Wet fields.

[Cranfield]

I went for a recce this morning, with no real intention of doing any shooting.

 

There were a few pigeons on some neighbouring rape (not mine), but they soon cleared off when I slammed the truck door.

Otherwise, I only saw some ducks on a partly flooded wheat field and a few cock pheasants.

 

There is certainly some water laying on the fields down here, some of it in places where I have never noticed it before.

 

Next time I go out, I may take the duck decoys, not the rubber pigeons.

[tiercel]

I may be preaching to the converted here But when you said new splashes are appearing my ears metaphorically pricked up. Those splashes are the ones to watch for duck, especially on grassland as when they flood it drowns the slugs and worms that are in the grassland. The duck know this and are always on the lookout for fresh splashes for the free feast. Trouble is it does not last long, a day or 2 at the most.

 

Tiercel

[the hitman]

Good post tiercel , its the same with me, i once shot 8 mallard on a splash in a grass field that came and went in less than a week.

[Cranfield]

I have had some great sport on the splashes and the wet marshes in general and have shot more than my fair share of ducks and geese.

Nowadays I don't have the enthusiasm for wildfowl shooting that I once had.

 

There is no particular reason, its just one of those things and I certainly don't have any negative feelings about other people doing it. :

[dazzyboi]

We have some wet fields like that down mine, iv never seen anything on it though, its wet, soggy, marsh ground...do you think i would have any chances of some wildfowl? its about 2 miles from the severn estuary

[the hitman]

Keep watching them , if ducks are there in daylight put them off, then have a go just before dark, if they don't turn up, try decoying them in daylight.

[tiercel]

We have some wet fields like that down mine, iv never seen anything on it though, its wet, soggy, marsh ground...do you think i would have any chances of some wildfowl? its about 2 miles from the severn estuary

If there were ducks using the splashes at night, you would not see them during the day, as they like to roost in deeper water than they feed in. Go to the side of the pond that the wind is blowing onto and look for signs of duck i.e. feathers scattered along the shoreline of the splash. That will give you an indication if there are duck feeding after dark on the splash. Sometimes you can tell by the feathers what duck are using the splash. Mallard, Teal, Widgeon they all have distinctive plumage that is easy to spot.

 

Tiercel

[chester]

ive just come back from putting some barley into a small splash not larger than twenty foot by ten foot but there have been some teal and mallard on it. i wonder how many birds you would expect to come to such a small area?

[tiercel]

ive just come back from putting some barley into a small splash not larger than twenty foot by ten foot but there have been some teal and mallard on it. i wonder how many birds you would expect to come to such a small area?

 

Chester,

 

It is not the size of the splash that will determine how many ducks will come in. But a mulititude of other factors come into play as well. How much food is available, how long the splash has been there, how many ducks are in the area, what the weather is like, how often it is shot and even how far from the coast you are. all these and many more factors will affect how many duck will come to the splash.

 

Tiercel