Woodcock Banding, Spring 2007

Attached here are photos that I took (from top to bottom) of wild turkey (photo taken on May 11), woodcock (photo taken on May 17), and ruffed grouse (photo taken on May 23) nests while woodcock banding in NE Lower Michigan during spring 2007.

Video--3rd Place Ruffed Grouse Society Jim Foote Chapter 7th Annual Fun Hunt Competition

Bruno competed in the Ruffed Grouse Society Jim Foote Chapter Seventh Annual Fun Hunt Competition held at Wild Wings Game Farm in Alba, Michigan, located southwest of Gaylord.

Thirty dogs competed in 15 braces to locate, point, retrieve when shot, and honor the points of their brace mates for four chukars placed afield per brace in a twenty-minute time period.

My GSP Bruno was drawn to run with Hugh McMaster's English Setter Chip in the 13th brace at2:30 p.m. Everyone in the RGS circle knows and very much likes Hugh; he is a gentleman, offers very helpful assistance and tips to anyone seeking help, and is example for everyone to follow in terms of being active in conservation and promoting young forest habitats for ruffed grouse and woodcock. I cannot tell you how thrilled I was to be in a brace with him and his setter.

For four weeks before this competition, Bruno and I had been incredibily busy in the young forests of NE Lower Michigan apprenticing with our mentor banding woodcock for Michigan's DNR. My friend and mentor Paul, his three English Setters, Bruno, and I were in the woods three to four hours per day, four to five days each week, walking an average of 40+ miles/week searching for, capturing, and banding woodcock. We were in top form and fitness, and we were ready to do well in this competition. My friend Mark was my gunner while I handled Bruno.

Bruno was off fast and quickly located, staunchly pointed, and retrieved perfectly to my hand the chukar Mark had expertly downed with one shot. Bruno then found and solidly pointed a second chukar, which stubbornly refused to be flushed by Mark from the prickly berry cover that surrounded a tree in the middle of the brace field. Mark finally succeeded in flushing and shooting the bird, which Bruno again retrieved perfectly to my hand and to the congratulatory applause from Hugh McMaster and his fieldmates. This was very sporting of Hugh and his team to recognize and cheer my young 1.25 year-old GSP for his splendid field performance.

In the final few minutes of the brace period, Bruno located and found his third chukar, which judges Paul Fisher and Sean McKillip recognized, but this time we withdrew Bruno from the bird to give Hugh's setter Chip an opportunity to locate and point the bird and for Bruno to have an opportunity to back and honor Chip's point. Unfortunately brace time expired and Bruno did not have an opprtunity to score additional points for backs.

At the end of the day, Bruno finished an impressive 3rd place in a field that offered very experienced dogs and stiff competition. And, it certainly was fun! Atta boy, Bruno! Here's a video interview with the 3rd place finisher Bruno:

Woodcock Banding, Spring 2007

The photo above is of a 10-day-old woodcock chick (its bill length measured 34 mm) that was captured and banded in Montmorency County, NE Lower Michigan, on May 17, 2007. Note the developing primary wing feathers. This chick will become a fledgling and start flying in another 3.5-5 days.

Woodcock Banding, Spring 2007

Here is a photo that I took of a nesting woodcock hen in Montmorency County in NE Lower Michigan on May 10, 2007.

Do you see her? She's nesting just to the left of the base of the trunk of the small red pine tree in the center of the photo.

Click on the photo to enlarge the view.