Autumn/Winter 2013 Issue

Autumn/Winter 2013
Volume I, Number 2
$ 4.95
Skydance
The Official Publication of Woodcock Limited
Skydance 1
IN THIS ISSUE
01
President’s Message
The Second Decade
02
East Texas Timberdoodles
Winter In The Pineywoods
09
On Bird Dogs
Selecting And Working With A Dog Trainer
12
Reflections Of A Shooting Guest
George Bird Evans And Kay Evans
16
Janet Nyce
2013 Sybil Ludington Award
17
Chapter News
21
Sponsor Spotlight
24
Covert Ops
COVER ART
“Woodcock by the Brook”
by Brett James Smith
Brett James Smith bio – see page 10
More art available at Woodcock Limited
member discount – see page 20
COPYRIGHT
Nothing that appears in the pages of
Skydance may be reproduced in any
form without the express, written permission of Woodcock Limited.
Woodcock Limited,
a 501 (3) (c) non-profit conservation
organization, was founded in 2003.
We are a Fraternity of Hunters and Other
Conservationists dedicated to the welfare
of the American woodcock.
Woodcock Limited
242 Baxter Road
Montoursville PA 17754
570-435-3487
[email protected]
www.woodcocklimited.com
Skydance, the official magazine of
Woodcock Limited, is published twice annually,
autumn/winter and spring/summer.
EditorIAL TEAM
The Keer Group, Marla Kaplan,
James Bradford, and Marcus Schneck
Editorial COMMITTEE
Joseph J. Faux, Marcus Schneck,
and Timberdoodle Tommy
Board Members/Officers
Joseph J. Faux, President
Michael Kotay, Secretary
James Nyce, Treasurer
Robert Friedl
Tim Kisielski
Michael Rose
D. Randolph Street
FROM THE PRESIDENT
The Second Decade Begins
new to Woodcock Limited, we’re a 501
(3) (c) non-profit conservation organization founded in
2003 and newly reorganized in 2011. We are a Fraternity of
Hunters and other Conservationists dedicated to the welfare of the American woodcock. Our goal is to positively
impact woodcock populations across the breadth of the species’ range, which encompasses about twenty-seven states as
well as several Canadian provinces.
As we begin our second decade we have some lofty goals
in mind.
In time, we hope to have State/Provincial and/or Regional Chapters representing all of the states and provinces
within the woodcock’s range. The goal of Woodcock Limited is to enable these Chapters to do the educational and
habitat work needed in their own individual areas. We recognize that work done on a local level actually benefits the
bird across its range, as the sum total of all these individual
projects benefits the woodcock exponentially.
We have helped to fund various research projects during our first decade and we hope to provide
even more funding for meaningful research on woodcock, woodcock management, and woodcock habitat as we go forward.
Currently we are working in the Central Flyway to open more public land for woodcock hunting.
We will continue to be an advocate for expanded hunting opportunities wherever it is appropriate.
One of the difficulties facing all conservation organizations today is engaging people in a manner which
will entice them to become shareholders in the efforts of that organization. We’ll seek to expand the educational and outreach work we do through new publications and by using the social media in new ways
as much as possible.
Habitat work, much of it hands-on, will continue to be expanded. The PLOW (Private Land Opportunities for Woodcock) Program will have a national coordinator to help it move forward.
We’re sure that during our second decade many of these goals will be further-refined and that new goals
will emerge. Through it all, we’ll strive to make our work as meaningful as possible, and as enervating for
our members as we can.
Thanks again for joining us in our quest to help put more woodcock in your coverts.
Until next time, be safe – and help make a difference!
photograph by Mark Nale
for those of you
Joseph J. Faux
Woodcock Limited President
Skydance 1
EAST TEXAS TIMBERDOODLES
Field Technicians collecting habitat data.
Winter in the Pineywoods
BY DAN SULLINS AND WARREN CONWAY
historically , the east texas pineywoods
were
largely composed of open pine savannahs with
densely vegetated mixed pine-hardwood and hardwood riparian areas. Shortleaf pine dominated
the northern half while longleaf pine covered the
southern half; both were widely spaced, providing
ample room for the tallgrass prairie component
that flourished in these fire driven systems. In the
far southeastern portions of the Pineywoods is
a region referred to as the Big Thicket (now the
Big Thicket National Preserve). Characterized by
dense understory and overstory forests (hence the
name), the Big Thicket stretched along southern
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portions of the Trinity, Neches, Angelina, and
Sabine rivers and their associated flood plains and
creeks. Dense thickets of both small and large
hardwood spanned drainages creating barriers
among more easily navigable upland savannah
habitats. Beginning at the divide of shortleaf
and longleaf ecotypes near Nacogdoches, Texas
a transition from rolling hills to flatlands occurs
across which the streams, floodplains, and rivers widened. A labyrinth of cover types ranging
from canebrakes, mature beech-magnolia forests,
prairies, to upland pine savannah resided along
undulating gradients of soil texture and moisture.
EAST TEXAS TIMBERDOODLES
English setter pointing a woodcock during surveys.
American woodcock occurrence and habitat use
in pre-European settlement East Texas is not well
documented, and speculation about its occurrence
during summer near Caddo Lake in Northeast
Texas revolved around its potential movement to
that region from the Big Thicket. The upland openpine savannahs were more suitable for Northern
bobwhite and wild turkey than for woodcock, but
it is likely that during any winter, no matter what
the habitat conditions and/or precipitation patterns
were, some portion of the landscape featured the
moist soil and dense overhead cover required by
woodcock. After European settlement, East Texas
was essentially cutover for timber, then plowed and
planted to grow cotton, where eventually the shallow erodible topsoil layer diminished and cotton
farming was no longer viable. Row crop agriculture
was then replaced by large, industrial timber pro-
duction, which did not require the rich fertile soils
needed to sustain cotton farming. It is difficult to
comprehend what was once was ideal woodcock
habitat in East Texas and there are no baseline data
to determine truly optimal habitat or occurrence
throughout much of the first half of the 20th Century. However, the American woodcock has proven
to be very adept and successful in making use of
current pine plantations and National Forest land
throughout the Pineywoods.
Today, the East Texas landscape has changed
drastically since European settlement. Almost all
of the pine savannah was cutover by 1930, and
fire has largely been removed as disturbance factor driving landscape patterns. Second (or third)
growth forests of mixed hardwoods and loblolly
pines dominate private timberlands and the four
National Forests in East Texas. Most private lands
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EAST TEXAS TIMBERDOODLES
are comprised of a mosaic of even age stands of
loblolly pine on 18-25 year harvest cycles. Woodcock appear to have adapted well to these changes
and can be found during winter in most cover
types and forest age classes throughout the region.
However, available habitat has not been quantified
and habitat use across the landscape, both spatially
and temporally, encompassing periods of flood
and drought, is not well understood. Our current research being conducted through Stephen
F. Austin State University seeks to identify regionally important habitats across a range of landcover
types in east Texas.
Our field research was conducted during
winters of 2010-2011 and 2011-2012, where
woodcock surveys were performed along secondary roads in the Davy Crockett National Forest
in Houston and Trinity counties, and on a private
timber property in San Augustine County, Texas.
The 5,900 acre private property contained stands
of even-aged loblolly pine timber interspersed
with mixed pine/hardwood streamside management zones, where management consists of traditional industrial forest management practices.
The 150,000 acre Davy Crockett National Forest
is predominately second-growth mature loblolly
pine with a hardwood understory and has small
patches of bottomland hardwoods and mixed
pine hardwoods throughout. Management on
the Davy Crockett National Forest incorporates
selective thinning, cool season prescribed burning,
and habitat management for the endangered redcockaded woodpecker.
We conducted woodcock surveys using a pointing dog (English setter) affixed with a GPS collar
from December, 31 2010 –February, 12 2011
and November 8, 2011- February, 28 2012. We
began each survey at the center point of each survey
site (circle) and each survey lasted an hour-anda-half. Each site was surveyed at least three times
Pine sapling regeneration on the edge of a stream side management zone of the Private Timber property
San Augustine County, Texas.
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EAST TEXAS TIMBERDOODLES
each winter, and once woodcock
were located their locations were
recorded using a GPS. Because
the pointing dog was wearing a
GPS-track collar, we could calculate the dog’s travel path and area
searched during each survey. We performed nearly 180
surveys during this research,
with 301 flush events being
recorded. In 2010-2011 alone,
we traversed over 500 km during
pointing dog surveys. In the first
year, we observed that all survey
sites on the private timber study
area and 77% (14/18) of National Forest survey sites were occupied by at least one woodcock,
where 1.7 birds were flushed per
survey on both sites combined.
Study areas in the Pineywoods ecoregion of Texas.
Streamside cane habitat on the Davy Crockett National Forest. Photo by Thomas Riecke
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EAST TEXAS TIMBERDOODLES
pine forests, while upland deciduous forests had
the lowest densities. Woodcock were often located
under any available cover close to riparian or
wetland areas including sapling pine trees, dewberry vines, wax myrtle, cane, sapling hardwoods,
Chinese privet, yaupon holly, American holly, and
American beautyberry.
During winter of 2011-2012, three survey
sites occupied the prior winter were vacated and
one previously unoccupied site was colonized on
the Davy Crockett National Forest. There was
no turnover in occupancy at sites located on the
private land, as all sites were occupied at some
time during both years. However, the maximum
number of flushing events occurred on differing
sites each winter for both study areas. On the
private land, sites holding the most woodcock had
a good amount of three to five year old plantation
English setter pointing a woodcock during surveys on the Davy Crockett National Forest.
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photograph by Andrew Bennett
In 2011-2012, we observed that 17 of 24 plots,
including all survey sites on the private timber site
and 61% (11/18) of National Forest plots were
occupied by at least one woodcock, where 1.6
birds were flushed per survey on both study areas
combined in this second year. For both winters
combined, woodcock were present during at least
one survey on 21 of 24 survey sites. Between one
and three woodcock were found on 50% of occupied sites and a maximum of eight woodcock were
flushed during an individual survey.
Our survey results indicated that unoccupied
sites had a prominent upland mature pine or
hardwood component with excessively drained
sandy soils. Within survey sites we determined
that the greatest woodcock densities occurred
in small stream and riparian seasonally flooded
hardwood forests, followed by young (1-3 m tall)
EAST TEXAS TIMBERDOODLES
with tress 15 to 20’ tall, with nearly shaded out
dying undergrowth of beautyberry, briars, and
blackberry vines. On the Davy Crockett National
Forest, sites holding the most woodcock varied
between winters. In the first year, most woodcock
were found along a cane-dominated stream while
in the second year, the greatest number of woodcock were found in a site having dense pine sapling regeneration in a hurricane blow-down area.
Most birds were found on fine sandy loams.
In December 2010, all sites were in the midst
of extreme drought, and by the start of 2011-2012
surveys (in November) both study areas were
under exceptional drought conditions. However,
by the end of February 2012, drought conditions
lessened to only “severe” on National Forest sites
and to “moderate” on timber property sites, due
to mid and late January precipitation which was
the only substantial precipitation occurring in
both seasons of the study. During the first winter,
woodcock were found in the lowest elevation
portions of survey areas in close proximity to
creek and river channels, next to springs, or on
the fringes of drying beaver ponds and swamps
through the first winter and half of the second winter of surveys. Dry conditions prevailed
throughout spring, summer, and fall of 2011,
effectively drying out forested wetlands and riparian areas, particularly on the National Forest - the
edges of which no longer provided soft moist soil
habitat for woodcock during 2011-2012. After
significant late-January precipitation in 2012,
woodcock were found at slightly higher elevation
locations in sapling and pole pine stands on both
study areas.
Throughout all surveys woodcock proved
adept at existing in multiple-landcover types,
where habitat use was not dependent on specific
plant species, but cover-structure provided. However, certain species providing necessary cover
requirements may be critical during dry years. For
example, we determined that cane thickets were
havens for woodcock during the dry years of the
study. The thickets often provide the requisite soft
most soil habitats and adequate cover, but also
serve to slow overland flow during flood events,
trap nutrient rich sediments, and provide suitable
probing substrate for woodcock. Such cane thickets have been greatly reduced, and are considered
locally and regionally rare throughout the Southeast. Loss of cane thickets have likely been greatest
in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley where forest and
thickets along the Mississippi River have been
replaced with row crop agriculture. Although
there are historic accounts of very large canebrakes
in the southeastern United States, such canebrakes
have all but vanished. The reduction of these
thickets has been substantial enough to reduce or
possibly drive to extinction avian species far more
specialized than the American woodcock, such as
the Bachman’s warbler and Swainson’s warbler.
Comparatively, in East Texas habitat change
from open pine savannah to even aged managed
Map of a dog track log from a survey
on the Davy Crockett National Forest.
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EAST TEXAS TIMBERDOODLES
timber and mature loblolly forests with thick
undergrowth has created no reduction in available cover for woodcock. Although it is unclear
if these habitats are optimal or marginal, they are
not likely to be as fertile as they once were. Small
streams and riparian areas that meander throughout the east Texas landscape provide undulating
gradients of soil texture and moisture, where, in
dry winters, such as those occurring during this
study, woodcock spread out amongst small pockets
of densely covered moist soil habitat along these
habitats. Whether woodcock distribution becomes
more clustered during wet or average precipitation
winters is not known and there were areas within
the study areas that had greater densities than those
randomly selected for surveys. Future data analyses
will incorporate detection probabilities based on
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several site and survey covariates to provide more
accurate estimates of occupancy rates. Recorded
GPS track logs combined with distance sampling
techniques will be used to provide more accurate
density estimates. Woodcock have adapted well
to current land uses in East Texas and this area is
providing wintering habitat for large number of
individuals. However any future changes in land
management could have consequences on woodcock populations and should be monitored.
Dan Sullins is a graduate student at Stephen F. Austin University in Texas. His thesis research is focused
on the origin of woodcock wintering in east Texas
and their habitat use. Dr. Warren Conway is Dan’s
thesis advisor.
ON BIRD DOGS
Selecting And Working
With A Dog Trainer
by Pete DeAngelis
you ’ ve just bought a new bird dog – the dog
of your life, you hope – and you want to find
the right dog trainer. Your first step must be to
research some possible trainers. Ask friends who
own bird dogs. Check online; look on dog websites. That will give you some possibilities and
probably help you to eliminate some others.
When you’ve decided on a possible trainer,
talk with a wide variety of the trainer’s clients.
Talking with different clients should allow you to
get a better handle on the trainer. Remember to
take the differing personalities of the clients into
consideration.
Next, visit the trainer and watch him work
several dogs. You’ll be able to see if he has any patterns and how he handles different breeds as well
as situations. A good trainer will be consistent in
his approach to training, even taking into account
the differences among the dogs he’s training.
When you’ve decided on a trainer, you’ll need
to give him some time with your dog. Most dogs
come with issues, and a trainer must first develop
trust with the dog before he can correct any bad
habits. Only after that has been accomplished can
the actual training commence.
Many owners believe they will have a finished dog returned to them in one month. But
that’s just not realistic. It’s more likely that several months will be required to get the job done,
although it may take more time or less. Be patient
during the process.
There are many ways to get a finished dog
Pete DeAngelis, our new bird dog columnist, owns
and operates Longview Kennels at Slatington, PA,
and trains dogs at Water & Wings, a 200-acre private
training club at Zionsville, Pa. He boasts a long and
successful career as a professional trainer and handler,
having trained many champions, including national
grouse and woodcock field trial champions. He takes
only 20 dogs for training at any given time so that each
dog can be given the attention it deserves, and develops
a personalized training program for each dog, because
no two dogs are exactly alike.
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ON BIRD DOGS
and you are hiring your trainer to finish your dog
using his method. Your dog will be trained the
trainer’s way, not your way. When your dog is
ready, you need to work with the trainer as much
as possible. To have a trained bird dog your trainer
will also need to train you. In order to maintain
consistency you’ll need to work your dog in a
manner similar to your trainer’s way.
While some yard work with your dog before
visiting the trainer would be a good idea, I’d suggest letting your trainer introduce your dog to
both birds and to the gun. Both you and your dog
will have fewer problems that way.
In closing, let me warn you that you’ll find
there are some bad dog trainers and a lot of good
ones. Most importantly, see the dogs the trainer is
putting on the ground. If they are the kind of dogs
you want, you’ve found your trainer.
COVER ARTIST Brett James Smith is among the very best sporting artists in the country. His work has
been featured Gray’s Sporting Journal, Ducks Unlimited magazine, Sporting Classics, Shooting Sportsman,
and Double Gun Journal. Woodcock Limited thanks him for use of his painting “Woodcock by the Brook.”
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Skydance 11
MEMORIES AFIELD
Recollections Of A
Shooting Guest
BY TOM KOTAY
For those of us who hunted upland birds with a passion in the later decades of the twentieth century,
George Bird Evans is a name synonymous with that passion. Relying on meticulously-kept hunting
journals, Evans created some of that eras best writing on the upland gunning experience. WL member
Tom Kotay was fortunate to have known and to have spent time with Evans and his wife Kay during
that time. We are fortunate that Tom has provided us with this glimpse of that relationship.
1978 george and kay evans collaborated
with Amwell Press to produce 1,000 copies of Recollections of a Shooting Guest. It’s a book about hunting opportunities seized and hunting opportunities
missed. It’s about sharing knowledge about what we
love with others and receiving the same in return,
and it’s about the times spent together doing special
in
things and times spent apart hoping they would
happen again. If you haven’t read it, find it, read it
and cherish its words.
George Bird Evans died in 1998. Kay passed
away in 2007. It doesn’t seem possible, but back in
the early 1980s, I had lots of troubles with a bird
dog. I wrote to George for advice and graciously he
Kay and George Bird Evans, on right, hunting in Lycoming County, Pa.
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MEMORIES AFIELD
and Kay responded. We corresponded for several
years before the subject came up about me owning an Old Hemlock Setter. I said yes, and Old
Hemlock Brooke came into our lives and brought
tremendous fun, satisfaction and eager anticipation
for the next hunt.
I think of Brooke often and reminisce about her
with my brother and other hunting companions
from that previous time. George and Kay spoke to
me about the value of a hunting journal, and I return
to mine often to take a walk down woodcock and
grouse memory lane. I hope you can do the same.
My friend David Hall and I both had Old
Hemlock half-sisters back in the early 1990s, and
we hunted with Kay and George on several occasions in upstate Pennsylvania. George even wrote a
story about one of our hunts with us in Lycoming
and Tioga Counties. You can find the article in a
back issue of The Pointing Dog Journal.
If your memory is a little foggy like mine, that’s
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MEMORIES AFIELD
Old Hemlock Brooke on point on a woodcock.
OK. In today’s ever busy and complex world (and
we make it more so via all of our communication
technology), it’s more necessary than ever to sort
out what’s important - family, Faith, the outdoor
sporting life, whatever - and live life to the fullest
without constant distractions. That’s what Kay and
George did for more than 65 years. Here are a few
tidbits from our times together.
During one of our hunts it poured for several
days in a row. George would say, “You boys go and
hunt if you must.” Well, we did that to little avail.
Instead, Kay and George toured historical and
cultural sites in the region, visited with the owners of the Slate Run Tackle Shop, and gathered
local information for a future story about a hardworking setter named Char. It was easy for Kay
and George to find other interesting and creative
things to do. Are we that pliable? How often does
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something small and petty like bad weather turn
our temperaments sour?
During his early years at Old Hemlock,
George experimented with reloading his own
shells, but he got carried away with many of the
proportions. George gave me eight boxes of those
experimental shells but I’ve been too scared to
try them. As a result I’ve never shot one of those
Canuck Target Load shells.
Kay and George loved reading aloud to each
other, listening to classical music and talking about
everything under the sun. They would do that at
Old Hemlock in Bruceton Mills, WV, or in Cedar
Run, Lycoming County, PA. If you’re ever nearby,
please take the time and visit Old Hemlock. It’s
occasionally open to the public. LeJay Graffious
is the current administrator of the Old Hemlock
Foundation. His telephone number is (304) 379-
MEMORIES AFIELD
7505. West Virginia University in Morgantown
also has a very exhaustive collection of the Evans’
publications, illustrations, audio-visuals and personal papers, including George’s shooting journal
from those 65-plus years of hunting.
“Field & Stream” and “Pennsylvania Game
News” ran many articles by George in the 1950s
and 1960. He was no different in person than on
paper. He loved his setters and the game he pursued. He didn’t much care for how-to articles. He
was always ready to tell you what he saw, smelled or
felt while hunting. He truly enjoyed eating in the
field, and Kay always had special culinary treats for
George and the dogs. Kay took marvelous pictures
and video of their hunts. The videos capture many
of the wonderful sights and sounds of hunting that
we all love, but too rarely talk about.
George never liked hunting in a formation with
another hunter. He preferred to hunt together in a
vast area with some infrequent contact if the dogs
brought everyone together. George would frequently say, “Boys, I’m no celebrity so stop taking
pictures. Let’s hunt!”
Like many of you, George and Kay often took
three or four dogs on extended hunting trips. He
never minded the crying when he left one or two
behind in the Subaru station wagon; he always
found time to hunt all of them each and every day.
George didn’t put much stock in morning
woodcock or grouse hunting, but he hunted hard
all afternoon. Oftentimes he relied on the stars and
the moon to help him find his vehicle. Their car
was always packed full of personal items, hunting
gear and dog supplies. It may have been cleaned out
several times a year when the dog hair and other
byproducts of hunting just had to be removed.
George ended his hunts by cleaning, grooming
and doing a hands-on inspection of his beloved
Old Hemlock Setters for cuts and bruises. He
always completed the routine by rinsing out his
setters’ eyes.
Visiting Old Hemlock was an adventure. Kay
and George would let us walk through their home,
open and read his sporting journals and handle
his most precious shotguns. Sometimes we would
have dinner with them on a make-shift table in
the breezeway. Kay always kept the dogs out of her
small galley kitchen. She’d keep them in another
room while we were eating. I never remember the
dogs crying or barking during meal times, but
maybe that’s selective memory.
Old Hemlock (the home and grounds) is very
modest in size, but every hemlock tree, fern or tributary, or view from a window, or the well and water
distribution system was so special to them. We
often walked around the property “to let the dogs
stretch their legs” or just hung around outside for
long periods of time while dogs were being bred,
and we would just talk about our lives and what
was happening in our worlds. After moving from
New York City and settling into Old Hemlock,
George and Kay knew very little about current
fashions, or new movies or television shows. Taking a quiet walk through the area where all of their
famous setters were buried was always a retrospective and introspective time.
I was amazed at how gracious George was
about a dry spell near the end of his hunting
career. He went a number of years at the end
without shooting a grouse or a woodcock. He
hunted into his early 90s, and his trips into his
and our favorite coverts weren’t easy. Mounting
his gun was nearly impossible. But none of that
ever diminished his love for the sport, or for his
dogs. George was on that long dry spell when
he last hunted with us. When David and I heard
shooting, we’d hope and pray for a judicious,
quick and dignified kill. Our first question when
we’d hook-up would be something like “Any success? We heard the shot.” His response was usually
brief and forward looking, “Not this time boys,
but there’s always tomorrow.” His tomorrow never
came; he never killed another bird. That, however,
did not diminish him. His was a life well spent in
the company of his beloved wife Kay, his dogs and
their time. Time enough.
Skydance 15
CHAPTER NEWS
Pennsylvania Board
Member Wins
Prestigious NRA Award
janet nyce, a member of the board of directors
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Janet Nyce works the registration table at the first
national dinner of Woodcock Limited in 2012.
which recognizes exceptional contributions to the
preservation of the Second Amendment and the
shooting sports through education, advocacy,
volunteerism and legislative activism in support of
the goals of the NRA.
“By winning both the Hammer and Ludington
awards, Janet has won the top two awards the
NRA gives to women,” noted Joseph J. Faux,
president of Woodcock Limited. “Sarah Palin won
the Ludington award a couple of years ago. It’s
really a phenomenal accomplishment.
“Our members and our organization are
privileged to have Janet and her husband Jim
and the passion and the experience they bring to
the table. Their work on the behalf of Woodcock
Limited has already helped to create more habitat
and put more woodcock on the ground. “
An accomplished shooter, Nyce hunts with
rifle, shotgun, inline, primitive muzzleloader and
compound bow. Her devotion to training and
education led to her becoming an NRA certified
instructor in shotgun, rifle and Refuse To Be A
Victim. She also volunteers with her community’s
Women On Target Instructional Shooting Clinic
and serves as a shotgun range master at the NRA’s
Youth Hunter Education Challenge.
A s a n a p p o i n t e e o f t h e Pe n n s y l v a n i a
Governor’s Advisory Council for Hunting,
photo by Marcus Schneck
of Woodcock Limited of Pennsylvania, recently
was awarded the 2013 Sybil Ludington Sybil
Ludington Women’s Freedom Award from the
National Rifle Association. The NRA describes
the award as honoring “the accomplishments of
modern heroines.”
More than 500 women gathered for the
seventh annual NRA Women's Leadership Forum
Luncheon & Auction in Houston, TX. Hosted
by luncheon co-chairs Gaye Kelsey and Melanie
Pepper, the record-breaking event featured a
keynote address by Sean Hannity and a live and
silent auction. Forum Co-Chairs Susan LaPierre
and Suzie Brewster presented the program
focusing on the event's "New Energy" theme,
honoring new members of the forum. The event
raised more than $1.2 million for the NRA
through a matching gift challenge made by Sally
Clark, Bill Hober, Hornady Manufacturing,
Donna and Eric Johanson, Gaye Kelsey, Susan
Kriley, Laser Shot, Michael Luzich (in honor of
his mother, Carol), Melanie Pepper, and Angie
and Bryan Tucker, plus a number of sponsors and
the generous auction bids made by guests.
In addition to her leadership position with
Woodcock Limited of Pennsylvania, Nyce
recently took on co-chairmanship of the newly
launched Hunting Works for Pennsylvania,
with membership consisting of a cross-section
of businesses across Pennsylvania’s economy
advocating for public policy that supports jobs
and economic prosperity through the hunting and
shooting sports.
Nyce previously was awarded the NRA’s
Marion P. Hammer Woman of Distinction Award,
CHAPTER NEWS
Fishing and Conservation, Nyce also was liaison
and mentor to the 30 young people who made
up the Governor’s Youth Council for Hunting,
Fishing and Conservation.
In 2005, she was a finalist of the Budweiser
C o n s e r v a t i o n Aw a rd . W h i l e m a n y o f
the organizations with which Janet and Jim
are affiliated with are much larger and more
e s t a b l i s h e d t h a n Wo o d c o c k L i m i t e d o f
Pennsylvania, she said, “we get excited about
all the organizations we belong to. Although
Woodcock Limited is small, the focus on
education and habitat is on the mark. We’ve
always liked to help youngsters who need help
to get places and organizations that need help to
get started. Woodcock Limited may be small, but
we’ve already accomplished a lot for woodcock
with habitat, and the other species that share that
same habitat.”
The award was named after Sybil Ludington.
According to the NRA, “on the night of April
26, 1777, a wounded messenger barely reached
the home of New York militia officer Henry
Ludington with desperate news of a British attack
on nearby Danbury, CT. Munitions and supplies
for the entire region's militia were at stake, and
with not a moment to spare, Col. Ludington
turned to his 16-year-old daughter, Sybil, for
help. While he organized the local militia, Sybil
mounted her horse and galloped through the night
to rally troops in the surrounding countryside.
Trekking on dirt roads that were unknown to
her, Sybil never lost sight of her mission - to alert
the patriots about the British attack, thereby
preserving the cause of freedom. By risking her
life that dark and desolate night, Sybil made
a profound difference in America's successful
pursuit to become a free and independent nation.
For her act of courage, General Washington and
General Rochambeau personally thanked her.”
Central Flyway Watch
EFFORTS ARE UNDER WAY IN the southern portion of
the Central Flyway to expand woodcock hunting
opportunities by opening more federal lands to
woodcock hunters. Woodcock Limited discovered
several National Wildlife Refuges in Arkansas do
not permit woodcock hunting as a result of regulatory changes made in the past few years. Included among the refuges are Felsenthal National
Wildlife Refuge, White River National Wildlife
Refuge and Overflow National Wildlife Refuge.
Combined, the refuges hold more than 200,000
acres, much of it in the Mississippi Alluvial floodplain. The effort to restore the woodcock seasons
to these refuges is just beginning. Woodcock
continued on the next page
Skydance 17
CHAPTER NEWS
continued from the previous page
Limited will keep the membership abreast of any
developments. Additionally, Woodcock Limited
discovered several other federal refuges located in
the Mississippi Alluvial Floodplain do not permit
woodcock hunting. In the coming months, we
will open a dialog with the proper federal authorities to expand woodcock hunting in those areas as
well. Expanding woodcock hunting on these lands
is not just about providing fair hunting opportunities to Woodcock Limited members and woodcock hunters in general. Engaging the federal
authorities who manage the refuges for woodcock
hunting and opening seasons on the refuges may
also improve woodcock management priorities.
The end result is a win-win: more hunting area for
woodcock hunters and higher management priority for woodcock.
New England Holds First
Annual Shoot & Grill Event
woodcock limited of new england held the first
annual summer Shoot & Grill Event June 30 at
the Hampton Rod & Gun Club in Hampton,
N.H. The day was filled with the sweet smell
of spent gunpowder, as old and new members
worked their way through a challenging 5-Stand
venue. Our sincere thanks go out to the Hampton R&G Club for graciously opening up the
club for the event. After closing up the club the
“Woodcock Crew” headed over to New England
President Pierre Brazeau’s home for a mixed dinner grill and the honorary enrollment of our
newest member John Langdell, who travelled all
the way from Spearfish, S.D., via Canada on his
cross country motorcycle journey. John was presented with the lastest edition of Skydance along
with the recently sponsored Talking about Young
Forests, a Communication Handbook as discussions
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centered on the future of our local forests. The
day was recalled with great fanfare and stories of
past hunts were retold, as the evening approached.
It was agreed by all that this type of social event
should be continued and a new chapter tradition
was born.
Support your favorite bird,
& the habitat it needs to flourish
Join Woodcock Limited
a 501 (3) (c) non-profit conservation organization of hunters and other
conservationists dedicated to the welfare of the American woodcock
I want to join Woodcock Limited TODAY at the following membership level:
Name:
Address:
City:
Email:
Phone:
Total donation amount:
Credit card #:
Exp. date:
Individual Membership
$ 30
Family Membership
$ 40
International Membership
$ 50
Sponsor Membership
Please also accept my additional donation
$250 +
$_______
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
___________________ State: _______ Zip: ___________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
$________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________Security Code: _________ (ignore if sending check)
Signature: _________________________________________________
Send this form, with payment, to :
Woodcock Limited, 242 Baxter Road, Montoursville, PA 17754
You also can join through our website at
www.woodcocklimited.com
Skydance 19
CHAPTER NEWS
Pennsylvania Continues Habitat Workday Tradition
in april, members of woodcock limited of pennsylvania
again teamed with the Col-Mont Gobblers
Chapter of the NWTF to hold their Fifth Annual Northeast Region Habitat Workday. Wildlife Management Institute, Ruffed Grouse Society and Pheasants Forever also assisted in planting aspen, alder and
silky-dogwood at the Montour Preserve PLOW Program site. PLOW—Private Land Opportunities for
Woodcock—has more than 30,000 acres enrolled in Pennsylvania in an effort to create more early-successional forest habitat for woodcock and the more than 40 other species that benefit directly from ESH.
Woodcock Limited
Merchandise Order Form
______ copy(ies) of the
inaugural issue of Skydance
at $4.95 each.
Name:
Address:
City:
Email:
Phone:
Total donation amount:
Credit card #:
Exp. date:
______ print(s) of Ned Smith’s
“Sunset Woodcock” at the
Woodcock Limited member
discount price of $195.
(non-member price is $215)
______ Woodcock Limited
pin(s) at $7.95 each.
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
___________________ State: _______ Zip: ____________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
$________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________Security Code: _________ (ignore if sending check)
Signature: _________________________________________________
Send this form, with payment (Pennsylvania residents please add 6% sales tax), to :
Woodcock Limited, 242 Baxter Road, Montoursville, PA 17754
20
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SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT
Heritage Continued
decoverly kennels, in the Endless Mountains
of Northeastern Pennsylvania, is a blend of
history, heritage and lineage with modern stateof-the-art.
The kennel, a training, boarding and breeding
business, has been operating full-time for four
decades, with a professional staff and modern
facility. But its DeCoverly’s English setters really
set apart the operation. The personality, intelligence, natural abilities and beauty of each new
litter are the result of 100 years of thoughtful,
dedicated breeding to a timeless ideal by a family
dedicated to the love, appreciation and tradition
of the English setter as it was meant to be.
The line dates to 1907, when Mr. Mangan
of Pittston, PA, bred his champion setter Sir
Roger DeCoverly. The dog had developed a
tremendous reputation as a grouse dog and
was thought of as the standard for “the perfect
Gentleman’s shooting dog.”
George H. Ryman, who had started breeding English Setters in Shohola Falls a couple
years earlier, in 1912 started breeding to Sir
Roger and in 1916 to Sir Roger DeCoverly II
and Sir Roger DeCoverly II Jr.
Through a succession of ownership that
maintained the heritage of the line, Ken Alexander launched DeCoverly Kennels in 1977. The
name was suggested by Ellen Ryman as a public
demonstration of the support of Alexander from
the lineage of the original Sir. Roger DeCoverly.
Bill Sordoni Sr. bought a started setter named
Smokey from DeCoverly Kennels in 1982.
The famous outdoor writer George Bird
Evans had watched the evolution of the line and
in 1990 he considered the DeCoverly setters to
be “the true heritage bloodline of the Ryman
gun dogs.”
Sordoni and Alexander became business
partners in 1992 and began plans for a new
DeCoverly Kennels. The 20,000 square foot,
state-of-the-art kennel was completed in 1995
in Lake Winola, PA.
After 40 years of developing the line, Alexander retired from DeCoverly in 2009. Bridget
Bodine returned in 2010 to DeCoverly as
general manager and head trainer. Bridget and
DeCoverly Kennels are now carrying on the line
breeding dogs that are beautiful to look at, beautiful to live with and beautiful to hunt with.
In her spare time, she breeds Labrador
retrievers and participates in AKC conformation
dog shows and AKC retriever hunt tests. She has
titled numerous dogs through the senior level
achieving Master passes and teaching clients to
train their own dogs through the Master Level
Also at DeCoverly since 2006, trainer Bob
Barth has more than 32 years of experience
obedience training dogs of many breeds. He
also has owned and trained beagles, German
shorthair pointers, golden retrievers, Brittany
spaniels, Australian shepherds and English setters. He has been recognized by the Friends of
the SPCA in his area, for his time and expertise
in helping to make shelter canines more adoptable. Bob trains the customer pointing dogs and
Skydance 21
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT
starts all of the kennel dogs.
Danielle Zdaniewicz realized a lifetime dream
of working with dogs when she came to DeCoverly in 2010. She also enjoys painting, the outdoors and spending time on walks in the woods
with her two dogs, a blue-tick beagle named Harli
May, and a Siberian husky mix named Miss Molli,
who have inspired her to become a professional
dog trainer. Dani is in charge of socialization of
the pups and making sure all the dogs are healthy
and happy. Dani is Bridget’s right hand girl and is
a very valuable part of the kennel.
William B. Sordoni bought his first DeCoverly
English setter in 1982, 10 years before he became
a business partner in the kennel that he now owns.
William E. Sordoni grew up with DeCoverly setters from the age of seven and in 2005 become
actively involved in the kennel..
Matthew Sordoni became quite active with
the kennel in 2010 when Bridget returned and in
2013 became President of the kennel business. He
and Bridget continue to work together to see that
the business is self-sufficient.
DeCoverly Kennels today is a 20,000 square
foot, state-of-the-art complex on extensive acreage
for hunting and training.
The whelping room consists of three whelping
pens, each to accommodate a single mother and
litter. The floors are radiant heated so that the
newborn puppies maintain body heat. The room
is soundproofed and secluded from other areas of
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Skydance
the kennel, to give new mothers and infant puppies a quiet, restful environment.
The puppy room – nearly everyone’s favorite
part of the kennel – has four separate eightsquare-foot pens and access to two outdoor runs.
Puppies and their mothers are moved to the
puppy room when the pups’ eyes open and they
are stable, affording constant contact throughout
the day, exposure to sights and sounds, people and
other dogs. They also are introduced to an audiotape for gun introduction.
The heated and air-conditioned indoor/outdoor training and boarding runs average 25 square
feet indoors and more than 80 square feet outdoors. The indoor is separated from the outdoor
by Pickwick doors for bad weather.
Outdoor living areas provide more than 100
square feet of living space per resident. All are
sloped at a quarter-inch per foot into drains that
lead to a 5000-gallon septic system, which is
pumped several times each year. There are large
enclosed, vented, insulated custom made dog
houses for inclement weather. The outdoor pens
consist of breeding pairs, young dogs being held
by us for breeding evaluation, and retired dogs.
There are often retired dogs available for adoption.
DeCoverly’s Socialization Program has been
designed to make sure each puppy has the correct exposure to humans and the outside world.
Handlers evaluate individual puppy personalities
and then work with more aggressive ones and pull
up any shy puppies. The basics are also the beginnings of DeCoverly’s puppy evaluations.
The kennel’s developmental approach to raising and training setters is another key component
of the DeCoverly Difference. It is tailored to the
personality and temperament of these loyal companions and works wonders on their growth and
education. There are times and places for all of
the training tools and tricks, but they are not the
primary teaching modality at DeCoverly. Instead,
the instincts, intelligence and desire to please of a
well-bred English setter, when developed through
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT
a relationship with a human partner, allow the
best things to happen.
DeCoverly’s breeding program is another significant part of the DeCoverly Difference. Breeding
pairs are matched towards the centerline, standard
dog. The system is expensive to maintain and operate, as it requires a large number of dogs to make
the necessary crosses. However it is the best method
to consistently produce quality companions. No
litters are planned that do not have the potential to
produce English setters for the future of DeCoverly
Kennels. The breeding selection process takes at
least two years, with initial selections made at seven
weeks of age. An emphasis is placed on conformation and personality as field ability cannot yet be
assessed. Youngsters must be selected because of
their individual quality, not because they are out
of particular dogs. All breeding stock going into
the future will have been trained to a minimum of
started dog level, with birds having been shot for
them. At that point the individual will be assessed
for natural ability and brains, BUT also trainability
and confidence and style in the field. Only then is
the judgment made to breed or not to breed. This is
of course assuming that health clearances and structure meet our strict criteria.
If you’re traveling out of town, DeCoverly also
offers short- and long-term boarding. They provide indoor and outdoor runs, regular exercise and
socializing, a climate-controlled indoor sleeping
area and can accommodate your dog’s own food
and administer medications as directed. With over
26 years of boarding experience DeCoverly offers
one of the safest and most comfortable kennels in
the country.
More information: DeCoverly Kennels,
175 DeCoverly Lane, Factoryville, PA 18419
570-378-3357; [email protected];
www.decoverlykennels.com.
DeCoverly Kennels
English setters
Loyal companions
at home and in the field
Full service training/boarding
facility for all breeds
www.decoverlykennels.com
Skydance 23
COVERT OPS
Finding Covert
we woodcok hunters love long sweeping fields
that are adjacent to thick stands of young alder,
poplar, and white birch.
Add a river bottom or a seep and we’ll smile like
kids on the first day of Summer vacation. When
the conditions are right the woods are pockmarked with chalk.
Grab your hunting buddies, bell your dogs, and
drive slowly down the dirt roads. The flights are
on, and a hunting we will go.
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Skydance
COVERT OPS
Skydance 25
Montoursville PA 17754
242 Baxter Road