Turn volume up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne6nj9AgY7M

Now that's what I call doing the "Funky Chicken" we have them here but never seen the dance, thanks for sharing.

That is neat. Whole body moves but eye is damned near stable. A first view for me as well.

Never saw that dance, but have seen the sky dance several times.

I see woodcock walking like that a handful of times each year. One of the guesses is they do so to test footing but it seems this often occurs on hard surfaces which would rule out this theory. Some think it is done to mimic wind movement but I've seen it done on still days as well as windy plus having observed more woodcock walk around as typical I have doubts on this reason. I've also heard this is a method of triangulation to detect prey which seems a little more likely as it does occur in "normal" ground too but again, hard ground would prevent the bird from reaching its prey. It is one of those oddities that we may never know for sure why it's done.

Sky dancing has been going on for a few weeks here. If one is careful, they can move to within feet of where the male begins his dance. I've known people who have captured a male while found so but my luck has not been nearly as good. I've had better luck netting mudbats using lights, at night, in the rain than stalking them while they are dancing.

The first broods should be hatching in the next week or so per buddies who have found nests already. I hope to get out scouting/banding this weekend if the weather and wife permits.

Hey guys, that's what I look like now on the dance floor!!! Used to be pretty handy with my feet, just keeping them under me is a challenge. Bill out. 🐾👣🐾👣🇨🇦

That's cute. Thanks for posting.

thanks. never knew that. Cool birds and they always seem to scare the crap out of you walking into your deer stand in predawn hours when they kick up under your feet lol

I have never seen one. Where they do live, are they plentiful?

Are they common in a lot of states or just a few?

Woodcock are found mostly east of the Mississippi River. Their numbers are dropping but they are still fairly plentiful in early growth forests. They eat insects and worms so migrate from the north to the south in winter. They are about the size of a bobwhite but have long beaks, long legs, and big feet. Adult males will have beaks shorter than the width of a dollar bill, females will be longer.

Females and juveniles migrate earlier while males stick around. They do not travel in flocks but they will congregate in areas during the migration. A covert may be bare on one day and hold dozens the next depending on winds. Or, a covert will empty out just as quickly.

Timberdoodles, bog suckers, mudbats, et al generally sit tight to danger but I've seen more and more waddle out from a point, especially in heavily hunted areas. They are still great birds to work young pointers on.

Woodcock are found in in thicker, wetter ruffed grouse type cover in the north and "swamp quail" cover in the south. I find it most comfortable to wear rubber boots when targeting woodcock specifically.

I've done a lot of woodcock "hunting" in the spring,The chicks are hatched with feet 3/4 the size of adults. This allows one to band the chicks prior to flying. We use pointing dogs to locate broods and then net the chicks (and hopefully the hen) starting about now in the spring and continuing into June. One needs to be licensed and have experienced, good handling dogs to do this but it is a good way of learning about the bird and getting into the woods. Last weekend was a scouting session and 4 nests were found. The one should be hatching early next week with the other following over the next week and a half. The trick will be to find them even though the chicks will often be within a hundred yards of the nest for roughly the first week.

Thanks woodmaster81, You have just answered my question except for migration. How far is migration? Do they fly long distances in flocks?
What's a good source of information I can read so I won't have to bother you.
I can see a road trip in the future!

Ken

https://ruffedgrousesociety.org/woodcock-facts/

They fly through my part of Eastern PA, Southern NJ and Delaware every fall.

They are a blast to hunt and I have friends that specialize in them.

My woodcock dog pointing a rabbit.

I had this Browning O/U customized to honor the Timberdoodle.

Thanks for furthering my education CWT,ROMAC & woodmaster.

What a neat little bird. ROMAC, you have succeeded in honoring the Timberdoodle! CWT, I had a Short hair once. Mine mostly pointed Mule Deer and Porcupines ---

I've killed a few but never actively hunted them. I think the limit here is four.

Yes, but what do taste like? Are they good on the table?

They taste as much like dove as pheasants taste like chicken.

Any recipe for dove works for them just as well.

Interesting birds. Thanks.

I actually don't really like them that much. We eat them as appetizers and usually Asian style with garlic. I do kind of like that but I can tell ya I wouldn't want to make a meal out of them.

I wondered; probably very dark meat. I’m spoiled; we just had a Mother’s’ Day dinner of my favorite pheasant recipe. Exquisite.

They are one of the best options available if you desire to hunt wild birds and not go to a preserve. If you know where they should be your chances are usually pretty good during the migration if you know how to pattern the weather.

That's sure a pretty shotgun, Romac. Sure would like some details. Your pictures are top notch, too.

That gun is a 16 gauge Fox. I bought it as is and it was custom upgraded to an XE and restocked by someone else. It fits me perfectly and is one of my favorite upland guns.

I'm particular to Foxes and I also like LC Smith's. Originals are so expensive that these custom upgrades are considered "bargains" if you can find one on the used market. There can be a lot of variation in quality however, so buyer beware.

Very nice box lock!

Very nice! Thanks for the info.

We have been going to Michigan for the last three years, and luckily each time have hit the flight. Last year just the tail end, however in 5 or 6 days the Dogs had a couple hundred contacts. We shoot only a few for the Dogs. In previous years when in the middle of the flight, 50-60 flushes a day was the average. Excellent opportunities to start a young Dog and tune up an older one for the season.


Add in the Ruffed Grouse, which we do shoot, and it is a great trip.

ROMAC: In addition to the pics, nice shotguns....

Are woodcock and ruffed grouse found, generally, in the same locale? I think of wood’s being generally in damp bottoms, while grouse are a bit higher and drier?

Also, I’ve heard/read that ruffed grouse on the table of all upland birds are le meilleur de tous.

Is that correct?

Woodcock in their migration crossover and stop to rest in a variety of covers, some of which do not have Ruffed Grouse...

https://ruffedgrousesociety.org/migration-map/


Since I've only hunted them in Michigan my experience is limited...Combined with the fact, I've only hunted them when they sit down in considerable numbers in that area.. With that, we seemed to find the most in relatively young Aspen cuts, We often found Grouse in the same areas, but for the most part the Grouse were normally in cuts a little older, with a wider variety of food sources. Although when the Woodcock were in, you could cross paths with at least some in most covers....This would be my experience in Michigan...

We found the most Woodcock in this type of cover: However, some Grouse would usually be hanging around the outside edges of cuts like this....



While Ruffed Grouse in were we hunted were more frequently found in covers that had matured a little more....



As far as eating, I find little difference between Ruffed Grouse and Pheasants....In fact I just had a smoked Wild Turkey breast sandwich, and if I didn't know, I would not have been able to tell which one of the three it was....

Thanks Battue..Having hunted pheasants my whole life in the Great Open of the heartland and the prairies, I don’t know how you’d get a shot off in those dog-hair aspen cuts.

I’m sure you appreciated the vast differences having been to SD last fall.

Beautiful pic’s.

More than a few you don’t shoot at....more than a few you shoot the flash before they are completely out of sight, and great ears are a bonus.

Where I hunt them mostly in southern NJ, there are no grouse. This a picture of prime woodcock cover in the areas I hunt.

battue and ROMAC, are the birds holding for the dog and you walk up and flush them? That cover looks impossible to get any kind of shot off.

Bud hunts with Setters and Pointers and it is not rare to have Woodcock hold. I hunt with English Cockers and they are flushers. So you have to learn to read the Dog’s body language of when they are on scent and how hot it is and get ready.

Even when they hold for a point, often all you get is to hear the flush. Sometimes with the flushers, you just see the Dog bore in and then hear the flush. In both cases, sometimes the Bird makes an error and shows itself for a shot.

In that first pic, one of his Setters took a moving Grouse for over 100 yards. Locking up and then moving on. The Grouse finally flushed at the end of the cut and escaped. Also the first time we were in that cover, the Woodcock were home....probably flushed 40 plus in perhaps 1.5 hours. The next year there were few in the same cover.

Sure looks like fun, have never hunted woodcock. Maybe someday, with that cover I’m afraid all I would get to say is “there goes another one”

Those covers also show the fallacy of some wanting only short barrels..makes little difference if they are 26 or 30 inch, you mostly point straight in those covers....26inches won’t save you when swinging in there...odds are something will tangle up the receiver just as often as the end of the barrel....good balance is the key...

But old myths die hard....😀

George,

If you were lucky and timed it right, you could find a woodcock or two along the Missouri or Big Sioux Rivers. I found a couple on the Winnebago Reservation back in the 1990s and a buddy ran across one east of Yankton, SD a decade ago. It was the only time I saw any in Nebraska and I hunted the eastern part an awful lot for close to 20 years. You would have to hope for some steady winds from the east and northeast for a few days in late October or early November for the best chance at them and even then odds would be slim.

Better odds would be to head east for the Mississippi but even then it could be spotty. I've seen woodcock while duck hunting near Clinton but that was hit or miss. I think the birds move a little further east for migration plus do not linger but there should be decent numbers in the northeast part of Iowa.

ROMAC's picture of woodcock habitat is classic in MN and WI where I hunt providing the soil is just a little bit moist to spongy. The drier side is good for raising woodcock broods and is where we look for chicks if the is a singing ground close. Plus, it is also good brood cover for ruffed grouse. That makes it good grouse cover early in the season too. Battue's picture of woodcock cover is more in line of grouse cover here. 30+ years ago I hunted much the same cover in NJ. I bagged 2 woodcock and a grouse in 2 days hunting. The hunt ended the second day when I shot the grouse. My host was upset I shot one of "his" grouse even though that is what the purpose of the trip was.

Battue's picture of woodcock cover is very good ruffed grouse cover in northern MN and WI. The grouse cover shot would be marked for clearcutting in the very near future if not being left for other purposes at the old family homestead. In the central hardwood area where I live, that would be typical cover though getting a little long in the tooth. The woods behind my house looks like that and it should have been logged when I moved in 25 years ago. There are grouse back there but the numbers dwindle every year. In the Mississippi River bluffs that would be a grouse hunter's dream. It just goes to show how many different cover types ruffed grouse can utilize and how they vary from region to region.

I agree on barrel length too, I don't recall ever catching the end of any barrel on brush or branches but I have scars from getting rapped across the knuckles. In 1987 I bought my dream grouse gun, a 16 ga Browning Citori Upland Special with 24" barrels. It carries well but it is my sentimental favorite and not the one I carry when I want to kill birds. For the latter it has been some O/U with 30" barrels or a semiauto with 28" barrel. Balance is better than with the shorter barrels and the extra length lets me move prickly ash and buckthorn further out of the way with the barrels making it less likely to get scratched unnecessarily. That stuff can tear up clothes and skin something fierce.

Woodmaster,

Agree with your evaluation of the Grouse cover pic on only that part...Perhaps 100 yards away was this cut.....



We found Grouse in the pine area in the early morning.... we guessed they were using the pines to roost....down below me in the pic was a really nice small stream.... they had pretty much every thing they needed right there.

In fact killed this young Bird as it tried to cross over into that new cut....Someone was looking for a rest stop.




Here is another pic of a cut that was loaded with Woodcock for two years in a row....Last year we missed the better part of the flight in that particular area...Had some Birds, but nothing like previously....One of us would stay on the outside edge and would often get shooting if they crossed...






One thing that was interesting was that if we found Gray Dogwood trees with berries hanging Grouse were usually close by....On place was back in perhaps 3/4 of a mile and the cover was older and fairly open with fields and old pines, but more than a few Gray Dogwood trees.....7 Grouse came out from under one pine out in the middle of an open wild grass field....

WM81, thanks for the info on woodcock environments and their geographical spread. i’ve never seen one, or a ruffed grouse for that matter though I know the ruffies can be found in the rougher country in NE Iowa.

Believe it or not, I’ve seen one bobwhite quail in my life and it was in the edge of a grove — about the only cover, and brush in NW Iowa — in an area, NW Iowa, that one MN DNR official (a high school friend and originally from NW Iowa) has called a biological dessert. 😳 🙂

Battue, some pics are worth more than a thousand words. 👍

It may be a shorter list of what ruffed grouse don't eat than eat, it is known that dogwood berries are a favored food of ruffed grouse. A large patch of dogwood will be a consistent draw for grouse (and robins) until the berries are gone though birds will still use it for cover. It is a "pioneer" plant which is one of the first to grow back in clearcuts. Iveshot many a grouse with a 22 either spot and stalking birds like deer or elk hunting out west or sitting in wait as if squirrel hunting.

Dogwoods are also one of the most important winter food sources of whitetail deer and are heavily browsed over a winter. One can be quite successful watching over said patches come November.

George, I've always thought that area was a biological desert rather than dessert though I have seen it mostly from the MN side.😀 That area is said to be the most likely to still hold wild bobwhites in MN though I don't see how. I believe it is wishful thinking based on the rare covey found in South Dakota.

The “interesting” part was we were looking for new spots and the cover beside the backroad looked like it had potential. However, the further we went in, the cover turned to predominantly big woods broken up with open fields. Far from classic Grouse cover with the exception of the Dogwood trees. We eventually moved 20 some Grouse there. Place also had some great winter thermal pine cover..

Then went back last year, a week later, berries on the trees again, and didn’t flush a single Grouse.

Addition: Last year a Bud was archery hunting out off a tree stand, and in a short period of time 7 glided or walked in and milled around the tree he was in..how did they know and why, I’ll never figure them out.

Yes, “biological DESERT” 😀. Burn the ditches; spray weedlines; turn over every square inch, add chemicals, and when finished with all of that, spread shiet over all of it in the spring. 😳

George,
It isn't much different p here in farm country. The only cover are the swamps too big or too deep to drain and the occasional ditch. It has even become too barren to support Huns and they don't need much. It's why my moswwt productive pheasant hunting is not in the traditional areas.

Back to grouse.

Dogwoods in and of themselves can be very good cover, they combine a decent canopy to provide cover from Hawks, open enough understory to see land based predators, and plenty of food for a short time.

Odds are, your first trip coincided with the berries being ripe while the second was early. Last year there was a late April snow storm followed by a month or more of wet, cool weather that traveled east. Many berries and nuts were delayed if not killed outright. I saw dogwoods berries on bushes into deer season, the second weekend of November which is unheard of. Typically, they ripen here late September to early October and are gone in a week or so - maybe two weeks at the most.

The cool, wet spring also coincided with the hatch in many areas which may have played a role in local populations. The poor weather ended here just in time for the latter portion of the grouse hatch but it played havoc with the woodcock hatch which was affected for the duration and then some.

The idea of conifers being good winter cover must be an Eastern thing. We consider them a scourge and are cut down relentlessly when cutting for grouse habitat. Conifers are thought of as a last ditch, emergency winter cover as they provide, at best, a 10 degree thermal barrier. Far and away the best winter cover is snow with an 18" depth allowing for as warm as 20 degrees above zero in the dead of winter. The change in temps can cut feeding times and duration by more than half between the two cover types. That lessens predation opportunities greatly.

Conifers are also noted for providing perfect ambush perches for goshawks. Owls hunt from conifers a lot too and they can be a significant factor in winter mortality. Conifers are also home to red squirrels which are prime food sources of fishers and martens which won't pass up a grouse if given a chance.

Again, different regions have differing habitat availability and requirements. "Good" habitat can vary greatly from region to region. I'm still trying to get a handle on the grouse of North Dakota and the Driftless region of MN and WI- odds are I'll never do so to a reliable degree.

Interesting thoughts on the berries.....and we have had miserable wet springs here in Pa for the last 5 years or so...

Re: Pines:

Agree on the snow being probably the best winter roosting spot....Problem is it rarely gest deep enough here in Pa. and when it does it takes a determined hunter to bust thru shin to knee high snow for any length of time, combined with our hills....Have done it a few times and when they came up out of the snow on a sunny day, it was almost magical....Back in the late 70's and 80's when we thought we could never kill all of our Grouse, there were more than a few covers that had thick stands of close together young pines.....Perhaps 5-7 feet high and packed tight against each other....Work the edges of them with a flusher going inside and it bordered on not being fair...the numbers of Birds that often came out of them in the second season could get crazy.....

Same with old strip mine high walls with low thick young wild grape vines....So thick that sometimes they had a hard time getting out....You heard the thrashing of wings and stood there waiting for them to clear....

As you said, different locations ....

WM, at least you have those swamps that cannot be tilled. Wildlife needs some natural winter cover, and it’s a balm for the soul to have some soil that’s never been turned over.

But then I shouldn’t get too worked up at Iowa farmers for squeezing the land when it goes for 18-22k per acre.

With your mix of farmland and swamps, I imagine you grow some nice whitetails.

One more divergence — even the Hun’s, the hardiest bird I’ve ever seen, have for the most part departed from here though they were never numerous.

Thankfully, America is wonderfully diverse in a thousand ways.

Those swamps are the remainder of lakes which turned out to be a little deeper than the drainage ditches the tiles are run to. Went from waterfowl lakes to mosquito ridden swamp. It does provide winter cover to the handful of birds that make from the egg but there isn't much nesting cover as the land is plowed to the point the tractor sinks into the morass.

The largest deer (body weight) are regularly found in the far north part of the state, not farm country. The homestead is closer to Canada than a MN town and at least one buck dressing over 200#, often significantly more, is taken every year. The rest of the state see the occasional large deer but it seems much less common on a percentage basis.

Funny thing is, the deer of SW MN seem to be losing ground to the larger Missouri River deer expanding out from NE. The genetic lines of that portion of MN seem to run on the small side and somewhat counter to Bergman's Rule (I think that is the one).

I miss the Huns, they like droughty conditions and a normal year is just too wet for them. 30-40 years ago they were pretty common through the southern 1/4 of the state and along the western edge to Canada but now it is nearly a red letter day to find a covey. Thankfully, they are still pretty common in ND, MT, and Manitoba.

Back to woodcock.

Yesterday went out checking the nests I found a couple weeks ago to see if they hatched. Two had, never found the first nest but was able to band three chicks from another. An older brood was found but they could fly far enough to land out of sight. The woods are greening up pretty quick. The other two nests should hatch any day but I hope it isn't today as it is raining and expected to all day long.

I have next weekend to find more chicks but rain is forecast for all three days. After that, other commitments and age of chicks greatly lessen the odds of placing bands. Having to rely on a 15 year old dog is also a factor as he just doesn't have the endurance anymore.

A lot of good information about the migration of woodcock can be found here. They band birds and put geo-trackers on them as well. As the migration progresses you can look in your area for hits that give you an idea if they are in your area yet.

https://www.woodcockmigration.org/migration.html

Last year I was driving to the barn early in the morning about sunup, there were 2 Woodcock by the water, I have never seen a Woodcock in Texas, the first time 1966, I hunted Woodcock was in South Woodstock, Vermont, with a group of old Yankee farmers, all of them used SXS 410s, I killed 3 the first morning after passing the first 2 or 3 because I didn't know what they were, they are tricky and fun to hunt.
Those old Vermont farmers were some weird ducks, I could tell some fun story's about hunting with them. Rio7

Interesting. the SxS 410’s must have come from some local consensus as applied to woodcock at that time. I cannot recall that there were even that many offerings at that time. Expert shotgunning though I presume.

George, Yep those guy's could shoot, The 410 they loaned me was a Harrington- Richardson, sxs they used 2 1/2" #8 shot, several of them rented farm land from my Father in Law who an avid bird hunter, my father in law used a FOX sxs, as I remember of my brother in law used a Ithaca.
That was a long time ago, but my son has the Harrington-Richardson now, his Grandfather gave it to him, abut 30 years ago. Rio7

Here in NC and also GA ( the only two sates I hunt woodcock ) they are not always found in thick cover but usually close to it.




After a long day

That last picture is great. The woodcock might be rising, but dog is plum tuckered out.

At one time 410 shells were the least expensive shells one could buy. They were often sold singlely longer into the era than the larger bores. In that way it was the "22 LR" of the shotgun world for a few decades and one reason the 410 was so often a beginner's gun. I have owned boxes of 12, 16, 20 ga, and 410 of the same brand, era, and likely store which showed the price progression from 12 down to 410. The 410 was almost half the 12 ga and 3/4 that of the 20 ga for "low brass" in the larger bores and 3" in the 410.

The first O/U I bought was a Citori in 410. I bought it for the express purpose of shooting woodcock. The season for woodcock opened on Sept. 1 back then which was two weeks before grouse opened up. Cover was very thick and green as the first hard frost was a couple weeks away so ranges seldom exceeded 20 yards and often much less. Hunting was tough as temps were often in the 80's and even 90s were possible. There was also a 5 bird limit back in those days.

I was minorly involved in the radio collaring of woodcock in the early years, the adults were caught in mist nets and, most fun but also most miserable, at night using ATVs, spotlights, and fishing nets. It was miserable as netting required a rainy night which is just above freezing in April. Success wasn't huge but it is one of the few means of catching adult birds. It also was a decent break from the norm for the interns and volunteers working the project.

CWT's pictures are very familiar looking. The top could be any late season covert in MN or WI once the leaves have fallen. Flight birds seem to like more open cover, maybe due to being mostly adult males or because the openness allows them to use speed and maneuverability to flee danger. Late season can mean drier and/or frozen conditions so a source of unfrozen water and surrounding soil is a good place to start looking for birds.

The second is where I have found woodcock from Louisiana to North Carolina southward. It is getting to be what I think of when I hear "swamp quail" habitat. It is a bit drier than in some places but the look is very similar.

That second picture was from a first visit to a small Gameland tract in central NC. It turned out to be terrible woodcock habit except for one little spot about 40 yards in diameter. This spot had a patch of walnut trees and a bunch of low growing native "green" grass and some small saplings. I actually saw it before the dog got over to it and told my wife that we had a good chance here. She doesn't hunt but likes to go with me and the mutt. As soon as the dog got there he pointed and two birds got up together. I killed the first and missed the second. As we were walking off the dog went back and pointed again. I thought ya dummy why are you pointing those same birds. I told my wife just stay here and I'll be right back. I went back to the dog and he seemed so sure but I didn't believe him. Two more birds got up but flew in the direction of my wife so of course I didn't shoot.

We Quail hunt about 4 or 5 day's a week in Jan.and Feb. my .410 is deadly on Quail. Rio7

Just saw this great thread! Great photos and stories. Love to hunt woodcock in Texas. Did some undergraduate research (for a grad friend of mine) on them in ETX clearcuts back in 79. I got up and out to the field by 0400, 3-4 days per week for 4 months and counted their nuptial flights. Documented time of first pent and last pent, how many flights occurred, and how many birds. Had 2 sights to work while a friend of mine worked 2 others. Lots more birds in Texas than some think. I've found birds just west of Canton (about 40 miles east of Dallas. Find some brushy thick cover with a sandy seep and look for probe holes!