The right-and-left that almost was

Woodcock awaken such passion in Worth Mathewson that he decides to cross the pond in search of some sport

- Worth Mathewson

Here in North America we only have our woodcock in the eastern regions. I live in the far west, so I’ve never had the opportunity to hunt them. They are a popular bird in their range and are frequently written about in books and magazines.

Wanting to try woodcock shooting for myself, my wife and I in 1985 made a trip to New Brunswick, Canada, principally for woodcock. The experience couldn’t have turned out better.

Not only did we encounter very good numbers of woodcock – along with ruffed grouse as a bonus — our guide had a drop-dead beautiful Irish setter that was extremely good at finding the birds in heavy cover. But in most cases I found the shooting to be a little too easy.

This was because, by and large, when flushed North American woodcock tend to flutter up through the branches until they are above the treetops then level off in a forward flight. It’s sort of like a slow helicopter taking off.

Prior to that trip, my wife, son and I made our first visit to Scotland in 1983. We were there in August, shooting woodpigeon and had a day of walked-up grouse on the Cardney estate near Dunkeld. On that day I shot five black grouse and failed to appreciate just how lucky I was until later years. During the trip woodcock were mentioned several times and caught my attention.