Woodcock MN Project Highlights

Four Brooks WMA Radio Telemetry Study: This was Woodcock Minnesota's first project. Woodcock Minnesota raised money to complete a multi-year study that fitted capture woodcock with radio transmitters that were used to study woodcock habitat use, migration mortality, and hunting mortality.

Pine County, MN Habitat Study: Working in conjunction with Dr. David Anderson of the University of Minnesota and the Finlayson-Giese Sportsman's Club, Woodcock Minnesota is helping fund a long-term habitat study. Dr. Anderson and his graduate students' document woodcock breeding use before and after habitat modifications are made to pieces of private lands, whose owners have volunteered the use of their lands for the study.

Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Study: Over the next two years efforts will be continued at Tamarac NWR, in Rochert, Minnesota, to study multiple demographic aspects of American woodcock. In the past, biologists at Tamarac have looked at brood survival and nest success. However, starting this year they will be monitoring their woodcock populations even more closely. In order to get a better idea of how woodcock are utilizing the refuge as well as how woodcock are responding to habitat management practices. Biologists will be looking at male signing ground use and hen survival in addition to brood survival and nest success.

Tamarac NWR is just one leg of this project as similar data is being collected in the eastern portion of the American woodcock's range. This study has been made possible from contributions of Woodcock Minnesota as well as a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. For more information about this study and other woodcock initiatives and research visit www.timberdoodle.org.

Fritsche Creek WMA, New Ulm, MN: Woodcock Minnesota applied for and received a $50,000 grant from the Conservation Partners Legacy Program. This money will be used enhance early successional habitat in the Minnesota River floodplain directly north of New Ulm. Work will take place on the Fritsche Creek WMA and will consist of removing small to medium size woody vegetation on approximately 50 acres.

Private Lands Management: Woodcock Minnesota has assisted private land owners in Cass County and Pine County perform timber harvests that benefit woodcock and other early-succession loving wildlife on their properties. Working in conjunction with federal or state programs that reimburse landowners for habitat work, Woodcock Minnesota fronts the money for private contractors to complete the work and is then reimbursed by the landowner when they receive the money from the government agency. This creates early succession habitat, and puts dollars into the local economy.