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Wildfowling - Season 2016/17


Wildfowler12
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This has been my favourite thread for the last few years, so I'd like to start another one. Please fill it with tales and pictures of your fowling pursuits... P.S - I'm a sucker for a sunrise shot :good:

 

My opener was a success, with a couple of mallard in the bag. But the scenery, or at least the backdrop, appears to have been tarnished somewhat. A sign of the times perhaps?

 

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I'm looking forward to anser's write-ups already.

Edited by Wildfowler12
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Hope you manage to get out some gandalf im no well versed scribe but ill have a go for possteritys sake. Cant promise you nwill have to suffer this that regular with me, but ill give it a go to try keep your spirits up in your downtime.

So I ventured out for my second trip this season, The Boys Did not seem that interested after a luke warm start to the season the other day, Number one did not stagger in untill about 245AM so i knew he was a no go and Little Ant was puring like a kitten so i was not disturbing him and the third lad told me in no uncertain terms he wanted none of it last night over the evening meal.

So it was me the springer with jackson Brown for company , at 4 am we hit the A1.

Apart from some ignorant >>>>> in a volvo estate near ripon nearly taking the front bumper off :rolleyes: we landed at about half four.

In the chosen spot i got pogged out ready for the action, heard the thuding of a dog runni ng through the grass through the willows came a familiar yellow lad and my old pal RD.

Asking if this was anyones place he got in and i asked how he had got on on thursday here, his response all though typical of ryan not repeatable here, :lol: a brief account of our family adventure on the same day led top us both agree, we need some decent weather and the pinks to show up.

coffe ready we sat putting the world to rights when i spoted a mallard winging its way from behind ryan. he grabed the gun and did an ace job of knocking out a 40 yard mallard and an equaly sterling job of missing its mate. :lol:

Which i made a point of mentioning ...Imediatley.. ;)

Good little retrieve from sammy and its stop yaking get ready time, I made the snap decission to make a move give us a bitr of a better chance and i upped and moved up a bit only about 200 yards.

Getting a bit light now about quater past half past five. Every now and then i heard the distant sound of canadas and greys on the light breeze, some mallard from behind offered a perfect shot for me but my obssesion with the Musical Honking had me distracted and they went trough with nothing more than a split second gasp from me as they escaped. :no: Got to get my act together.

The focus now well and trully switched on now, i scanned about and in the distance movement ...Geese .. I heard a distand ...NO!. From Ryan .. Seems Sammy showing his tyical youthfull exuberance.

This little line of canadians was not looking that clever at all for us low slow but no ciggar they were oblivious to us and as for us we were just spectators, i would not say my heart sank at this moment in time but i was far from opptonistic.

Decided i neededve a pee upped unzipped the jacket and moved back a few feet turned around, and as is the way of these things. :yes: .. You got it nore geese.. Greys. these were good a bit higher but smack on the money for us we weree in.

Well it was all looking great but they saw soimething they did not like the autopsey agreed latter on. About 150 yards from ryan they gave that grey alam call and imediatley exited stage left over the trees, Ryan was just in for a back bird as those to the rear had not turned just as fast it was a good fifty yards or more, but he hit it hard but it was not blitzed it was a glider, oh how i hate them, anyway he is up dogs gone and they are on it through the tredes.

All went quiet them i heard the sound of canadas, they were coming as the others had done low only six of them, but two looked possible i dare not move a mussle i whispereed come on to my self...See I do talk to myself is that a sign of something :lol: ....

and i got my chance up and stiffed my target at about 40 yards stone dead, springers gone and straight on it, but he was not wanting to carry it out the water, he acctualy let go of it at one point, :rolleyes::no: bbut eventually he kind of towed it between his legs to hand with na fair bit of force fetch encouragement from me.

Back at the cars Ryan had his grey the lab had done a bit better job than my liuttle fella by the sound of it, but alls well that ends well as they say.

 

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Went out into mudflats for some mallard last night.most I have seen for a few years .to my surprise .there seems to be an awful lot of early wigeon arrived .got a nice rightward left at them and two drake mallard followed them into my back .about 5/600 geese came in from stubble but to my disappointed stopped about 150 yards short of me .always a next time as they say.season for me is off with a Big Bang

Ps sorry for the spelling this bloody auto spell is not good

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Opening Morning. Only just back from the Broads so this s a day or two late.

 

I had nearly forgotten what 3 AM looked like and it was a little time before I could rouse myself from a nice warm bed. My mate was already up and after a quick cuppa we were off for the start of a new season. I have never seen so many muntjac before in this part of Norfolk , there seemed to be one along almost every hedgerow we passed. With the early start we were in good time when we arrived at the marsh we were going to flight. It was quite warm and I elected to leave my jacket behind and just shoot in shirt sleeves, but my mate set off in full fowling kit and was soon to regret it as he rapidly over heated on the walk out. For once all the decoys were out and hide set up in the big fleet well before it was light enough to shoot. Meg ( my old black lab ) was at full attention as soon as I settled , but Pip my, new young lab was a bit bewildered by it all. This was a new experience for her and after a fruitless attempt to get the old dog to play she curled up and went to sleep.

 

Slowly the world around me grew brighter , but the usual pre dawn activity was absent. Usually there are moorhens calling in the reeds, herons coming out of their nearby roost and all sorts of rustling noises coming from the thick reeds plus of course the odd quacking mallard greeting the new dawn. But this morning nothing , just complete silence apart from the odd moan from the cattle. Finally across the river someone had a double shot and before long a regular fusillade broke out and yet until full daylight I never saw a duck. Apart from an early crow and a few cormorants I never saw a thing and I had resigned myself to a blank opening morning, my first for many years. Just as I was about to pack up and the sun was breaking through the clouds a pair of mallard appeared , but they passed safely away over the river. Then four more swept over from behind that I made a complete hash of.

 

I had my new Franchi semi\auto with me this morning , I had the stock altered a month ago and it fitted me like a glove , but as yet I had not as yet fired a shot with it. The safety button is forward of the trigger guard and it’s a bit of a reach for my short fingers to get to it. Every other s\a I have owned has had the safety catch behind the trigger guard and instinctly I felt for it there. By the time I correct myself the chance of the shot was gone and the duck well out of range.

 

For the next hour there were quite a few mallard crossing the marsh but all ignored my calling and decoys until finally four gadwall circled the water in front. Is soon as they showed any interest in the decoys I slid the safety catch off and one bird cupped her wings and came in nicely. I dropped it on the river wall and after a struggle through the reeds Meg soon brought to hand. Hardly had I taken it from her than a pair of mallard slipped past 40 yards off , just time for a quick snap shot , but again my finger sought the wrong place for the safety button and the moment was gone for a shot. I guess its going to take a little time to get used to this. Shortly after a lone mallard swung around the marsh and was tempted up to my fleet by my calling . Just when a shot looked certain he pitched just out of range 60 yards up the fleet. I let him settle for a few minuets and then tried to stalk him. I reached the spot where he had landed and there was no sign of him and just as I was about to give up he burst out of the reeds 30 yards away. An easy shot he should have been , but he flew straight at the only cow on the next door field and was out of range before he cleared above it . I wondered if he has used that trick before!

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Well my first flight of the season couldn't of started any better. This year I started all afresh so to speak. A new local marsh, a new SXP waterfowl pump and a new pup to bring out. This would be her very first flight after just turning 1year old the Sunday before.

 

The alarm was set for 4am, even though it really wasn't needed, as if any sleep would of been had in all the anticipation of being back out on the mud. Up dressed and dig out for a quick empty before leaving at 4.30am. A quick trip down the road and arrived at the foreshore,out on the marsh hide up and settled into place for the wait all by 5.15am. I was shooting over a small inlet, which tends to hold the interest of the ducks. The marsh was buzzing with the sounds of life awakening, as I was sitting there just taking it all in a pack of 5 mallard come whizzing out of the mist to my left, within range and heading straight for the inlet I was set up on. With this I swung onto a drake and pulled the trigger, the Ely lightning 3" 36g no3's finding there mark and folding the drake beautifully out onto the mud 50yrds away. I continued to swing through the pack and dropped another drake, this 1 landed way out into the ocean. The young dog sat bolt upright and marked both birds like a seasoned old pro.

 

After making sure the gun was safe I lined the pup up for her first ever wildfowl retrieve from the cold choppy ocean, without hesitation in she ran, SPLASH a text book swim out and retrieve from around 40 yards. I couldn't of had more pride of my young dog... or so I thought.

 

A fine drake was taken from the dog and with a little praise she was lined up ready for the dead mallard out on marsh, with the back command she powered out over a small creek and into the fall area. She held the ground lovely and hunted well. On 3 occasions I had to stop her and correct her to the right hand side where I seen the bird land, however she kept pulling to the left. It was soon obvious the duck was not as dead as I first thought and was a runner.

 

With this I gave the young dog the find it command and left her to her own devices, she quickly pulled to the left and disappeared into a gutter. With this she was gone, for 10 minutes she was out of my sight, all manner of things racing through my mind, but I'd learned from experience to always trust the dogs nose. It seemed like a age before I seen any sight of her again, and what a sight it was.

 

There she was all mud splattered, and proudly carrying a very much alive flapping drake mallard. The best part was that she appeared approximately 300 yards from behind me. That duck must og got in a small creek and paddled it's way up the marsh. The sheer joy and pride I felt toward my young dog at that moment words cannot describe. Finally with two ducks in the hide I mode the decision there and then that our flight for the day was already over. There's no way it could of been topped or equelled even. And all this by 6am.

 

For the remainder of the flight we just watched the marsh do its thing. I could of had a lot more duck that moment as it was a very good flight, but I've never been into the big numbers and 2 was more than sufficient for me. After all it was all about getting my young dog Teal a retrieve. Which I think we achieved. All in all it was an awesome first flight of the season and not bad for a pup of 12 months of age.

 

 

Packed up, breakfast sorted and dog fed and cleaned up by 8.30am all ready for the evening flight.... but that's another story.

 

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Cheers HH

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Dont do many posts so will give one a go.

 

Could not sleep so up at 2.40am and had a bit of breakfast and left for the foreshore at 3.20 and arrived at 3.30 to await the arrival of my mate who is always late but more importantly the start of the new season. For over a week every morning i had watched these geese both canadas and greylags and they had flew over a certain point religously so that is where we lay in ambush to flight them on there short journey to a nearby stubble field.

 

The first fingers of light started to show at 5 am but we knew we had to wait untill at least 6 am for the first birds to move. We could hear the canadas starting to wake up and i am not afraid to say that the hairs on the back of my neck were stood up as its a canada i so desperatly want as i am yet to add one to my bag as they are not so common around my area.

 

Just before 6 am and the first of 6 small groups of canadas lifted and my heart sank as they all took a completely different line but they still got the old goose junkie going and i just thought one nil to the canadas and turned my attention to the greylags that were getting really vocal whilst they walked some 5/600 yards to a point a couple of hundred yards in front of us. 6.30am and a single greylag came from the side on its way to join the others and presented me with a nice 35 yard crossing shot and it crumpled stone dead so we left it where it lay so as not to spook the other birds.

 

The other birds were getting even more vocal but it wasnt untill 7.15 that they finally lifted and headed straight for us at a fair old pace at a lovely height of about 30/35 yards so i let my mate go first and he missed with his first 2 shots but got one with his last shot. I missed with my first shot but got another with my second shot so didnt even bother with my third shot as i was happy with a pair of birds.

 

So the season is under way and we both had birds in the bag so 2 happy fowlers made for home.

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I was told a small skein of pinks were seen in the Broads on Friday.

Shame on you Robert you could have kept that under your hat after the Battering that have already suffered in Iceland and there long flight 😂😂 but as you probably already know at 5.30 pm today i know where there is 15 Pink's and very safe from being shot 😊👍👍
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Well my first flight of the season couldn't of started any better. This year I started all afresh so to speak. A new local marsh, a new SXP waterfowl pump and a new pup to bring out. This would be her very first flight after just turning 1year old the Sunday before.

 

The alarm was set for 4am, even though it really wasn't needed, as if any sleep would of been had in all the anticipation of being back out on the mud. Up dressed and dig out for a quick empty before leaving at 4.30am. A quick trip down the road and arrived at the foreshore,out on the marsh hide up and settled into place for the wait all by 5.15am. I was shooting over a small inlet, which tends to hold the interest of the ducks. The marsh was buzzing with the sounds of life awakening, as I was sitting there just taking it all in a pack of 5 mallard come whizzing out of the mist to my left, within range and heading straight for the inlet I was set up on. With this I swung onto a drake and pulled the trigger, the Ely lightning 3" 36g no3's finding there mark and folding the drake beautifully out onto the mud 50yrds away. I continued to swing through the pack and dropped another drake, this 1 landed way out into the ocean. The young dog sat bolt upright and marked both birds like a seasoned old pro.

 

After making sure the gun was safe I lined the pup up for her first ever wildfowl retrieve from the cold choppy ocean, without hesitation in she ran, SPLASH a text book swim out and retrieve from around 40 yards. I couldn't of had more pride of my young dog... or so I thought.

 

A fine drake was taken from the dog and with a little praise she was lined up ready for the dead mallard out on marsh, with the back command she powered out over a small creek and into the fall area. She held the ground lovely and hunted well. On 3 occasions I had to stop her and correct her to the right hand side where I seen the bird land, however she kept pulling to the left. It was soon obvious the duck was not as dead as I first thought and was a runner.

 

With this I gave the young dog the find it command and left her to her own devices, she quickly pulled to the left and disappeared into a gutter. With this she was gone, for 10 minutes she was out of my sight, all manner of things racing through my mind, but I'd learned from experience to always trust the dogs nose. It seemed like a age before I seen any sight of her again, and what a sight it was.

 

There she was all mud splattered, and proudly carrying a very much alive flapping drake mallard. The best part was that she appeared approximately 300 yards from behind me. That duck must og got in a small creek and paddled it's way up the marsh. The sheer joy and pride I felt toward my young dog at that moment words cannot describe. Finally with two ducks in the hide I mode the decision there and then that our flight for the day was already over. There's no way it could of been topped or equelled even. And all this by 6am.

 

For the remainder of the flight we just watched the marsh do its thing. I could of had a lot more duck that moment as it was a very good flight, but I've never been into the big numbers and 2 was more than sufficient for me. After all it was all about getting my young dog Teal a retrieve. Which I think we achieved. All in all it was an awesome first flight of the season and not bad for a pup of 12 months of age.

 

 

Packed up, breakfast sorted and dog fed and cleaned up by 8.30am all ready for the evening flight.... but that's another story.

 

20160901_062333_zps71du835v.jpg20160901_062607_zpsuqeeb4gf.jpg

 

Cheers HH

 

really enjoyed you flight :good:

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Not rung up yet will ring her tomorow, but were having a look at montrose latter this week a quick detour moving the lad up to st andrews he starts uni there.

good base for the firths for us and the loch. ;)

What a dilemma Tony being at St Andrews ! Do I look at the basin,Loch Leven or the Tay !!
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Well another very enjoyable flight down on the marsh this evening. Once again I set up on my favourite little gutter, hide all set up & a mother line put out with 4 decoys attached. Me and the dog settled in for what seemed like an age before the tide started to finally fill the small muddy inlet.

 

About twenty minutes after the tide started to push birds began to move. All seem to be heading in the same direction. ... totally the wrong way to where I was set up !!!!

 

Then out of know where a pack of 7 teal came whizzing low and fast up the inlet I was waiting on. I took my chances and managed to drop a single bird out of the pack. It fell out onto the open exposed mud. Once again young teal was called upon to fetch the bird. Just like always she was full of enthusiasm and determination, out she strode across the open mud and made another beautiful retrieve with the bird brought straight back to hand.

 

As we waited more duck began to appear from the gloom as the light was rapidly starting to fade. Buy alas I shot like a total plum ( not very unusual for me in afraid ) and I failed to connect with anything else for the remainder of the flight. But what a lovely little flight it was and end up with a teal for a Teal.

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So 2nd flight this season for me, little bit rushed to get out on the marsh which meant I had to drop in short of where I had planned as other guns were already out and settling into position ....******! Mozzie repellent on, settled in creek with the ol dog... Game on...

I wasn't hoping for too much but felt was a chance at a goose if Lady Luck was with me. A box of 10 carts and only 3 out and in my gun showed I wasn't expecting much but I just wanted to get out.

Well no duck or much else seen as dawn broke, however not long after I was suprised to see some Canada's skimming the marsh, followed by another skein again wide on the same line, good to see and gave me some confidence. Not long after this 2 fowlers further out decided to stand up and stretch their legs..... You can guess what happens next......3 Canada's flying along front of the marsh, gave them a call and bang in they come , 2 fowlers had got down at my calling, but geese ventured too close to these lads they had a shot missed and geese departed! They then took a slow walk off past my position, sat tigh for a bit, but no further movement so packed in. 2nd flight and not a shot! Roll on some cooler weather and death to the Mosquitos!

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