Scruffydog

Assuming the following: 1) They're Canadas; 2) There's a lot of them; 3) You'll be shooting at ranges more than a few metres; and 4) You're not used to using an air rifle on such a large bird. My two penn'th I'd go with the Hushpower .410, full-choke, heaviest load you can buy and aim at the head.

Marsh man, I can only hope to be as active as you in another 10 years. As it stands, all of my shooting gear seems to shrink in the wardrobe every year, so I'll probably be waddling like a duck out of water by then. As for starting the season later and later, I don't think that's necessarily an age thing. I think we've all noticed that the seasons seem to be getting later every year now, anyway. I remember a time (less than 10 years ago) when a hot, sunny September was something to remark on. Now it seems to be the norm. It just doesn't feel right to go for a flight on the foreshore when it's sunny enough to get a tan!

Having now reached my 60s I'm in total agreement with the previous. "Magical" is the word! Sometimes you just have to sit there and marvel at the view. They do taste good, but sometimes I'm just not in the mood.

PM sent

Apologies beforehand if I missed this, but how old is he?

PM sent

4,000! Are they sure its Avian Flu? I'm not religious but, what with this, COVID, floods, wildfires etc, the phrase "...end of days..." comes to mind. Merde!

Money sent.

PM sent

Jealous as hell! Here's wishing you many years of enjoyment. From someone who carries his loading "room" in an old tool chest.

PM'd

I agree with most of the previous replies. Given the choice between being castrated now or running the (very low) risk of developing testicular cancer in later life, what would YOU choose? If there's nothing wrong with him t present (either physically or behaviourally) then why do it? I've only ever castrated one of my previous dogs - a rescue Weimeraner that was extremely aggressive to other dogs - he remained aggressive after castration and only really ever relaxed with other dogs after the age of about 8. My present dog is an intact male GSP, he's as soft as butter with other dogs (even other intact males) but he can be a might "headstrong" at times. I have no idea whether his stubbornness is a trait of that breed (as I've been told by people with more experience of GSPs) or a result of his active hormones. As it's not a big problem for me, I'm going to leave him intact and plan to spend many happy hours flushing fur and feather and a few hours getting frustrated with him each month. Like most dogs!

+1 👍

I agree, nice looking gun. Is it chambered for 2.75 or 2.5 inches? Cheers

PM sent

Nope. But judging from the sounds coming from the back of the car he's a dab hand at playing the oboe

So we're all (roughly) in agreement then. Not a pretty sight and could have been dealt with better. AND CERTAINLY NOT SOMETHING THAT DESERVES BEING IMMORTALISED ON VIDEO. and BTW, Supergoose75 you cheeky ****** ( ) I forgot that some of you older gentlemen shoot with the overgrown puppy that is the labrador and maybe not so familiar with proper dogs (only kidding ) When I go out with Jed, my GSP, he tends to take care of any wounded game (up to the larger sizes) quickly and humanely - if that's the correct word in these circumstances - before retrieving them. He's always done this, but I don't know whether this is normal for this breed (perhaps Tony R could shed some light on this) I didn't train him to do it and I suspect it's probably laziness on his part as it's easier to carry back a floppy "toy" than one that's still flapping. Or maybe he's a zombie dog and just likes the taste of brains.

For ***** sake! Just when we're getting a lot of people wanting guidance on how to start wildfowling nonsense like this is being released. It's a privilege we have in this country to be able to pit our wits against, and hunt, wild geese and so we have an obligation to give them a good swift death when we're successful. Where was his ******* dog? A dog would have taken care of the goose far better than he (or any of us) could have done alone. 1. He should not have taken that shot without having a dog. 2. If he didn't want to "waste" another cartridge on it, he should have at least picked it up and rung its neck quickly and cleanly. I regularly shoot without a dog but, because of that, I only take very short shots at geese. This means a) I don't get many shots in (no great loss in wildfowling IMHO), b) when I do take a shot it is nearly always a clean kill and c) if it is not a clean kill, then I still have time to make a follow-up shot. For ***** sake! This is just common sense!

Very VERY interested

+1 on all that Tony R has said. My old feller (Jed) is one of the best rough shooting dogs I've known but he just won't learn to swim. Got him before I took up wildfowling, so never taken him out with me. He's too used to flushing to be any good and he's not got the patience to sit still (my fault, not his, he was originally a hawking dog so he's always been encouraged to flush). Although they have short hair, it's a very thick and waterproof coat. With a neoprene jacket, the cold shouldn't be too much of a problem. Jed can work all day in horizontal sleet and his skin will stay relatively dry. The main problem I think would be temperament. They're active dogs and enjoy the "H" part of HPR too much to sit still for long periods. The bitches are supposed to be calmer, but I've always had dogs (can be willful little ******* at times) Wouldn't swap him for the world though.

Good to hear from another newbie (This will be my third season) who seems to enjoy all the "incidentals" of wildfowling as much as I do. I remember going on a reccy in my first season and being just as excited at seeing an otter scrambling about at low tide as (eventually) bagging my first bird. This pastime needs more like you! Good luck with the coming season(s).

I used to use the sealskins on long motorcycle tours and I'd recommend them for keeping your feet dry (I once used them as makeshift wellingtons in NordKapp - the North of Norway) but I didn't notice them being any warmer than other thick socks, if those other socks were dry. Have you tried buying a pair of boots two sizes too big and then flexing your toes inside them to keep the circulation going? The boots I have for my waders are two sizes too big for me (not by choice) and this gives me a good layer of trapped warm air between my feet and the inside of the boots as well as plenty of room to flex my toes when I'm hunkered down in the mud. Works for me, but then one of the reasons the wife decided to marry me was because my feet don't get cold :-)

+1 for the gamebore (preferably in 3" size 3) For me, however, the biggest problem is getting whatever shot size I choose close enough to the bird to drop it. Unfortunately, there's nothing I can buy that will help me with that particular problem :-) Good luck!

I'll be there for the AM and probably the tide if I'm not too tired (I'm travelling up from Leeds) I'm not expecting much either, I'm just happy to be there for the 1st. I tried texting Colin, but no reply. Is he still around? Will you be there? Are you hoping to try out the new Maxus?

+1 on the 1/2/modified "standard" choke. However: I have a Winny SX3, which is supposed to be very similar, and this patterns mammoth 42g 3.5 inchers much better with an aftermarket choke (Kicks High Flyer Modified) As a side question: My Remmy 11-87 came with a "standard" choke which is marked as "Full Steel or Lead" As its one of the newer 11-87s with a 3 inch chamber, do I dare shoot high speed ( gamebore) 3 inch No3 shot through it? All the best for the 1st,