MUDDYONE

Along with all the obvious things i.e. gun, non-tox cartridges, waders, coat, decoys etc. I take out a gardeners kneeling pad to sit on. They are cheap, weigh almost nothing and take up very little room in your bag, but having your bum insulated from the freezing mud is priceless. Another little bonus for carrying one is that if you pack it on the side of your bag that rests against your body it helps stop all those pointy bits of your decoys poking into you. I can also endorse Guttersnipes tip about the extra clothes after having to sprint a hundred yards from my car to my front door in my underpants carrying my gun and towing a muddy spaniel on a cold December evening. I was living in Islington (North London) at the time, I'm so glad there were no mobile phones and youtube in those days.

Thanks to all who responded. It looks like my birdwatching acquaintance was right and there are not the numbers that there used to be, well at least in my neck of the woods. I suppose that with my visits to the marsh not as numerous as they used to be I shall just have to accept that I have probably shot my last one. I agree with Marsh Man, Fal and Misser, the drake is a magnificent bird. I remember shooting my first one out on the front of Tudor marsh. When my old dog brought it back covered in mud I took it down to the tides edge and washed the mud off and spent the rest of the flight admiring it.

Are pintail in decline? I was away for the weekend in Wiltshire and had a conversation that got me thinking about changes in the species that end up in the bag. The chap I was talking to is a game shooter and deer stalker and I was trying to convert him to the glory that is proper wildfowling (i.e. out on the mud). I had, as they say “partaken of ale” and was being somewhat dismissive of flight pond mallard compared to my favourite duck, high fast pintail over the saltings, when another chap who had been listening into our conversation joined in. He said that where he goes bird watching (apparently he is not a shooting man, but then I suppose no one is perfect) he had hardly seen any pintail. The interesting thing is that he was talking about the Medway estuary and the RSPB reserve on the Isle of Sheppey, an area I know quite well. From the mid-seventies to the mid-eighties I used to shoot there virtually every other day, sometimes going out in the punt and spending two or three days at a time on one of the islands. Although the main duck species that ended up in the bag were teal, widgeon and mallard I certainly remember having quite a number of pintail as well. Due to ill health and advancing old age I have not been on the marsh much in the last 3 or 4 seasons so I am a bit out of touch, things may have changed or maybe I am looking back with rose tinted glasses. I will ask some of the chaps that still shoot the area regularly if they have seen the numbers fall, but just out of curiosity I thought I would throw the question out to others as well.

Hi Stalkerboydy, yes that KWCA do seem a bit tight with their guest permits but not to worry I will be in Norfolk in September playing golf for a week and while I’m their I thought I might as well do some shooting. As you seem to be in the know can you please tell me if your club will let me have a few day tickets for your marsh? I think some of my group would also like to shoot too so can we get six day permits for six consecutive days and can you please let me know how much we will have to pay. We are all experienced clay pigeon and pheasant shooters and members of BASC so insurance is not a problem but if you can supply a guide as well that would be great.