washwildfowler Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 (edited) It's happening alot on our local marsh . We've had a great amount of pinks our side of the wash this seaon . And it's bought out all kind of fools . I went for a morning flight last week and there was 17 cars in the car park . I didn't bother with the gun that morning . I just took the dog and binoculars with me .. There was 2 fowlers sat in the reserve . 6 sat together no more than 30 yards apart from start to finish . A bunch of pinks came over them 18 shots went up at them 2 came down . So how they work out who shot them you tell me ?. It was a disgrace. I did challange the 2 in the reserve it turned out they got lost and just sat down till day light and never got there guns out .. a few days later same marsh . I was speaking to a fowler who has been in the club for 40 years . He told me he was down for morning flight 3 days earlier .and was out on the front of the marsh . There was a fowler in front of him on the river and he described it as he thought he was in training for the next sea bank marathon .. the fowler was running up and down the river shooting at the geese and emptying his gun into them.. with him dropping 4 for about 26 shots he counted. . With the himself picking one of the pinks on the way off the marsh.. Things need to and will change for our club next season .because things are getting out of hand . by the looks of things I've read on this thread we are not the only club to be having trouble with idiots that just can't seem to have a bit of self control ... Edited January 14, 2015 by washwildfowler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazooka Joe Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 6 sat together no more than 30 yards apart from start to finish . A bunch of pinks came over them 18 shots went up at them 2 came down . So how they work out who shot them you tell me ? Regular as clock work on the Solway, & that was a lot of years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandalf Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 Shep Whites - 1980 or 81. 27 cars parked before I got there. Didn't go out. No point. In those days people were coming over from Sheffield and god knows where else by the van load. All carrying 'membership cards' but nobody new who they really were. I left the club and didn't go back 'till 3 years ago when I bought a day in the Rockland on line auction. Had a super day out and it all seemed so totally different. Hope it doesn't go back to the bad old days. Worse I heard one morning about that time was - Bang - Splat - Go fetch - Good boy! - Cor, that's a pretty one, wonder what it is?... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 We do have out of range shooting , but not on the scale as some of the places we read about . a lot of the marsh land where the geese use at this time of the year is rented by the local clubs which only allow a limited amount of guns on at any one time , those guns have to put a tag on the hooks with there membership number on it , so if any one is over doing it or taking silly shots you have got the numbers of the offending members . Apart from the Christmas holiday period when you do see several people out ,( which is only to be expected ) , most of the time you can go on the marshes that are either empty of tags or only 1or 2 on at the most , apart from Saturday afternoons when you might see more than normal. When I was talking to Mr Portass at Sutton Bridge in the summer he told me he once counted 41 cars Sheps White car park , when it was I don't know , but I would imagine a long time ago , a bit different now when I sometimes go up the A47 near mine and not see a car on any of the marshes that the clubs shoot on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anser2 Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 (edited) One club I am a member of has gone through a cycle of no pinks , to massive numbers for 20 years and now just pinks iregulary turning up to move on within a few days. However during this time we have had little problem with over shooting or bad sportmanship. The club imposed a bag limit of 6 geese and if any fowler steped out of line we was warned once and if he repeated his trangression he was out , full stop. The shooting pressure was usualy very low and it was not unusuall to go days with nobody shooting at them. Weekend mornings usually saw 3-6 fowlers ( the most i ever saw was 8 ) out. One could go out almost any morning and expect to get a goose or two and on many days you would have the marsh to yourself. As a whole the rules were followed and there were very few problems. The situation has changed in recent years as the geese roost more and more on inland reserves and because of changes to the farming methods little beet is left on the fields these days for more than a day or two and with the drop in sugar prices less acerage of beet is now grown. While in the past from October to the end of the season you expected to see at least 20,000 pinks at flight and double that number was not unusual and once the population reached 90,000. I had to confess the goose shooting became rather too easy and I for one turned more and more to the duck shooting as the goose shooting lost its attraction. Today its a very different story and once again shooting a pink has become a lot harder and as a result a more rewarding sport. Due to restrictions from our landowner all members had to come from a local area around the marsh and day permits were restricted to friends of the members and each member was only allowed a handful of day permits per season. The club enjoyed good relations with Natural England who were happy with the shooting pressure and the behaviour of the club members. The whole situation worked because of the conservation minded policy of the club , good working relations with the landowner and conservation bodies and the sportsman like behaviour of the club members. If there was a problem ( which was rare ) the clubs officers acted fast and nipped the problem in the bud. Edited January 14, 2015 by anser2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cookoff013 Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 i went on a permit day somewhere with a club member. i went out a few times over a couple of years. one time we went, there must have been quite a few guys there because the sheer number of cartridges shot at something was amazing. something like 12 shots. they were seriously hammering the shells out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 It's happening alot on our local marsh . We've had a great amount of pinks our side of the wash this seaon . And it's bought out all kind of fools . I went for a morning flight last week and there was 17 cars in the car park . I didn't bother with the gun that morning . I just took the dog and binoculars with me .. There was 2 fowlers sat in the reserve . 6 sat together no more than 30 yards apart from start to finish . A bunch of pinks came over them 18 shots went up at them 2 came down . So how they work out who shot them you tell me ?. It was a disgrace. I did challange the 2 in the reserve it turned out they got lost and just sat down till day light and never got there guns out .. a few days later same marsh . I was speaking to a fowler who has been in the club for 40 years . He told me he was down for morning flight 3 days earlier .and was out on the front of the marsh . There was a fowler in front of him on the river and he described it as he thought he was in training for the next sea bank marathon .. the fowler was running up and down the river shooting at the geese and emptying his gun into them.. with him dropping 4 for about 26 shots he counted. . With the himself picking one of the pinks on the way off the marsh.. Things need to and will change for our club next season .because things are getting out of hand . by the looks of things I've read on this thread we are not the only club to be having trouble with idiots that just can't seem to have a bit of self control ... Don't the wardens keep on top of things on that marsh, WW? Fenland is now keeping well on top of any problems on our marsh (at last), with regular presence from a few wardens. Anyone consistently showing bad behaviour will be dealt with by the club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
washwildfowler Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 Things will change for the better next season motty .. I'm sure of that .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayano3 Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 Is compulsory warden duty the way forward? It used to be part of the membership package when I first started on the marsh. I believe it was dropped due to the distance members had to travel. But if they are prepared to travel to shoot they should also be prepared to do wardening in my opinion. There is no reason not to shoot or keep an eye on things once all tickets have been checked onto the marsh. Your thoughts ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harrycatcat1 Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 (edited) Shep Whites - 1980 or 81. 27 cars parked before I got there. Didn't go out. No point. In those days people were coming over from Sheffield and god knows where else by the van load. All carrying 'membership cards' but nobody new who they really were. I left the club and didn't go back 'till 3 years ago when I bought a day in the Rockland on line auction. Had a super day out and it all seemed so totally different. Hope it doesn't go back to the bad old days. Worse I heard one morning about that time was - Bang - Splat - Go fetch - Good boy! - Cor, that's a pretty one, wonder what it is?... We now mostly come over in cars, some still do come in vans though Regards H Edited January 14, 2015 by harrycatcat1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony G Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 Is compulsory warden duty the way forward? It used to be part of the membership package when I first started on the marsh. I believe it was dropped due to the distance members had to travel. But if they are prepared to travel to shoot they should also be prepared to do wardening in my opinion. There is no reason not to shoot or keep an eye on things once all tickets have been checked onto the marsh. Your thoughts ? It was also compulsory to do marsh warden when I started going in 1980,don't think it's a bad idea Only problem I can see is if you pull somebody for high shooting is a difference of judgement of height Having said that if its stupid high then there's no argument Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayano3 Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 It's also about education and respect for the quarry. I treat is as a pleasure just to see the geese. The thought of watching a wounded bird go off injured into the distance to suffer because if my inability don't sit well with me. I know this is the general consensus with everyone I shoot with. It's our duty to do things right. It's a fact from some of the things I have seen this season not everyone shares my views. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Konnie Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 I remember having to do warden duty down sheps. What about this. All members put car number plates on membership renewals. if high shooting is taking place the one that sees it will be able to take all the numbers. A pattern would come through eventually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayano3 Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 (edited) One of our joint clubs do that as part of their membership already konnie. Edited January 14, 2015 by ayano3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Konnie Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 Maybe should be brought up at AGM and rolled out across the clubs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayano3 Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 Sent you a pm konnie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 It was also compulsory to do marsh warden when I started going in 1980,don't think it's a bad idea Only problem I can see is if you pull somebody for high shooting is a difference of judgement of height Having said that if its stupid high then there's no argument I was on the marsh tonight with one other person three fields over , the geese that came over were well up so they went on there way without me firing a shot. I watched a large skein going over this other chap at what looked like well out of range but after he gave them a couple of shots one came down as dead as a dodo so like you say Tony G each persons judgement of height is different , but I know what you mean there is high , and at a height where the shot stop traveling half way from where it was intended to go . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 Its a difficult situation to manage that's for sure , certainly the policing of ticket should perhaps happen on a regular basis , but again this could be difficult when you have a few clubs shooting the same marsh . Marsh wardens can only ever do so much as they cannot be down for every flight of the season , also as Tony says it is not that easy to judge the range people are shooting from a distance away. Also what may be out of range for the ability of one shooter may not be for another but I suppose there is high and silly high , I did have a word with a chap who shot a non quarry species this year , he followed that up with shooting at a widgeon that was about 120 yards up so I had another louder word with him and he packed up and left the marsh . I do think that as long as the clubs start to crack down on it and one or two members are expelled word will soon get around and things will improve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jono 4 Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 It's happening alot on our local marsh . We've had a great amount of pinks our side of the wash this seaon . And it's bought out all kind of fools . I went for a morning flight last week and there was 17 cars in the car park . I didn't bother with the gun that morning . I just took the dog and binoculars with me .. There was 2 fowlers sat in the reserve . 6 sat together no more than 30 yards apart from start to finish . A bunch of pinks came over them 18 shots went up at them 2 came down . So how they work out who shot them you tell me ?. It was a disgrace. I did challange the 2 in the reserve it turned out they got lost and just sat down till day light and never got there guns out .. a few days later same marsh . I was speaking to a fowler who has been in the club for 40 years . He told me he was down for morning flight 3 days earlier .and was out on the front of the marsh . There was a fowler in front of him on the river and he described it as he thought he was in training for the next sea bank marathon .. the fowler was running up and down the river shooting at the geese and emptying his gun into them.. with him dropping 4 for about 26 shots he counted. . With the himself picking one of the pinks on the way off the marsh.. Things need to and will change for our club next season .because things are getting out of hand . by the looks of things I've read on this thread we are not the only club to be having trouble with idiots that just can't seem to have a bit of self control ... That's why I dropped out of the clubs on the wash, remember when I used to go 20 years ago in the week probably one other, then it became to many folks dropping an occasional a long range one so their mates thought they would have a go, it just got worse year on year, that and having to get there 2 hours before flight and sit in the dark, just to get a place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandalf Posted January 15, 2015 Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 That's why I dropped out of the clubs on the wash, remember when I used to go 20 years ago in the week probably one other, then it became to many folks dropping an occasional a long range one so their mates thought they would have a go, it just got worse year on year, that and having to get there 2 hours before flight and sit in the dark, just to get a place. That was exactly what happened to me in the early 80's. I had been a member of Holbeach and Fenland for many years. I had to wait seven years to join one of them and five for the other. I agonised about giving it up but I just couldn't stand any more of it. Hope it never goes back to that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted January 15, 2015 Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 (edited) The most cars I have seen down shep whites this year is 10-11 , there is more than enough foreshore to accomodate that many people . I am fortunate to be able to do most of my shooting midweek and often have been down there on my own or with just another couple of fowlers . The busy days are ones where the weather is good such as fog or a strong wind and the geese are present , what is clear is that you do get more unsportsman like people down when the geese are present , my particular dislike is when you get a bunch of 3 or more people sitting together that have to all empty their guns into the same skien of geese , even when shooting with friends us regulars always sit at least 60 yards or so apart so we are not shooting at the same birds. One thing which is apparent is the need of the various clubs that shoot the wash to work together , as people have been able to join one club after being banned from another , a ban for what ever reason be it tempary or lifetime should mean no access to any club that shoots the area. Edited January 15, 2015 by fenboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
washwildfowler Posted January 15, 2015 Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 We do havea warden scheme duty in the club but it's the case of about 60 % of members just wants to pay there subs and shoot that's as far as it goes.. they are not interested it doing just a little to help there club out . The trouble also is there's alot of clubs struggling for members so rather than reprimanding the small minority that do not fill in or do there warden dutys . They committee let these kind of things slip because they are worried about loosing membership from them . That's why things need to change . IMO. WW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UK fowler Posted January 15, 2015 Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 We do havea warden scheme duty in the club but it's the case of about 60 % of members just wants to pay there subs and shoot that's as far as it goes.. they are not interested it doing just a little to help there club out . The trouble also is there's alot of clubs struggling for members so rather than reprimanding the small minority that do not fill in or do there warden dutys . They committee let these kind of things slip because they are worried about loosing membership from them . That's why things need to change . IMO. WW yes Im in total agreement with this its just to easy to join most clubs on the wash you can drop out and re-join willy nilly with no waiting lists or as fenboy says people can be made to leave one club only to re-join another it makes stamping out the idiots very hard to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
House Boat Posted January 15, 2015 Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 (edited) Gentlemen as Chairman of a Wash Club and Chairman of the Wash Wildfowlers Joint Council I would say that every member of every club is a marsh warden and if you see someone doing somthing they shoulden it is up to YOU to do somthing about it. Firstly stay calm and polite and confront the wrong doer and ask to see there membership card, take note of there name and number and report the incident to your club giving names dates and times, failing to do this makes you a guilty as them. The clubs on the Wash work very closely with each other and anyone who is disapplined stands little or no chance of being able to join another Wash Club. I would suggest that discussing these things on open forum for everyone in the world to see does the sport of wildfowling no favours! Edited January 15, 2015 by House Boat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted January 15, 2015 Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 Gentlemen as Chairman of a Wash Club and Chairman of the Wash Wildfowlers Joint Council I would say that every member of every club is a marsh warden and if you see someone doing somthing they shoulden it is up to YOU to do somthing about it. Firstly stay calm and polite and confront the wrong doer and ask to see there membership card, take note of there name and number and report the incident to your club giving names dates and times, failing to do this makes you a guilty as them. The clubs on the Wash work very closely with each other and anyone who is disapplined stands little or no chance of being able to join another Wash Club. I would suggest that discussing these things on open forum for everyone in the world to see does the sport of wildfowling no favours! What happens if they refuse to give you their details? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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