Woodcock

snipe49

In a pickle will i go for woodcock this weekend of stick with the pheasants.I'm in the west so not sure if the woodcock are here in any numbers wet. Any feed back lads.

mallards

I see a lot more woodcock mentioned on different gunclub facebook pages this past week and I flushed two myself last weekend. If it was me I'd say yes as you might run into a good few. Good luck

shotie

i was out few days ago and hunted a small wooded area and dogs put up 8 woodcock in total. managed to shoot 2 met alot of snipe as well while out .

allan450

i got 15 on monday so their in alright im in the west also

snipe49

allan450 wrote: »

i got 15 on monday so their in alright im in the west also

great going there. what are u shooting over. ?

allan450

cockers and one springer.iv videos up in the video section

snipe49

allan450 wrote: »

cockers and one springer.iv videos up in the video section

How do i go about seen them.

snipe49

allan450 wrote: »

cockers and one springer.iv videos up in the video section

see them here i'll them now.

PDAhunter

Put up four on Sunday 15 in a day is fair shooting but I think it is too much

allan450

seen around 30 training young dogs at the moment.so just getting them in on it.15 might sound like a lot but let me tell you the tourist shooting around here is a disaster for woodcock.

ace86

allan450 wrote: »

seen around 30 training young dogs at the moment.so just getting them in on it.15 might sound like a lot but let me tell you the tourist shooting around here is a disaster for woodcock.

I think tourist shooting is a disaster all along the west coast if ya ask me for woodcock shooting and with so much talk about woodcock and numbers lately I am very wary and frightful of things to come and these guys won't help our case or do anything for them but exploit all they can out of it.

snipe49

allan450 wrote: »

seen around 30 training young dogs at the moment.so just getting them in on it.15 might sound like a lot but let me tell you the tourist shooting around here is a disaster for woodcock.

And everything else pal.

Capercaille

allan450 wrote: »

seen around 30 training young dogs at the moment.so just getting them in on it.15 might sound like a lot but let me tell you the tourist shooting around here is a disaster for woodcock.

Would the tourists shoot much more than 15 per day?

staghunter

In my opinion 15 woodcock is pulling the piss. But that ground won't be shot again this year I'd say. And obviously it not that bad with tourist shooters if ya can flush 30 birds and 15 are shootable

dodderangler

I have to agree. 15 woodcock is more than enough for a whole season. Never mind a day.
Can't blame the tourist hunt when yourself is taking 15 in a day.

Perazzi

dodderangler wrote: »

I have to agree. 15 woodcock is more than enough for a whole season. Never mind a day.
Can't blame the tourist hunt when yourself is taking 15 in a day.

How many are all the tourist shooting I don't blame any Irish shooter for shooting this many but what I don't like is tourist shootiers no matter how much they spend while they are over

allan450

staghunter wrote: »

In my opinion 15 woodcock is pulling the piss. But that ground won't be shot again this year I'd say. And obviously it not that bad with tourist shooters if ya can flush 30 birds and 15 are shootable

That ground will be shot every weekend sometimes their in it sometimes their not.tourist arent in yet and they wouldnt hunt that area i was in.as i said im training young dogs at the moment.just for woodcock so they need to get in on the action.some lads shoot pheasants i shoot woodcock/snipe.15 is a good day.prob wont have a day like that all season.as for numbers regards tourist shooting 40/50 would be a good day.so if you dont know anything regards tourist shooting i wouldnt comment.

allan450

dodderangler wrote: »

I have to agree. 15 woodcock is more than enough for a whole season. Never mind a day.
Can't blame the tourist hunt when yourself is taking 15 in a day.

i see your from dublin mate.15 might seem a lot but if you have never shot woodcock in the west you wouldnt know the whole story.on a weekend beating for woodcock seeing between 50 to 80 birds is the norm.now to get 20 birds out of that you would be doing well between 2 lads.NOW for tourist shooting maybe 8-10 guns lined up outside planton and beat out by maybe 6 lads and 10 dogs a free for all.with big numbers shot.so for one man training a few young dogs their is a big difference.

Dawggone

I shoot in France.
There is a daily bag limit of two woodcock.
The season bag limit is six woodcock per gun. This limit is strictly enforced.

allan450

That must be why they come here to shoot so.what you think.

Capercaille

allan450 wrote: »

That ground will be shot every weekend sometimes their in it sometimes their not.tourist arent in yet and they wouldnt hunt that area i was in.as i said im training young dogs at the moment.just for woodcock so they need to get in on the action.some lads shoot pheasants i shoot woodcock/snipe.15 is a good day.prob wont have a day like that all season.as for numbers regards tourist shooting 40/50 would be a good day.so if you dont know anything regards tourist shooting i wouldnt comment.

Will that kind of shooting, I would guess that the woodcock numbers in your area will be decreasing fast.

allan450

you would think so but thats not the case why the tourist shooting trives around here.The birds love the ground around here.its big money business around here causing nothing but problems.more no shooting signs going farmers getting pissed off with it.just to show you a local estate makes on bringing people in.you can see it on the web site.for a party on 10 for 3 days 13,000 all inclusive.

Dawggone

allan450 wrote: »

That must be why they come here to shoot so.what you think.

I know a few that head to Ireland for the woodcock. I think that they enjoy the food and drink as much as the shooting.


Edit:: the French have a name for shooting anything that moves (songbirds etc.), but I would have to say that they are very sporting indeed with tremendous respect for their quarry.
The Italians however.......

snipe49

allan450 wrote: »

you would think so but thats not the case why the tourist shooting trives around here.The birds love the ground around here.its big money business around here causing nothing but problems.more no shooting signs going farmers getting pissed off with it.just to show you a local estate makes on bringing people in.you can see it on the web site.for a party on 10 for 3 days 13,000 all inclusive.

I can tell a few stories about french shooters coming here for the last 35 years been brought out to shoot what ever moves by lads not even in a gunclub for a day drinking money, Don't start me. :mad:

dodderangler

I have shot in hallways years ago and never seen a woodcock plenty of snipe and hares though. But still I believe that 15 is a bit much and yes I understand the tours will take a lot but that doesn't mean it's necessary to shoot 15 in a day mate. Don't be part of problem. 2 or 3 a day is more than enough for any man. Same with pheasant and other game

allan450

im not part of the problem i can tell you that right now

Perazzi

How many do the tourist shoot a day no one can say for definite it's all here say.
Good on you Allan for training good woodcock dogs you keep doing what you do.
The big problem is the people that take big money from tourists to shoot that's the problem.

ace86

allan450 wrote: »

you would think so but thats not the case why the tourist shooting trives around here.The birds love the ground around here.its big money business around here causing nothing but problems.more no shooting signs going farmers getting pissed off with it.just to show you a local estate makes on bringing people in.you can see it on the web site.for a party on 10 for 3 days 13,000 all inclusive.

F**king hell €13,000 for 3 days thats some money and they can shoot multiple game no wonder they come here and get to shoot as many as they want and bring it home to eat and no restrictions on bag limits but how would enforce one in this country?? I have similar story but 6 guys 3 guides 3 days 50 woodcock €3000 but its crazy and Italians or French they shoot anything that moves if u ask me and i know of people who were shot locally by them and were out of the country before nightfall.I have no problem with ya meeting and seeing birds but like that i'd feel bad shooting 15 in a day but as u know with woodcock some days u are lucky and more days u miss all before and after ya or just in the wrong place.

Woodcock shot

Sorry lad but i have to agree with some of the lads above, 15 in a day is a bit much, I'm in a great place for woodcock too but I wouldn't shoot that many in a day even when I'm meeting them,
For the record I'm totally against tourist shooting too, it's wrong for some to make profit from a migatory spieces.

dodderangler

Woodcock shot wrote: »

Sorry lad but i have to agree with some of the lads above, 15 in a day is a bit much, I'm in a great place for woodcock too but I wouldn't shoot that many in a day even when I'm meeting them,
For the record I'm totally against tourist shooting too, it's wrong for some to make profit from a migatory spieces.

Especially a migratory species. It not as if gun clubs are breeding and releasing them.
Even pheasants that are released I still think it's wrong to shoot anymore than two or 3 a day.

useurowname

dodderangler wrote: »

Especially a migratory species. It not as if gun clubs are breeding and releasing them.
Even pheasants that are released I still think it's wrong to shoot anymore than two or 3 a day.

Agree 100% with this, the abundance of migratory species to Ireland is a gift. Too many greedy feckers think it's perfectly acceptable to shoot big bags and worse still are the cowboy tour operators that bring in parties of hunters from countries that have exhausted their own game. Anyone know what the NARGC are doing about all this?

tikkahunter

allan450 wrote: »

i got 15 on monday so their in alright im in the west also

Numbers are well up this year, 15 is good going and its no ones business what you shot but yours especially walter mitty ,at least your are shooting birds when they are in season

allan450

The season is short enough.i do my bit for grouse,pheasants if i want to shoot a few extra birds to train my young dogs so be it.id do more for the woodcock if i could.its very hard to determine if numbers are actually down how many lads return the wings of shot woodcock to the NRAGC each year.i can assure not many.so lads should stop worrying what other lads are doing and do their bit.

Kells1

Its very obvious to me from reading previous posts that a lot of the posters on here are very naive to what goes on when the woodcock arrive in large numbers to parts of the west of ireland. 1. I have seen these parties of 10 or so guns in a line and a dozen spaniels beating every inch of ground even on land they have no permission on...do you think these guys have a bag limit...u must be joking...they travel from parish to parish visiting all the hotspots . These groups shoot more birds in a day than a man would in a week if he were to shoot 15 birds every day. 2.Contrary to popular belief i have spoken to guys in every county along the west coast from kerry to donegal and not one of them has noticed a decline in woodcock numbers period. The fact of the matter is they are reluctant to tell publicly the numbers of birds they actually shoot every season for fear of a backlash from those not in the know...15 birds for 7 hours heavy walking over two guns would be seen as poor shooting by some of these guys when the birds are in...whether you like it or not this is the truth
Conclusion
I dont know whether woodcock numbers are in danger or not. I am always sceptible about the antis pushing for a ban on gamebirds . I do know that i personally havnt witnessed this so called decline as have many of my shooting companions. I am also in favour of conservation and do not believe every bird in the parish should be shot. The bottom line for me is this. I have no problem with any local lad shooting woodcock whether he shoots every bird he comes across or not. However i would hope he would leave a few. I know for sure that the rare bird survives the barrage of gunshots from the line of guns the organised tourist groups. Conservation is the last thing on these guys minds. I say fareplay to allan he shot 50% of the birds he came across. He does more for the local wildlife than most guys i know. His biggest fault is his honesty. Sorry about the long post

kermitpwee

I have to support allan450 here. There is no prob shooting 15woodcock. If yee lived in Mayo yee would see that there is no decrease in numbers here and another day ya might put up 20 woodcock and only hit 2 it's the.e,n nature of the sport in the west. Lads in the midlands don't even know what a woodcock if ffs! Ya have to walk in another mans shoes etc and all that ****e!!

Dawggone

Kells1 wrote: »

Its very obvious to me from reading previous posts that a lot of the posters on here are very naive to what goes on when the woodcock arrive in large numbers to parts of the west of ireland. 1. I have seen these parties of 10 or so guns in a line and a dozen spaniels beating every inch of ground even on land they have no permission on...do you think these guys have a bag limit...u must be joking...they travel from parish to parish visiting all the hotspots . These groups shoot more birds in a day than a man would in a week if he were to shoot 15 birds every day. 2.Contrary to popular belief i have spoken to guys in every county along the west coast from kerry to donegal and not one of them has noticed a decline in woodcock numbers period. The fact of the matter is they are reluctant to tell publicly the numbers of birds they actually shoot every season for fear of a backlash from those not in the know...15 birds for 7 hours heavy walking over two guns would be seen as poor shooting by some of these guys when the birds are in...whether you like it or not this is the truth
Conclusion
I dont know whether woodcock numbers are in danger or not. I am always sceptible about the antis pushing for a ban on gamebirds . I do know that i personally havnt witnessed this so called decline as have many of my shooting companions. I am also in favour of conservation and do not believe every bird in the parish should be shot. The bottom line for me is this. I have no problem with any local lad shooting woodcock whether he shoots every bird he comes across or not. However i would hope he would leave a few. I know for sure that the rare bird survives the barrage of gunshots from the line of guns the organised tourist groups. Conservation is the last thing on these guys minds. I say fareplay to allan he shot 50% of the birds he came across. He does more for the local wildlife than most guys i know. His biggest fault is his honesty. Sorry about the long post

Totally agree. The problem is that the Swedes, Norwegians, Danes etc., must take responsibility also for the welfare of a species. It's like climate change, why are we being all sooo green when huge parts of the planet ignore the issue?

I know of a Danish family that own a small island in the North Sea of about twenty acres. They shoot there during the migration of woodcock scoring huge bags. These are tired birds that flop onto the island for a rest. Not what I would call sport....

Will woodcock become seriously threatened as a species ? Who knows?

I've shot with old boys that shot large bags well into March and woodcock still arrive each year.
I put my own limit of how many 'cock I shoot but what somebody else shoots is really their own business.

staghunter

Some people wouldn't no what conservation was if it jumped up an bit them in the hole. Just because tommy down the road and his buddy shot thirty five woodcock in seven hours doesn't make it right for me to go out and do the same.And anyone with a brain in there head doesn't keep shooting an area if you've shot a good number of birds out of it already.it's been scientifically proven that woodcock return to the same areas year on year so keep hammering an area and your damaging an areas population,and this decline doesnt happen over nite so you might not notice it nor your children but your grandchildren probably will.if we have to wait for a crash in woodcock stocks to realise we probably shouldn't have been shooting them big bags then it's to late to safe them as a game species.why can lads not look further than the end of there barrels.And no tourist shooters is going to influence my bag.four woodcock is plenty for any real sportsman.And training dogs is no excuse for shooting fifteen woodcock.shooting a migratory bird that travels hundreds of miles to to train spaniels says it all

Dawggone

staghunter wrote: »

Some people wouldn't no what conservation was if it jumped up an bit them in the hole. Just because tommy down the road and his buddy shot thirty five woodcock in seven hours doesn't make it right for me to go out and do the same.And anyone with a brain in there head doesn't keep shooting an area if you've shot a good number of birds out of it already.it's been scientifically proven that woodcock return to the same areas year on year so keep hammering an area and your damaging an areas population,and this decline doesnt happen over nite so you might not notice it nor your children but your grandchildren probably will.if we have to wait for a crash in woodcock stocks to realise we probably shouldn't have been shooting them big bags then it's to late to safe them as a game species.why can lads not look further than the end of there barrels.And no tourist shooters is going to influence my bag.four woodcock is plenty for any real sportsman.And training dogs is no excuse for shooting fifteen woodcock.shooting a migratory bird that travels hundreds of miles to to train spaniels says it all

+1 excellent post.
However that's human nature......

Woodcock shot

staghunter wrote: »

Some people wouldn't no what conservation was if it jumped up an bit them in the hole. Just because tommy down the road and his buddy shot thirty five woodcock in seven hours doesn't make it right for me to go out and do the same.And anyone with a brain in there head doesn't keep shooting an area if you've shot a good number of birds out of it already.it's been scientifically proven that woodcock return to the same areas year on year so keep hammering an area and your damaging an areas population,and this decline doesnt happen over nite so you might not notice it nor your children but your grandchildren probably will.if we have to wait for a crash in woodcock stocks to realise we probably shouldn't have been shooting them big bags then it's to late to safe them as a game species.why can lads not look further than the end of there barrels.And no tourist shooters is going to influence my bag.four woodcock is plenty for any real sportsman.And training dogs is no excuse for shooting fifteen woodcock.shooting a migratory bird that travels hundreds of miles to to train spaniels says it all

I agree totally with ya on over shooting area's, I for one would love to think that in years to come I'll still be shooting the same area's as I am now with my son, I'll only shoot same spots 3 to 4 times in season,
3 to 4 birds in a day is a great days shooting for me,

Dawggone

allan450 wrote: »

injoy it while it lasts wont be here for ever

You said it all there!

Used to play 45 with an old lad and when he hit my knave with the five of trumps he used to "BATE THAT!!"

snipe49

Dawggone wrote: »

You said it all there!

Used to play 45 with an old lad and when he hit my knave with the five of trumps he used to "BATE THAT!!"

Very true .

dodderangler

@ Allan450 - You can't say your shooting them for the dogs. That's complete <SNIP>.
You know you can hunt without having to actually shooting the quarry. A dog still knows what it's doing.
I like your vids and you've great land to hunt mate. But continue with 15 woodcock a and 10 pheasants a day an it won't be around forever.

dodderangler

Whether it's right or it's wrong I just don't agree with it and so do a few others on this. I'm not gonna stop him and I'm sure he's a grown lad that he can do what he wants.
Allan450 my apologies for having a go at you also.
I'm off to bed to be up early for a shot and hopefully come back with something for the pot.

Cass

Right a few things.

• Stop the fighting. It's tiresome, and a pain in the ass to read.
• Attack the post not the poster. Leave personal issues aside or it'll be removed.
• There is a swear filter for a reason. Lads are getting too comfortable with the concept of writing curse/cuss words in another format to bypass the filter. This stops NOW. Any attempt to bypass it will be treated as if the word was used. IOW infraction/ban.
• While the topic of conservation can be discussed and is welcome this is not the N&BW thread. Every thread recently has descended into a debate on studies, conservation, climate, habitat, etc. Any thread that is mostly about this, and not hunting/shooting related will be moved to N&BW forum.
• To all our visitors from other forums. You are more than welcome to take part, but the constant shifting of the thread topic to the above mentioned topics will result in posts being removed and/or deleted.
• STOP talking about Buzzrds. It has been done to death. They are not responsible for the financial downfall, water charges, property tax, etc. So give them a break.

While directly aimed at this thread most of these will expand to cover the hunting forum so be aware any infractions of the above in any forum will result in the same action being taken.


Thanks.

Cass

Fair enough.

Some people don't seem to understand a Mod warning so i'll remove your ability to post.

As for thanking posts that argue with a Mod's decision on thread that is as serious.

Thread closed.