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Old School Fowling Values


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Sky high bird shooting has been a problem on every marsh for every year of the very many I have been at the game. The problem is that now and again one comes down - and that only encourages the 'good shot' to keep banging away at them.

I really do not know what the answer is. Education is alright but excitement takes the reason out of many heads. "I have driven 200 miles and there they are right over my head so..."

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Its not only geese that some shoot at out of range, duck also get the same treatment and its not only Norfolk that suffers from it and why oh why do some idiots have to have 3 shots at everything if it aint in range the first shot it sure isnt going to be for the other 2 :mad:

 

Sorry I think your post above is wrong ,,When it was single barrel you only had the one shot then side by sides gave you two and just think the amount of times you get your bird with the second shot !! and Autos 3 shot well very ofton I have finished a duck with the third shot as my first or second only wounded or missed ,what does help is even when duck shooting as against Geese I always put shot sizw 1 heavy load 3 1/2" in as 3rd shot and this gives a bit more range ! I am not a consistent excellent shot I think of myself as a middle of the road shot ,but my average seems to be 3 shots per kill , If I was as good as some on here i would go out a lot less as would not have the frezzers to keep all the duck in !!!!! My sort of fowling which I guess is the same as most on here is in a muddy hole or creek or laying at a uncomftable angle or if lucky on a drum in a hide but duck coming from any side at any given point ,normally from behind or were you are not looking so to get your bird does take more than one shot ,and think of this I dont ofton loose of 3 shots at any bird yet alone all birds ,and if the third shot brings a wounded bird down and in the bag then thats a good thing...But were you put " if it aint in range the first shot it sure isnt going to be for the other 2" well I am,sorry to have to disagree ! and by the way my 3 game frezzers are full !! I do not joke ask other half who complaines she has no room !!!

 

Riptide

 

But I do agree with you that high shooting is out of order and having three shots at everything is also ..

 

And to add a edit Maybe my bag is full due to field craft rather than olympic standard shooting skills !!!

Edited by riptide
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Sky high bird shooting has been a problem on every marsh for every year of the very many I have been at the game. The problem is that now and again one comes down - and that only encourages the 'good shot' to keep banging away at them.

I really do not know what the answer is. Education is alright but excitement takes the reason out of many heads. "I have driven 200 miles and there they are right over my head so..."

 

Yes I have also seen some very high birds fall on the odd occasion and have thought the same. Some idiot just got lucky and will now think it OK to shoot birds that high.
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It certainly does. I have been shooting Wigtown for over 20 years and almost every visit I am dismayed at some of the out of range shooting I have witnessed.

 

Shot my first foreshore pink at Wigtown bay, the ferryman stories are cracking to read I have a signed copy, it's a shame it's gone down the pan never going in February again , don't know what gets into people they can't be true fowling sorts just marsh cowboys.

 

 

Yep, one of the reasons I wrapped in going, the icing on the cake was one morning a 48 seater bus dropping guns off at the different entry points to the foreshore, semi autos the order of the day.

 

Had a conversation with one of them after the morning flight, there strategy was all of them firing into one skein with 00 buckshot, 9 or 12 balls in a cartridge in the hope one of them hit.. :sad1:

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Yesterday I was pattern testing some shell/choke combinations when I came upon a plan. I took a greylag that was hanging up in the shed and pinned its wings open and neck out and hung it on a wall so I was looking at the under side of it. I have a friend who reckons he can shoot geese regularly at 70 yards, and after looking at that goose yesterday 70 yards is carp IMO. At 50 yards measured with the rangefinder that goose ain't that big. What I noticed was the bead on my SX3 was the same width as the body of the goose at 50 yards, which is a good indicator before pulling the trigger. I don't doubt that with after market chokes and super duper heavy shot that ranges can be extended but only if the nut behind the butt can put the shot in the right place. Just my thoughts on the subject.

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At either Browell or Powfoot on the upper Solway there used to be a steel cut out of a Pink for people to measure the distance and get an idea what a Pink looks like at 40 metres. I haven't shot there for years so don't know if it is still there. I always work on the princible that I must easily be able to see their paddles before I would even raise the gun.

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I don't think from what I've seen its just the people who travel a lot of miles to the wash who do the high shooting , I always comment if I see it, which is most mornings in Wigtown and get a lot of aggro back. I think you should always tell them so they know they are being watched, and maybe they will think twice next time.

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Browell there was a cutout of goose, was there a couple seasons back.

That's where o have witnessed most of the out of range shooting.

I will admit to taking a few shots which in hindsight were probably a few yards to high.

I stopped shooting that area of the Solway quite a few years ago, it was just to crowded with guns all over the place. The last straw was when I was with John Butler and he called a single bird towards us from about 1/4 of a mile. It was answering beautifully and coming straight towards us losing height all the time when without exaggeration I think it was at least 3 guns had a pop at it. Needless to say they all missed and the goose decided to clear off as quickly as it could. John and I just looked at each other in disbelief. Never been back since.
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I don't think from what I've seen its just the people who travel a lot of miles to the wash who do the high shooting , I always comment if I see it, which is most mornings in Wigtown and get a lot of aggro back. I think you should always tell them so they know they are being watched, and maybe they will think twice next time.

 

Spot on mate :good:

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High shooting is something that is being monitored very closely by my club. Those responsible should find themselves reprimanded.

Got NO Faith in that happening as I know 100% that at least TWO of your committee using so called Sooner Dooper home lodds are Sky Busting and I could say more but don't want to spoil there suprise !!!!!!!

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I stopped shooting that area of the Solway quite a few years ago, it was just to crowded with guns all over the place. The last straw was when I was with John Butler and he called a single bird towards us from about 1/4 of a mile. It was answering beautifully and coming straight towards us losing height all the time when without exaggeration I think it was at least 3 guns had a pop at it. Needless to say they all missed and the goose decided to clear off as quickly as it could. John and I just looked at each other in disbelief. Never been back since.

I met john Butler on the humber one day and witnessed his calling skills what a guy ! also went to a talk one night he hosted on goose calling never heard anything like it and probably never again he was one hell of a guy at goose calling without a call.
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I met john Butler on the humber one day and witnessed his calling skills what a guy ! also went to a talk one night he hosted on goose calling never heard anything like it and probably never again he was one hell of a guy at goose calling without a call.

I was very close to John and it gives me great pleasure to hear others that appreciated he's skills. Have you seen the video we made with him to show at some of his talks to non fowlers. We have had it redone as a kind of tribute to John. You can find it on YouTube. John Butler Wildfowler. There is also a link from our club website where there is a page dedicated to John.

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Only video I have seen of John was one up at holy island when he called a single pink in at first light, I can remember him being the warden on the humber, that's when I first met him yodeling and some greylags! ! sounded very odd but it worked.

Have a look at the one currently on YouTube. It shows John as the guy he was. Pay attention to the bit before we walk on the marsh where he has a joke about diving. Classic John.

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2wks ago i was up lindisfarne and 2 fellas along say 200yds were shooting at ducks 100+ yards away and a swear it was everytime i had called others in to my set up...in the end i packed up...its out of order and happens to often,back in the late 70's early 80's me oldman would say here come the cowboys of the marsh and he would give them a right old blasting!! obviously it did'nt work coz 30 odd years on its even worse! crying shame :sad1:

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I'm not sure but I'm sure I will corrected if wrong. But I think Stalkerboydy was suggesting that some people with home loads expect them to be super killing cartridges when in fact they're not anything of the sort. Hense the term super duper.

I think that is what he's saying.

I certainly think home loads can be made far better than factory, but obviously this does not increase ranges by a huge amount.

Edited by motty
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