Post by Uplander on Nov 17, 2006 21:15:27 GMT -5
Well, the woodcock season ended here in Massachusetts when the sun went down over the Berkshire hills last Saturday, and as I walked back to the logging road with Piper, I had some time to think back on the last 4 weeks and what we’ve accomplished.
Except for the first few days when they’re the only legal quarry, we never head out looking for woodcock; partridge is the name of our game. But, this season, like last season, my partridge covers were filled with woodcock; more woodcock than I’ve ever seen, except, perhaps, in New Brunswick.
To my mind the Massachusetts Fish & Game guys were spot on when they chose the dates for the 2006 woodcock season. Vermont opened/closed a week earlier, and I think they missed the height of the migration this year….
Our season opened in mid-October, with me and Piper getting into some local birds, and numbers rapidly escalating until the crescendo two weeks ago. By this past weekend, numbers in my covers had taped off drastically.
This season, out of sheer luck I found one down and dirty, dedicated woodcock cover. First one I’ve ever actually tagged a “woodcock cover” only. And it’s tiny…. About 15 feet wide, and 100 feet long. But man does it hold birds, all migration long. Every time we hunted it, we found birds, in numbers from 3 to 7. I walked through it on a whim, because it was the only likely looking bit of cover around in a hardwood forest. Boy am I glad I did!
I feel a little bad about the numbers of woodcock I gunned down this season. Normally I stop after only a few and reserve my shots for partridge. But, this season, with the pup by my side, woodcock showed her the meaning of bird hunting. I told myself I was going to do this with Piper without resorting to preserves, stocked birds, pigeons, etc. I burned up a lot of vacation days getting Piper in the woods, and wore myself down to the nub hunting hard from morning until sundown many days, but I’m glad I did. My father tagging along and gunning some along with us on some days was great fun as well. So far it has paid off. In just under 4 weeks, she has had well over 30 wild birds shot and retrieved over/by her, and probably three times that number of flushes/missed shots. And that’s not including the time in New Brunswick before our “home” Massachusetts/Vermont seasons started up…. There’s plenty of learning still to be had, that’s for darn sure, but the foundation has been laid.
I have only brought the camera for three days so far this season, and find myself taking few pictures this season, being somewhat preoccupied with Piper and all, but here are a few shots dedicated to the prince of the uplands; the American Woodcock.
Hey Pup!
Telltale "Splashing"
Day’s Limit
Cookin’ Time
Tuckered Out
A Day With Dear Ol’ Dad
Last Woodcock, 2006
Except for the first few days when they’re the only legal quarry, we never head out looking for woodcock; partridge is the name of our game. But, this season, like last season, my partridge covers were filled with woodcock; more woodcock than I’ve ever seen, except, perhaps, in New Brunswick.
To my mind the Massachusetts Fish & Game guys were spot on when they chose the dates for the 2006 woodcock season. Vermont opened/closed a week earlier, and I think they missed the height of the migration this year….
Our season opened in mid-October, with me and Piper getting into some local birds, and numbers rapidly escalating until the crescendo two weeks ago. By this past weekend, numbers in my covers had taped off drastically.
This season, out of sheer luck I found one down and dirty, dedicated woodcock cover. First one I’ve ever actually tagged a “woodcock cover” only. And it’s tiny…. About 15 feet wide, and 100 feet long. But man does it hold birds, all migration long. Every time we hunted it, we found birds, in numbers from 3 to 7. I walked through it on a whim, because it was the only likely looking bit of cover around in a hardwood forest. Boy am I glad I did!
I feel a little bad about the numbers of woodcock I gunned down this season. Normally I stop after only a few and reserve my shots for partridge. But, this season, with the pup by my side, woodcock showed her the meaning of bird hunting. I told myself I was going to do this with Piper without resorting to preserves, stocked birds, pigeons, etc. I burned up a lot of vacation days getting Piper in the woods, and wore myself down to the nub hunting hard from morning until sundown many days, but I’m glad I did. My father tagging along and gunning some along with us on some days was great fun as well. So far it has paid off. In just under 4 weeks, she has had well over 30 wild birds shot and retrieved over/by her, and probably three times that number of flushes/missed shots. And that’s not including the time in New Brunswick before our “home” Massachusetts/Vermont seasons started up…. There’s plenty of learning still to be had, that’s for darn sure, but the foundation has been laid.
I have only brought the camera for three days so far this season, and find myself taking few pictures this season, being somewhat preoccupied with Piper and all, but here are a few shots dedicated to the prince of the uplands; the American Woodcock.
Hey Pup!
Telltale "Splashing"
Day’s Limit
Cookin’ Time
Tuckered Out
A Day With Dear Ol’ Dad
Last Woodcock, 2006
