clayws, How do you cook the sharpies to make them delicious? I fried some Sept birds that were not too bad. Also, I hunted the Louisiana Atchafalaya basin last year for woodcock and a French chef prepared the birds, I believe baked with a French sauce and cooked them rare. They were pretty good, but clearly not as delicious as quail or ruffed grouse. Also, I used B&P comp 2000 #8 shot, 1 oz loads on the woodcock and couldn't have asked for a better shell. #9 or 8 1/2 shot undoubtedly would have been good too for those small birds. That was my first purely woodcock hunt (there was not anything else for me to hunt pups on last year with the drought), and it was interesting, but I would much rather hunt ruffed grouse or quail. Where I hunt ruffs, I generally let the woodcock fly off because I don't like to eat them very much and my little pointer grouse dog does not care for them much....she does not like to pick them up and it seems like she will hardly even point them.....and she is a way above average grouse dog. Odd!!
