January 2013

By January, the easy bird hunting is long past, unless a plantation-owning friend invites you for a quail hunt. Aside from plantation or shooting-preserve quail, however, other wild birds are legal game this month.

Duck season is still in full swing, and woodcock season runs all month.

It is an understatement to say that most South Carolina bird hunters do not focus on woodcock, but hunters with dogs — especially transplanted Yankees — love them. Woodcock are a favorite of bird dogs because they are easy. Put your dogs in good woodcock cover, and they will find the birds. Woodcock are easy to smell, easy to point and flush, and easy to carry on a retrieve. […]