Frozen Timberdoodles

sjohn

Button Buck
I appreciate your kind words. Always willing to share information about woodcock. Or pheasant hunting!830.jpg
 

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
Heck of a contribution first post or 8273th post. Welcome sjohn. Looking forward to more of your posts.

Edit: your second post came in after I posted. Nice!


I have to agree,,,,

welcome to the forum sjohn!
 

JJWise

Twelve Pointer
Took our Boykin out scouting today, mainly looking for places to deer hunt next season in the Croatan. Hoping to also flush up a few woodcock just for fun, my wife had never seen anything flushed by a dog. No woodcock, but he did hit a huge covey of bobwhites! Have to remember that for next weekend...
 

sjohn

Button Buck
I was working late at a friends farm in Westminster, SC on Friday evening. While I was loading up my truck I heard a woodcock signing above me. that was strange as I never heard them that far away from the habitat where I usually hunt on that farm. Driving out I stopped at the next farm with pasture on both sides of the road. Sure enough, there were woodcock signing and penting on both sides of the road. They must be moving back through as the last time I hunted in that area I only jumped 1 bird. This is a great time to take someone out to listen and watch, also a great way to find areas to hunt them come next year. The cover where they spend their days is only a few hundred yards or less from their singing areas.
 

appmtnhntr

Twelve Pointer
we were hog hunting last weekend in SC down around Charleston in the Francis Marion forest and got two up in the morning....

Dummies... they both got up underfoot and went dead away for 20 yards before setting down again...

Was kinda drooling at the habitat... would make for fun/easy hunting...

Walking the pine plantation edges along those cypress swamps... man could cover a LOT of good ground in a day's hunting.
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Took our Boykin out scouting today, mainly looking for places to deer hunt next season in the Croatan. Hoping to also flush up a few woodcock just for fun, my wife had never seen anything flushed by a dog. No woodcock, but he did hit a huge covey of bobwhites! Have to remember that for next weekend...

Sounds good. Go after them. I am convinced that hunting pressure is the least important factor in quail populations. If they're there - hunt them. I hear a lot of guys say (on private land) that they are going to not hunt them to protect them for future recovery. Nothing ever happens, and 2 years later the covey is gone, and neither the hunter nor the quail benefitted. If you've got a covey, consider it a blessing and go shoot a few. It won't make one bit of difference in the long run.

we were hog hunting last weekend in SC down around Charleston in the Francis Marion forest and got two up in the morning....

Dummies... they both got up underfoot and went dead away for 20 yards before setting down again...

Seems like they always do that when you're not hunting them. Of course, I'm usually shooting at them as soon as they get up with a gun in hand...
 

JJWise

Twelve Pointer
Sounds good. Go after them. I am convinced that hunting pressure is the least important factor in quail populations. If they're there - hunt them. I hear a lot of guys say (on private land) that they are going to not hunt them to protect them for future recovery. Nothing ever happens, and 2 years later the covey is gone, and neither the hunter nor the quail benefitted. If you've got a covey, consider it a blessing and go shoot a few. It won't make one bit of difference in the long run.

I plan to. I've never hunted quail before as we don't really have them in WV. This covey was probably 30 birds or more, taking a few definitely wouldn't hurt the population too much.
 

aerochris

Button Buck
I have been hunting quail for 25 years but have never hunted woodcock. If anyone would like to go scouting for them before season or just talk about hunting them, I'd love to learn more.
 

Double L

Button Buck
I would love to meet up and talk about hunting them. I have used my labs for quail hunting but just got my first GSP last week. I can't wait for the season to come back in and see how he does. I'm really looking forward to just going out and scouting game lands. Ive never hunted on game lands and I also know that it might be a waste of time but really looking forward to doing something new with the family and dogs.
 

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
I would love to meet up and talk about hunting them. I have used my labs for quail hunting but just got my first GSP last week. I can't wait for the season to come back in and see how he does. I'm really looking forward to just going out and scouting game lands. Ive never hunted on game lands and I also know that it might be a waste of time but really looking forward to doing something new with the family and dogs.

welcome to the forum,,,,,
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Post your location so we'll know where you're at.

The menu at the house said "Wild Game" for yesterday, so I cooked up the last few woodcock and about 8 quail from a preserve shoot. Breaded and fried. Mashed potatoes and gravy, black-eyed peas, and some "peaches and cream" corn from last years garden. Quail is about the cleanest tasting game there is, but the woodcock has a distinct gamey flavor. In a good way, IMO.
 

sjohn

Button Buck
I was working at the farm in Westminster SC again this weekend and took my lab down to the corner of the farm where I hunt woodcock. A small spot less than an acre we killed 10 woodcock out of this past winter. Mature hardwoods and pines with a thick brier and privet understory. I just wanted to see if I had any breeding woodcock. and the answer to that is yes. My lab kicked up one female woodcock. I quickly called my dog out so she wouldn't find the nest or chicks. Probably not hatched yet but will not be long. I have only ever seen three broads of woodcock in South Carolina. However, I have jumped at least a dozen woodcock in March/April/May in south Carolina over the years. Therefore I know we have a breading population. Anyone else ever jump woodcock in the spring or run across woodcock young?
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Yeah, I've seen them where we hunt them while shed hunting about this time of year. They will let you get really close to them this time of year - I guess trying to lead you away from the nest?
 

dpoutdoor

Ten Pointer
I will be targeting them next season. I’d read up on them a lot while being down from surgery. Was hoping to get out and hunt them this past season but mobility limitations put a damper on it.
 

appmtnhntr

Twelve Pointer
Buddy jumped a woodcock off a nest today. Near Yadkin river.

Walked right up on her. Laid a clutch of 4 eggs already. Hoping they make it through this cold/snow. and possums, and coons, and whatever the heck else is out there.
 
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