Of Maine’s diverse variety of game animals, many hunters experience the greatest challenge and enjoyment from pursuing the state’s smallest quarry. Nicknamed Northern quail and timberdoodle, woodcock attract a moderate but dedicated number of outdoorsmen.

The tiny, odd-looking bird presents sportsmen with hunting opportunities and shooting situations very different from grouse or waterfowl, and after a couple of outings many regional gunners develop a lifelong affinity for this October visitor.

Although Maine has a nominal population of native woodcock that nest, hatch, and raise their young here from spring to fall, many of the birds available for the autumn hunt are migrating through from Canada. Because of this situation, they are considered migrating game birds and annual seasons are set in conjunction with national guidelines from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, just as it is with ducks, geese, snipe, and rails.

Prospects are good this fall, with bird populations showing a moderate increase over the last two seasons. So, a full 30-day hunt is slated from Oct. 1-30 with a daily bag of three woodcock.

Russet, mottled brown, and black feather patterns make the timberdoodle nearly impossible to see when it’s on leaf-covered ground in a brushy thicket. In the air it has the looks and aerodynamics of a beige bumblebee, yet seems more at home racing among the ebb and flow of water on a coastline beach. The woodcock is actually a shorebird closely related to the snipe family, yet to the hunters’ good fortune, it’s been misplaced into upland covers throughout the entire state.

Along with great camouflage coloration, woodcock have long spindly legs, oversized bulging eyes, an upside-down brain, a long prehensile bill with flexible tip for probing, and a shrill twittering call. They’re beautiful. Worms comprise their main diet and during a 24-hour period a bird can devour 6-8 ounces of angleworms, an amount equal to its own weight.

Many sports won’t put the effort into locating and hunting the small transient game bird, let alone waste shells on a winged quarry weighing half a pound or less. True upland bird gunners cherish their hours beating the brush for this tawny recluse that yields some of the most exciting wing shooting anywhere in the U.S. Woodcock hunting has a style as unique as the small game bird itself, and after a couple of outings with frequent flushes, a new fall favorite may help fill your outdoor hunting calendar.

Timberdoodle terrain

Grouse hunters working tote roads and second-growth covers frequently walk past woodcock without even realizing it, that’s how tightly these tiny birds hold. Although woodcock are found throughout the entire state, agricultural areas and clear cuts gone to second growth are popular migratory stopovers. Covers disappear each year as more farmland is cleared for crops, housing projects take root, and industry spreads farther into the rural woodland edging every community.

The key to prime woodcock cover is soft, fertile soil with plenty of earthworms. Nearby water in the form of a stream, pond, ground spring, or swampland will keep the neighboring area moist and attractive to migrating birds. Alder runs are excellent sites to explore, as are abandoned crop fields or livestock pastures let go to second growth. Such spots are woodcock gold mines for up to five years, after which they fill too much and become unattractive to the birds.

Hillside covers with small red and white pines, medium poplar trees, a few tamaracks, and miscellaneous raspberry bushes, grass, and alders will attract woodcock like a magnet. If a second-growth field is liberally festooned with golden rod among its open spaces, it’s worth closer inspection. When an area being scouted has excessive moss or ferns on the ground, that indicates acidic soil. Worms won’t live there, and no earthworms means no woodcock.

With time, a hunter’s eye and understanding for good timberdoodle cover will improve, but in the meantime explore every likely spot. Sometimes a flock of passing birds will stop to rest and feed in the most unlikely area. One of the main tricks to pinpoint good cover is to recognize border growth. This type of cover is the brush, plants, shrubs, and small trees that form a boundary line between open fields and run-of-the-mill forest. Get out and scout, perhaps you’re driving by the best cover in your area on the way to work each day.

Going to the dogs

A well-trained bird dog will make locating woodcock and retrieving downed birds a simpler task for the hunter. Woodcock hold very tight for a dog, often needing to be pushed into taking flight. Considering the thick cover and tight-sitting birds, any dog used must be very well trained to attain a consistent level of success.

Nonpointing breeds such as Labrador retrievers and springer spaniels work as flushing dogs, and therefore must stay very close to the shooters in heavy cover. In a normal woodcock cover, a dog working 30 yards away is often out of sight, so for best results, flushing breeds should stay within a 15- to 20-yard range. These breeds should always wear a bell to help keep the hunter apprised of the dog’s exact location.

When birds are scarce, even well-trained dogs tend to range too far from the hunter, and often work too fast over a wide area. This action is sure to bump woodcock out of range, and the only clue the gunner will have is the sound of departing wings and a twittering call. Whistling retrievers to heel and forcing them to walk there for awhile each time they range too far will help them learn and remember to stay closer.

Hunting behind a top-rate pointer, setter, or Brittany spaniel brings real joy to tramping the brush for timberdoodle. These breeds needn’t work so close since they will go on point and hold the bird for the hunter to arrive. A bell or electronic collar that beeps when the dog is in motion is a great asset, because sudden silence alerts the shooter that the dog is on point. Some dogs may range out to 50 yards, but most are trained to quarter the cover and fall back to check the position of the hunters frequently, so they seldom get too far away.

The best woodcock dogs are the older more experienced hunters that work slow, close, and conserve energy for a full morning’s outing. They cover ground well and match their hunting style, speed, and ranging distance to the thickness of the cover, presence of birds, and speed of the gunners.

Working a young, rambunctious pup with an older, experienced dog will help keep the youngster in check and teach him the ropes more quickly. Unlike retrievers, many pointing dogs aren’t very good at bringing back downed birds, especially woodcock. However, most will at least flash point or point dead so the hunter can locate the downed game bird more easily. Every four-legged hunting companion has its quirks, just like the masters, so training a good canine is a matter of teaching, tolerance, and time working together.

Walk ’em up

Despite the assistance a good dog can offer for any type of bird hunting, every sportsman doesn’t own a bird dog. Woodcock hunters will find that utilizing certain hunting tactics will help them experience and enjoy a fair amount of action by walking up timberdoodle without the aid of a canine companion. When migrating birds are into an area in high numbers, just walking through a good cover is bound to put up a few woodcock.

Since these little feather balls hold so tight when approached, the best solo technique is to meander randomly through the brush making frequent stops for a few seconds, and then ambling off in a different direction. Helter-skelter stalking has the hunter mimicking a dog and over time most of a cover will be inspected. Stopping every 20 or 30 feet often spooks a nearby bird into flight. Woodcock really want to stay put, but when a sportsman stops nearby and stays in one location for half a minute the bird thinks it has been spotted and takes to the air.

Being stationary when a timberdoodle flushes will also offer a more stable shooting position. When a bird gets up while a shooter is walking, generally he’s standing off-balance on rough terrain and trying to swing a gun through thick brush. Stop-and-go hunting allows the sport to select a fairly flat, open spot from which to hesitate, wait, and hopefully shoot.

It’s extremely important to follow the flight of a bird after a shot is taken. Sometimes the woodcock folds up and drops at once, but occasionally it will fly or glide a ways before dropping. Watch closely, mark the line of descent, and then walk directly to the spot where the bird seems to have fallen. Without a dog, locating downed woodcock can be tough, and even on fairly open ground the mottled bird’s colors blend with the leaves, dead grass, and ground plants.

Even lightly wounded woodcock seldom run once they hit the ground, so the downed bird should be very close to where it fell. Place your orange hat on a tree near where the bird should be and start making wider and wider circles around the hat until the bird is located. Two gunners will be able to better hunt a cover than a solo shooter. A duo will cover more ground, stumble over more woodcock, and at least one will generally be in a good shooting position when a bird is flushed. Locating a downed woodcock is also easier when working in pairs.

Shotguns and loads

Selecting a scattergun for woodcock hunting involves a good deal of personal preference, and many outdoorsmen already own a shotgun that will suffice. A 12 gauge isn’t too large and a .410 isn’t too small, as long as the shooter is familiar and comfortable with his gun. Since the shotgun will be carried for several hours at a time, a lightweight model is of prime importance. We have already established how thick a good woodcock cover is likely to be, so a short barrel will allow a smooth swing in tight quarters. Most important of all, regardless of gauge, is an open choke. Improved cylinder is a good first choice, modified comes in second, and if it’s a double barrel, use one of each.

Trees and brush are dense, leaves plentiful, and flushes close, so it’s a quick shot or none at all. A pattern that opens quickly to spread over a wide area and will punch through near impervious cover and still drop a woodcock is essential. Twenty-gauge guns are the most popular choice for timberdoodle, and size 6 shot pellets are good for leafy, thick early fall cover, while 71/2 to 9 sizes are better when the leaves drop and the cover opens up a bit.

Sometimes a woodcock will rise so close that a startled hunter gets all twisted up and never gets around to taking a shot. The next flush will have the bird buzz away fast and low in a curtain of cover that soaks up the pellets. Another time the woodcock lifts straight up like a helicopter, hovers for a second, and speeds away.

Any number of surprises are in store for even the most experienced timberdoodle hunter. One day there are no birds in a favorite cover, the next yields a dozen flushes, and on the third day perhaps only one or two birds remain – until the next flight comes through. Looks aren’t the only quirky things about this puzzling, yet exciting quarry. Maine’s smallest game animal always yields big action.

Outdoor feature writer Bill Graves can be reached at graves@umpi.maine.edu