The Washington herald., 1907-12-29
HUNT FOR WOODCOCK
Rapid Flight of Birds Makes
Exbilarating Sport.
BEST MARKSMANSHIP NEEDED
summer shooting Vastly Surpassed
in October nnd November. When
the Game Appears at Its Best.
Advice a. 10 the Best Means OF
BaGsing the Elusive Quarry.

Have YOU ever tried your hand on
woodcock? II you haven't. good deal
OF a treat is IL store FOR VOC, some hard
work. and. incidentally, not Few sUr-
prises. II you have hunted them, then
you know something about what il means
10 shoot At a streak of lightning that
springs from beneath your feet and IS
gone in a twinkiinE. But granting that,
1 would ask YOU when did you DO your
shooting? and on your reply viii depend
whether or no you have really enjoyed
the sport 1T its best, or merely hunted
w0Odccck
By this ! mean there aye TWO kinds of
woodcock shooting, and very distinct
they. are from each other. He who traInps
the covers in July and August, braving
the sweItering heat OF a summers day,
and bags the bird that the law Unwisely
allows him TO kin at that season, knows
little Of the delights OF a woodcOck hunt
in October or November when every bird
is "a flight bird and as big as quail.
with the speed Of meteor and the
strength born OF a six months growth.
WoodcocI< Comes Early
one OF the very earliest birds TO come
North in the spring is our friend the
weodcock-in fact, 50 early does he ar
rive that it is often a surprise 10 US 70
flush one while the ground is still frozen
and a wonder where he gets his food.
The last Of March or early in April finds
him with Us. and no time is lost in home
building BY the 18th probably every
pair is hard At work incubating the four
eggs which. taken together, are nearly
as large as the bird itself. and by May
the young are hatched- Cunning little
fellows they are. too, with their big eyes
and abnormaIly long bills.
If YOU chance to stumble on them now
the female will roll and tumble about in
apparently the greatest agony, and it
will seem so easy to catch her that you
will be almost tempeed to follow If YOU
do. you will be surprised to see how she
Just manages 20 elude you each time,
until, thinking you safely away from her
treasures. she VIII leave you so suddenly
as to make you wonder just where you
are 'at"
BY July the young are fully fedged
and able 10 fly. and moreover. are fairly
plump and good eating. and the law says
they may be killed.
Unquestionably they do offer good
sport, and require no mean amount of
skill TO bring them to bag. But it's hot
work-awfully hot work. In fact, think
the hottest place this side Of hades is
a woodcock swamp on a July or August
day. Your dog VIII think so. too, after
about a half hour Of the sport.
Some Use Spaniel.
Once having located the swamp in
which there are birds. one must look
we'll TO his equipment twelve-bore
gun with No. 10 shot-some prefer s or 8
and canvas clothing to protect your per-
son from briars Will complete your per-
sonal outfit. As regards dogs there Is a
wide choice. Some use a spaniel with a
bell tied 10 his neck, while others use
the setter or pointer-all are good and all
have their good points. The man who
saunters through the swamp and lets his
little bell spaniel potter about every
where unQuestionably has a cinch. So
long as he hears the bell he knows the
dog is on the move, but Just so soon as
that little tinkle stops Z means business,
and the little animal will be found frozen
stiff within a few feet cf HIS quarry. that
goes whistling through the tree tops with
the speed of a rocket when he kicks
him up.
No matter how good a dog you may
have or how enthusiastic he may be. a
half hour or hour of this sort Of work
will make him hunt water-incidentally
you may wish some yourself. and it will
be necessary 10 stop the sport long
enough to wet up.
Woodcock derive ali their food from the
soft mucky soil by means of their long
bills. and one can soon tell if he is IN a
good cover by observing the soft places
II birds are present the earth viii be
rlddled with countless numbers of small
holes, called "borings.p where the birds