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I shot woodcock and snipe in LA last year. Great fun, great, great, fun. Completely different landscape and type of fellow hunter, but same great little bird.

Yes, I was amazed at how small the North American woodcock are as compared to the European version which is the size of a dove. When I was a boy,in England, I was told by my grandfather never to shoot at a woodcock as a "walking gun" in a formal shoot, as the 'cocks flew a twisty flight at head height and I might shoot someone.
As milord did in the shooting party film. I never did eat woodcock or snipe guts on toast, as some of my social superiors did, but we did hang our pheasants for a couple of weeks. In a cool place!

You might want to check in with Dig Hadoke, as he organizes woodcock shoots apparently (unless he is off in the Dark Continent in search of adventure).

Woodcock Weekends

I reckon he does this through Kyri, who I talked with. FYI - Dig's on his way to America - Republic of Texas - to be exact. He's coming for the grand opening of Joseph's.

There is a days Woodcock shooting available in Oakhampton Devon on November 14th. There may be a place available for you and a lift from Manchester area. If it is of any interest to you please PM me.

Well I am a limey over on business till December.
Where and what is this Josephs? I might have some free time.
Regards
Martin

From Dig's website: Opening of Vintage Guns� shop in partnership with Joseph�s of Richmond Texas 0n October 20. We will be there with a host of notable personalities from the British shooting fraternity to celebrate the opening of Joseph�s. Already confirmed are Cyril Adams, Diggory Hadoke, Graham Greener, Mark Kyriacou and Vic Venters. The event will double as a launch party for Dig�s new book �The British Boxlock Gun & Rifle�. Copies signed by the author with personal dedications will be available on the day, as will copies of �Vintage Guns for the Modern Shot� and all Vic�s titles.

John, yes there is walked up woodcock shooting here in 'Limey Land' but it requires information from someone in the know with permission to shoot on the land. I used to have access to some excellent shooting in the Goyt Valley in north Derbyshire, which is in sight of Manchester, until someone waved some pound notes in front of the Farmer's nose which was more than I was prepared to pay. Plenty of snipe, woodcock and hill partridge (grey partridge but a faster and leaner breed). Shame as that would have been ideal.

They do breed here in certain areas; north Derbyshire being one such, but the majority come in as continental migrants in late October on the full moon. It's a chancy business as they can be here today and gone tomorrow. They feed at night so are put up from under bushes where they are resting up. Needs a dog really to nose them out. On driven shoots sometimes quite a few come out and sometimes none. I rarely bother to raise the gun to them on driven shoots as then they are then often rather easy; the best system is to walk them up with a dog which requires quick snap shooting. Good luck in your search. Lagopus.....

It is true, we Brits have much larger cocks than you Yanks.

If you are here in November, give me a call - I may well be able to drag you around with a spaniel in search of some birds. I'll be pleased to lend you whatever kind of gun you like - as long as it is English and the barrels correctly configured.

It very much depends on the weather - if it is not cold in northern Europe, we won't have any numbers of birds to shoot. If it IS cold there, we will.

Smallbore, it should of course be a Cocker Spaniel; as the name suggests, that's what they were bred for. Good for you for coming up with a solution. Good luck. Lagopus.....