Like most have said, the modern gun deer season is when I see most of them. They must be migrating then because I frequently see them flying right at dusk on clear evenings. The most I have seen was on a cloudy cool day rabbit hunting around a standing corn field and I bet between us and the dogs we jumped 20. Been a long time ago but I'm sure it was well after deer season. John
I'm surprised to hear so many people say they've seen so many woodcock here in Kentucky. I'm honestly not confident I've seen one before ever. Are any of these birds being spotted in Central Kentucky? My brother has a new farm in Columbia with young timber that looks similar to the thick young timber I've seen in woodcock hunting videos, but I never remember jumping one. I just figured they were few and far between.
One other thing. I have been lucky enough to find a nest full of young woodcocks or see them very shortly out of the nest always during the spring turkey season. Probably has happened 5-6 times in last 12-15 years. John
Been a lot of years, 80s and early 90s, but we killed a few of them and grouse too in Central Ky (about 40 miles south of Lex). We used to walk and just jump them up. No dogs, just legwork. Not many deer then so we mostly hunted small game. Miss those days. Haven’t had access to that place we hunted in years.
Don’t guess I’ve ever jumped one up either. Don’t have a clue bout them. Quails I do though. But not woodcock.
Do they seem to use the same habitat from year to year? I remember a spot or two where we have jumped them years ago.
Woodcock want specific habitat. I got spots and down to the pin point location I can go year over year and find a bird
I walk my dogs along a local watershed. Today, a long billed bird swooped in and landed close to my dogs. I think it was a shorebird instead of a woodcock? But I kept sending the dogs into the honeysuckle vines etc and they flushed it about three times. Each time it only went about 20 feet? Any ideas?
It didn't flush wildly. Would flush and only go ten to twenty feet. Never got more then three feet off the ground. It was brown but the beak seemed to curve down slightly.