Woodcock In Crisis...What Can I Do?

Our resident woodcock numbers are dwindling and, as responsible shooters, we know you will want to do what you can to halt that decline. Mike Swan tells us what we can do to help

- Mike Swan

In a new handy pocket guide for sportsmen and women, the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) has called for restraint over woodcock shooting from this season onwards. This is due to concerns that shooting pressure may be a factor in the decline of our resident birds.

Our home breeding population has suffered a range contraction of 56% since 1970, and breeding surveys between 2003 and 2013 showed an estimated 29% decline over that decade. Owing to the scale of this, the woodcock was moved to red status on the UK’s Birds of Conservation Concern list in December 2015.

Reasons for the decline

It should be said, however, that there is no indication of any decline in the numbers of migrants that visit each winter. While there are annual fluctuations, partly driven by the severity of weather, an estimated 800,000 to 1.3 million woodcock come each year. These birds are the main contributor to the annual bag, providing over 95% of what we shoot.