Woodcock

[zander]

It was a little cut into the the side of Twin Bridges Road that we had to be on the lookout for. An old skidder trail past the rusting shells of water heaters and a stray car door or two was the trail we were looking for. We didn't always find it on the first pass, but if we got as far as the first national forest sign we'd just turn back around and try again. That is how secretive this spot was, even those who knew about it already may not find it very easily.

Pulling the S-10 onto the trail and away from the road, we got out of the truck and took in the thick air of the forest. Maybe we'd have a dog with us, or maybe we would not have wanted to mess with dogs that day. We could find them without their help most times, but the dog could let you know what might happen a few seconds in advance at times.

As we headed down into the bottom from the road, the earth became softer with each step. The ground was a mattress of pine needles and beech leaves. The air was a tangle of ironwood and black gum branches, each one somehow aiming for your face or a place to snag on my hunting jacket. Like the game we were after we didn't move in straight lines; we simply couldn't since no two things can occupy the same space at the same time. A heavy step in the right place might reveal a seep surrounded by ferns with a shimmering iridescence of an oil film from who knew where. This meant we were getting into the zone.

In the bottom sound doesn't move very far. If you hear something you are close to something. If you see something you are even closer. There was no doubt when you flushed the first woodcock. Chaos, feathered, whistle, fast. These four words sum up what the experience consists of. The synergy of these four things made it addictive. There was no telling where the escape artist was going to fly, he might fly towards you or away. He might fly at ten feet off the ground or at 4 feet. From any point there are 360 degrees of direction, the woodcock in flight can choose any of these in both planes. Woodcocks seem to have mastered the physics of space-time. If you missed your chance, start walking in the general direction and try to have him jump again.

One fall we headed down Twin Bridges Road looking for the old skidder trail with rust spotted enameled appliance skins poking through the underbrush. We found instead a new subdivision of 4 bedroom houses complete with basketball goals in the driveways. We knew that we had been lucky to find that woodcock filled bottom and we had two seasons with it. But like the flight of the woodcock, we had our whistle, our chaos, our feathers, and it was only all too fast for us.

[Dutch]

The only thing I ever really found about the "timber doodles" is that I can feed 12 people all they want to eat on one bird.

[zander]

heheh, that is pretty funny Dutch. That was down when I used to live in Louisiana and there wasn't a whole lot that we wouldn't eat. Tasted like dove or blackbird to me.

[Dutch]

heheh, that is pretty funny Dutch. That was down when I used to live in Louisiana and there wasn't a whole lot that we wouldn't eat. Tasted like dove or blackbird to me.

Dove a small piece of meat that is dark and tastes like liver.