The Wildfowling season 2012 - 2013

[Anth6568]

I woke at 5 am and got dressed, move off 20 min later to Beal Point. I moved to the point then crossed the water. Even though it was low tide at 5.14 am it was still up to my waist ! and no, I'm not a four foot tall before anyone asks!! Found my location in the mud channels and started to set up and get my bearings. I could hear the geese in the distance and the wind was around 35 mph and blowing from the east. The rain was coming down hard too!! As it got to around 7 am the geese started to lift, hundreds started to come over towards me and i managed to shoot 3 Pink foot that came in close enough. Due to the wind, they were blown up to 100 m away from me so i had to go in search of my bounty for the next 30 min.I was trying out my new River west Eider jkt today, glad i did as i was bone dry after that episode!! not like last year !

I moved back to the car and moved to Fenham-le-moor for the next move!! No before i stopped off for another Costa from the garage,...god bless Barbara!!!

 

More to follow!!

 

I decided to shoot the tide flight again as the weather was identical to yesterday. I moved into position at 1030 am and waited for the hide tide at 11.56 am. I shot my first around 11 am and it was a two wigeon to one shot, , well chuffed!! Then after that it was a steady stream totaling four wigeon, one teal and one pin tail to the front all left to right and one wigeon to the rear. All packed up by 1 pm but a lad on the Teal Point stayed for a while longer and he got a wigeon too. I never used the decoys again as i was content that the birds would flight past me due to the weather. The lad at the point did use around six.

 

I missed the evening flight as i was trying to sort how i was going to get home (Roads closed on the A1 due to floods). I stayed another night and then went for the morning goose flight again. No look this time as the wind was only 9 mph and the wind was blowing from the north!! The lad just set back on Beal point managed a Pink foot as they came over high. Most of the geese flew north and south with very little coming towards the Beal point. **** law!!

 

I know most people are intested in what you use etc so i used the following set up:

 

Browning Pheonix 12 b 3inch Mag

 

Extended Trulock IC Choke for Ducks

 

32g no 2 (3.8mm) Steel 1500ft/sec Home load for Duck

 

Extended Trulock IM Choke for Geese

 

46g BB ITM 1300 ft/sec Home load for Geese (Had a few left from last year) &

 

32g no 1 (4mm ) Steel 1500ft/sec Home load for Geese.

 

All patterned tested in the Spring and the Summer and all work well up to 50yards.

 

Any way had a great time and will have some very good memories before i depart for Afghan!!

Edited September 27, 2012 by Anth6568

[Terry P]

Thanks for the report, a very successful trip indeed

[Wildfowler]

Superb write up! Sounds like you had an awesome time!

Best of luck in Afghanistan! Keep your head down out there! :-)

[Reabrook]

Superb write up! Sounds like you had an awesome time!

Best of luck in Afghanistan! Keep your head down out there! :-)

 

Took the words out of my mouth. Stay safe

[harrycatcat1]

Took the words out of my mouth. Stay safe

 

+1

[scolopax]

Great account, looking forward to getting out for the first time since the start of season next week.

 

Your first pintail was a cock bird, either a juvenile or coming out of eclipse.

[Reabrook]

 

Your first pintail was a cock bird, either a juvenile or coming out of eclipse.

 

Looking at the picture I'd agree with that

[Wildfowler12]

I bagged 2 mallard tonight, there was plenty of duck about. I shot the hen passing and got a nice drake that decoyed perfectly my mate got a good pair too!

[Anth6568]

Great account, looking forward to getting out for the first time since the start of season next week.

 

Your first pintail was a cock bird, either a juvenile or coming out of eclipse.

 

Just looked at this in more detail, I totally agree. It was the color on the wings that finally confirmed it.

 

 

This is what they looked like, so both were males!!

 

 

My mistake, i have changed my story to suit.

 

You learn something every day!!

[Anth6568]

Thanks for the report, a very successful trip indeed

 

I hope it goes well for you too.

[Anth6568]

Superb write up! Sounds like you had an awesome time!

Best of luck in Afghanistan! Keep your head down out there! :-)

 

Thanks and i will, I'm looking forward to you finishing your project (Punt Gun)

 

Took the words out of my mouth. Stay safe

 

Thanks mate

[Grandalf]

Anth 6568.

Excellent write up of a very well planned fowling trip.

Stay low in Afghan.

What unit?

[DOLLSEYES]

Moved to Sporting Pictures.

Edited September 28, 2012 by DOLLSEYES

[Wildfowler12]

Went out for a couple of hours tonight, there wasn't any cloud so I called it a day not too long after evening flight. I had 2 shots, and managed a nice left + right gadwall. That takes my total to 10 birds now (7 mallard, 3 gadwall). Can't wait for the wigeon to arrive

[silver pigeon 3]

Was out tonight, didn't see much but heard quite a few Wigeon when it was dark. Shame there was too much cloud to stay for the moon flight as i think it would have gave me a few shots at them.

[Wildfowler]

I got out this morning with wildfowler1984. We crossed a big creek as it was low tide and crossed a big island that is covered in small creeks, to get to the main channel. I got a Teal early on in the half light as a small pack came into the decoy and my mate got a nice hen mallard once the sun was up. Not loads about but much more than last weekend! There was a nice skein of greys flew past about 200 yards away, I managed to call them right round so they were 40 yards off, Wf1984 got a single shot off but they all escaped unscathed. Before we packed up a couple of packs of pigeons came over so we both dropped one each. Not wildfowl I know but sporting shots none the less!

My young lab got her firs reql live water retrieve too and was really well behaved.

All in all a nice morning out!

[Grandalf]

Got out for the first trip yesterday morning. This was due our boat fishing trip being cancelled due the strong off-shore winds.

Not the best of mornings. Up at 0430. Full moon shining out of a clear sky and the sun, when it rose, simply made it get lighter. It never was dark all night.

However, due to the battle we have with Natural England every year it was good to still be able to be there. Sat in the reed bed at the back of the river wall - they have banned us from the intertidal marsh - and watched the world go by. Marsh harrier, gulls, a sparrow hawk, two owls, several cormorants, couple of mute swans, high crows, sheld ducks, pigeons, a chinese water deer and four teal that nearly took my head off.

Greylags, about twenty, came off one field and swung around the estuary to another - nowhere near me.

Then two mallard, easy shot - stand, swing, pull - pull again, nothing. Clean miss! (twice).

Then a walk around our little plot to see whats different - nothing much - and home.

What a super way to spend a Sunday morning in Suffolk.

Edited October 1, 2012 by Grandalf

[anser2]

Out this morning after canadas , but without much luck. For the last 2 weeks there have been several hundred crossing the marsh and this morniing is the first day we are allowed to shoot geese. I arrived in good time with a mate and we threaded our was through a reed bed to find our flighting stand by the short grass. The weather was not very exciting , a moderate south west with constant drizzel . Though we were early its only just after the full moon and despite the thick cloud it was quite light well before dawn.

 

The dog (Meg ) and I sat there for well over an hour but only one skien of geese moved and they passed close , but unseen. Finaly the light came , but with it came more rain but no geese. One wigeon apeared 10 yards over head and was gone before i could move , but that was it until I was about to pack up when a pair of duck came over the sea wall passing a good 40 yards off. the nearest bird crumpled to the first shot and i was pleased to see the second fall to my second shot. Meg made short work of the retrieving the first bird , but the second was only winged and she had a long chase before bringing back the second of the pair of gadwall.

 

I recon those canadas must have a diary and knew that there safe until October the 1st. This morning it was time to change their flightline.

Edited October 1, 2012 by anser2

[chris64]

A couple of pic's 3 malards from last week and 1 canada from previous week only just down loaded them of my phone.

 

[Wildfowler12]

Had a bumper flight this morning, full write up in the pictures section

 

Edited October 6, 2012 by Wildfowler12

[steve0146]

Had a good morning. Arrived really early on the marsh but the flood water had the creeks already high. I am new to this part of the marsh so wary of the incoming tide. I set up mallard decoys and widgeon and sat back to wait. There were plenty of birds calling all around the marsh. The first pack of widgeon came over and two shots later, they flew on untouched. The dog was so excited, she chased after them. We had a chat and she decided not to do it again. Next birds caught me by surprise, and again two shots but no birds down. The tide was coming quickly now and I was worried about getting cut off so we retreated a few hundred yards back along the creek. A small pack came right over the deeks and I folded a bird stone dead. The dog made a decent retrieve and as soon as the bird was in, I hit a cracker which landed out over the mud. There were widgeon everywhere now and a single came over high. The first shot missed, the second clipped it and the third dropped it straight into the river. The dog picked it but dropped it to have a shake as it came out of the water. The bird got back to river and dived. This carried on for a few minutes...While I was looking for the bird, a massive pack came over and offered some lovely shots but I already had a bird unencounted for, so left them. It appeared down river and was shot on the water to offer the dog a chance. Three birds in the bag, a great morning out and plenty of birds moving. Only down side was my waders splitting along the seem and the water flowing in. Only second time of wearing them. Serves me right for buying the cheapest pair I could find!

[wildfowler.250]

Slept in for the morning flight. Got down to the the shore for lunch and still managed 3 pinks so happy with that. Bonus being that I think they are all young birds

[Big Mat]

Woke up at 4:50 his morning, thought about getting up and heading to the marsh, then i fell back asleep

 

Did have a good couple of trips yesterday thought:

 

Morning flight: Barrold and lister1 joined ayano3 and me for a trip down sheps, we shouldn't really mention those duck that flew between barrold and lister1 at 20 yards up

 

Evening flight: ayano3 and me went out again so he could show me more of the marsh and what he calls "proper" wildfowling, ie sat in a nice muddy creek. I saw some duck head off the marsh before he arrived and then some greylag flew over the car park just as we were setting off. Got set up in a nice creek, my first time out that far on the marsh, despite almost slipping off my muddy ledge bit in the creek it was another good experience. We could heard duck but despite ayano3 calling them none decided to pop over to see us. Another good trip thought.

 

Just need to get under some duck to test the new gun

[Grandalf]

Second trip yesterday morning. Blyth estuary clear sky and sunshine. (Thick fog just up the road!).

Three shots at teal and missed - again.

Trying new Patternmaster choke which was good, very good, on the plate.

Sat for an hour listening to Southwolds church bells calling the faithful.

Watched crows duffing up a harrier.

Had a long 'mardle' with the reed cutter.

Home to watch the Japanese F1 race on the recorder.

Don't you just love Sunday's!

Edited October 8, 2012 by Grandalf

[lister1]

My first trip on the marsh.

With bigmat, barold and ayano3.

 

I woke up at 3am, having got everything ready the night before I just needed to get the gun out and get going.

I had some breaky and got in the road.

I'm only 45 mins away from sheps and with the empty roads I was soon at the car park.

What I hadn't realised is that I left the house a bit early and was at the marsh by 4.30am.

Having agreed to meet up at 5.30 I had a hour to kill. I think i was a bit excited.

The bloody carpark was a lonley place at that time of the morn.

So I had a brew from the flask ( which I have just realised I have left in the car) and decided to have a walk along the sea wall.

As I walked every now and then I would startle a bird and would be greeted by an unnerving alarm call. Which just added to the excitement.

 

The time was ticking away slowly, it was raining and I was begining to think I had been setup but I could see the dim lights of bigmats headlights shining on the horizon like a lazy sun rising in the wrong direction.

 

Soon everybody was there and we had a chat and as the sun was rising and the skies cleared we headed out on the sea wall to get into position.

 

We spread out along an embankment no far into the marsh, as it was.my first session ayano3 thought best that we didn't venture on the mud, which I agreed.

 

As the sky got lighter and the moon made way for the sun the marsh began to awaken various birds stated to call and then curlew began to search the marsh for a feed and the seagulls headed inland to anoy any farmer turning the land.

 

At 7.15 a lone pair of mallard foes over high and cleared the sea wall and headed inland, I was now getting excited and decided to have a tea to help keep off the chill.

 

And around 8 am the dreaded duck flew of that mat has so kindly pointed out in a previous post.

I don't know what happened but perhaps I was gladly enjoying the marsh and not thinking about pulling the trigger or perhaps I was just not allert.

 

Before long the sun was getting high and we was heading back towards the carpark.

Along the way ayano3 was sharing nuggets of hard learnt info with the next generation of dialers, for which we are very greatfull.

 

We then went to the local cafe to have breakfast and had a chat, by the way bigmat, ayano3 is adding interest to that fiver.

 

Not happy with not even attempting to bring down a duck earlier, I phoned a fried and decided to take his lad for a quick evening flight over ably marshland fen.

 

I picked up my friend and bearded out to the drain, where we promptly set out some decoys on the water and waited.

 

Not long we had duck flying over so I called the duck and they turned and headed straight towards us.

Bang bang miss miss. Great I have a chance and miss. But I can hear more mallard calling from some where, so I put the call in my and give them a quack, and three duck land between the deeks, my friend let's off two shots and brings one down, so I let off a shot bring another down, by then the third was clear to safety.

 

We picked up our birds and was ready to head home, when we could hear more duck heading our way but couldn't see them, when all of a sudden we was stood under at least 15 duck bang bang bang bang all missed.

 

The duck must have come in real low and had risen at the last minute.

 

Anyway it was getting dark now so my day was done.

 

Big thanks to guys for going me out onto the marsh and would very much like to meet up again soon.

 

Cheers

James.