anser2 Posted December 27, 2012 Report Share Posted December 27, 2012 (edited) I thought with the extensive floods up and down the country my experience on Boxing Morning might serve as a timely warning to others. This has already been posted on another wildfowling forum , but I think it bares being reposted here. I was doing the morning flight in a very flooded Wavenly valley ( the valley was flooded from side to side and as far as the eye could see upstream and downstream. I needed chest waders to get along the 1\4 mile track to my shooting area and as I got close to the river the 18 inch deep flood was moving with some force with the dropping tide. Just as it was breaking light I got to some high land by the river and awaited the flight. Its was a good one with parties of mallard , teal , gadwall and Canada geese racing up and down the river valley. Alas I missed my only chance ( at a pair of greylags ) until I was packing up. I had chosen a spot where the water though running strongly was level with the banks so Meg my black lab should have no trouble retrieving. However when packing up and walking back I came to a wooded reedy island and a pair of greylag came overhead. A quick snap shot and one was bouncing on the flood across the river. Meg soon found it but while swimming back got caught by a stronger current on a bend in the river. She got swept across to the reed island, but I was not too worried, she was used to swimming in very fast tides on the coast. If she got into trouble she only had to splash out onto the island and then swim across a quiet backwater. She ponderously swam against the current without making much headway. I could not understand why she did not get onto the island. She seemed to get to a small bush 50 yards downstream trailing in the water and then lose ground and be swept backwards. This was repeated a dozen times for about 40 minuets . I did my best to encourage her but to no avail she could not make any headway against the current. Then I realised she was tangled in something , fishing line I think. There was not a lot I could do to help , the island was unreachable by wading. There was a pub 200 yards away and a footbridge to the other side of the river, I could still not get onto the island , but I hoped to get a rowing boat from the pub. Of course 8.00 am is not the best of time to try wake anyone on Boxing day morning , let alone a pub landlord. There was a boat moored up at the staith , but no oars and there was no way I was going to make any headway upstream without oars. There was nothing I could do , but I crossed the footbridge to the other side of the river so at least I could get nearer to her and walked to the opposite side to where Meg was caught up. But when I arrived there was no sign of her. I feared the worst and thought she had been drowned . I whistled her several times until finally she appeared where I had been standing on the other side. I called her across and she made the swim with no problem. Somehow she had managed to disentangle herself though there was no sign of the goose it was a great relief to help her ashore. In hind sight I think it was the goose and not her that was tangled in the fishing line and the strong current had then dragged the bird under once Meg had let go. Meg was fine when she got back and after a quick dance around proceeded to hunt out some moorhens tucked in a stand of rush so she had not been greatly troubled by her problems. Its so easy in the heat of the moment to put your dog at risk in such conditions even though I had on purpose picked a safe spot for the flight. Edited December 27, 2012 by anser2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayano3 Posted December 27, 2012 Report Share Posted December 27, 2012 I personally would not shoot anything if it meant putting myself or my dog at risk in collecting it. One of the shoots I pick up on one of the drives is not too far from a busy A road. If we get any pricked birds they all seem to make it to the natural cover and trees along the side of this road. I refuse (and the shoot owner agrees with my decision) to work my dog on any wounded game in this area for two reasons. One, I will not risk losing my dog on the road and Two/ if any of the birds or the dod runs into the road and causes a traffic accident or damage to vehicles or persons I would be responsible. There will be other opportunities to take birds without putting yourselves at risk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anser2 Posted December 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2012 Ayano , I very much agree with you and in the first place I picked a spot where there should not be any problem and if there was I could still reach the dog. But after a blank flight it was almost instinct that made me shoot as the pair of greylags caught me by surprise and even then there should not have been a problem if the flood had not washed the fishing line into the bush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayano3 Posted December 27, 2012 Report Share Posted December 27, 2012 Ayano , I very much agree with you and in the first place I picked a spot where there should not be any problem and if there was I could still reach the dog. But after a blank flight it was almost instinct that made me shoot as the pair of greylags caught me by surprise and even then there should not have been a problem if the flood had not washed the fishing line into the bush. Anser2, I know its very difficult to resist that one chance of a shot and you really did encounter the unexpected with the fishing line. I was meaning in general terms rather than specifically. Was this on the Broads ?? I remember being moored at a nice Inn with a similar name on the southern broads quite a few years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandalf Posted December 31, 2012 Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 Almost a story that nightmares are made of. Hope you gave her some turkey and Christmas pud after her endeavours. Over my fowling career - a very long time - I have almost lost three dogs in similar (ish) circumstances. Once I had to wade into a frozen moat - luckily wadable but very cold. On the last occasion it nearly cost me my life. No matter how much care you take - incidents will always happen. As long as the incident doesn't become an accident you, and the dog, are OK. It is a stupid sport... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted December 31, 2012 Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 The same thing happened to me wading a reef on a rising tide with the fly rod. I managed to get a mess of shock leader etc left /broken off by a beach caster tangled around my legs tight. I was already a bit too deep and was moving off at the time. If I had fully tripped I don't know if I would have recovered from it! I reached below and started cutting with my knife, if I had not carried one I should have been in deep do-do. Wildfowling dogs do face danger and hardships, if they could speak I doubt they would have it any different- same with the wildfowler himself. Better to live life to the full than live a half life. Dogs are quite good at rescuing themselves, don't kill yourself in the process of helping no matter how hard it is people loose their lives too often doing this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted December 31, 2012 Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 Anyone fit buoyancy aids to their dogs that they use to retrieve wildfowl? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildfowler12 Posted December 31, 2012 Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 I use a Jack Pyke Neoprene Dog jacket. It has floats in the back to add buoyancy. You have to make sure they fit properly though as an ill fitting one will hinder rather than help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandalf Posted December 31, 2012 Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 (edited) Yep. I've had one for Merlyn for two years now. She hated it at first but has got very excited about it now. Coat means fowling so it's good. Also has a neoprene guard under the belly so its good if she swims into barbed wire in the floods. Edited December 31, 2012 by Grandalf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted January 1, 2013 Report Share Posted January 1, 2013 Anyone fit buoyancy aids to their dogs that they use to retrieve wildfowl? I have in the past on my GWP but the lab is actually half seal I think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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