sricketts8

Well done to you and the associate nic. I seen them drop it was a tidy lot that came out this morning.

Not a bad start to the season a gadwall, mallard and a greylag. Not a lot about the marsh but was just one of those morning when your lucks in well all apart from the absolute smashing my hands have had of the midges.

A good morning flight that from the sounds of it. Nothing worse than losing a bird something that happens to us all unfortunately but still a good morning all the same.

I don't nock anyone who puts there self out and I got total respect for anyone that works hard at the game. I don't come from a place that gets pinks so naturally the club doesn't get traveling guns like clubs that do get pinks so I can't say I've seen what it's like to be a local to um and see it where all of a sudden guns are running down the marsh to get to certain places. I no on some of the Gwa club ground once a few geese start to move there usually 8 to 9 guns and someone is usually 50 to 70 yards away but they have all paid there sub so they all got as much right as me to be there. Wildfowling is a secretive sport wich is one of there resons it's a dying sport unfortunately. I can understand why a local or any gun would not want to tell anyone bout where birds are what I don't get is when someone asks a question why some of the replies are a waste of time if your not going to help y replie maybe where I come from its a bit more black and white if I asked the old man if he had the impact driver I wouldn't want to hear why not walk over and see. I don't think anyone that wants it put in there lap deserves help but a genuine traveling fowler is only after a small bit of help not where what time and what direction do I look. Last year on the solway I asked a bloke weather a white post indicated the boundary the pricks replie was I've been doing it for 30 years I ain't telling you, the next guy who didn't really want me there understandble at least had the respect to just nod and say yeah. I just think if you don't want to help that's fine just don't replie if you do want to help then fair play.

No worries mark. When anyone traveling it would be bad for the club and your selfs if full members couldn't take you out. From what he was saying you have both put a fair bit into it. I no Ben been taking you both out so fair play to him and hope fully you all get some sport before the weeks out. I think after the flight with the Canada's he glad he can actually do it lol.

Driving up to go out and find them is easily said when local. The bloke got a minimum 8 hour round trip probably more depending on where in the south west he lives. Was a member of fenland me self up until this year and in terms of a club there brilliant unfortunately if you got to travel from the south west/west it's to hit or miss for what it cost especially if like me you only got a small budget. The solway is just as easy to get to it don't cost no more and it's less restrictive in teams of getting under them. If you want to get after um Bonnie if *** your best bet is to book a few days away cuz no one will give you much help in terms of weather anything flighting off or not if your looking to just travel up for a morning flight least with a few days away it gives you a chance to see what's about. Hope you get some luck in quest for um.

It was a good bird mark, he's not lying with that one. One he will remember for a while.

Canada or grey nic. Not had a decent crack at um me self yet they seem to be a bit hit and miss one day a fair few come out the next hardly a thing. The duck ain't been no better either or not when I've been out any way. Cheers Shaun

The most widgeon I've seen on the upper Severn this early for some years. A week before the season the wetlands trust had a count of 100 in. Putting one in the bag aint an easy task at the mo. I thought the fact there's a lack of water about the country was the reason to why we got a few early birds in hear as last season there was a fair bit of flood water about but the widgeon were scarce.

When I first looked at the 2nd and 3rd pic I thought ne negoose but on looking again it looks to big for a ne ne goose. i got a pair in a collection and there no where near the size of a Canada. *** a ne ne Canada hybrid

Been looking a fair bit on there but a lot of what comes up seems to be places in the high end price wise. Not that I expect to pay cheep just when every I enquire to these sorts of places they don't seem all that keen. Mind I can understand why when you hear of some of the stories.

Just after info for accommodation around the comartray forth area. Every year I make several trips along with the old man to the solway for the geese (before anyone asks I do use a pogo stick but we are NOT the sort that blast away at anything have always been very respectfully of our quarry) However this year me and my wife are expecting are second child end December start of January :-) so this year to make it easy I've decided to make the trip north early. Anyone no of some accomodation ideally self catering either cottage or static caravan that don't mind we'll behaved fowlers in and a round the comartray forth area any info greatly appreciated cheers Shaun

As reabrook said stay safe kev hope the sport is good when you get back.

It shocked me when I seen um all buzzin around. I don't no much about um I just presume because it was cold to start with they were docile then as the morning warmed up they became a lot more active.

With work being light for the first week of the season me the old man and younger broth decided to get a couple of early visits in and try and bag a early goose.The first two trips showed great promise a gadwall and mallard on the first and a brace of mallard on the second visit. This morning was going to be the last chance for a week or two with the frampton fair tomorrow and a busy couple of weeks with work a head. Goose numbers have tailed off a little over the course of the week so wasn't expecting to much when pulling up this morning but still it's great to be out. After a couple of cups of tea morning started to break and the first bunched of duck buzzed over just visible in the pale light, a few moments later a teal came screaming through the first shot missed cleanly but the second stopped it dead at a good 50 yards, more than happy with the shot and subsequent retrieve I wasn't bothered if I got another shot or not. Not to much more showed with only a few small skeins of greys heading out to the stubble and the odd bunch of widgeon winging around the reed pools the other side of the ditch. 9:00 came and the sun was getting up making another warm morning, so much so I took me jumper off then packed up and waited for dad to walk up. With everything packed up I hoped up on top of the bank picked the gun case up when with no warning BANG!!! just under the right shoulder it felt like a dagger had been drove in my back, hearing the buzzing sound I new I had just copped a left hook off a wasp, thinking it was under my tee shirt I pulled it away from my back, by this time the old man and younger brother were doing all they could not to laugh. As I was waiting for the second blow dad came over said its on your top with that he flicked it of only for the little **** to come back and try finish me off, after a second time being flicked off he gave up, the old man by now couldn't help but laugh he said it was a good job I pulled the top away from my back because it was doing all it could to drive his *** end into me back. I turned round to pick me gun and bag up and right where I had been stood all morning was a bloody gert wasps nest. So any lads on here from the Gloucester if your going to frampton and thinking of getting on the 100 yard marker forget your wetlands camo, you best don a bee keepers suit and take a big jug of that white smoke they puff bout cus theym as big as blood dragon flies and as vicious as a **** house rat. Cheers

Top man, great read and cracking pic.

Well done mate. One of the hardest shoots to take teal coming in at evening flight

16 geese and 17 duck how about a we do a swapsy. 7 duck and 1 goose for me and that's going out every week.

I no that feeling well mpk. She seems to time it well wakes up two and half hours before the alarm, screams for about an hour get her off to sleep and think sound a bit of kip before I get up, next thing I no it's light outside and other missed flight.

Depends where your to/planning to go generally speaking in England a lot of the shore is taken up either by a club or some conservation group as for the privately owned marshes unless your Donald trump forget it. There are a few places like lindisfarne that are permitted and you can buy a permit the basc have a wildfowling booklet that you can get for free this gives you info on places like lindisfarne and other clubs that offer day tickets but most basc affiliated clubs do day tickets/taster flights. If its Scotland a lot of the shore is free shooting but there are restrictions on certain parts. Where ever it is you would like to go try and get some one to take you out that knows the marsh as most people that shoot the marsh no it can be a hazardous place with tides and weather. A bit more info on where your to or planning to go would be handie mate. Cheers Shaun

Is that on fenland w.a ground or fenland area muncher. I'm a member of fenland w.a been up a few times this season but ain't shot anything haven't seen the geese there these last two seasons like I did in previous years

A few clubs still get the odd few turn up but due to short stopping the amount that turn now is only a fraction of what use to turn up in the late 80s early 90s. I believe I read that last season just over 2000 migrated to the uk not 100% sure on the number but was something like that. I know the Severn used to be a strong with 8 to 10 thousand turning up some years now your lucky if you get 400 turn up last count I seen for Slimbridge wwt was about 75 but that was a few weeks ago. The east cost of England still get a few turn up but i think that it's mostly the Greenland race where as here on the Severn it's mainly the European race. One of the reasons it makes it so special to shoot one is the fact it's very rear to get under them unless you got access to a pretty special marsh.

I'll get in touch with him. Not the best photo I've had taken, I did tell the old man he should of taken one of my handsome side lol.

Cheers all for the reply. Funny how in those 5mins gone from being my worse season to being the best. It's the first time I've heard them and seen them this season don't think there are to many in from the last count I seen. Judging by where they were they have been feeding out by Frampton side of the trust so fingers cross someone else will get a crack at them before then end of season

Well seeing as last night was looking like the last real chance of a flight under the moon me, dad and younger brother decided we'd give it ago, especially as we're away for the January moon it was the last chance we'd get to do a moon flight on frampton on Severn. With the moon due to rise about 9 we arrived at the marsh for 8:30 giving plenty of time to set up. After a quick chat and loading up with kit we all set off for our chosen spots, dad chose to head for the ditch taking up position just up from the river it's self, with me and younger brother heading for the splashes. By the time we arrived at our chosen spot the moon had started to rise above the village and cast a dull light out across the marsh. There wasn't much in the way of cloud and the stars were twinkling so I knew that until the cloud that was forecast arrived the shooting would be difficult. Not long after we set the decoys and retreated back the the waters edge teal started to move and wigeon could be heard out on the river, all remained unseen against the inky black sky, apart from the odd bird that would cross the glare of the moon for a split second. After about an hour and several cups of tea from the all important flask ( more important than the gun it's self on some flights ) a bunch of about 15 wigeon crossed the decoys and disappeared into the night, a quick whistle and a few seconds later the bunched appeared about 45 yards out, I had time for one shot, so I had to make it count. Lucky I had my eye in and a squeeze of the trigger had one bird tumbling into the splash, dog was out like a rocket and back just as quick with a plump little hen wigeon, it's been a bit of a lean season so far and judging by the wagging of the tail the dog enjoyed the shot more than me. I had just put the wigeon in the bag and poured a swigg of tea when I heard the sound I'd been hoping to hear all season and the main reason for going down, Whitefronts, judging by calls they weren't that far into the trust so fingers crossed the might put in an appearance. For a little while it was all pretty active with Greys, Canada's and the odd Whitefront calling out, pintail could also be heard from time to time but not a lot really moving, which surprised me a little as the weather been fairly rough over this last moon and this was the first night the wind had dropped and no rain was forecast. Well for the next two hours all went dead no geese calling no, wigeon wistling and no teal zipping through. About 1am dad had made his way over from the ditch, he to had heard a fair bit early on but had seen very little, although while walking over a greylag did fly the sea wall about 100 yards away and one little lot of Canada's had crept in onto the splash but to far down to get a crack at. After a quick chat about what we heard where we heard it and would anything else move, we decided to have one quick swigg of tea and knock it in the head. With decoys in the bag, guns in the slips we were just about to set off when dad gave the shout of Whitefronts, this time though they were on the move. With panick setting in we had just managed to drop the bags and get the guns out when this time we all heard them, and by now they had crossed the ditch and were some where out in front. Fumbling for some shells I had managed the get one in the barrel when the younger brother panick strickend, cried, there out in front and coming straight at us. This is it I thought, this has been 8 years of countless hours spent under the moon waiting for them with no reward, I had just enough time to get one more shell in and then I clocked um, a pair, well up getting on for maximum range. One of them headed to my left hand side I new he was heading for dad so left it but the other held his line and came plumb over top, not wanting to miss I tried to steady the nerves, follow the line and get well out in front. With what I thought was the correct amount of leed I squeezed the trigger. 42 grams of BBB steel propelled by ally 381 out of the trusty old browning 10g were on there way to the intended target. They connected, wings folded and heading for a crash landing with the water, the goose was dead in the air. For what seemed an age I watched the goose fall, the dog was already half way out to the retrieve by the time the goose crashed down. Goose back to hand and still shaking with excitement I stood and admired what has been the reason for so many fruitless nights under the moon, it was the holy bird, it was my first Whitefront. At 1:40 am the 1st January 2013. A flight I'll never forgot and a feeling I haven't felt for a little while now the excitement of a first goose. The only choker was unfortunately me dad missed, I felt gutted for him as you don't very often see um let alone get a crack at um. I now feel a great sense of privalige as there's plenty of members in the club who have been in a lot longer than me and haven't managed to bag one yet or even get a shot at um for that matter. For what ever reason Lady Luck was one my side last night, and if I don't get a shot now for the rest of the season I care not one bit. As soon as I've figured out how to post pics on hear ill put them up. There not the best as I only had me mobile on me, but a picture to cherish never the less Happy new year from one happy fowler. Shaun