I wasn't going to post this, but what the heck.... Another great day hassling the woodcocks!
It rained until around 1500 military time. Rowdy and I hunkered in place until it quit and then kitted up and went across the road. Bottom line, Rowdy found at least 5 Woodcocks on a 2 mile walk measured by my track on my phone.
The property across the road is jointly owned by two guys and their wives. One of them was cooking maple syrup down a week ago, sat down because he was tired and expired of a heart attack. I learned this today as I talked to a neighbor who likes to drive his gator around on the trails Rowdy and I hunt. We met up and BS'd for about 30 minutes today.
So, Resquiet en Pax, my friend. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Two memorable flushes.
Back to the Woodcock report. They have cleared a big opening in the center of their property and they have clay flingers. I call it the Range. On the south side of the Range is roughly 2 Acres of new popples, scrub oak and small pool and brambles in a narrow looping arc. It is perfect Woodcock habitat. Right now all the vegetation is down after winter so Rowdy and I can easily get back there. It's also mostly defrosted and the ground is harboring worms. As of today there were a lot of woodcock there.
So Rowdy and I plunged in there and he promptly bounced on up. No point, no hold, just flush. I whistle sat him and he held watching the bird fly North about 50-60 yards. I should have heeled him and calmed him for a minute but instead I told him "Hunt". He took off like a rocket towards where he'd just watch that bird alight.
And danged if he didn't find the bird and flush it again. This time the bird flew directly at me about 20' in the air as I stood there dumbfounded. No time to get the phone out and on. It flew over and slightly left and was a perfect Low House Station 1 shot. So, there's a bird in my imaginary bag.
The west side of the range is slightly older popples. There is a hunting / deer trail down through it and Rowdy and took that. He started acting all birdy and as I struggled to find a flat place to stand with a clear view he found the bird and it didn't hold. It flushed straight up like woodcocks do sometimes and then at about 10' in the air did a horizontal bat turn and shot away. Really neat memory. I almost got my video.
I saw Rowdy flush 3 more birds, all around 40 yards away. He went from loping to birdy to flush in about 3.5 seconds on all of them.
Ann's coming up to walk with me tomorrow. She's also bringing emergency Rowdy dog food resupply. We'll keep striving to get a video.
Whisler out.
It rained until around 1500 military time. Rowdy and I hunkered in place until it quit and then kitted up and went across the road. Bottom line, Rowdy found at least 5 Woodcocks on a 2 mile walk measured by my track on my phone.
The property across the road is jointly owned by two guys and their wives. One of them was cooking maple syrup down a week ago, sat down because he was tired and expired of a heart attack. I learned this today as I talked to a neighbor who likes to drive his gator around on the trails Rowdy and I hunt. We met up and BS'd for about 30 minutes today.
So, Resquiet en Pax, my friend. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Two memorable flushes.
Back to the Woodcock report. They have cleared a big opening in the center of their property and they have clay flingers. I call it the Range. On the south side of the Range is roughly 2 Acres of new popples, scrub oak and small pool and brambles in a narrow looping arc. It is perfect Woodcock habitat. Right now all the vegetation is down after winter so Rowdy and I can easily get back there. It's also mostly defrosted and the ground is harboring worms. As of today there were a lot of woodcock there.
So Rowdy and I plunged in there and he promptly bounced on up. No point, no hold, just flush. I whistle sat him and he held watching the bird fly North about 50-60 yards. I should have heeled him and calmed him for a minute but instead I told him "Hunt". He took off like a rocket towards where he'd just watch that bird alight.
And danged if he didn't find the bird and flush it again. This time the bird flew directly at me about 20' in the air as I stood there dumbfounded. No time to get the phone out and on. It flew over and slightly left and was a perfect Low House Station 1 shot. So, there's a bird in my imaginary bag.
The west side of the range is slightly older popples. There is a hunting / deer trail down through it and Rowdy and took that. He started acting all birdy and as I struggled to find a flat place to stand with a clear view he found the bird and it didn't hold. It flushed straight up like woodcocks do sometimes and then at about 10' in the air did a horizontal bat turn and shot away. Really neat memory. I almost got my video.
I saw Rowdy flush 3 more birds, all around 40 yards away. He went from loping to birdy to flush in about 3.5 seconds on all of them.
Ann's coming up to walk with me tomorrow. She's also bringing emergency Rowdy dog food resupply. We'll keep striving to get a video.
Whisler out.
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