
Ee bea Casts anita IN WEST-CENTRAL LOUISIANA 
19 6 
Vincent H. Reid and Phil Goodrum 
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alexandria, Louisiana 
Wintering woodcock inventory work was conducted for the 
seventh season on longleaf pine lands of Vernon, Natchitoches, 
and Repeee Parishes, Louisiana, from November, 1955 to February 
1h, 1956. 
Method 
Bird dogs were used in the inventory work; a record was kept 
of the number of woodcock points made by the dogs and the time 
spent afield. Generally, two dogs were down at one time. 
Inventory Data 
Migration.--Some woodcock were present in the area in October. 
Game Agent C. V. Carlton flushed one bird north of Alexandria, 
Louisiana, on October 2, 1955. Working with dogs, Meanley and Reid 
observed woodcock on october 29 and 31 near Glenmora in Rapides 
Parish, 
Table 1 shows the hours per woodcock find by weeks from 
November through the second week in February, With the exception 
of the first and second weeks in November and the fifth week of 
January, the dogs were in the field some each week. Woodcock were 
found in all weeks except the first week of January and the first 
week of February. The second week of January was also poor; only 
one point was made in 17.75 hours of dog work. 
The best weekly count was made during the fourth week of 
January. In 10.5 hours, the dogs made 13 finds, for an average of 
one bird for each 0.8 hours.of work. 
Best weekly counts have varied from the third week in January 
to the first week in February during the past seven years. The 
figures are underscored in Table l. 
Tl 
