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american woodcock

The Hunted

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by Timothy C. Flanigan All images provided by Timothy C. Flanigan. Seeing the dark-eyed barred owl rise silently from the forest floor with my very-much-alive woodcock in its talons sparked a realization that the intrepid American woodcock lives a perilous existence daily, not just during the short, fall gunning season. The timberdoodle shares the spotlight with the ruffed grouse as North America’s classic combination of upland game birds. Those addicted to the pursuit of woodcock are typically super fans who revere this elusive little bird with deep-seated enthusiasm. The occasion of the owl-interrupted woodcock hunt was also an introduction of an inexperienced hunter...

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Stewart Makes Huge Contributions to Grouse and Woodcock During Career

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By Jeff Helsdon When Al Stewart was 12, he started woodcock hunting. Little did he imagine his passion would turn into a remarkable career. Al retired on April 1, 2021, as the State of Michigan’s Upland Game Bird Specialist and program leader. His career with Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources spanned an incredible 50 years – from student to retirement – with more than 20 as Upland Game Bird Specialist. Al made his mark in the upland bird world, not only in Michigan but continentally and internationally. It seems only natural Al came to upland game birds. His first experience with upland hunting...

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Radio Tracking Woodcock Chicks

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woodcock research

Unique study finds downed logs used extensively for predator cover before green up Story by Mark Herwig A first-of-its-kind study by the University of Minnesota-Duluth on woodcock chicks has found pre-flight birds made frequent use of downed logs and large branches to avoid predators before forest green up. Researchers made these discoveries using radio transmitters on woodcock chicks ages two days old and up. Birds under two days could not bear the transmitter’s weight. Lotek NTQ2-3-2 transmitters were used for the woodcock hatchlings, a device that weighs only 0.67 grams, but costs $185. Once the chicks grow a bit, a thin elastic thread that holds...

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Woodcock as a Southern Bird

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by Tom Keer A few winters ago, Quebec’s Don Keddy, a field trialer and grouse and woodcock hunter, had enough. The long, gray, Canadian winters are hard on bird doggers. To break his cabin fever, Keddy packed up his truck and road-tripped his way to Georgia. For him, the balmy weather would be a nice change of pace. Equally, trading the hawthorn tines and thick alder runs for soft grasses would change attitudes, certainly for him, but more importantly, for his dogs. Along the way, Keddy found a trend that has been forming for a long time. The ruffed grouse is...

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Mid-Winter Woodcock Nesting

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by Gary G. Youngblood  In late February of 2019, I was driving west on Interstate-64 with my young English setter Patches. We were traveling to West Virginia to grouse hunt the last couple of days of the season. My daughter Jody called me in-transit. “Daddy, you aren’t going to believe this … Parker just found a quail egg in the woods,” she said.  “Jody, it’s way too early for quail to be nesting and laying eggs. It’s probably a woodcock egg. That’s the only ground-nesting bird I know that would be laying here in February. Yep, I’ll bet Parker found a woodcock...

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Conversations & Partnerships – Northeast Region Fall 2021

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Nate Kennedy, Northeast Regional Engagement Coordinator

Orvis Sandanona Game Fair 2021

On Sept. 18 and 19, the Orvis Sandanona Shooting Grounds were filled with bird hunters, competitive shooters, firearms enthusiasts, and conservationists from around the world. It was a beautiful weekend filled with great conversations and hunting stories, and connecting with old friends and new.

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