The Doll's Head-Benny Road Coverts

I hunted Tuesday with my friend Russell. In his early 30's we met some years ago when he worked as college help one summer in the shipping dept. of the factory where I worked. With our similar interests in hunting and fishing we soon struck up a friendship that has endured.
We headed for the Doll's Head covert but a pick-up truck parked where I had planned on parking changed our plans and we drove out the road to the Benny Road covert, an unassuming strip of cover that usually holds a woodcock or two. We got our gear on and let Emma out of the truck and she immediately when on point while standing on the road, pointing in tall goldenrod. I told Russell to walk in and see what happens. As he stepped into the goldenrod a woodcock flushed giving him a good chance but he missed. He was shooting his grandfather's Model 12 16 ga. for the first time so he had a good excuse. We hunted to the end of the cover and turned back toward the truck. About half way back Emma when on point again and I walked in and flushed and dropped a woodcock with my right barrel. We hunted on to the road with me flushing a woodcock just as we reached the road and not far from where Emma had pointed the first one.

We moved back to the Doll's Head covert and hunted the end of the covert opposite from the parking lot that held the strange pickup. We pushed through the nice looking cover with no success and then swung around and started back through the top of the covert. Suddenly two woodcock appeared flying over in front of us from an area where Emma was hunting. Emma soon appeared in front of us and we kept hunting back toward the old road that we had walked in on. As we neared it Emma when on point and Russell walked in and dropped the 'cock with one shot from his grandfather's gun.

 I had marked the spot where the bird had fallen and as I began to call Emma she went on point again. Russell moved in for the flush and shot but this time the bird eluded him and flew away unscathed. As we walked back to the truck along the old road that ran through huge open pines Emma ran into another woodcock and it flew away unharmed. What it was doing in that spot I can't imagine.  The temperature had risen to 60 degrees and it was noon so we called it a day,satisfied with a bird each in our game pouches and the memory of a wonderful morning spent afield with a good friend.