Woodcock hunting and blood

[vaturkey]

Hit it in VA yesterday and hunted the thickest cover I hunt. I knew it would be tough going solo, but wanted to get the dogs out. Annie has been on IR for two weeks after getting a tick borne disease while hunting in Michigan

Planned on hunting for one hour and it turned into 3. Also planned on hunting Sophie for only one hour and it turned to two for her.

First 2 hours we had 10 points and I pulled the trigger 3 times in pure hellish cover and failed to connect each time. Damn neat impossible cover to shoot in, but that's part of the game.

Walking out a dry creek bed I stepped in a hole where someone had sort of stuck and old spool of barbed wire. It somehow slid in between my boot and my brush pants. There was blood.

As I was preparing to leave I got a text from a young friend and her husband who had a young Britney who were going to hunt another spot about 10 minutes away. Decided to link up with them to say hello.

Linked up and they asked if I could run Annie with their young 12 month old Brit, as their dog had never pointed a Woodcock. I agreed but said I would guide only and carry no gun.

Over the next 60 minutes Annie pointed 5 Woodcock and they killed 2. Their little Brit was clueless. Will get there but it will take a while. Interesting thing I noticed is when I went in to flush all the pointed birds and after the flush I heard the shots, but never saw the birds fall that they killed. It was that thick. I could have had bad shots at 2 birds. Still fun. Lots of special fun handling your own dog and not carrying a gun.

A few pics.

PS. On the way home I stopped at an Urgent Care and got my leg cleaned up and got a Tetnas shot. My leg is pure nasty from front to back. Looks like I got in a fight with a Bobcat using my leg for a scratching post.

[vaturkey]

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[Kimber06]

Sounds like a banner day Tom, except for the barbed wire thing. It must have felt great to have Annie point those birds for your buddies. Nice that you are getting into birds down there now.

[DarylC]

It really is about the dogs isn't it Tom? Bummer on the barbed wire but sometimes my legs and arms looked like that in the one particular farm I hunted in Dorchester county for quail and woodcock. The cat briars were so thick at times the birds had trouble geting airborn. But that's where they were.

[vaturkey]

It really is about the dogs isn't it Tom? Bummer on the barbed wire but sometimes my legs and arms looked like that in the one particular farm I hunted in Dorchester county for quail and woodcock. The cat briars were so thick at times the birds had trouble geting airborn. But that's where they were.

All about the dogs. If I could not longer shoot for some reason, I would still be running dogs. It truly is about them. If my wife allowed it I would already have a third one in the string.

[44whiskey]

thanks Tom, good luck with Annie, what shotgun made the trip.regards fred

[Jeff S]

Ouch!, But great pictures Tom.

[vaturkey]

thanks Tom, good luck with Annie, what shotgun made the trip.regards fred

Meat in the pot Fox Sterly is always the gun of choice for Woodcock.

[Foxnut]

Tom, looks like some knarly stuff for sure! Tell us what tick disease Annie picked up and what her symptoms were/are. Thanx - Brett

[DarylC]

Was it anaplasmosis Tom?

[vaturkey]

Was it anaplasmosis Tom?

Vet believed it was Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. That's a hard one to test for. She was sick as hell. Seems fine now. Young dogs heal quick.

[ROMAC]

Ticks are bad this year everywhere. I had to take the 2 pill doxycycline regimen last week after finding 2 ticks on me, one of which dug in pretty good.

Tut, that’s a heck of a scratch you got there.

[vaturkey]

Ticks are bad this year everywhere. I had to take the 2 pill doxycycline regimen last week after finding 2 ticks on me, one of which dug in pretty good.

Tut, that’s a heck of a scratch you got there.

Roger, I stepped into a roll of old barbed wire that some had spooled up and deposited on the side of the creek bed. I was cut on every side of the calf to various extremes. I had to lie on my back so the nurse could clean up all the deep scratches. You could step on the spool a hundred times and not have it fit perfectly like it did to slide up on the inside of my brush pants. This is one of my larger Woodcock battle scars.

[ROMAC]

Tom,

My thighs look like I got shot with bird shot where my Filson chaps had gaps. Doodles like it thicker than any other bird.

I wonder if it is in relation to the proliferation of avian predators.

[vaturkey]

Tom,

My thighs look like I got shot with bird shot where my Filson chaps had gaps. Doodles like it thicker than any other bird.

I wonder if it is in relation to the proliferation of avian predators.

I think at least where I hunt its related to moisture in those extra thick areas. Certainly could be wrong.

FWIW, Woodcock hunting in ultra thick areas can turn into a death march. I recall hunting in one area where I battled to a point that took at least 15 minutes to get there and then killed the bird and my only thought was how the hell to get back to an open area where I wasn't fighting every step of the way. I was hoping/praying the dog wouldn't go on point again even deeper in the thick stuff because I wasn't sure I had the energy to get there and get out. I have a couple of areas where both I and my friends avoid even when we are pretty much 100 percent sure there are birds there, because the cover is thick to the point where if you lost your balance the green briar would hold you up and keep your from falling. However if you did fall, the green briar would hold you down from getting back up. Tough cover indeed.

PS. I have one friend who is 6 foot 5" and he can't hunt certain covers because he can't get through them. Its the only advantage of being a little feller. I can go places he can't go. I have a couple of friends who aren't in the best shape that I know I can't take to these covers as I know they can't get through them. As Dirty Harry said, "A man's got to know his limitations".