wildfowlingmad
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Posts posted by wildfowlingmad
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I ate a breasted duck with that early in the season, not as bad as your wigeon though, at the time i attributed the rice grains to new feathers coming through! I will look out for it more now. Just trying to remember what species it was, think it was a gadwall but I cant remember... doesn't seem to have done me any harm yet. Thanks for posting that info anser2 really interesting!
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Great write up marsh man! Always great when things come together!!
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I wasn't going to get involved in this thread but...
I have become so infuriated by KWCA's complete disregard for the interest of anything but themselves, their business plan, and their expansion. This in its self is not infuriating but the way they try and sell it as conservation and keeping land in shooting, not taking shooting from other clubs, you are talking on this forum as if you are starting to believe your own lies and propaganda.
I voted for Alan in the basc elections, I used to like what kent were trying to achieve, I thought I shared your initial vision, but no more. Kent need to give them selves a good look in the mirror before they continue on their path.And to top it all off a solicitor is calling himself a legal expert, well that begs the question why are you still a solicitor??!! (rhetorical question)
Rant over.I don't want to offend any solicitors with this post, it is a respectable career. *Not the view of clubs in fenland !!.
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The duck have disappeared off our patch, seen only one teal and a pair of mallard in last 2 flights! No shots fired, but there are plenty of geese about.
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Hi old farrier i agree with everything you say except one point , on the marshes i shoot over its in our club rules to carry your gun in a slip until your off the seawall or out off any reserves that we have to cross to get to our shooting grounds . Am i right thinking you shouldn't walk on the seawall with your gun out as it's a public right off way .
Martin
I'd say its good practise to use a slip on a public right of way, but NOT a legal requirement.
I do some land law at uni so it would be pretty embarrassing if this is wrong! (wildfowlingmad, 2014)
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Nice video, this forum is keeping my going as im currently trapped 3 1/2 hours away from my shooting until mid-December!! Couple of beautiful shots at the end too!
thanks for posting!
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couple of days ago had Canada goose burgers, recipe is from DU in America. Would recommend highly! http://www.ducks.org/hunting/recipes/goose-burgers
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I've been warned before about steel shot in the birds rusting if you leave them to long, anyone think there's anything in that?.
I usually leave them for 2 or 3 days (except early season). If the ducks have been eating grain/seeds that's fine, if they smell a bit fishy (due to diet) probably better not to let it taint the meat. -
Congrats!! You've certainly earned it!!
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Give the lad a break! When using an area shooting weapon like a shotgun you can never guarantee a clean kill at any range. It is all down to probability and yes at 30 yards the probability is high but its not 100% no matter how good your gun/cart/choke/ability. It happens. It sucks. you have to move on and learn lessons. I've learnt over the years to try and disregard the body (which can be hard!) and just go for head/neck shots, which really does restrict your range. rather than go for the big shot sizes that punch through the bird I select a 3 shot to maximise the chance of a head shot (denser pattern). Many wildfowlers will disagree with this but it works for me.
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saw and heard the fist pinks of the year over the wash yesterday, great to hear the call again, although not on the marsh! Always gets something inside of me going when your hear that wink wink. Hopefully get a few in the bag around Christmas time with a bit of luck!
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Maxus all the way. The most impressive and trouble free auto i've ever shot.
+1 an unbelievably good bit of kit!
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I think I have my worst case of goose fever yet! Watched all of Chris Greens wildfowling dvds in 3 days!! The dog is even more exited I think, good luck everyone!! And the boss gave me a day off happy days!
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That implies you are responsible for the idiot if they get stuck in the mud / fall over / get cut off / drown...why would you think that?
Of course make the gun safe and I agree video evidence is great but if the fools want to put their lives in danger due to the mud / tide that's up to them!
The landowner has a duty of care (even if they are trespassing), not the wildfowler, so you don't need to worry about that one from a legal point of view unless the person concerned owns the land.
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Thanks very much Ollie and Bruno! I will see if I can pop a few at the weekend.
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Rough shooting this season so far: 2 Magpies, 2 Jays, 1 crow.
Total=7319
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At the break of dawn today I passed through an area I shoot over full of hawthorn bushes and brambles. Out of one particular bush I counted between 12-15 Magpies all leaving this one bush, this was before sunrise and I assume they roosted there last night. What I want to know is, will they use the same roost for a period of time? If any knows this then please share this information and I will organise a surprise if they return in a couple of days time!
I didn't shoot them as they poured out although I did catch one out later in the morning! I also returned on the way back and could not see any evidence of extensive bird residence but then I don't really know what I'm looking for from magpies. I had thought I could pop a crow decoy in a nearby bush, would this work?Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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I think they are great, good humour, and interesting!
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My advise to you as a young shooter would be learn about and understand chokes, then forget about them. It is of my own opinion that people get too wrapped up with the technicalities, at the end of the day get a decent cartridge in a gun that you can shoot and then forget about everything else and concentrate on that target in that moment in time. Unless you are shooting at a very high standard i.e. serious completion clays then that few % difference in pattern is not going to make a difference in the grand scheme of things. You'd get better results spending that money practising or pattern testing different cartridges to find the best one for your current set up IMO.
If you were looking for a direct answer and this is unhelpful then I apologise. Happy Fowling. -
Congratulations! Great success on you first trip!!
If you haven't eaten widgeon before you're in for a treat, I think they are delicious! -
Kent the idea that the chattering call is only made by females and is part of pair bonding is not not open to doubt. Just read any good book on wildfowl behaviour with authors such as Johnsgard , Ogilvie, Delacour and many WWT reports. I must confess a personal interest here too as a ecologist who has studied wildfowl for many years. I think the Myth of the " feeding chatter " comes from American hunters and nobody over here has ever challanged it. Its the same as so many people beleve that pigeons cant see in colour just because some stated it as fact in the shooting times years ago. Many experiments have been done that disprove it. Pigeons not only see in colour , but can see colours in wave lengths violet that we cant see.
October and November ( Birds of the Western Paleartic page 221 ) is the main pairing time for mallard ( which is why we so often flush mallard in pairs.) though late hatched birds and birds that have lost a mate will pair up anytime between the Autumn and spring. In you watch closely a group of tame mallard you will see them swimming around each other with the males tail wagging doing upward shakes and head flicks and mock preaning showing off the purple wing flash. As the males become more excited this will lead onto head and tail up displays and the male also has a quiet whistle. Dominate males will push weaker birds away as they show off to their female. Once the pair bond is formed the female does not want the attentions of other males and will encite her pair male with the so called "feeding chatter" to demonstrate to the newcommer that she already has a mate.
Nearly all the quacking calls a caller makes are female calls as the male only has a quiet soft quack like call ( quarrr quarrr ) which needs a special caller and cant be done on a normal caller. The male also whistles , but i have only ever heard this call during courtship. Mallard are the first duck to pair up along with gadwall , followed by wigeon and teal and lastly tufted duck and pochard.
I supose there might be a weak relationship with the " feeding call " and feeding in as much that many duck will draw togeather in a good feeding spot thus triggering courtship after feeding, but this behaviour is most often seen at day time roosting spots.
Next time any fowler has a spare hour go down to your local duck pond and spend time watching the duck. You will learn what is an alarm call and which is a call to attract others. Apart from which it will be an interesting afternoon.
This is very interesting, I claim to be no expert, but I have only heard the "feeding chatter/call" once (October time) and that was just after last light as I was leaving a small stream and a pair of mallard had landed just along from my position. As I walked past them (at a distance so not disturbing them) I heard this chattering call. I have always thought it was a feeding call, but I will keep an ear out from now on and go duck watching!!
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If the boys the other side of the Wash want to scare all the geese over to Norfolk then so be it! But you have to respect your quarry. All you are going to do at that range is Injure the birds and that's no good at all. People need to learn how a goose looks at certain ranges, because for a beginner it can be hard to judge distance.
It can also be very hard to Judge range/what's going on from a distance, ie when watching someone shooting from a mile away through binoculars. For example I was confronted before for shooting at out of range geese, however the onlooker failed to realize I had in fact shot a Left and Right Widgeon, and had no intention of shooting at out of range geese that were passing over!! -
Congratulations!
I am getting out for the first time since September soon, cant wait! -
A good bird book.
If you find that you like fowling, teach yourself to be a good ornithologist, it's half the enjoyment and essential for quarry recognition.
Those microlights need some lead, as they are going faster than you think. Think goose at 50 yds and then some.
Very good advise, you need to get them in front, I have lost several over years having shot them up the backside, they can glide for miles and are difficult to find...
Basc guide to quarry identification is a good start, but that doesn't include non-quarry species. Most important is to go with is a sense of humour and don't expect much shooting, if it does come good then great, if not then maybe next time! Good luck!
This morning I shot my first ----------------
in Wildfowling
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Congrats fenboy, give the eating a go, ive never had a bad one!