Have you ever watched someone doing something and make it look so easy that you thought to yourself: “Heck I can do that!” For example, you watch a good golfer poke the ball effortlessly down the fairway. Then you to do it and understand that looks are deceiving. I can say that about watching my friend Dave2 bag a woodcock.  

Recently I went to Douglas County, Wis., for some woodcock hunting with Dave2 and Falco. You may remember them from a fishing outing earlier this summer. Dave2 caught a lake sturgeon and tied into two other much larger ones. Even though we were targeting walleyes, it will always be known as the sturgeon outing. Dave2’s shadow is his best hunting buddy Falco, a Small Muenster Lander hunting machine of a bird dog. If you remember, Falco is also a fish licker with a preference for northern pike and a strong dislike for red horse suckers.  

Dave2 and I were high school classmates and have always shared many of the same interests both then and now. His specialty is bird hunting and that includes everything from prairie chickens out west, wood ducks here, and everything in between. When he invited me to his cabin in northern Wisconsin for some woodcock hunting, I jumped at the chance and bought a new box of shells. I’ve been woodcock hunting before and knew that I would need more shells to redeem myself from the humbling timberdoodles.

Before I tell you about the hunting I’ll tell you about the cabin. There is no running water, no lights without a gas generator, no insulation, no bedrooms, and definitely no Wi-Fi. What it does have is a giant woodstove, an ancient gas cook stove, two bunkbeds, and a lot of mice. The walls act as a functional journal of the long history of the cabin, including but not limited to details of successful bear hunts, cabin upgrades, an engagement, and even my own woodcock hunting stats. Add all that up and it’s the coolest cabin I have ever stayed in.

Woodcock hunting is always fast and furious and our hunt was no different. Shooting a woodcock is a point and shoot kind of proposition. If you wait for the perfect shot, or hesitate even slightly, you will never get off a shot. When Falco went on point telling us he had eyes on a woodcock I knew what was coming next. I watched Dave2 and Falco tag team that woodcock to perfection. Dave2 coached Falco with a “wooooooohhh” while he eased into position and suddenly the woodcock busted from cover. In the blink of an eye Dave2 shouldered his gun and fired a shot. An instant later the bird folded in midflight. The brief silence was interrupted by a subtle “Fetch Falco” from Dave2 and seconds later Falco was at his side with a mouthful of bird and feathers. It was a perfect point for Falco, a perfect shot by Dave2, and a perfect retrieve from Falco. It all played out so quickly and perfectly that you would have thought it was choreographed instead of just a series of random chances that played out the right way. 

A few minutes later it was my turn to ease in behind Falco who was pointing towards another bird. Remember how Dave2 perfectly harvested his woodcock? Well, I’m not Dave2 so nothing went as planned. The bird busted from cover while I was tangled in some underbrush and I barely got off a shot which was probably too late to be effective. When all was said and done, I had shot 16 times and of those 16 chances I bagged five birds. I was grateful for every one.  

When hunting woodcock it doesn’t matter how many times you shoot, the birds always seem to win, unless Falco is on point and Dave2 is shooting.

Didn’t get enough Dave this week? Visit “Outdoor Trails and Tales with Dave Beck” on Facebook for photos and video of Dave’s adventures. You can share your own photos and video with him there as well, or by emailing him at dave@piercecountyjournal.news Also, check out OTT content on Instagram @thepiercecountyjournal