
OBSERVATIONS OF WOODCOCK BREEDING IN CERTAIN SOUTHEASTERN STATES 
Vineet H. Reid and Phil Goodrum 
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
_ Lovisiana. --On February 9, 1950 Edgar McKee, Leesville, Louisiana, 
flushed a female woodcock from a nest with one egg while quail hunting 
near Anacoco, Vernon Parish, Louisiana. 
While conducting a quail inventory on the Red Dirt Game Refuge, 
Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, on March 2), 1950, two feigning female 
woodcock were flushed at separate locations. No young were found with 
the first bird flushed, but one young bird, judged to be 2-3 weeks old, 
was found with the second female. When approached, the young bird made 
a short flight of about 10 yards. W. C. Shankle of Leesville, Iouisiana, 
accompanied Reid on the inventory work and saw the young woodcock. On 
April 26, 1950, Reid and HE. C. Beasely noted woodcock probings of two 
definite sizes on newly ploughed quail food strips in the same general 
area on Red Dirt. The smaller probings were presumably those of young 
birds. There were probably more young birds on the area than the one 
found while conducting the quail census. 
The quail study area on the Red Dirt is approximately 1300 acres 
in size. Although it was inventoried in March 1951 and 1952, as it was 
in 1950 when the young bird was found, no woodcock were seen. However, 
woodcock were found again on the quail census in the spring of 1953. 
Nine woodcock were seen from April 3 to April 8, 1953. Either by actual 
handling or close observation, |; of the birds were known to be young of 
the year. Three of the adult birds were feigning females. Undoubtedly 
there were more young on the area than those located by the dogs. 
The return of breeding woodcock to the study area was probably 
prompted by the prescribed November burn accomplished on the area by 
the Forest Service. The fire removed the old dead grass mantle and 
exposed the mineral soil on many favorable woodcock feeding spots in 
the area. 
In addition to finding the young woodcock on the quail study area 
in the spring of 1953, young birds were also found along a small branch 
near Camp Hood, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, April 1), 1953. In the company 
of J. D. Newsom and J. B. Kidd, biologists, P-R Section, Louisiana Depart- 
ment of Wildlife and Fisheries, two feigning females and six young birds 
were found, The young birds were judged to be from 4-5 weeks old and 
capable of strong flight. 
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