Woodcock beyond sleeve-Hunting passion

Woodcock across the Channel

Leaving for Cornwall, in the far south west of England, I couldn't help but establish a paraout its meaning when we hunt near places made cult by the history of the Round Table of King Arthur, such as Camelot or Tintagel.

But it is above all the quest for a much-desired object that makes me think that the approach of the woodcocks, who can devote an entire life to the search for this bird, is not so far from that of the knights who, in pursuit of the Holy Grail, could cross lands and seas. The historical parallel will stop there, rest assured!

Cornouaille is above all a little corner of paradise in England. Far from the grayness of London, this region is a bit like the Basque Coast is to France. Restaurants by the sea, small traditional fishing ports, hundreds of kilometers of beach and also, or rather above all, woodcocks. Abandoned by massive cereal farming, Cornouaille is a group of small plots, interspersed with hedges, copses and wasteland. Woodcocks find suitable cover there. Well sheltered in their cover, the mordorées have only a few wing strokes to put in to feed in small green and tender meadows. The often rainy weather and mild temperatures also help. Rare are prolonged frosts or persistent snow.

In December and January, certain woodcocks stationed in the center of England or in Scotland, come down, driven by the cold, and find their happiness on the coasts of southern England. This meteorological situation explains why, even if Cornouaille is normally home to a superb population of woodcocks from the end of November, these cold snaps in the country sometimes give rise to exceptional "falls" where it is not uncommon to get up more than fifty woodcock during the day. Last positive point, the continual regulation of pests and the VERY low hunting pressure offers happy days to the mordorées. The "good spots" are hunted very little, only once or twice in the season, exceptionally three, with always several weeks between two visits. The sinews of war is therefore to be advised by a serious organizer who allows you to hunt on enough land without going around in circles or redoing certain plots.

The stage is set. It's time to go hunting. The good period is from the end of November to the end of January. The rest is only a prognosis because it is the weather that dictates its law. For us it will be December. The weather was capricious before our arrival. The storms have followed one another along the coast and the temperatures are a little high for the season. But it is a blue sky that welcomes us, accompanied by a light morning frost. This configuration leaves no room for doubt as to the strategy to adopt.

Head for the deep valleys, where small streams often meander. These spots very rarely freeze and are superb discounts when the temperatures are close to negative. On the hunting side, there is nothing comparable to the great French forests. Here, we will go through a multitude of "hot spots" during the day. Some areas are covered in 30 or 40 minutes. The hunt is done in front of you, with your dogs or the guide dogs. Many French people now go to claim or improve their pointing dogs. A few hours from the exit of the Channel Tunnel, a real woodcock training center awaits hunters. The guides are used to welcoming hunters traveling with their own dog. The guards are there to guide and advise you but leave you total autonomy to beg your auxiliary.

Let's be concrete…. I invite you to relive one of our hunting days in December 2013. The departure is after the famous “English breakfast”, hearty but useful to last the day. The accommodations have the advantage of being central and in a few minutes we are on the ground, letting the dogs stretch their legs. A mixture of pressure and impatience, hunting starts are the same in all countries. Short briefing on the first spot from the guide who advises us, depending on the wind, on how to make the dogs work.

This first place, or "beat" in English, consists of a wooded hillside covered on the ground by a carpet of brambles, about 600 meters long and about sixty meters wide. The dogs work slowly, the fumes are numerous and the woodcocks can quickly move in front of the dogs, the latter sometimes having difficulty crossing certain parts. The first woodcock takes off after a brief stop after 2 minutes (watch in hand). The tone is set. This first English woodcock will be missed… put it down to the surprise!

Two dogs are begging on the hillside. Another woodcock is quickly blocked. The second patron dog. The show is superb but serving the dog is not easy because you have to cross the brambles. Barely time to arrive on the stop that a woodcock takes off, immediately followed by a second … pair !! A woodcock will be taken by my companion who stayed below. No time to congratulate each other, the dogs have already left. The wait will not be long … new stop a few tens of meters further. This will not wait for us. It should be noted that despite this extraordinary density of woodcock, the ladies of the woods like to play with hunters, as they do with us. Back to the hunt... after more than 30 minutes of slowly beating this bramble, it's not less than 9 woodcocks that we will find. Four will be drawn and two will be taken.

Area change. The new spot breathes woodcock. By parking on the heights of a small hill, a basin takes shape in front of us which winds between two slopes of meadow. A small stream flows in the middle of this wet bottom, bordering on marsh. We each walk on one side, leaving the evolved dogs quietly between us. Once again, the wait will not be long before the first stop. But this time it's a pheasant cop who will pay the price for our shooting skills (in all modesty). Passionate about woodcock, we remain versatile hunters and I easily admit that I also like diversity. I would even say that it would be a shame to travel through such game-filled terrain while depriving yourself of certain pleasures. It is in this logic that our final table will not only count our dear woodcocks, but also a few rabbits, pigeons, pheasants, ducks and snipes.

In short… after this first pheasant, we resume walking. We quickly see several woodcocks take off at the end of the plot. Indeed, despite the low hunting pressure, some woodcocks seem to have been present for some time and know very well the danger posed by dogs and men. That's the game.

Do not think you come here to hunt easier birds. They are the same woodcocks as at home, as intelligent and as exciting. With the exception that a good day here easily counts the number of woodcocks that I can see while hunting at home in France over a season. The 2012 record is 110 tricks on the day, in January. The 2011 record was 76 woodcocks raised at the end of December. But the reason imposes to come here with lesser objectives not to be disappointed. Thus an average of 20 to 30 lifts per day seems faithful to reality.

Let's get back to the field. Despite some light woodcocks, this spot has largely kept its promises. Result: 8 stops, 6 woodcocks shot and 2 taken. I specify here that we only fired when the dogs stopped. The count could have been higher if we had wanted it but the goal is elsewhere and the pleasure lies in the work of the dogs and in the number of woodcocks raised.

Last area before lunch break at local pub. The area is small but the expectations of the guide are high. It is, once again, a wet basin with a thick cover that winds between two hills. The area is only a few hundred meters long and yet … 7 woodcocks will come out of it. On the other hand, it is almost impossible to serve the dog if it takes a point in the middle of the cutlery, so dense are the bushes in places. The marshy ground makes walking difficult and it is better to bring a spare pair of socks (believe in my experience). The guide is a huge help and helps us sink the dogs while we look for a clear shooting angle (safety first). The local guide sneaks with disconcerting ease under the branches. Despite the number of days spent hunting, I admire the passion of these guards and their dedication to the hunters. Each lift delights them (almost) as much as we do. We will leave the area with more casings than woodcocks, but who cares!

A break at the pub is a must to enjoy a local beer and the famous English “pies”, including pies or pies.

Once restored, the plan is simple. Given the time of sunset, we opt to beat a last area with woodcock before going to settle down for a past with ducks. An hour of intense hunting this time again during which we will raise 5 different woodcocks. The dogs will gratify us with superb boss stops. What more. Thus ends our day with the dogs but the hunt does not stop there because the guide promises us a nice past with on the menu, if all goes well, some beautiful attacks of mallards and teal.

Obviously, the English do not lie. Installed in a hollow valley around a pond about thirty meters wide, night falls quickly and the ducks are not long in waiting for the whistling of their wings. Visibility is very difficult as the night is very dark and the depth of the valley does not help with an extremely high horizon line. But the ducks are there…mallards, teals and a group of whistlers. The teals are, in these conditions, very difficult but very amusing targets. The past is dense but short and after half an hour of action, we decide to stop. We will collect that evening 9 teals, 5 mallards and 1 whistler. We also counted more than 10 woodcocks passed over our heads to go and refuel in the surrounding meadows…. What show !

The other days will be of the same ilk. The South West of England is truly a land of woodcocks, a land made for woodcocks eager for sensations with their dogs. But what a hunting paradise in the broad sense with omnipresent wildlife. And, to silence the rumors once and for all, the welcome is just exceptional and we had a great time at the table, tasting seafood and some good meats.

Pierre-Jean Lacombe