Guttersnipe Posted October 12, 2015 Report Share Posted October 12, 2015 Some really good pictures Wildfowler12 and an excellent first video - good shooting and a really nice dog you've got there. Fal - All three of you look like happy customers! well done keep them coming. GS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaniel Posted October 15, 2015 Report Share Posted October 15, 2015 Had a few ducks within shot on Sunday but they were more than likely of dropped into the Severn so just watched them fly by Bit of a slow start for me so far but out again this evening to see if I can eventually put something in the bag but learning more about a part of the foreshore I never shot until this season so hopefully it may all come together tonight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted October 15, 2015 Report Share Posted October 15, 2015 I ended my run of blanks with a couple of teal , unfortunately a seal decided to eat one of them , quite scary really as the dog was half way out to it , they are becoming a right pain in the **** on the wash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fal Posted October 15, 2015 Report Share Posted October 15, 2015 I ended my run of blanks with a couple of teal , unfortunately a seal decided to eat one of them , quite scary really as the dog was half way out to it , they are becoming a right pain in the **** on the wash. We don't have many seals around here, we are quite lucky! I am sure they could do some danage to your dog though, I'd be terrified sending mine in knowing there were seals there. Well done on the teal though fenboy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smiler23 Posted October 15, 2015 Report Share Posted October 15, 2015 Shame for you fellas having the worry of these seals, quite intimidating I'd imagine especially the fear of an attack on your dog , Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted October 15, 2015 Report Share Posted October 15, 2015 It seems to be getting more common , the one that ate my teal also kept getting hold of some decoys I had out , washwildfowler on here lost a load of decoys the other week when one got hold of them and broke the line . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaniel Posted October 18, 2015 Report Share Posted October 18, 2015 At long last I'm off the mark with a nice drake mallard this morning although they lifted late Last night never seen a duck which was surprising with the shots on your pond Ben I thought the ducks may of came over the foreshore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver pigeon 3 Posted October 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 At long last I'm off the mark with a nice drake mallard this morning although they lifted late Last night never seen a duck which was surprising with the shots on your pond Ben I thought the ducks may of came over the foreshore Well done mate, Mainly teal on the pond Saturday night but a bit quieter than normal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEshooter Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Went out yesterday to a new spot. The mud was pretty deep on the journey out there and to be honest I was dreading the journey back all day. Got the decoys out and not much was interested. There were a lot of birds about but they were sticking far out over the main river. When the sun finally started to set which seemed to take for ever things livened up. Charlie who was on the other side of the island had a bunch of teal come over and dropped 2 birds. Not long after another bunch of duck came over and again Charlie dropped a bird. This time after his lab had retrieved it he got out of his hide and walked over to me. I could see he had a big grin on his face as he produced a hen pintail. He has been fowling for 20 odd years and this was his first. Back in the hide and although pleased for my mate I was keen to get a bird for myself. Sure enough a bunch of 3 ducks came by and I dropped my first bird of the day. Drake was spot on, didn't move just watched it come down (he is my first gun dog and also his first season on the marsh). I sent him back and he was quickly on his way back with a drake widgeon. With the thought of the journey back looming I planned to give it 20 mins and head off. Next thing I know my mate let off 2 shots. as I turned to have a look I was amazed to see the birds had not flared up but was heading straight at me. They just kept coming and I took my shot, missed with the first but killed the bird stone dead in the air with the second. Again drake had marked it and I sent him back. It took a while for him to find it but he was soon on his way back. This time it was my turn to cross one of the list as drake passed me my first pintail. I Gave Charlie a shout and decided to call it a day. As we crossed the biggest creek of the journey I felt the mud starting to get a bit deep. Next thing I'm up to my waist in it and struggling like ****. After trying to free myself for 30 minutes I was exhausted and my legs were burning. All the time Charlie and giles were watching on trying to give me advice. Now we all knew I had at least 5 hrs befor there was any chance of water getting back up the creek. Knowing this I think Charlie was teaching me a hard lesson on wildfowling. In the end I had to use my backpack to lay forward onto and free my legs whilst digging in my stick and pulling. Eventually I dragged myself to firm ground. I was covered in mud and ****ed. The boys offered to carry my pack but after that ordeal I was not gonna let in beat me. I would consider it a very successfull trip not just for the birds but for the lessons I learnt. Thanks for reading Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 Stoke? Lovely mud out there. Went out yesterday to a new spot. The mud was pretty deep on the journey out there and to be honest I was dreading the journey back all day. Got the decoys out and not much was interested. There were a lot of birds about but they were sticking far out over the main river.When the sun finally started to set which seemed to take for ever things livened up. Charlie who was on the other side of the island had a bunch of teal come over and dropped 2 birds. Not long after another bunch of duck came over and again Charlie dropped a bird. This time after his lab had retrieved it he got out of his hide and walked over to me. I could see he had a big grin on his face as he produced a hen pintail. He has been fowling for 20 odd years and this was his first.Back in the hide and although pleased for my mate I was keen to get a bird for myself. Sure enough a bunch of 3 ducks came by and I dropped my first bird of the day. Drake was spot on, didn't move just watched it come down (he is my first gun dog and also his first season on the marsh). I sent him back and he was quickly on his way back with a drake widgeon.With the thought of the journey back looming I planned to give it 20 mins and head off. Next thing I know my mate let off 2 shots. as I turned to have a look I was amazed to see the birds had not flared up but was heading straight at me. They just kept coming and I took my shot, missed with the first but killed the bird stone dead in the air with the second.Again drake had marked it and I sent him back. It took a while for him to find it but he was soon on his way back. This time it was my turn to cross one of the list as drake passed me my first pintail.I Gave Charlie a shout and decided to call it a day. As we crossed the biggest creek of the journey I felt the mud starting to get a bit deep. Next thing I'm up to my waist in it and struggling like ****. After trying to free myself for 30 minutes I was exhausted and my legs were burning.All the time Charlie and giles were watching on trying to give me advice. Now we all knew I had at least 5 hrs befor there was any chance of water getting back up the creek. Knowing this I think Charlie was teaching me a hard lesson on wildfowling. In the end I had to use my backpack to lay forward onto and free my legs whilst digging in my stick and pulling. Eventually I dragged myself to firm ground. I was covered in mud and ******. The boys offered to carry my pack but after that ordeal I was not gonna let in beat me.I would consider it a very successfull trip not just for the birds but for the lessons I learnt.Thanks for reading Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEshooter Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 Stoke? Lovely mud out there. Not far from stoke, the other side of the estuary. Been out on stoke quite a few times and gotta say this mud was worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie10 Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 I think the thing that makes it hard to get out of the mud is thought of being wet and covered in mud so you try and get out without getting muddy. If you didn't care it wouldn't take very long, got caught the other day in a place that previously was quite firm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEshooter Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 I think the thing that makes it hard to get out of the mud is thought of being wet and covered in mud so you try and get out without getting muddy. If you didn't care it wouldn't take very long, got caught the other day in a place that previously was quite firm. I agree. Once I layed on my belly and got stuck in I made it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandalf Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 Bloody scary though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver pigeon 3 Posted November 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 After blanking all of October (over 30 hours on the estuary and not a single shot fired!!!) I ended it in style today with a...........................pigeon!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 After blanking all of October (over 30 hours on the estuary and not a single shot fired!!!) I ended it in style today with a...........................pigeon!! I have been having a struggle of it of late too , managed a handful of pinks but its been quiet on the duck front for me , got another week or so of work then 12 days off so I will hopefully start getting to grips with some then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickanles Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 Had a look down the marsh yesterday evening, not a breath of wind so expected yet another blank, Could here the pinks the other side of the river so sat it out hoping they would cross, Just after five a little bunch lifted & came over about three hundred yards to my left, I hummed and harred but decided to move where they crossed, Within in a few minutes they all lifted and came over, lovely height & spread out in a long line, Picked a bird pulled through and it folded, onto another and same again, first shots of the season & rewarded with a left and right, a first for me. Easy retrieve for the dogs & home for a Halloween party. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandalf Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 Well done mickanles. Might be able to get out this week. I have my fingers crossed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver pigeon 3 Posted November 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 I have been having a struggle of it of late too , managed a handful of pinks but its been quiet on the duck front for me , got another week or so of work then 12 days off so I will hopefully start getting to grips with some then. It's really quiet down here, birds are proving very tricky to come by. I am sure you will start to catch up with them in your time off. Just got to keep plugging away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 It's really quiet down here, birds are proving very tricky to come by. I am sure you will start to catch up with them in your time off. Just got to keep plugging away. To be fair I have been after the pinks more , while there is always chance of some duck there are places I could go that would give me more of a chance , I will be visiting them on my holiday ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anser2 Posted November 3, 2015 Report Share Posted November 3, 2015 (edited) Time and Tide I was up in good time well what I thought was a good time and Meg , my lab and I set off with more than an hour and an half before sunrise with just a 15 minuet journey to the coast. I knew I had miscalculated as I pulled in at the sea wall. Already it was light enough to shoot , though the sky was heavily overcast and it was very misty. Quickly grabbing my gear we stumbled over the wall and out onto the saltmarsh as the light grew stronger. The last 20 yards over some very sticky mud was a bit of a nightmare , but it did not take long to set out the decoys and settle down in a small creek beside a partly flooded mudpan. I had just loaded up when a pair of mallard slipped past unnoticed until it was too late for a shot. A minuet later couple of teal rushed past 45 yards off . They might have made a shot , but hearing a rush overhead I looked up as a dozen highish teal tore overhead from behind and were out of range before I could move. Damm this was no way to fill the bag. The dog heard them first , her ears picked up as the sound of a skein of pink feet drifted across the marsh. They appeared out of the mist and comming straight for me , almost overhead , but 100 yards up. A single goose call made me look back seawards as a low goose appeared surprisingly close to me. It slipped past just to one side and then when behind me angled back. I had a shot , almost over my shoulder , but my feet were gripped in the mud and a swing was impossible resulting in the shot charge passing harmlessly behind its tail. This flight was not going well ! There followed a succession of skeins , perhaps 2000 in all, but all were too high for a shot. Meg got quite confused as one high skein came over head and a dozen brent appeared at head height. For a second her tail waged rapidly in anticipation of a shot followed by a puzzled look at her master when one did not happen. As for the duck there was a long period when they seemed absent. By now it was broad daylight and the mist started to thin and the brent started to move in no uncertain terns. Skeins large and small showed interest in the decoys and a number landed in the mud pan. There are a lot of brent on the marsh this year and I must have Seen the best part of a thousand this morning. There are some fowlers who curse them , but I love to see them and many a blank flight has been saved by the sight of their flocks flighting across the marsh. Without them the marsh would at times be a very empty place. A single wigeon appeared high and distant , but he turned to my whistle and curved down into the decoys pitching in 50 yards off. It was simple to slip a few yards along the creek to jump him. The brent lifted , but the wigeon seemed to disappear into thin air. Then just as I thought he had gone there was a throbbing of wings and he took off from right under the cliff of the creek. I rather muffed him and he came down 60 yards away just winged. By the time Meg was out across the mud pan he had disappeared. For a short wile she quartered the far bank then picking up the scent trail disappeared down a side creek. For a long minuet there was no sign of her then she appeared , head held high with the drake in her mouth. He was a beauty in full plumage until I dispatched him and placed him on the game bag. He gave a final kick and tumbled into the softest mud on the marsh. Not a pretty sight when I picked him up. Three more single wigeon decoyed perfectly and all ended up in the bag , unlike the mallard that came overhead. I hit him twice , but both the dog and I were unsighted as to where he hit the ground. I guessed he was about 100 yards behind me , but despite Meg’s long search nether of us could find him. He might have swung left or right before hitting the ground and with the tide due at any time now we could not risk carrying on the search beyond the big creek very far. Then the tide came , it was late and a lazy tide that did not look as though it was going to make its height. Several big bunches of wigeon started to appear far out across the saltings , being moved by the rising waters . Most were too wide, but one bird peeled off the flock from a great height and dive bombed the decoys at a speed that would put a falcon to shame. I delayed the shot thinking it would pull up over the decoys , but it zoomed skywards leaving both shots harmlessly yards behind it. There were a lot of teal starting to move , but none took any attention of the wigeon decoys. I have often found this on this marsh. The teal come well to teal decoys , but ignored the mixture of wigeon and mallard decoys I had out. There must have been 20 bunches and a few single teal pass me within 100 yards , but the only one to give me a chance taking me by surprise as I was watching a distant bunch of wigeon. Ten wigeon appeared well out across the marsh. I gave them a couple of whistles and they turned , lost height and swept into the decoys. The first bird was easy , but the second was rapidly getting out of range as I swung onto it. It came down 200 yards off over the mud pan. Meg was off in an instant, passing the dead bird she raced across the marsh when I saw the wigeon get up in front of her. Both dog and duck disappeared from sight , but a few seconds later Meg appeared with a very lively hen wigeon in her mouth. By now the tide was creeping into my creek and it was time to pack up before I got flooded out as I still had the decoys to pull in. I made it back to the high saltings , just as the water threatened to over top my boots and I was relived to sit on the top of the bank and get my breath back. A few misses and a few hits , but for a morning that promised little it was nice to have half a dozen wigeon in the bag. Edited November 3, 2015 by anser2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Posted November 3, 2015 Report Share Posted November 3, 2015 Another good read Robert. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E.w. Posted November 3, 2015 Report Share Posted November 3, 2015 Great write up once again I did enjoy that thank you and look forward to your next instalment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaniel Posted November 4, 2015 Report Share Posted November 4, 2015 After blanking all of October (over 30 hours on the estuary and not a single shot fired!!!) I ended it in style today with a...........................pigeon!! Sounds about right lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fal Posted November 6, 2015 Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 I have been blanking a lot lately too!!! I managed to get an early finish last night, bombed home, loads the van, grabbed the dog and gun and made it to the shore in time for an evening flight. Driving rain and high winds, excitement in my belly, only for me to see one duck, which I missed!!! Not a hard shot, but I was so shocked I saw a duck I was slow to react! I think that's 6 visits without a shot, it statrted off the best season I've had, now it's getting back to normal! I cannot wait for some proper cold weather, if it comes at all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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