Woodcock

[Orangeandtealarrows]

I have not hunted them before.  I have a 3 year old GSP.  With is opening Saturday for the North Zone, I wanted to give it a shot.  Any pointers?

 

[mazzgolf]

Find soggy ground. They eat worms which they find in moist soil. You want to find ground that is squishy under your boots.

[mazzgolf]

https://www.outdoorlife.com/story/hunting/how-to-hunt-the-mysterious-woodcock-migration/

"To make things simple when it comes to finding woodcock cover, just focus on their primary food source: worms. Worms live in soft soil that’s rich with organic matter. Find the right soil and you can find the birds. . . . Woodcock like high-stem-density cover which is often, but not always, found in early successional forests. Young trees or shrubs that create a tangled web of impenetrable mesh are a great place to start. They also need moisture, because worms live in moist soil (but not standing water, where worms will die). It’s not unusual to see some puddling in a woodcock cover, perhaps seepage from a river or other water source. The main thing is that woodcock need exposed soil to probe their beaks and find worms."

[Kype]

good info mazzgolf. i did not know any of that

[Bucksnbows]

This year squishy ground is even on mountain tops. While I focus on early successional forest habitat and highbush cranberry shrubs in swampy areas, don’t overlook eastern facing slopes in younger oak and hickory forests in afternoon when they are loafing in the warmth. One habitat type we have in NJ they use a lot is invasive Russian/autumn olive thickets where they probe for earthworms with their beaks. 

Edited October 11, 2021 by Bucksnbows

[smittty]

54 minutes ago, mazzgolf said:

https://www.outdoorlife.com/story/hunting/how-to-hunt-the-mysterious-woodcock-migration/

"To make things simple when it comes to finding woodcock cover, just focus on their primary food source: worms. Worms live in soft soil that’s rich with organic matter. Find the right soil and you can find the birds. . . . Woodcock like high-stem-density cover which is often, but not always, found in early successional forests. Young trees or shrubs that create a tangled web of impenetrable mesh are a great place to start. They also need moisture, because worms live in moist soil (but not standing water, where worms will die). It’s not unusual to see some puddling in a woodcock cover, perhaps seepage from a river or other water source. The main thing is that woodcock need exposed soil to probe their beaks and find worms."

Yup dark wet soil that’s where the worms are and that’s where the timber doodles be. A friend told me he flushed three coming out of the wood the other afternoon in the wallpack area

[Pathman]

Jumped two tonight when leaving my stand. They were in a  cut grassy area of a large field of high grass. Seems they’re always there this time of year. 

[tpr1921]

They love swamp edges.

[nobellehaus]

The weather is the most important factor, to move the flight birds in from the north. Just got back from Maine and while we found woodcock they were resident birds and not flight birds. I would guess any birds you may encounter would be resident birds. The birds follow rivers and highways to get to their resting areas. A full bright moon combine with freezing temps up north are ideal for the flight. Their primary diet is earthworms so look for rich damp soil , they need cover for protection from predators above with some open cover to see predators on the ground.  If it is a warm day try hills where the birds can sun themselves. Ideal cover is young clear cut areas.