marsh man Posted December 23, 2016 Report Share Posted December 23, 2016 The day started like any other normal shoot day , up around a little after six , cup of tea and then take the dogs out for about an hour before having a bite to eat and leaving mine at 8 15 , with only living 6 miles away I am soon at the hall for a quick coffee , meet the guns , load up and ready to leave a little after nine. Conditions on the day were dull but dry and with a stiff breeze , we decided we would give elevenes a miss as we had a cooked dinner and sweet to look forward to , we normally have four drives by dinner and two after but we kept the drives fairly short and managed to get in five before we stopped for lunch , which was game casserole and apple crumble with custard to finish it off. With all the guns , beaters and everyone else fed and watered it was time to face the elements and do the last drive to get another 17 to complete the wanted bag , throughout the day the birds flew well and the guns were very happy and the last drive didn't disappoint neither with some excellent birds and with 23 picked and in the bag the horn went to signal the days shooting is complete and its now time to drop the guns back to the hall and head off home , one thing worth mentioning was two chaps were sharing a peg with Black powder mussel loaders and both of them had a lot of shooting and had a very enjoyable day , with these guns once they are loaded you have to fire them to unload unlike our guns where we can just remove the cartridge , so they asked if any one would like to have a shot and one bloke suggested letting the oldest person in the group to fire the oldest gun being used on the day , what a good idea and I started to look around to see who was the oldest and then it dawned on me that I was , so up I stepped , cocked the hammers , aimed at the wood and pulled the triggers and in the failing light it looked quite impressive with the burnt powder and the smoke and no I didn't cut a tree in half Now to the important part , normally it is pitch dark when I get home but yesterday it was about ten to four when I arrived home and the good lady said , are you having a cup of tea first or taking the dog out , the offer of a cup of tea was turned down as I had better things to do than sitting in a arm chair while it was still light enough to go shooting , time I grabbed my gun my young dog was already to jump in the motor and after a four mile drive I was soon tramping across the marsh at a fair old rate. Getting to my intended spot I was relived to put my little fold up stool on the ground and have a breather , by now for most people who don't know whats it about would say it is now to dark but to me the light was about right and the first calls of the approaching Pinks was becoming louder by the minute. The first big skeins were well and truly up stairs with the Red bit of sky having pencil lines of geese heading back to there roost as far as the eyes could see , now and again the calls became a bit louder with the odd skein that must have been feeding a lot closer than the higher ones , the first chance I had was with a single one that came out of the gloom heading towards me at between 40 and 50yds up , somehow the first shot didn't have any effect ( missed it ) but the second shot done the business and Bobbie was soon about to retrieve his first goose , no sooner he was back another little lot was going to pass well to one side of me and for some reason they decided to veer towards me instead of veering away , there mistake and not mine and the same thing happened again with the first shot going haywire and the second shot knocking one out as clean as a whistle , the dog was on it as soon as it hit the deck ( more training need to be done ) and before he got back I could see it looked a bit on the White side and to my utter surprise and enjoyment it was a Whitefront in perfect condition with no blood on it and hardly a feather out of place , by now it was getting dark with the first stars out and another five minutes will be my lot. Just as I was thinking putting the gun in its case another lot was calling well out in front and I could soon make out the dark shapes heading my way , when they were overhead I couldn't judge the lead with a clear Black sky and at first I thought my one shot had gone into thin air then one of the shapes was drifting down at a forty five degree angle hitting the marsh with a satisfying whack , a couple of minutes later number three was laying beside and now it was time to call it a day and head back. Walking back I was thinking of all my past friends who would have loved the flight I have just had and was wondering how much longer I would be able to sit out on a cold marsh with 70 being my next birthday . I would imagine the Whitefront will be my last and I will only shoot the Pinks when I or some of the old boys who would like one now and again , although even the old boys who like one are getting less in numbers as the years roll past. Anyhow all you wildfowlers up and down the country , have a good Christmas and I hope lady luck drop on you like it do with me from time to time. and Thanks for reading it, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted December 23, 2016 Report Share Posted December 23, 2016 A fine sporting day and an excellent report. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anser2 Posted December 23, 2016 Report Share Posted December 23, 2016 (edited) Sounds like you had a very full day Marshman. Great goose flight to top off your day was the cream on the cake. Have a good christmas. I was the other side of the county after not geese but duck , but doubt I will have time to write up the story as I am heading your way for christmas with friends in the morning. Edited December 23, 2016 by anser2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted December 23, 2016 Report Share Posted December 23, 2016 Brilliant. Keep at it, don't give up. I don't wildfowl at all, living as I do within a few miles of dead centre of country, but still get out shooting and stalking as much as I can. You have another 7yrs yet to catch me up. It ain't a rehearsal. Great story and I wish you many more such experiences in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ollieollie Posted December 23, 2016 Report Share Posted December 23, 2016 Good reading, well done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7daysinaweek Posted December 23, 2016 Report Share Posted December 23, 2016 What a cracking write up, as above i myself do not wildfowl, however an outing like that must only come along rarely for sure! It will be forever in your memory and may I wish you many such outings. atb 7diaw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moongeese Posted December 23, 2016 Report Share Posted December 23, 2016 Great write up AGAIN Marshman, I had a driven day on yesterday which went well with the strong wind, but my boss' s gun broke on a drive, and I found myself out at first light with my metal detector looking for his broken ejector. We had the edge of the storm here and the pinks were flighting up over my head, and all I could do was watch !. Lol Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shakin stevens Posted December 23, 2016 Report Share Posted December 23, 2016 All the best , keep up the good work . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6.5x55SE Posted December 23, 2016 Report Share Posted December 23, 2016 Top result John well pleased for you mate 👏 There has been another influx of Whitefronts this last week or more along with the other Orange Leg Geese 🤔 Have a very good Christmas and wish you all the best for the coming New Year 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted December 23, 2016 Report Share Posted December 23, 2016 Great report MM. I am only slightly envious, having never shot a whitefront. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la bala Posted December 24, 2016 Report Share Posted December 24, 2016 A great day and an enjoyable writeup almost like sitting beside you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m greeny Posted December 24, 2016 Report Share Posted December 24, 2016 Fantastic well done on your flight a bird I could only dream of shooting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildfowler.250 Posted December 24, 2016 Report Share Posted December 24, 2016 The day started like any other normal shoot day , up around a little after six , cup of tea and then take the dogs out for about an hour before having a bite to eat and leaving mine at 8 15 , with only living 6 miles away I am soon at the hall for a quick coffee , meet the guns , load up and ready to leave a little after nine. Conditions on the day were dull but dry and with a stiff breeze , we decided we would give elevenes a miss as we had a cooked dinner and sweet to look forward to , we normally have four drives by dinner and two after but we kept the drives fairly short and managed to get in five before we stopped for lunch , which was game casserole and apple crumble with custard to finish it off. With all the guns , beaters and everyone else fed and watered it was time to face the elements and do the last drive to get another 17 to complete the wanted bag , throughout the day the birds flew well and the guns were very happy and the last drive didn't disappoint neither with some excellent birds and with 23 picked and in the bag the horn went to signal the days shooting is complete and its now time to drop the guns back to the hall and head off home , one thing worth mentioning was two chaps were sharing a peg with Black powder mussel loaders and both of them had a lot of shooting and had a very enjoyable day , with these guns once they are loaded you have to fire them to unload unlike our guns where we can just remove the cartridge , so they asked if any one would like to have a shot and one bloke suggested letting the oldest person in the group to fire the oldest gun being used on the day , what a good idea and I started to look around to see who was the oldest and then it dawned on me that I was , so up I stepped , cocked the hammers , aimed at the wood and pulled the triggers and in the failing light it looked quite impressive with the burnt powder and the smoke and no I didn't cut a tree in half Now to the important part , normally it is pitch dark when I get home but yesterday it was about ten to four when I arrived home and the good lady said , are you having a cup of tea first or taking the dog out , the offer of a cup of tea was turned down as I had better things to do than sitting in a arm chair while it was still light enough to go shooting , time I grabbed my gun my young dog was already to jump in the motor and after a four mile drive I was soon tramping across the marsh at a fair old rate. Getting to my intended spot I was relived to put my little fold up stool on the ground and have a breather , by now for most people who don't know whats it about would say it is now to dark but to me the light was about right and the first calls of the approaching Pinks was becoming louder by the minute. The first big skeins were well and truly up stairs with the Red bit of sky having pencil lines of geese heading back to there roost as far as the eyes could see , now and again the calls became a bit louder with the odd skein that must have been feeding a lot closer than the higher ones , the first chance I had was with a single one that came out of the gloom heading towards me at between 40 and 50yds up , somehow the first shot didn't have any effect ( missed it ) but the second shot done the business and Bobbie was soon about to retrieve his first goose , no sooner he was back another little lot was going to pass well to one side of me and for some reason they decided to veer towards me instead of veering away , there mistake and not mine and the same thing happened again with the first shot going haywire and the second shot knocking one out as clean as a whistle , the dog was on it as soon as it hit the deck ( more training need to be done ) and before he got back I could see it looked a bit on the White side and to my utter surprise and enjoyment it was a Whitefront in perfect condition with no blood on it and hardly a feather out of place , by now it was getting dark with the first stars out and another five minutes will be my lot. Just as I was thinking putting the gun in its case another lot was calling well out in front and I could soon make out the dark shapes heading my way , when they were overhead I couldn't judge the lead with a clear Black sky and at first I thought my one shot had gone into thin air then one of the shapes was drifting down at a forty five degree angle hitting the marsh with a satisfying whack , a couple of minutes later number three was laying beside and now it was time to call it a day and head back. Walking back I was thinking of all my past friends who would have loved the flight I have just had and was wondering how much longer I would be able to sit out on a cold marsh with 70 being my next birthday . I would imagine the Whitefront will be my last and I will only shoot the Pinks when I or some of the old boys who would like one now and again , although even the old boys who like one are getting less in numbers as the years roll past. Anyhow all you wildfowlers up and down the country , have a good Christmas and I hope lady luck drop on you like it do with me from time to time. and Thanks for reading it, Great read and well done! Whitefront is in the pipeline at some point! Think it'll require a fair drive south from Scotland though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry2016 Posted December 24, 2016 Report Share Posted December 24, 2016 What a post ..and thank you for posting such a good and well written report. I truly enjoyed reading it. Merry Christmas to you Kind Regards Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitebridges Posted December 24, 2016 Report Share Posted December 24, 2016 (edited) You ought to write a book MM. Beautifully written and them WF's are hung "Norfolk style". Bobbie looks like a really nice dog. Happy Christmas one and all . Edited December 24, 2016 by Whitebridges Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokersmith Posted December 24, 2016 Report Share Posted December 24, 2016 Well done on the achievement, and the write up..... Always better to go out than stop in!! Roll on Boxing Day !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitebridges Posted December 24, 2016 Report Share Posted December 24, 2016 ....... Roll on Boxing Day !! Have a good day one and all. This year i'll miss it. Flying out to New Zealand back in a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highlandladdie Posted December 25, 2016 Report Share Posted December 25, 2016 Well done sir! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted December 25, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 25, 2016 Morning all..... I hope father Christmas have been kind to you and have got the presents you have always wished for , if you haven't , well at some stage during the year you must have been a naughty boy and next year you must try harder. Many thanks for all the kind replies to my post , very humbling and when you consider a couple of years ago I didn't know what button to press for a capital letter , so with some help from the P W members I haven't done to bad , although there is still a lot of room for improvement I get as much pleasure in sharing my days out with you as I hope you do reading about it , and if it was at all possible I would love some of you who through no fault of your own , mainly work and family commitments or who haven't got the same amount of quarry we are lucky enough to have got , to be in my position when a goose or whatever present itself and you are the one pulling the trigger and then to see the buzz and satisfaction it give you, would be a lot satisfying to me than if it was me pulling the trigger. Sadly that will never happen , I have took the odd person with me but overall I am a lone ranger and prefer just my own and the dogs company , I am no one for making arrangements when it comes to wildfowling and after being like that most of my life I doubt I am likely to start changing now. Although its not to say I wouldn't take someone now and again because I would do, and if I could pass on what little knowledge I know about fowling I would happily do so as well. Anyway I am now of out to see how many pigeons are using a freshly lifted beet field that I passed yesterday on the way back from finishing the Christmas shopping , if there is enough to tempt me to have a few hours in the morning then it will decoying in the morning , a couple of hours roost shooting in the afternoon followed by a duck flight on the joining marshes . All sorted. So whatever you are up to over the next few days , enjoy it then tell us all about the outcome . GOOD LUCK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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