I tried a new covert last Tuesday that was recommended to me as being a good woodcock covert. Although Emma hunted hard we didn't find any woodcock. We did move 3 grouse, two of which Emma pointed but both flushed ahead of her as I walked in offering me no shot.
Wednesday I took Thicket to the Doll's Head covert. We first hunted the strip mine cover above the Dolls Head but found no woodcock.
We moved down into the Doll's Head and Thicket went on point outside a row of alders and then left it. I called her back and urged her into the cover and saw a woodcock fly out the other side. Later on I flushed a woodcock. As we completed the circle Thicket went on point again. She held for several seconds and then began to search of scent and I saw a woodcock flush in the distance, probably a running bird. We found no more birds but her last contact gave me a glimmer of hope that she just maybe getting interested in woodcock.
On Thursday Emma and I traveled north to the Stone Valley area. Last year I had two wonderful hunts here. Sadly this day Emma only found one woodcock in heavy cover and it flushed as I walked in offering me no shot.
I received an email from my friend Russell saying that he was free on Friday for a hunt. With my poor record of finding birds this week I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get him into some birds. I decided to show him the Piney Creek covert and warned him of it's thorny nature. Happily Piney Creek produced. We moved 15 or more birds with most being pointed by Emma. Some offered no shot in the thick cover, some were simply missed by the gunners, but we were both able to kill a woodcock over an Emma point and had a memorable hunt.
With two weeks left in the season and the weather still being unseasonably warm I doubt if the main body of woodcock have traveled through yet and hope to enjoy several more fine hunts.
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