Woodcock right, left and centre
Shooting Times & Country|October 23, 2019
It is rather fashionable to say that you don’t shoot woodcock but for many little shoots, they provide an important part of the bag and can be shot sustainably
Woodcock right, left and centre

Many years ago, in late October, creeping about the wood in the pre-dawn moonlight, a small shape fluttered down into the clearing in front of me. I felt part of a magical moment, for this was a woodcock and I was pretty confident it was arriving from its migration.

I had not seen a woodcock since high summer, when they were roding over a little chalk stream valley nearby as I fished the evening rise. A few days later, three woodcock came flighting out of the wood on the usual line and it was clear that the first autumn migrants had arrived.

Woodcock have always fascinated me, ever since the first one flushed from under my feet when I was an eight-year-old beater at Clandon Park near Guildford. There was such excitement from my fellow beaters and Guns alike, and though I did not understand it then, I do now. The combination of secrecy and elusiveness, plus the fact that they are one of the most delicious things that flies, gives them a value far above most other birds of similar size.

The late Sir Peter Scott once wrote of the fundamental difference in emotions that the sportsman feels between a skein of geese and a mere flock of rooks. For me, woodcock have a similar magic.

Golden age

These days, sadly, the woodcock no longer rode over that little west Hampshire chalk stream, but the winter numbers in the wood with the clearing stay much the same. A great deal is said about the decline in home breeding woodcock, but we should not confuse this with the numbers that visit in winter. There is nothing to suggest that these have declined in any way. However, we cannot deny the drop in the numbers that breed here; successive surveys show both range contraction eastwards and fewer birds displaying.

Esta historia es de la edición October 23, 2019 de Shooting Times & Country.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición October 23, 2019 de Shooting Times & Country.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRYVer todo
United we stand
Shooting Times & Country

United we stand

Following United Utilities' decision to end grouse shooting on its land, Lindsay Waddell asks what will happen if we ignore our vital moors

time-read
5 minutos  |
August 02, 2023
Serious matters
Shooting Times & Country

Serious matters

An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning

time-read
3 minutos  |
August 02, 2023
They're not always as easy as they seem
Shooting Times & Country

They're not always as easy as they seem

While coneys of the furry variety don't pose a problem for Blue Zulu, he's left frustrated once again by bolting bunnies of the clay sort

time-read
5 minutos  |
August 02, 2023
Debutant gundogs
Shooting Times & Country

Debutant gundogs

There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting

time-read
4 minutos  |
August 02, 2023
When the going gets rough
Shooting Times & Country

When the going gets rough

Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique

time-read
5 minutos  |
August 02, 2023
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
Shooting Times & Country

The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition

In this excerpt from the 60th anniversary edition of the BDS's Field Guide To British Deer, Charles Smith-Jones considers the noise they make

time-read
4 minutos  |
August 02, 2023
A step too far?
Shooting Times & Country

A step too far?

Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work

time-read
6 minutos  |
August 02, 2023
Two bucks before breakfast
Shooting Times & Country

Two bucks before breakfast

A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem

time-read
6 minutos  |
August 02, 2023
Stalking Diary
Shooting Times & Country

Stalking Diary

Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill

time-read
2 minutos  |
August 02, 2023
Gamekeeper
Shooting Times & Country

Gamekeeper

Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside

time-read
3 minutos  |
August 02, 2023