Bird Dogs Afield host Paul Fuller is the gun dog columnist for Northwoods Sporting Journal. The Journal has granted permission to re-print Paul’s articles. Thank you Northwoods Sporting Journal.

Training On Spring Woodcock

Spring training! No, I’m not talking about the grapefruit league in Florida; I’m talking about the marvelous little bird, the American Woodcock that provides us with an unparalleled wild bird training opportunity in the spring. I’ve encouraged readers to work their dogs in March over this little rascal and I hope you did just that.

If you’re an upland bird hunter, you’re familiar with the woodcock. The timberdoodle (nickname) is not the most physically attractive of wild game birds but certainly a worthy challenge for the pointing dog. When flying directly toward you, it resembles a giant brown bat. It has no neck, beady eyes, spindly legs and a funny little tail. All God’s creatures, however, have their own beauty and the woodcock has his.

The woodcock is a migratory bird. After spending the spring and summer raising a brood, it heads south in October and early November for a warmer climate. I know they go as far as Louisiana since there is a winter hunting season in that state for our woodcock. Their visit to the South is only a short stay…perhaps three months. I’m sure they begin their northern migration in February. This year, Dillon (my shorthair) and I found our first bird on March 10th. We still had heavy snow cover so it wasn’t easy getting into the woods. But we found one lonely little guy. Speaking of little guys (the male is smaller than the female), the male bird returns first with the females showing up about one week later.

About one week after our first woodcock find, we had a plethora of birds in Southern New Hampshire. In forty-five minutes, Dillon was getting eight to twelve finds. One day he had fifteen in fifty minutes.

These spring birds are a little quirky compared to their habits in the fall. Spring woodcock don’t hold as well for the point…they run more than in the fall. So don’t be surprised when you get a few unproductive points. Don’t follow-up for multiple flushes. These birds have had a long and stressful trip and shouldn’t be overly pushed. It’s also breeding season. How would you feel if you’re “in the mood” and a big four legged animal with a noisy bell keeps interrupting you from locating a sweetheart?

This column was started with the words “Spring Training” and that’s exactly what it is. Always take advantage of the opportunity to train you dog(s) over wild birds. Some of the best grouse/woodcock pointing dogs I’ve ever witnessed in the field have never seen a or smelled a liberated bird. They’re trained by folks who live in grouse/woodcock country and, except for nesting and rearing time, they exclusively work their dogs on these challenging game birds. And it doesn’t get any better than spring woodcock.

Speaking of training, I’ve spent a few days this spring with my friend Calvin Robinson from Biddeford, ME. Calvin knows pointing dogs as well as anyone I’ve ever met. He’s a man’s man. Spend just five minutes in the woods with Calvin and you know he has knowledge of the outdoors. Calvin spends the summer guiding for striped bass and, from September through March, he’s totally a bird dog man.

Calvin invited me to Biddeford this past March to “run the dogs” over spring woodcock. He has some excellent cover and was sure we would find woodcock plentiful. I brought Dillon and Calvin had two younger dogs. Journal writer Stu Bristol joined us. As expected, birds were plentiful. It was a joy to watch a trainer of Calvin’s caliber. There is no yelling, screaming or display of temper due to bad manners displayed by a dog. Calvin observes carefully and knows exactly when correction is required.

Since Calvin had a couple of younger dogs, correction was required. A couple of times the pups broke on the flush. Calvin very carefully gives the “whoa” command which was instantly obeyed. He then picks-up the dog and returns him to the point of infraction. The dog is made to standstill. Then a cap is thrown to simulate a flush. If the dog stays steady, a shot is fired as a reward. The dog must also stay steady to the shot. After a few repetitions, the dog gets the message. It’s a simple technique and it works. Many thanks to the spring woodcock for providing these wild bird experiences.

A few further comments on training on spring woodcock. Pick-up your dogs by mid-April to avoid nesting birds. Also, some states require a permit to train on wild game birds during off-season. Check your state regulations.

The woodcock may not be the most beautiful game bird for the pointing dog but he’s reliable, carries good scent, makes for a good target and will often save the day when Mr. Grouse pulls a disappearing act. Let’s hope for a productive nesting season and woodcock aplenty this fall.

Paul Fuller is host of Bird Dogs Afield TV which may be seen in New England on WBIN (Comcast Ch. 18) and Fox 23 in Portland beginning on November 5th at 6:30 AM and running through December. Previous TV broadcast episodes, and dozens of videos of training and hunting videos and Paul’s previous Sporting Journal columns may be seen or read on Paul’s website which is www.birddogsafield.com. Paul may be contacted at paul@birddogsafield.com.