Gun Dog Forum

At 3 o'clock this afternoon Maison and I finally got a chance to head out to our little honey hole. We finally got some rain this past week. The dog work was stellar. The shooting was not! By 5 o'clock we had 10 solid points. We put 6 down but couldn't find one. That would have been our limit. What makes me so excited is that my 13 year old is addicted! We have a deal. Good grades = hunting. GPA up from a 2.0 to 3.0 since the first field trial we went to in October up till now.

Thats great!!! Glad you have a good hunt!

Not too shabby! I have a friend that makes a yearly trip or two to your woodcock haunts and I know that is some tough cover.

Let me get this straight: you had 10 points of which you shot 6 & said the shooting wasn't stellar??? That is in my book! If you need help shooting/missing them, I'll be down. Just let me know, woodcock are my passion.

I never see any woodcock here during season, its usually to dry but do some training on them in the spring. i couldnt imagine shooting 60% on tose little brown rockets! way to get your son involved and keeping those grades up.
Jim

I guess I should have mentioned that of the 6 only one of them was a "one shot kill" the majority were magazine empties! LOL
Our property is actually some of the easiest woodcock hunting cover around. We have cattle and they bust up the briars really well and cut trails all through the woods. We have been suffering from the drought here as well. Got some good rain this past week and that seems to have helped out greatly.

I have only been back a couple of days but it is flat full of birds down here. My brother took out my dog with a couple of friends and they tore them up, think the dog may have converted some lab people into shorthair people Just joking lab people.

He never hunted her before either.

The quotes from one of the hunters goes like this

" You told me she could do it, but you didn't tell me how she would do it, that is the most fun I have ever had hunting."

On several occasions, my brother tapped her to release her to fetch she never moved he said "boys they got some more birds somewhere" they knocked down 5 on one point over her and 4 birds three other times.

I wont even tell how many birds they moved.

Needless to say I have a lot more coverts just opened up to me.

A trained dog is a wonderful thing.

Welcome back Frank! I thought we had lost you for the whole hinting season! The hunting is great. We went yesterday and it seems as if the bird numbers on our place doubled in a few days. Went to Sherbourne opening week and it wasn't very good, dry as a bone. Lake Charles isn't known for spectacular woodcock hunting, but they are here! 5 minutes from my house.

MrCreole,
Great stuff sir, looks like you had a great time with the boy. Lived in Slidell, La for about 10 years, and hunted Woodcock and Wood Ducks, glad to see someone else hunting Woodcock in La. Real nice pictures.
RGD/Dave

6 for 10 sounds pretty good to me. I've only seen one woodcock in my life and I can see why it's the the knuckleball of birds.

Great job, especially with the 13 yr old !
Before we froze up for the winter during the early season for grouse, woodcock and stocked pheasants. I swear I saw more woodcock this year than I have seen my whole life in this area. I don't know why but I like it.

Did it again today. Hot, temps in mid 60's and muggy. Didn't get out until 4:15 or so. Only had an hour of shooting time. Got 9 points on woodcock. 5 in the bag again. Also, Delta pointed a covey of quail. About 10 birds. Did not shoot any quail. We decided a couple of weeks ago we wouldn't cut any more off of this particular property. Good, year for the woodcock! Probably make a coyote stand tomorrow. Probably do ducks and geese in the mornings and woocock in the afternoons on the weekend.

Saw a few woodcock as a kid in N. Minnesota. Not many birds up there but I probably flushed 10 in 5 years. Got one. 6 fer 10 looks great to me.