50 degrees and not a cloud in the sky....

[Mark(mo)]

Brisk north wind what a perfect day to see if the woodcock have showed up. I stomped around for almost an hour and only had two flushes. One managed to fly into my shot string the other one we won't talk about.

The robins were staging and had several flocks of a hundred or more fly through while I was out.

More than anything it was just nice to get out and walk around without breaking too much of a sweat and enjoy the new fall colors.

Duck season opens this weekend and I'll guess that next week the woodcock will show up in force.

 

[Nate Grace]

Nice timberdoodle! The last woodcock I shot was over my friend's brittany about 5 years ago. We used to hunt a little strip of woodland near an old barrel makers shop. Some years ago, someone planted a string of apple trees and the fruit falls on the ground in the fall. The earthworms love it and that's what would bring the woodcock. You could walk 10 feet in any direction and get a flush or a point - shoot, walk another 10 feet get a flush or point, until you had a few birds. That spot was only good for 2 or 3 hunts until the birds pushed out, but man what a good time that was. Great picture.

Nate

 

[TimJ]

And I suppose you didn't use those Xpert 7's on that one did you? hehehe Finally a bird made for that load.
I sure wish we had woodcock around here, we do but not enough for a season.
I doubt you will have many mallards for your opener. Lots of water and warm temps for them up here. Are you seeing many ducks?

Tim

 

[Mark(mo)]

Youth season last weekend was more like teal season. Lots of BWT and wood ducks. We usually see a few BWT around the opener but not in numbers greater than they were a month ago! If I had to guess the migration is about 2 weeks late around here.