Woodcock hunting in the snow

[ROMAC]

Everyone told me that it just wasn’t worth the trouble. That it’s just not done but I planned on hitting Maryland’s Eastern Shore on MLK day for woodcock regardless whether or not it snowed.

The day before I was supposed to go it snowed and then it snowed some more. We got about 6 inches where I live, but Maryland was supposed get less. In the end, the area where we went got only about 2 inches. When I left my house it was 14 degrees.

Getting ready to roll:





We hit the first covert and after only about 15 minutes Phoebe locked up and Emma backed her in picture perfect fashion. At the flush a beautiful large female exploded out of the cover and flew right into my IC pattern of RST 8’s. Not a bad start. We spent the next 3 hours busting our humps without a flush, though the dogs got birdy a few times. So back to the trucks we went to grab some coffee and discuss where to go next. I was using a minty Fox Sterlingworth in 20 gauge that I need to use a velcro leather pad with to increase the LOP.

The dogs did not mind the snow one bit:



Phoebe on point:



Phoebe with the bird and Emma trying to get in on the action:



We went about 5 miles down the road to cover that was easier to walk with established trails running through the cover that we figured would give more edge to work. We had 3 more flushes in the next two hours. We got all 3. It’s been a long time since I had a woodcock hunt where we did not miss a bird. In the end we were 4 for 4, each of us taking 2 birds. By our reckoning after examining them we think they were all females.


I’ve read that males are first to migrate from their home range and first to return to establish mating grounds. The abundance of females, although a small sample seemed to show that.

Afterwards we had a small toast to Hubertus for a safe hunt in some nasty conditions. (The first half of the drive was dicey).



It was a great way to end the season.

[Sporrns]

Roger, you have put the sap on my head several times with your renditions of woodcock hunts in Jersey, but this time you zeroed out on one of my home turfs! If you were hunting where I"m sure you were (travel time & distance, trails etc.) then you were there exactly when I had gone in past years on the MLK holiday.

We always heard the same thing; too late, too cold, snow; too windy, etc. etc. The truth always was no matter how bad the weather or late the perceived migration, we always found birds in the medium-shallow folds deeper in the woods that still had free flowing water in little streams or rivulets. And like you last post about the NY Eve woodcock hunt in Jersey, lots of times we wound up on our hands and knees looking for a downed bird the dog couldn't move on because of the super thick thorny briars that tore them and us up.

When I had my own dog and/or others to hunt with, we always made this hunt on the MLK weekend as a last effort to close out the season for woodcock. The area was a great mix of smaller broken fields surrounded by mixed growth timber and laced with small, very shallow streams draining the larger fields. Once a great area for wild quail, lack of predator control pretty much wiped them out, but the woodcock adapted and still use the area.

Good on you for making the extra effort to close out the season with a good hunt. Show us a few pics if you care to share. Thanks, Kevin

[44whiskey]

thanks again Roger for that report/am looking forward to pics

[DarylC]

Like Kevin said you are on my home turf Roger and if you were on public land I'm pretty sure I know where you were. True story: Kevin might not remember this but many years ago I was hunting woodcock in that area and had stopped at a local sporting goods store after a lunch break to nose around and see what was there that I needed. lol. I kind of knew Kevin at the time but only in a passing way and we exchanged pleasantries. Turns out he was looking for 28ga ammo which as one knows is virtually unobtainium in a small local store. I asked him how many he needed and gave him a box so he could continue his quest for woodcock. Funny how small this world really is. For reference the price on those 28ga shells was $5.99/box so that should date this story. At the time I was buying those shells by the case, not flat, from a local big box store. Still have a few boxes left.

[Sporrns]

Wow Daryl; great memory - that was a WHILE ago! Roger, if you ever go back there look in the woods for a flexible soft plastic map sleeve with a USGS topo map in it - I carried it for 3 or 4 years hunting in the various areas there and made notes each time I encountered a woodcock, marking if it was a flush, shot/miss, shot/kill, or no shot possible and so forth. I probably had 20-25 entries on it. After one particularly arduous hunt, I discovered after I got back to my truck and put my dog up that it had fallen out of the rear game pocket of my hunting vest, probably after corkscrewing through some briars. Whoever finds it will have a treasure map better than the one to King Solomon's Mines! Kevin

[ROMAC]

I don’t know Kevin. That sounds like a false treasure map for sure to keep people looking in the wrong spots. Lol!

I’m having a heck of a time with pictures. My new software update on my phone is not playing nice with my workplace security settings.

Got it sorted out.

[Jeff S]

Great pictures Roger.

[ROMAC]

Thanks for all the comments. Two of the birds were very thin, almost emaciated. All the birds flew well though.

In Guy De La Valdene’s book “Making Game”, An essay on Woodcock, he writes that when a woodcock’s diet is limited to 20 grams of earthworms per day, most die within 48 hours, having lost 40%of their body weight. They can last about two weeks on 60 grams per day, but lose 30% of their weight. They have an extremely high metabolism and need to consume their approximate body weight every 24 hours.

A lot of flight birds perish when the ground freezes solid and bad weather hits that impedes their ability to continue their migration or feed adequately while grounded. Since earthworms are mostly water weight this usually accomplished which results in copious amounts of splash usually seen in good feeding areas.

I think the season is finally over for me now although there are still a few days left in the MD season.

But then again there’s always Louisiana!

[Foxnut]

Roger, great description and pics of the hunt! I’m envious that you get to hunt Woodcock through January. In MI our season ends in late October. Great job and thanks for sharing the hunt!

[ROMAC]

I live in an area that I can easily hunt 5 states if I want to spend the $$$ for out of state licenses with New York being the farthest at about 3.5 hours to where I know to hunt. I’m in Pennsylvania but can be in New Jersey in 20 minutes, Delaware in about an hour and Maryland in about 1.5 hours. I hunted three states this year and maybe a fourth before all the seasons are over.

[vaturkey]

I have a friend hunting Maryland today. One last hunt before this huge inbound snow storm blows them out. Two good dogs that know Woodcock.

I just returned from the store in prep for what seems to be a biggie. Virginia does not handle snow events well.

[ROMAC]

Tom, I love to hear the after-action report on your friend's hunt. I think any bird with half a brain would be long gone!