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.