doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Woodcock choke opinions??

I want objective opinions please.

For woodcock hunting in the northeast, what do you see as the normal range of your shots. what do you consider the max range you typically get a shot at a woodcock in the cover you hunt. not that one exception out in a field next to a swamp. but when you are hunting the thick alder flats, overgrown wetlands with lots of thick stuff.
my experience is typically within 25 yds. and more often 15 yds.

what chokes do you prefer?
I usually hunt with a double with cyl in right barrel and some choke in left.
what about a sk1 and sk2 combo or cyl and cyl?
does anyone think that open a choke is a handicap or not.
lets hear your thoughts on woodcock choke preference and reasoning.

I will be hunting over my new Pointing Dog, a French Spaniel (not a Brittany!!)
I normally hunt woodcock early in the season with the 28 and #8's. and occasionally flush a grouse. dont really target grouse until after the woodcock flights are gone. Then I switch to a 20.

Brian, when I lived in northern New Jersey when there were many woodcock along some of the marshy rivers and streams, I used a 28 ga. Beretta BL-4, 26" barrels imp.cyl/mod with mostly #9 shot. Sometimes I would use a Win. 101 20 gauge 26" barrels imp.cyl/mod. same shot.
Early season birds usually held good and most shots were quick as they loved to zig-zag through the trees. Later on in the season maybe 30 yards and again the same zig-zag.
A good friend of mine went down to Cape May during the migration, the Woodcock gathered there waiting for a south with to carry them over the Chesapeake Bay. He stated getting out of the car and closing the door woodcock would flush all around, the cover was very thick and you earned your limit.

I think that your experiences and preferences are right on. Good Luck, I missed hunting them when I moved to eastern PA.

You eat those things?

Disciple of the Frak Woolner school of woodcock and grouse guns.

https://ruffedgrousesociety.org/the-ultimate-woodcock-gun/

Mine was a 22” cylinder bore Ithaca 37 that started out as a 28” modified. Took a tumble on Mt Adagdak hunting P-birds and thought it prudent to yeet the gun and save myself. About 4” of the barrel was smushed. Took it to the armorer and he cut the barrel for me. Hit percentage on everything probably tripled after the surgery.


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https://youtube.com/shorts/GxN-wSrKDcg?si=mD0CVtyT2hy1OqTt

Every now and then, you hit one out of the park.


Almost identical experience, but, I’m not an oaf, and didn’t fall down the side of a volcano. My first repeater was (is, I still have it) a Remington model 17, the ancestor of the Ithaca model 37. Mine had a vented Cutts compensator installed on the barrel, and a choke marked modified. Stan Baker installed his choke tubes in it, after amputating it down to 21”-I told him I was going to hunt grouse and woodcock in eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin, and he picked the length. It came back with two choke tubes, less and more, but, less is always on board, it seems. I killed truckloads of grouse and woodcock with that gun.

Shots on woodcock aren’t very far in this part of the world. The season opens early, and closes early, there is plenty of vegetation left on the trees, and open chokes in sub gauge guns are typical. I’d guess modified choke would be tighter than needed most of the time, unless you were hunting later and hunting grouse at the same time. I never targeted either species, they come together out here. Around Kanabec county, one can target grouse, pheasants and woodcock, all in the same trip, which, makes you scratch your head on what choke and gun to use, but, it is a nice problem to think about.

Cylinder, skeet 1, and IC will likely be good choices.

I don’t see the numbers of woodcock I used to, and usually let them fly away, unless the dog handles it perfectly. I used to sauté the chopped breasts with onions, and peppers, and used that as the base for a stuffing, and stuff whole roasted grouse, or, pheasants with it.

They eat pretty good, like that.

Best,
Ted


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I hope the armorer framed that stub of barrel he cut off, gift wrapped it, and gave it to you for Adak Christmas. I would have.

Brian my choice of choice of chokes mirrors yours, as the woodcock cover I hunt in Virginia is mostly thick too, although sometimes you will get an opportunity to take a little longer shot if one flushes from a clump of brush in more open woods. Another factor to consider is whether you use a flushing or pointing dog. Mine is an energetic flusher and keeping him within shotgun range can be a challenge at times, so sometimes the shot may be a little longer than you get over a pointing dog. All that said, I mostly use a 16 gauge choked right cylinder and left light mod (originally full but I had it opened), with an ounce of 8 1/2 shot which I hand load. My wet weather gun is a 20 gauge semi-auto and I usually use a skeet or IC choke, shooting an ounce of factory #8s.
The great majority of my shots are 15 to 25 yards and the combination of close shots at these erratically flying fragile birds calls for open choke with small shot.

Brian,
My experience mirrors what many above have said. Since it's usually woodcock and grouse time, I use a 12 ga. choked .003 & .011 and 1 oz. of #8's right barrel and #7's in the left with good effect. Typical distances up here in Michigan are anything from 10 to 25 yards. Thinking about the upcoming season already!
Karl

Woodcock are kind of my thing these days. I would rather shoot one wild woodcock than a dozen pen raised pheasants or chuckars.

I like open and opener with 28 inch or 26 inch barrels. I typically use a SXS at .003 and .01 with 8's or 9's in a fixed choke barrel. RST now makes 20 gauge spreaders in 7.5, 8, 8.5 and 9 shot so I use them in fixed choked guns that are tighter.

I bought a mixed bag case from them at the NE PA SXS Shoot at Hauseman's yesterday. I've never shot 8.5's before so we'll see this season how they work in some of my tighter choked guns. They were selling at a nice discount for the shoot attendees.

ROMAC,
I've shot 8 1/2's on occasion and am surprised just how effective they can be. They fill out a pattern beautifully!
Karl

"what do you see as the normal range of your shots ?" 15-20 yards
"what do you consider the max range " 30 yards
"what chokes do you prefer?" First Barrel CYL #8; Second Barrel IC #7½

"I normally hunt woodcock early in the season with the 28 and #8's. and occasionally flush a grouse"
Me also, but 28 all season.

I like really open chokes I go once a year on my annual hunt and I bring guns that have really open choke almost no choke at all maybe just a few thousands in each barrel it’s really snap Shooting instantaneously and a lot of it into the brush as they’re coming up and I want as much BBs as I can close been pretty successful my friend hunts with a modified choke not so good