Charlie R

A goose all in my hands. It is probably the best invention known to man to hlp with conservation. Just can't get with it. However a duck I'm ok with.

Great photos.

I managed to get 6 Canada geese a couple weeks back.carry them, the gun, and decoys was a struggle but worth it. Did a recce the day before work out where they were feeding, next morning lied in wait under a net in the middle of the field and in they came. Like you I stopped well before the flight had ended as the freezer is only so big. Roll on the 10th when I will up to scotland to do some proper fowling. I can almost smell the mud from here.

Last season we were using 42g "1" for geese and 36g "3" for duck both game bore. At the right range both will do the job and you don't require a mortgage to pay for some shells.

Old school values or knowing the range of your gun / cartridge? Anyone shooting sky high because they travelled that far doesn't Deserve to call themselves a wild fowler. This season I have used #1 mammoth steel and The results were disappointing. Next year I intend to use bb in steel as I would rather miss by miles pattern etc than maim. I think if everyone approached the sport on the basis that every move was on camera there would be less sky busting. While I understand no one wants go home with n empty gmr bag surely if he result is that outs wait rose us an easier option?

This season both jackets I took up to Scotland leaked like a sieve. A pro logic max 4 jacket ok but in a downpour very damp. I am buying 2 new ones from decathlon which look good but then the foreshore is a unforgiving place. Why buy 2 jackets? Simply having travelled 500+ miles to get there I like to have a spare gun, set of waders, game bag, coat etc etc.

I can recommend Ron Thompson nylon chest waders. I do not recommend any waders supplied lidll as despite costing a tenner they were shocking.

My season lasts exactly one week and this year has been the best yet. The numbers of geese and duck up on the northern firths is probably greater now than when I headed north but that's part of the magic of wild fowling, ie not knowing how its all going to unfold.One of my favourite days was the first monday flight when after bagging a goose we then tucked ourselves into the holes on a point now named englishmens peril and waited for the widgeon to flight over with the incoming tide. As the southerlies blew the duck got lower and proved challenging upwind and practically impossible downwind. As with many to claim you hit the one you picked out was always more chance than design. Having no dog retreving your own ducks in the spray was also fun ehich meant you reallly picked which ones you went for. Overall it was a bloody good trip and with some excellent tips passed on by Lindsay I have now discovered some new areas to explore. As with each season it's not necessarily the size of the bag but more the company one keeps. I still chuckle at myself having watched my mate go over his waders in a creek only for me to repeat the same error with perhaps a little more style than he. As always my good friend kelvin was on hand to keep us southerners in order although I thought the offer of water wings was taking the joke a little too far. The fact he can call geese from the heavens and knows the places to lurk makes him irreplaceable. I can learn more from him in one flight than days floundering on my own. For those who are yet to experience getting up at 5am to march out into the dark to watch the sunrise and hopefully get a shot or too I wish you all straight powder.

6 days to go , think im ready but then I've been getting the gear sorted for the last month not like some let's pack in one day johnny come lately fellas

Nice write up and great photos. Counting the days until I am up in Scotland.

Bored of shooting? Not likely for me. The fact I only get 5 days fowling a year means every trip is cherished and looked forward to. Like most I drifted away after university and spent time fishing but with the kids turning up, a few hours out with a shotgun was always a better bet for a release from the world than sat on the bank surrounded by tanglers . Since my return to shooting I have always kept a diary of ech and every trip and while some may find it boring I can recall days out like when my mate and I got stuck in the mud outside Dingwall. The fact he was wearing clown waders made of neoprene 2 sizes to big with felt soles is a lesson to all. Never assume that the guy you take out for the first time has got the right kit.

Went out tonight to see if i could get some duck off a pond on my permission and despite not having a dog managed one mallard. Got thoroughly soaked getting it back and one of my decoys decided to turn into a submarine. Roll on October and my annual trip north to get some proper fowling done.

Good write up in any case. At least you are successful. I spent a week in Scotland getting up before dawn to lie in the mud to wait for something that never flighted over. On the last day I got it right and ended with 3 teal in one shot. Did you use to shoot on willows farm or model farm?

Can't have been that nice for the fish either?

Teal but slow cooked greylag with chorizo was also very nice. Didn't have recipie it was a case of chuck everything and hope.

I have used a hatsan and a mossberg 935. I prefer the build quality of the mossberg but the downside is that it regularly gives me a headache from frequent use. Also the hatsan is easier to strip and clean. For reliability I would avoid the hatsan if your budget can afford it.

Not sure of the inland revenue definition of an employee but if you "work" for only one shoot then I can see your point but if you are turning adhoc then isn't this more akin to self employment in which case surely the costs of travel, clothing, cleaning etc can be deducted against any income. Personally still think the raffle ticket idea sounds plausible.

I've thought about this and if the keeper gives everyone a raffle ticket and then an envelope with a prize would this not circumvent the issue as its a prize draw. Everyone's a winner.

I used some debenture ones last season. They lasted a couple of days before the speakers packed up and I reverted to disposable ear plugs from selco. In the past I have used cheaper non slim versions and they are terrible. As you mount the gun the stock would clunk against the ear defender not ideal.

Could I ask what the 12g? I have a mossberg 935 which has a fairly chunky barrel, ie its backbored i believe so maybe more akin to a 10g. I will run some tests with it comparison to the hatsan and come back to you gentlemen.

I have two proper guns for wildfowling thanks so hopefully cost is not an issue, as with the posts on 12 g vs 10g unless you are shooting at range can't see the point of a 10 g. Why 1's over bb its my preferred choice of pellet count and pattern. BB vs 1's same price.

Ive never used aftermarket chokes and have stuck to 1/2 in the semi which seems to work well in either the hatsan or the mossberg. I try to take shots in less than 35 yards so I assuming that at that range a 42g 12 or a 46g 10 are going to perform fairly similar?

I take the view that if i have driven 565 miles to get there, spent hours on reconaisance, got up bloody early, got cold, got wet,and run the risk of drowning why would I turn up with a peashooter? I like the best kit I can afford and that comes in the form of 42g nos1's fired from a 3.5 inch chambered semi in you guess it 12g. While the applaud the concept of a 16 or 20 why bother when the 12 does the job. It's like the stories you hear of the top shot wiping guns eyes at the back with a 410 great for pheasants but geese I think they a bit more stopping and a whole load more respect.

Would recommend BBL top bloke for local knowledge and that provided you can hit something whilst knee deep in mud local knowledge is more than half the battle, roll on October for my annual trip north.

With the cost aside negated by home loading are the patterns that much better?