Woodcock research

[finsfurfeathers]

Biologist doing real science on these birds and how they do it.
Might get a better understanding the role a pointer plays in conservation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9UZVbvebkc

Woodcock Banding - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4sjCQlKN_c

Bucket list course I'd like to take
Woodcock Banding Program Minnesota May 14-15-16-17 | Pineridge Grouse Camp

[duckslayer]

So what team of biologists are you with?? Might be ok for biologists to do it for science...........guys running their dogs in the spring is not for science. How about you contact these biologists in your videos and see if they condone guys dog training on wild birds in the spring..........don’t think you would like the answer.

[duckslayer]

Did you even watch the videos?? The first one the girl admits how lucky she is to be permitted to do this in the spring...........in other words she is lucky to legally be able to do this for research purposes.

[dilly]

Yeah, it’s common knowledge they use very steady pointers to locate nests in the spring. It’s also common knowledge it is biologists working for the state who are permitted to do it.

A dog coming upon a woodcock in the spring and pointing it or bumping it is one thing. Running dogs in known covers looking for them, taking pictures of the points then boasting/arguing about in on a public forum as a moderator is quite another IMO.

[Fenelon]

Biologist doing real science on these birds and how they do it.
Might get a better understanding the role a pointer plays in conservation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9UZVbvebkc

Woodcock Banding - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4sjCQlKN_c

Bucket list course I'd like to take
Woodcock Banding Program Minnesota May 14-15-16-17 | Pineridge Grouse Camp

If you read some of the latest research papers, the traditional use of dogs for research and annual surveys is being replaced with super low impact FLIR technology (forward imaging radar). Several papers have indicated the detrimental impact from using both people and dogs for bird location (up to 28% nest abandonment rate during early brooding). Dogs have also been implicated in causing increased nest predation (both female brooding and eggs/chicks) due to leaving their own scent trail for predators (raccoons, opposum, etc) to follow. F+W students on placement from the college that I worked at were participants in some of the initial FLIR assessment down in the States. I'll try to find one of the posted journal articles. I think it was in New York or Penn. I think they're doing this now in Ohio as well.

[Fenelon]

Here's one of the Woodcock FLIR studies that was done in 2015/16 down in the US. Pretty neat technology and low impact.
Google "FLIR for Woodcock" and you can read the entire paper. Quite interesting.

[duckslayer]

Exactly Fenelon, with the population declines even if the practice was legal which it isn’t, not sure why any ethical dog handler would participate in the harassment season

[dilly]

Maybe dropping the daily bag from 8 to 3 (like in the US) wouldn’t be a bad idea either?

[Fenelon]

Maybe dropping the daily bag from 8 to 3 (like in the US) wouldn’t be a bad idea either?

I totally agree and have written several letters to CWS. Someone there has been asleep at the wheel since the early 80s, when data trends finally revealed how serious the population decline was. Given the current status of the species and the historical decline trend, I cant' believe they allow such a high bag limit. I don't have much faith in anything logical happening until the population crashes. Look at the mess that our ruffled grouse are in, throughout central and southern ontario.
It took mnr 10 years to react to WNV decline before they reduced the limits. Grouse are now basically exterpated in many of the southern wmus. Many areas no longer have huntable populations. Next to go will be our sea ducks, unless CWS enacts reg changes soon. Forget adopting lower limits. Some of the sea duck species should be off limits (no hunting). Check out the status of current population crashes in Eiders, Scoters, Long-tailed Ducks. Many of these species are global. Logic would say stop hunting them before they're all gone.