End of the Season

With freezing rain in the forecast for the last day  of woodcock season Bliss and I headed for the Piney Creek covert yesterday for one last hunt.  The woodcock have been strangely absent from my coverts this fall. Disappointing because Emma is in her 11th year and her hunting days are winding down and Thicket and Bliss needed birds to improve their skills. But this year turned out to be the worst year for bird numbers I have ever experienced.  Bliss was able to find and point two woodcock yesterday. I am astonished by this pup's natural ability to find and point birds right from the start of the season. Still shooting blank loads over her so her retrieving ability will not be tested until next year.  Here are a few pictures from yesterday's hunt.

 

 

Piney Creek running high.

 

 

The sign that quickens a woodcock hunter's heart. 

 

Bliss on point.

 

 

 

The Pa. Game Commission has opened the woodcock season back up on Dec. 10 until Dec 18.  I have not seen the reason why they have done this but I will be walking my coverts with the dogs and a hammer gun on the slim chance of finding a stray bird.

 



A Long Time Coming

Into the 4th week of the Woodcock season and I finally found a few birds today.  Emma and I headed to my northern most coverts and moved 6 birds.

 

1st stop was the Muth covert.

 

The wind was blowing and the birds were running but Emma pointed 4 woodcock.

 

 

 

I had shots at 3 of them and managed to drop 2.

 

Next stop  was the Brady covert.  Nice looking cover that for some reason never holds many birds. Today it was empty.

 

 

The last stop was Black Slate Run.

 

 This cover is growing in nicely over the past few years and should become a favorite stop for woodcock.  I flushed one today and Emma gave me a nice point, but the bird flushed to my left and caught me off guard and I did not get off a shot.

 

So ended the day with the Muth covert once again providing me with some wonderful memories.