Doll's Head-Benny Run Coverts

Hunted Thicket in the Doll's Head and Benny Run coverts yesterday. She had a point in the Doll's Head soon after we entered the cover, but as I worked my way toward her, she went off point. I didn't see the bird flush so have no clue as to what happened to that bird. She hunted hard but it was over an hour before she found another bird. She went on point then slowly relocated about 20-25 feet away in a god awful alder run. As I tried to reach her the woodcock flushed with no chance for a shot, but Thicket had put on a fine piece of work to point that bird.

 

Thicket's slower, more cautious style of hunting is so different from Emma's flat out, full speed style.  Not that Thicket is a plodder, she covers the ground nicely at a trot as compared to Emma's flat out run and so far has bumped far fewer birds than Emma did at that age. I also love the way Thicket will slide through a thorny cover without a scratch while Emma comes out bleeding from torn ears and tongue. 

 

We finished hunting the Doll's Head without any more bird contacts and moved to Benny Run which held only one bird who flushed as I moved through the cover so we called it a day with the memory of Thicket pinning the running woodcock the high point of the day.