![Day's End](https://cdn.magzter.com/1409082599/1663951110/articles/X75PnXjTX1665042433541/DAYS-END.jpg)
The bird whipsaws from the forest floor through the fraying canopy, and in a few wingbeats cloaks into the shadowy ether. This is the evening’s first vanishing act. But the stage is set.
The woodcock have arrived.
Migrating at night, these sandpipers of the saplings repeat north-south journeys each spring and fall, nudged along by photoperiodism, temperature, wind and mystery.
Finding our spot which we co-own with every Minnesotan vacant is something of a surprise.
We are not up north” or in a vast state forest but in a metropolitan-bordering wildlife area where the wooded edge is a hard stop to civilization and its many houses, roads and golden arches.
Like the woman sawed in half, the brain bends to the mirage and eyes believe the magic. Our trail cuts deeper and deeper until the final dwelling fades from view. Our grand illusion is complete: Three million of our neighbors have disappeared.
Soon, too, will the woodcock, who, despite having just arrived, will be forced south in a day or two by the freeze, the ground unsuitable for pecking their preferred meal, earthworms.
There are many peculiarities to the American woodcock, Scolopax minor, an ornithological oxymoron.
Denne historien er fra Winter 2022-utgaven av The Upland Almanac.
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Denne historien er fra Winter 2022-utgaven av The Upland Almanac.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
![Tailfeathers](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/7434/1798214/CUbFfK6X_1723628574370/TAILFEATHERS.jpg)
Tailfeathers
The essence of fly fishing, I think I've decided, is time.
![Ten Questions with Tim Flagler, Fly Tyer/Cook Extraordinaire](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/7434/1798214/Cy2kZQTXN1723628280689/TEN-QUESTIONS-WITH-TIM-FLAGLER-FLY-TYERCOOK-EXTRAORDINAIRE.jpg)
Ten Questions with Tim Flagler, Fly Tyer/Cook Extraordinaire
Culinary Creations from Gordon Hamersley
![GREY on the Wing](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/7434/1798214/vH4BisIr61723627742625/GREY-ON-THE-WING.jpg)
GREY on the Wing
Hands clutching the wheel of a large, lumbering vehicle whose vintage and purpose partially prompted the invention of \"powering steering,\" disengaged the clutch and applied the brakes, bringing it to a stop.
![James Purdey & Sons Ltd.One of London's "Best"](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/7434/1798214/2iiHtftrq1723627559743/JAMES-PURDEY-SONS-LTDONE-OF-LONDONS-BEST.jpg)
James Purdey & Sons Ltd.One of London's "Best"
At the conclusion of a recent breakfast meeting of the Shrewsbury Men's Club of Massachusetts, I was packing up my show-and-tell aids after giving a presentation.
![WAWAWAI](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/7434/1798214/YhuSF0afh1723627325222/WAWAWAI.jpg)
WAWAWAI
I don't chase chukars anymore, but from the time I was 16, chukar hunting had been my favorite bird hunting endeavor.
![A FAIR EXCHANGE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/7434/1798214/Rw2Bvrrkc1723627050142/A-FAIR-EXCHANGE.jpg)
A FAIR EXCHANGE
Among the concerns faced by many small community gun clubs here in the Northeast is our inability to attract and maintain new and younger shooters.
![Coming to Heel](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/7434/1798214/XmtA6RwJO1723626830675/COMING-TO-HEEL.jpg)
Coming to Heel
I'n the world of gun dogs, it's not unusual that retrievers are taught to heel.
![Bird Dogs - Health Matters](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/7434/1798214/-nM7XpITF1723626599895/BIRD-DOGS-HEALTH-MATTERS.jpg)
Bird Dogs - Health Matters
Avoiding Medical Mishaps on the Road
![MATT HART](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/7434/1798214/iKD2plnwK1723626175684/MATT-HART.jpg)
MATT HART
Matt Hart, owner, designer and artist of Hartist Metals, is a highly skilled metal sculptor based in the picturesque Catskill Mountains of New York.
![Luigi Franchi Imperial Monte Carlo Extra: One of Italy's "Best" SxS Doubles](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/7434/1351870/0SAiBgwJa1690522419485/LUIGI-FRANCHI-IMPERIAL-MONTE-CARLO-EXTRA-ONE-OF-ITALYS-BEST-SXS-DOUBLES.jpg)
Luigi Franchi Imperial Monte Carlo Extra: One of Italy's "Best" SxS Doubles
As on London’s gun-maker’s row, Italians had skilled craftsmen who made “Best” guns of superb quality