Big Mat Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 Know the feeling very well, think it's called S ods Law, the only difference being when I get half a chance I find someone has put a bend in my barrels I appear to be suffering much of the same problem at the moment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
otherwayup Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 Always glad to read of other peoples fowling trips but getting a little tired of looking at pictures of piles of dead ducks. In our first season as 'Wildfowlers' and after four trips out, we're doing too good a job of not taking photos of dead ducks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOLLSEYES Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 Just thought I'd share a picture from this morning... It was a nice sight! Looks like end of the Hoolpool Gutter to me.Am i right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildfowler12 Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 Looks like end of the Hoolpool Gutter to me.Am i right? You are indeed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildfowler Posted November 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2012 Not quite as spectacular as wildfowler12's picture but this is pone from after a trip out Sunday morning. Someone had been out Saturday and clearly had a lot of shots as the birds were VERY skittish. Between 2 of us we had 4 shots. I dropped a widgeon that landed in a creek 70-80 yards out, which by the time the dog had swam out too, had cleared off... A shame but i nice morning none the less... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandalf Posted November 14, 2012 Report Share Posted November 14, 2012 Where? Or is that still classified information? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver pigeon 3 Posted November 14, 2012 Report Share Posted November 14, 2012 was out this morning on a big tide, had 2 spots in mind. Walked out past the first and it sounded like most of the mallard from the river had chosen the same spot . Got sat down and waited, a little while before first light they started to move most of them straight over me, but it was to dark to pick them out i just had to sit there and listen to duck after duck go over unseen. The dog was seeing them as he would track them and look at me to say go on then, as it got light enogh to see the flight stopped, a few carried on moving but all way out of shot. The only bird i raised a gun at was a single Canada goose that crossed over a good 45 yards out, i didn't take the shot as the river was in full flood by now and if i had dropped it the dog would have really struggled to get on it and it would have been to dodgy for him to bring it back. A nice flight none the less, i was the only one out so sat at work now i feel at one with the world, for the minute anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samyw Posted November 14, 2012 Report Share Posted November 14, 2012 Sorry for offending, I thought I was posting in the wildfowling section, Struggling to see how 11 foreshore duck between two fowlers is so problematic. Yours was an excellent bag and pic as u say this is the wildfowling section keep the pics comeing mate why should we not show pictures of our bags of what we shoot ,it's all do within the law ,so we should hide NOTHING ! They h ave the problem not us . We all work hard to get our fowl ,so lets not get into a habit of hiding anything . We should all stand together . End off . Agree mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaniel Posted November 14, 2012 Report Share Posted November 14, 2012 was out this morning on a big tide, had 2 spots in mind. Walked out past the first and it sounded like most of the mallard from the river had chosen the same spot . Got sat down and waited, a little while before first light they started to move most of them straight over me, but it was to dark to pick them out i just had to sit there and listen to duck after duck go over unseen. The dog was seeing them as he would track them and look at me to say go on then, as it got light enogh to see the flight stopped, a few carried on moving but all way out of shot. The only bird i raised a gun at was a single Canada goose that crossed over a good 45 yards out, i didn't take the shot as the river was in full flood by now and if i had dropped it the dog would have really struggled to get on it and it would have been to dodgy for him to bring it back. A nice flight none the less, i was the only one out so sat at work now i feel at one with the world, for the minute anyway well done mate, seems you had a good flight with plenty of activity guy on a taster flight bagged a shoveler last night, and Dave who took him out had 3 ducks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver pigeon 3 Posted November 15, 2012 Report Share Posted November 15, 2012 well done mate, seems you had a good flight with plenty of activity guy on a taster flight bagged a shoveler last night, and Dave who took him out had 3 ducks, Top stuff, where was that from mate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaniel Posted November 15, 2012 Report Share Posted November 15, 2012 im not sure if it was frampton to be honest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry P Posted November 16, 2012 Report Share Posted November 16, 2012 Went for a flight this morning, the promised wind never arrived but it was'nt to bad as it allowed me to hear the marsh in all its glory. I even managed to drag a couple of duck down, giving Mac a chance to do his stuff. Full of the joys of such a lovely morning I decided to try and get a photo that would please all. So heres Mac lying by a brace of wigeon as the sunrises over the Snowdonia mountains. Bliss I was so happy I took another one of the sunrise from behind Snowden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harrycatcat1 Posted November 16, 2012 Report Share Posted November 16, 2012 I think the first picture tells a thousand words, well done Terry and thanks for sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildfowler12 Posted November 16, 2012 Report Share Posted November 16, 2012 Great pics mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldway Posted November 16, 2012 Report Share Posted November 16, 2012 I've been lucky in the last couple of morning flights manage to get 5 pinks yesterday and 1 this morning ,how do i post a picture ? martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harrycatcat1 Posted November 17, 2012 Report Share Posted November 17, 2012 I've been lucky in the last couple of morning flights manage to get 5 pinks yesterday and 1 this morning ,how do i post a picture ? martin Well done mate Have a look here http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/70010-how-to-post-pictures/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldway Posted November 18, 2012 Report Share Posted November 18, 2012 (edited) lets try this martin Edited November 18, 2012 by oldway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandalf Posted November 18, 2012 Report Share Posted November 18, 2012 (edited) Went to neighbours pheasant shoot yesterday. 62 head with nine guns. A good day out and I shot 5 for 10 shots so was on top of the world. This morning it was off to the marsh. Got hide set up and found small bunches of greys were coming through about 50 - 60 yards to my left. Had 4 shots at the 'wingmen' as they passed at about 35 yards but nothing came down. Took a deep breath and moved the hide - usualy the wrong thing to do as we all know. Long wait before the next lot came. Same flight line, still to my left, but much closer. Three more shots before one came down. That one landed in the dike and had to have another shot so Merlyn could catch it. Then I had two more shots right over my head for nothing... Usual gun, usual heavyshot cartridges, sitting in a hide on a shooting stick. (Stood up on flat mud to take the shots). So yesterday shot at 2 to 1 and today, when it mattered most, 10 to 1! No photographs of this fiasco... But it was a fantastic sunrise and a hanser came and landed right by the hide so still enjoyable - I think. Edited November 18, 2012 by Grandalf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildfowler Posted November 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2012 I had a very similar flight on Saturday. The morning was misty to start with, which gradually turned into drizzle, as the tide was out I walked across a large creek onto an island and right across it to the other side to sit on the main estuary. I normally rig my decoys so that they can be attached to individual weights or clip them onto a long line. If i'm walking a long way i normally take 5 or 6 on individual weights so i don't have to carry lots but i have managed to loose a few weights over the past couple of months and haven't got round to replacing them so i had to take the entire set up or nothing at all... Wow, i realised how heavy it is once i had carried it a mile or so over really tough terrain! I sat in the mouth of a small gully which meets the main channel. I normally let the dogs sit on top of the marsh but the past couple of trips out the birds have been a lot more wary, so i decided to get the dogs down into the mouth of the gully too. As my younger lab is still learning the ropes i keep her on a lead still so she cant run in, but unfortunately that doesn't stop her whining with excitement. Anyway, it was worth putting the rig out, i had multiple opportunities but managed to cock up pretty much every one! I shot like a complete spanner! I left with one drake teal for far too many shots! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Croc Posted November 20, 2012 Report Share Posted November 20, 2012 Welcome to my world Wildfowler , I usually manage to do the same, bag of Deeks, waaaaay to heavy, blow my chances with naff shooting, but still look forward to my next trip out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anser2 Posted November 21, 2012 Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 (edited) It is possible to reduce the weight of your decoy rig. First use breakaway sea anglers leads , these can hold the bottom in a fast tide at a much lower weight as the spikes anchor the lead. Secondly use decoys with hollow keels. These work fine as long as the water is not too rough. Also if you can find it use the same type of line as kids use for crab lines. Its a job to find these days , but as long as you use the thicker stuff it is not easy to tangle and being thinner than most decoy lines does not drag in the tide so much so again a lighter weight can be used. I am a great belever using the decoys to match the species you expect to shoot , but if weight is a problem use mainly teal decoys with a few wigeon decoys scattered in the pattern. This will also help save weight. If the cost of buying several new teal decoys is a but daunting , have a look around your local cheap pound type stores. I picked up 10 teal and 10 mallard ( which were a bit small for mallard , but with a repaint job made ideal wigeon decoys ) meant for garden ponds for £20.00 . Ok they needed a bit of a repaint and will only last a few years , but at £1 each you cant realy complain. You will find the cheap decoys are prone to splitting along the seams after 3-4 years of use. And while it increases their weight it will prolong their life if you fill them with industrial foam. You can get this from a hardware store and just drill a hole in the decoy back and squirt the foam in to the decoy. The foam comes in an airosol tin. Edited November 21, 2012 by anser2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildfowler Posted November 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 The rig you just described is virtually exactly the rig I normally use if I have to walk a long way, but to retrieve more than 6 or so decoys becomes a pain, especially in mid winter, it's not fair to send the dog for that many. So to enable me to increase the size of my pattern without retrieval issues I use a long line rig. I use the same set of decoys with a length I line ranging from 1 to 3 foot long attached to some heavy duty sea fishing clips, I can then clip these to stainless steel rings on the long line or if I want to use them as singles I clip them onto a loop on the end of the 'crab line' type string which is subsequently attached to the hooked weight. As the tide is very strong in the main estuary I use a small grapnel type dinghy anchor which is just about right to hold them in place. I too found pound land and alike a good source for cheap decoys! Like you say, they aren't brilliant but on the foreshore in half light they work a charm! :-) I did have to weight the base of a couple as if they landed upside down they were not heavy enough to right themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poontang Posted November 21, 2012 Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 You will find the cheap decoys are prone to splitting along the seams after 3-4 years of use. And while it increases their weight it will prolong their life if you fill them with industrial foam. You can get this from a hardware store and just drill a hole in the decoy back and squirt the foam in to the decoy. The foam comes in an airosol tin. Yep, I did that after shooting one of mine. Just remember to take it easy on the foam!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harrycatcat1 Posted November 21, 2012 Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 Yep, I did that after shooting one of mine. Just remember to take it easy on the foam!! I am sorry mate but this did make me laugh, I can never control that flippin stuff it always catches me out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Croc Posted November 21, 2012 Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 For the "Crab Line" go to any DIY shop that stocks Black Forge tools and look for the Builders line. 200 odd metres of line £1.50 Works a treat Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.