#351 | Keith Marcott on Woodcock Covers, Border Crossings, and a Lifetime of Bird Hunting

Birdshot Podcast

Nick Larson

Leisure, Science, Sports, Nature, Hobbies, Wilderness

4.8 • 971 Ratings

🗓️ 29 May 2026

⏱️ 99 minutes

🔗️ Recording | Apple Podcasts | RSS

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Summary

In this episode of Birdshot Podcast, Nick sits down with Keith Marcott to talk about woodcock hunting, bird travel, and a lifetime spent chasing upland birds across North America and overseas. Keith shares stories from hunting woodcock in New Brunswick, Quebec, and Scotland, along with memories from Wyoming, the western bird country, and the years before GPS and OnX made it easier to find cover.Keith Marcott is a retired engineer and lifelong upland hunter now based in Wyoming. After growing up bird hunting in the Northeast, he eventually built a life around western birds — Huns, chukar, sharptails, prairie grouse, and mountain hunts with Llewellin setters. Some of his most meaningful bird hunting memories, though, came from repeated trips into New Brunswick and Quebec, and later to Scotland, where woodcock hunting shaped the way he thinks about dogs, habitat, and travel.In this conversation, Keith and Nick talk about:- Woodcock hunting in New Brunswick, Quebec, and Scotland- What separates woodcock hunting from grouse hunting- How hunters found productive cover before GPS and OnX- Bird hunting travel, border crossings, and old-school camp logistics- Western bird hunting, dogs, landscapes, and the pull of woodcock countryEpisode breakdown:- [00:05:02] Keith Marcott’s background and a lifetime of bird hunting- [00:07:01] Moving west: Wyoming, huns, chukar, and prairie birds- [00:09:42] Keith’s bird hunting road trip across multiple states- [00:11:07] Camping, snake country, and hunting dogs in the West- [00:13:00] Snake avoidance training and a rattlesnake encounter in the field- [00:19:20] Western hunters, ticks, and the difference between regions- [00:27:07] The first New Brunswick woodcock trip- [00:29:27] Hunting with guide Danny Bird and chasing woodcock full-time- [00:36:47] Repeated trips into Canada and DIY hunting in Quebec- [00:42:05] Alaska, British Columbia, and border-crossing logistics with dogs and guns- [00:48:01] Finding woodcock cover before modern mapping technology- [00:49:27] Why woodcock still matter to a western bird hunterLinks:- Birdshot Podcast: https://birdshotpodcast.com- Instagram: https://instagram.com/hwy22outdoors/- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/17EVUDJPwR2iJggzhLYil7- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/birdshot-podcast/id1288308609- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@birdshot.podcastSupport:- Use promo code BSP20 to save 20% on your onX Hunt subscription: https://onxmaps.com/hunt/app- Use promo code BSP10 to save 10% at Meadow Creek Mounts: https://meadowcreekmounts.com/Birdshot is presented by onX Hunt.

Transcript

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0:00.0	One of the reasons that I am so tied to coveybirds in the wide open now is because somebody
0:07.2	asked me recently, they were hunting with me and my dog Quest, who is a Llewellyn setter,
0:13.5	and he's a solid 300-yard dog. I've lost count of the number of times he's gone on point
0:19.3	and he's at 450 or even 500. They've asked me, is he my best dog? And I've thought about this a lot because I've been very fortunate. I've had some great dogs. And I have to say, for what I want to do now, yes, he's the best dog I've ever had. Come here, sweetie. That's a big bird.
1:05.7	Wow.
1:08.5	Hey everyone. Nick Larson here, host of the Birdshot podcast, the show that brings you conversations, stories, and traditions from all across the uplands.
1:17.0	The Birdshot podcast is presented by Onyx Hunt and supported by folks just like you via our Patreon community.
1:23.2	If you want to stay up to date and not miss any of our upcoming episodes, be sure to subscribe and follow the show in your podcast player or on YouTube, wherever you're listening or watching today.
1:31.4	Tap that button for me. Thank you for doing so.
1:33.7	And with that said, let's get into today's conversation on the Birdshot podcast. Hey, everybody. Welcome back to another episode of the Birdshop podcast presented by OnX Hunt.
2:07.7	Your host, Nick here checking in with a couple of updates before we get to our full conversation with Todd Baumgardner of Packed Mill Training Co.
2:15.8	If you're, well, if you're watching this and not just
2:18.4	listening, you can see behind me. There's no snow outside the Birdshot podcast studios, which is the
2:22.6	first time in a while I've been able to say that. That means spring is here and I'm thinking
2:26.6	about turkey season. If all goes according to plan, I will be hitting the woods this weekend with my
2:32.0	boys for the first time this year. So really hoping to get out into the turkey woods this weekend with my boys for the first time this year.
2:34.4	So really hoping to get out into the Turkey Woods soon.
2:37.7	And with that in mind, I wanted to mention the promo code we have for Meadow Creek Mouts.
2:42.8	If you caught the last episode on the show, we interviewed Greg Mayhere of Metal Creek Mounds.
2:48.7	You can use the promo code BSP10 to save 10% on a mount or a red dot site.
2:55.0	If you don't need a mount from Meadow Creek mounts, Greg sent out the Vortex Viper red dot site
3:01.7	and his special custom fit mount for my Mossberg SA 28. The boys and I got that set up. It was really easy. We took it out. We got it all dialed in this week. Can't wait to hit the woods with it. But worked out really, really well. And again, as we talked about it in the episode with Greg, I like having it out on the rib versus where my gun is drilled and tapped. And that's kind of what Metal Creek does. So really, really love the setup. Hopefully we'll get to put it to the test for real this weekend. And I'll let you all know how that goes. But promo code, BSP10, Metal Creek mounts. Check that out if you like. All right. Welcome back, everyone, to another episode of the Birdshot podcast presented by
	...

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