wind that was apparently blowing my scent right to him. He stopped, turned, and silently trotted away. The was the second close call in as many days.

First Chukars!

Great pheasant and chukar hunt!

I maximized my time off this weekend. Here’s a quick summary:

• Hunted deer in Delaware Thanksgiving morning with no success.
• Woodcock hunted Friday morning and shot with my hunting partner Curt. We each harvested one woodcock.
• Archery hunted Delaware deer Friday evening. Saw nothing.
• Hunted stocked pheasants and chukars on Saturday morning. Had a phenomenal hunt. I shot 3 pheasants. Better than that, my daughter went with me and shot 3 chukars. Great stuff!
• Deer hunted Saturday afternoon on the opening day of Maryland gun season. Saw 3 does, but they were out of shotgun range.
• Deer hunted Sunday morning in Maryland. Saw 5 does, but they, too, were out of range.

Steven M. Kendus and Gus with woodcocks and a pheasant

Curt with a snipe (front) and a woodcock (back).

My hunting partner Curt and I hunted birds yesterday with my vizsla Gus. What a phenomenal day.

We arrived at our first public woodcock hunting honey hole around 7:30 AM when frost was just starting to melt off of the fallen leaves in the sapling thickets. Within about 10 minutes, Gus pointed his first woodcock. The bird flew before we could get close to it, but 5 minutes later, Gus pointed him again. I flushed the bird, got off one shot, and dropped the bird to the ground.

As we moved through the saplings, Gus was finding birds in some really thick cover. Curt missed his first few birds, which must have been contagious because I started missing. With Gus pointing a high number of birds, we managed to redeem ourselves. Within two hours, we had 5 woodcocks, although Gus point at least a dozen.

Curt has been itching to hunt snipe for years, so we changed our plans and went after snipe. Gus has never hunted snipe before, but we were finding them on the edges of damp fields. At a prime snipe spot, we jumped a pair right off the bat. I wasn’t paying attention when they flew, so I missed them completely. Curt got a few shots off, but didn’t hit any. We drove to another spot, stepped out of the truck, walked 5 yards, and busted another snipe up! No one shot because of the location near the road. As we walked the field, we jumped 6 more snipes, and Curt knocked one down. Beautiful!

Coincidentally, while woodcock and snipe hunting on New Jersey public ground, we came across some pheasants. Gus pointed one, but the bird ran straight out to the marsh and we lost him. Thirty minutes later, he pointed another one. The big rooster flushed, and I dropped him with one shot. While we were taking the photos of the woodcocks and pheasant, another pheasant began walking from the hedgerow right into the field we were in! Gus and I went up to get a shot, but the rooster flew the opposite way from us, presenting us with no shot.

Although it is the heart of the rut, our bird hunt was going so well we decided to forego deer hunting and put in a full day on birds. Gus, Curt, and I were all exhausted, but it was well worth it.