scolopax Posted February 19, 2013 Report Share Posted February 19, 2013 (edited) Well finished the season with a bang, or three, thanks to thick fog. Out this morning where I had the success the other week, found the same little creek but as it got light saw fresh foot prints, lots of goose feathers and an empty cartridge. I had heard on the 'grape vine' that some lads had done very well at the weekend on this marsh but I still held out hopes that there were still some around. I put 6 full bodied mallard decoys out on the mud and awaited developments, soon enough a small bunch of duck flash over the decoys but were quickly away into the murky gloom unsaluted. Then a single duck over the decoys, clean miss, rapid second shot, a clean kill, nice drake mallard. As it got lighter four more mallard straight out of the fog and over me, only time for a single shot and drop one behind. Dog bring back a cock teal ! Not much happens for the next hour then a pair of mallard come from behind me and I have just time for a single shot at the departing birds, a miss. Mallard are calling from out on the water but are unsighted in the fog, I call back occasionally and am rewaded by the sound of some flying closer, they pass very low at about 40 yards max and seem to be angling nearer, by the time I realise they are not going the buzz the deeks and are just going to go straight inland it is too late and they dissappear into the fog and over the reeds, I think it was four drakes chasing a duck. One shot may have dropped the lot they were so tightly packed! Then the low point, now looking in the direction the previous pair came from, stood in open now, hear wings, look up, a loose bunch of 8 or so mallard come overhead from inland out of the fog but I do not have time for a shot as I twist myself around. But there is a tail end charlie, straight at me 20 foot up, it veers away as I am in the open and it is unmistakeably a drake shoveller, not shot one of those in over twenty years!! This is when it all unravells, miss a simple 25 yard shot (excitement ?), two more shots as it flares are close but it does not drop, I watch it go overhead and over the river, wobble a bit, then fold stone dead 100 yards out! Unfortunately it is 50 yards of liquid mud and 50 yards of water. I try the dog but he is floundering as soon as he leaves the firm mud bank and goes onto the soft mud. The shoveller soon drifts off with the tide into the fog and is lost, a real downer. I hear some pinks return off the fields and go out to the mud banks, then a single greylag comes low from my left, sees the decoys in the gloom and is cleanly killed at all of 15 yards, a nice young bird. This is followed later by a single teal which I drop on the water, by this time the tide is up to the main bank so the dog has to swim for the retrieve and gets a good clean off into the bargain. I get a bit more ambitious and miss a cock wigeon which swings just into range as it checks out the deeks.. The occasional pink call keeps me interested as the morning is getting on and they have to leave soon for a feed. The first skein of thirty or so flights off well to my left but low, my calling was poor as I was changing shells at the same time so neither hand was free. Just when I was thinking of calling time on a great morning I hear another lot of pinks, this time i get the goose shells in quickly and concentrate on calling. I can hear them getting closer in the fog, then I see them, well at least one of them, straight at me more or less, sixty or so yeards off when I make out the grey shape out of the fog, and low. It passes at thirty yards, 20 foot up, and drops to a single shot of Hevi 3's. Th rest of the skein trails it by forty yards and they are back peddling clawing the air for altitude, I drop a second on the waters edge then try for a third but I know as the fire the final shell I am well behind. So I finish witha double of Pinks, my first pinks locally all season! The triple (at anything!) still eludes me. Edited February 19, 2013 by scolopax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highbird70 Posted February 19, 2013 Report Share Posted February 19, 2013 Wow Scolopax...very very well done, I bet it was hard going back to the car with more weight. really chuffed for you mate Mark PS...when can I join...lol :whistling: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver pigeon 3 Posted February 19, 2013 Report Share Posted February 19, 2013 Cracking write up and what a great way to end the season. I am out tomorrow moring for one last flight, i will hope it's half as good as yours! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted February 19, 2013 Report Share Posted February 19, 2013 A good read and your morning out makes up for the one covered in your earlier post entitled.....'just one of those days'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jono 4 Posted February 19, 2013 Report Share Posted February 19, 2013 Well done Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve0146 Posted February 19, 2013 Report Share Posted February 19, 2013 well done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoot-rhino Posted February 20, 2013 Report Share Posted February 20, 2013 Good result Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UGM Posted February 20, 2013 Report Share Posted February 20, 2013 Very well done mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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