The 2024 Woodcock Population Report is Out!

To review the report you can visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services website at https://www.fws.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2024-08/american-woodcock-population-status-report-2024.pdf. Compared to last year's report, the data shows a slightly greater population decline in the last 10-year interval ( -1.35 % change in 2024 vs. -1.17% change in 2023) and a slight improvement in the decline for the long-term interval (-0.91% vs. -1.01%). As with many shorebirds the reason for the decline is complex although, likely, the biggest negative impact to this species is the loss of early successional habitat.

So the decline isn't due to guys with good setters?

20.3% decline in "recruitment index" (number of immatures : adult females in harvest) from Central Region's average from 1968-2024. Way too many adult females are being taken. Looks like the nail in the coffin for the remaining population unless CWS wakes up. It's ridiculous, given the data, that they are still allowing 8 birds per day limits and 16 bird possession limits. Wonder who goes extinct (or exterpated) in the next two decades - Monarch or American Woodcock ? Maybe both.

I'm not sure the 8 bird limit is the issue. I'm sure like with everything else, hunting has a very small effect on populations. I also don't see guys posting pics of 8 bird days.

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Originally Posted by Cass

I also don't see guys posting pics of 8 bird days.

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Challenge accepted

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Originally Posted by Fenelon

20.3% decline in "recruitment index" (number of immatures : adult females in harvest) from Central Region's average from 1968-2024. Way too many adult females are being taken. Looks like the nail in the coffin for the remaining population unless CWS wakes up. It's ridiculous, given the data, that they are still allowing 8 birds per day limits and 16 bird possession limits. Wonder who goes extinct (or exterpated) in the next two decades - Monarch or American Woodcock ? Maybe both.

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or hawks. My husband is a member of a "bird club". Each year they count hawks across Ontario on a certain day. That happened this weekend and they have never seen fewer hawks of all kinds counted.

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Originally Posted by Cass

I'm not sure the 8 bird limit is the issue. I'm sure like with everything else, hunting has a very small effect on populations. I also don't see guys posting pics of 8 bird days.

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The same "non-action" by our useless CWS reads like a broken record. The Director needs a good frontal kick in the testicles. I know a man who is now 88 and used to travel west to the Canadian Prairies every fall to hunt Greater Prairie Chicken and Sage Grouse. Five decades of incompetent non-action gives us the result we have today. Both species now extirpated from Canada. Woodcock is next on the block. They will be gone before we know it. If you have kids now I highly doubt there will be a huntable population by the time they are in their early thirties.

Ethics of Bag Limits and Self-Imposed Limits

https://projectupland.com/culture/bi...ng-bag-limits/

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Originally Posted by ninepointer

Ethics of Bag Limits and Self-Imposed Limits

https://projectupland.com/culture/bi...ng-bag-limits/

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To me limits are a thing that says for today you harvested enough, there have been times when birds were easy and the dogs still fresh I'd continue on with the camera instead. Other days when conditions made it feel more like work than fun I'd cut it short no matter the weight in the bag. Every bird I take is treated as the precious commodity it is. Never took more to give it away. Never just breasted because took too many to process so that every morsel could be used. To me that is what ethical harvest means to me.

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Originally Posted by finsfurfeathers

To me limits are a thing that says for today you harvested enough, there have been times when birds were easy and the dogs still fresh I'd continue on with the camera instead. Other days when conditions made it feel more like work than fun I'd cut it short no matter the weight in the bag. Every bird I take is treated as the precious commodity it is. Never took more to give it away. Never just breasted because took too many to process so that every morsel could be used. To me that is what ethical harvest means to me.

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Ok...I call BS on this. Refer to exhibit "a" in the Ducks forum...under the thread "Do to you pluck or wax your birds"

... you typed (I quote)

fortunately don't get much waterfowl early just breast them out if not heavily pinned will pluck. Any other bird gets plucked using hot water.

Care to explain?