bobshooting

Thank you, very well worth watching.

So far on the North Norfolk coast I've had, in 5 trips, 1,4,1,0,1. That's a about normal, looking at my records, however I think that there are indeed fewer ducks about, it's just that I've been, through luck, not skill, in the right place.

There's a few around north norfolk. Never seen any on the salt marsh, but have just inland of it.

Went there last Saturday, 3 of us, we thought it as good as ever. We travelled there from Kings Lynn. Was well worth the journey, but watch out on the A17, speed cameras. Recommended.

My club bans comments unless previously approved. I think that is quite common.

Very interesting, more like this please

Morning flight on the North Norfolk coast, 3 mallard, my best start to the season for a long time. There weren't many birds about, I was just lucky that what few there were came my way. Saw only mallard, no other kind of duck, 1 small bunch of greylag seen on the farmland as I was walking off. The rain stopped as I got out of the car and started again as I got back in. I think I have used up the whole seasons luck on the first day.

I've had one for years, I usually fire 36gm steel, never had any problems with it. In all honesty it has never failed me whatever I use, 28gm lead at clays, 32gm lead at pigeons,42gm steel when I can get them, well afford them, it will recycle and fire until your shoulder falls apart. I will say that I never use more than half choke, but that's more a lack of faith in my abilities to work out the lead at longer birds, rather than a lack of faith in the gun.

I was able to go Wildfowling twice this week, today at Thornham, but on Monday a Marsh entirely new to me at Burnham Deepdale some 5 miles to the East, shooting on a Guest Ticket. It felt strange to be on an unknown salt-marsh again, I've shot all the marshes around the Wash in my time, from Boston to Heacham, but haven't shot a 'new to me' marsh in 20 + years. I have to say it was brilliant. I've been lucky this year and have yet to have a blank day,( I've had hundreds in my time of course), my word there's a lot of duck about. Once again I can claim small credit for the 5 duck bag, my mate, the member there, chose the spot and did all the calling, it only remained for me to hold the gun straight. He shot better than I managed, particularly his first shot at Teal going like rockets in the half-light of Dawn was both successful and wondrous. Stuff me I thought, you're going to have to do better than your usual **** shooting this morning, or look like a twit. The best part of the day was watching him working his dog at distance on a blind retrieve, a lot of skilful training on his part making a difficult job seem simple. Now all I have to do is tell the wife I'm going beating on Saturday, which will make my third day of shooting activities this week......wish me luck please.

Another trip to the North Norfolk salt-marshes today, my first in two weeks.My wife had reached the ragged edge of her tolerance, what with wildfowling, clays and beating. This week I'm wildfowling today, beating Thursday and Saturday and clays on Sunday, doesn't seem too much to me, she, quite unreasonably in my opinion, disagrees. I had the entire marsh to myself, again, I never heard another shot fired and as it was a still morning I'd have heard one from a long way away. There were lots of duck about, I was in one of my favourite places, but if you had been anywhere on my marsh this morning you would've got some shooting. I can't claim much skill in getting under the birds, in truth, you could've stood on the sea-wall and had a reasonable flight. The bird-watchers wandering up and down the bank wouldn't have liked that very much however. I came away with 4 teal and a Mallard, my best trip so far this year as far as bag size is concerned. Any questions as to the number of cartridges expended to reach this exalted figure will be met by embarrassed silence. Also I saw some Pinks, at long last, I watched them through my glasses fly from beyond Brancaster up to Holme, where they finally left the sands and turned inland over the Reserve out that way and I lost sight of them. That and the 4 Swans, 2 adults, 2 first year birds, still with grey feather patches flying low and slow very close by me was, perhaps, the best part of the day.

I went beating last Friday near Brancaster, on the North Norfolk Coast and was so impressed as usual by the cocker spaniels, it reminded me what cracking dogs they are. I want one, but my shooting is mostly on the salt-marsh, from choice, I love it, so always thought the idea fraught with problems and that I needed the dual purpose Lab that I currently run. Would it be fair to take a cocker down the Marsh? Fair on him I mean, it's a rough old place sometimes and he would have to be still most of the time as you'll know. Anyone out there have any experience of doing so, or seeing it done?

Anser2", excellent description of wildfowling on the North Norfolk salt marshes. Rewarding no matter what the bag, although it's nice to get one now and then. I was out on Monday, morning flight, had the marsh to myself again,I 've been 4 times so far and on 3 of those occasions there's been no one else out shooting. There are still a lot of Mallard about, but with no wind, AGAIN, they were high, AGAIN. However, this time I had a devious plan, 6 Mallard Decoys, the first time I've used them this year. I've got 14 Mallard decoys, but I never take more than 6, anyone got an idea as to why I bought the other 8 then, because I haven't? One pair came into them and I got them both, took 3 shots mind and they were hovering over the creek.....feet down..... I got over-excited, sigh. My dog picked one up, ran with it to the other, dropped it and then stood there looking at them. It must have been in shock at there being 2 birds down at any one time to my gun. Thankfully they were both dead, because, despite being brilliantly trained by my good self, (yeah, right), it was a while before he would move. Has anyone noticed that using bad language on a recalcitrant canine is of no use whatsoever? This is the same dog, by the way, who is baffled by a duck that goes underwater to escape. Totally surprised, every-time. Every other Mallard, lots as I said, ignored the decoys, you can't make them go where they don't want to go I guess. Also got my first Widgeon of the year, nothing to do with the decoys, I just happened to be between where he started and where he wanted to finish up. His journey didn't work out quite as he had envisaged. Still haven't seen or heard a pink.

All I've seen are the Greylags you mention, wonderful birds, but nothing beats the Pinks.

I couldn't agree more, it doesn't seem fair that anyone should be able to make that much trouble anonymously.. I've heard since, rumours only, that the person or persons anonymous had parked illegally overnight in their Caravanette type van, so the only ones being naughty there were them, but I get talked to by the police!!! If you own a gun in this fair land of ours, you're on a hiding to nothing.

Went out onto the North Norfolk Coast again yesterday morning, loads of Mallard about, never seen so many, but it was a still, windless morning and they all flew from the reserve onto a marsh covered by a 25foot odd tide at high altitude until they got to a place the tide denied me and dived straight in without any hesitation. I count myself very lucky to have got one. I would like to say that it was a superb shot, taken at maximum range and a joy to behold, however, it was from the one bunch that flew lower and I got the bird behind the bird I fired at. Not the first time that's happened to me. Not that anyone was there to behold it, I had the entire acreage to myself. It came down, but was by no means ready to surrender; I'm now on my fifth wildfowling dog, 1 spaniel, 4 Labs and none of them have known what to do when a wounded duck dives, they just look baffled, every time. More my fault than theirs I'm sure.