Woodcock

[mlandrum]

This is his retrievehttps://youtu.be/GTlIduIJ_3s

 

[GLS]

We are having a tough time in an old standby of an area. Not finding many birds. Emily Dickinson said that "hope is the thing with feathers." Here's hoping that tomorrow will bring us things with brown feathers. One bird today. Sadie and Pop with Floyd:

 

[mlandrum]

Great Job Fellers!! All the places I,m killing birds are NEW places??? No birds where I got them last year

 

[GLS]

A fine day in the rivercane with Floyd, Ben and Billy escorted by Abby, Pop and Sadie. Willa rode the bench due to having to safeguard stitches. She’ll be up and at’em soon. We had 15-20 flushes and bagged six. Good day with friends and dogs.

One flat worn out dog, Abby. Note the rivercane camo pattern on Floyd's dog box.

Pop surveying the tailgate, Floyd, Abby, Sadie in the right box, Billy and Ben.

Top to bottom, Billy's 20 gauge Superposed Midas Grade (equivalent); Ben's 28 ga. Marocchi; My 16 ga. MF Ideal 302 Clunkerette. Floyd's Ithaca SKB 20 ga. was camera shy.

 

[mlandrum]

Great Job guys

 

[coveyrise]

So now we know. You hide in the river cane camo dog box and shoot the incoming.

 

[GLS]

David, the dog box is a huge decoy. Doodles can't resist rivercane. The secret is out. Gil

 

[GLS]

Hunted today briefly with worn-out dogs. The land bordered a swamp and the birds were on the hill adjacent to the swamp’s edge “nooning” in straight as an arrow sweet gum saplings of about an inch and a half diameter. I tried taking a photo, but it must not have happened. We found at least a dozen birds in about an hour’s time, but of note, four got up from one spot and three from another. We often have pairs get up but never more than that previously. We ended up with 5 but gave the landowner one before we finished.



Abby, Sadie and Pop—all three in need of a rest after Pop and Sadie hunted three days in a row and Abby, two.

 

[trad bow]

Looks like another great hunt. Thanks for the pics.
Jeff

 

[mlandrum]

You boys are Killin me, I'm gona try and sneek off Tomorrow afternoon

 

[Jacob Segars]

How do you think a lab would do on woodcock ? I live in front of a Creek & some bottomland and would like to give it a try if tangible. Thanks.

P.S always wanted a English cocker. On the dog breed checklist lol.

 

[mlandrum]

Jacob, I know a lot of Fellows that use Labs on snipe and woodcock but the key is training the Lab to NOT range more than 15 yards from you or they'll flush the bird out of gun range. Drake never goes out gun range. I do not get in the entanglements I stay where when I send him in the thicknesses I have a shot, seem to work for me

 

[mlandrum]

Drake and I had a great afternoon hunt today Drake flushed--- 1 White Tail Deer, 1 Snipe and 2- Woodcocks I managed to zero in on one of the Woodcock---- Great Job Drake!!!!

 

[GLS]

We had great expectations today having left a pile of birds behind the last time we went. Expectations developed into a real cluster fest. It started out with a wild flush out of a thicket. We figured it would be behind the thicket and we walked around with the dogs in front of us, my Abby and Willa. While watching the dogs work, one exploded from the ground five feet from me. I got off two quick misses. We worked the back edge of the thicket and Abby went on point. I couldn’t get in fast enough and the bird got up on its own. Sayonara. Next up was a huge rivercane patch. In spots, the cane is 12-15 feet tall and as big around as a 12 gauge shell. Cane is bad enough, but it was laced with cat claw briars. We are lucky to see the dogs 5 yards away. Dogs out in front. “I heard one get up, Floyd.” It landed five feet from us with a “thunk’. Up and away behind a tree just and I shot the tree. Gone. The bird, not the tree. Later, my Garmin signaled Willa on point, 50 yards out. We struggled through the cane and Floyd saw her 4 yards away, locked down. Floyd got the shot, and it got away fast without a ruffled feather. Minutes later, Abby’s bell stopped. Both of us got there quickly. I could see the bird five feet from her nose. Floyd was positioned behind her perfectly as he could see it as well. I went it. The bird got up fast and just as fast dove down 25 feet away. I got off a shot just as it dove. Swing and a miss. The dogs got over in the area where we thought it landed, but it either flown farther than we thought or had run and it took off without us seeing it as we heard it twitter away. We eventually got on the far side of the monster cane patch. Abby’s bell stopped and I got a signal that she was on point, 50 yards into the cane. I got to within 15 feet from Abby and Willa charged in with me yelling “whoa, whoa!” and I then tripped and promptly face planted on the soft loam and the bird got up and away. I wasn’t too happy with Willa. According to Floyd, the worst part of it was he didn’t get to see me face plant. We should have never let Murphy in the truck.

 

[mlandrum]

WELL TODAY i CLOSED MY SEASON , I made my goal 8 birds and got one bonus This morning I went back where yesterday afternoon we flushed 4 but only flushed one but I made a shot on target and Drake made a perfect retrieve!! After lunch Drake and I hit a river drain ditch where we flushed one thursday, as we went into the drain Drake went BIRDDIE he was only 10 yards from me, as I searched the thicket floor in front of me I saw the woodie not 3 yards from me so I just let Drake work the scent but low and behold he flushed one where he was and I shot but missed but the bird by me just sat tight as Drake worked toward me the woodie got up but flew outside the drain I shot a nice tree but as the bird hooked left I put a good lead on him and shot barrel two and I couldn't tell if I connected as I Moved Drake out on the edge I cut him lose to hunt DEAD and a few minutes here he came with his prize--What a Season

 

[GLS]

Great photo!

 

[mlandrum]

Hey Gill, the birds just got here this week!!!! and the seasons over

 

[GLS]

What a difference a day and a change of location makes. We hunted civilized, head high rivercane today. Shots were easier than yesterday and we found some birds, or more precisely, Pop and Sadie found the birds. Floyd and Jeff in the photos to give some scale of the cane we were in today. Tomorrow is season’s end in Georgia with SC out end of the month. Work beckons, however.

Cane not as dense as yesterday’s. Here’s Pop out about 5 yards.

 

[mlandrum]

Great Work fellows and great pictures!!! What do we do NOW till next season????? Well I'm going to get Drake Ready for his AKC SENIOR Hunting Degree so here we goTwo years ago he got his AKC Junior Degree and I wanted to let him have a year of just hunting , My wife said," I thought hunting season was over!!" boy after 49 years seems they would get the picture

 

[GLS]

Are you kidding? Quail and snipe until end of February and turkeys in March. Gil