The woodcock is an enigmatic species revered by Shots and birders alike, and one that I have spent the majority of my career studying. There have been nights enduring pouring rain and howling wind ringing woodcock in winter, and hours spent in clouds of persistent midges while recording roding woodcock in spring. But there are exceptional moments, too, watching a woodcock evade a sparrowhawk in the early evening twilight and observing a female carrying a chick. Seeing wood-cock display in the mist above scrub-clad hillsides in the Azores was both eerie and timeless.
At present the woodcock season opens, as with other gamebirds, on 1 October and closes on 31 January. Most Shots will be aware that while the global woodcock population is stable, our resident, breeding population is in decline. They will also be aware of recent calls by Wild Justice for a statutory change in the close season for woodcock. The idea of only shooting woodcock after 30 November to reduce the impact on resident woodcock is not new; the GWCT suggested it as a voluntary, precautionary
