Tim Kelly Posted September 13, 2013 Report Share Posted September 13, 2013 I shot in a club in Suffolk for a couple of years before I was able to get a dog. Very frustrating as the number of shots I could take was very limited. I think I shot one teal in all that time as it was flying along the sea wall and so I could pick it if shot, and I did. Got a few geese though as they tended not to fly the water as much. Enough to keep me going anyway. More fun with a dog, but if you shoot mornings and are selective with your shots you can still enjoy yourself. Spend a morning lying in the mud with a flock of wigeon just a few yards away in the water. No shot, but great fun listening to them grumbling away to one another! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rascal72 Posted September 13, 2013 Report Share Posted September 13, 2013 Most of the comments posted sum up the need for a dog really well. I just enjoy seeing the dogs work. And how excited they get at 3am in the morning when getting ready. They seem to hear and see the birds before me and it gives me a heads up. And they look at you in disgust when a seagull or wader comes buy and you don't shoot. Couldnt agree more and the look of digust also comes with a missed shot when the dog looks as if to say "how did you miss thay!!!" as mine did first time out on the marsh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beretta28g Posted September 13, 2013 Report Share Posted September 13, 2013 I do have a dog, which i take MOST of the time. Theres a few times (most of my marshes are inland so unless you drop one in the dyke its gonna be recoverable) that i dont. Like when one marsh is so muddy its like liquid slurry, and the dog would get wet and cold on the way out. Also when i go tomorrow morning, i wont be having a dog, because mines just had his shots done and is a little lethargic at the mo. However another guy i will be going with will have a dog and i can always ask him to pick for me. What really annoys me is that if i need to borrow someones dog, i mark down then wait to the end of the flight, having before asked the person if theyd be happy to help. What happened the other time (NOT RECENTLY) was a guy came walking over in the middle of a flight and told me that i would be picking up his brace that he had dropped in the river. And that i had to do it soon because he wasnt staying late. I suggested he learnt to swim then when he had left (after a few words) i picked his duck then took them home with me the cheeky ****. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barls2-9-12 Posted September 13, 2013 Report Share Posted September 13, 2013 What really annoys me is that if i need to borrow someones dog, i mark down then wait to the end of the flight, having before asked the person if theyd be happy to help. What happened the other time (NOT RECENTLY) was a guy came walking over in the middle of a flight and told me that i would be picking up his brace that he had dropped in the river. And that i had to do it soon because he wasnt staying late. I suggested he learnt to swim then when he had left (after a few words) i picked his duck then took them home with me the cheeky ****. Jokers hay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beretta28g Posted September 13, 2013 Report Share Posted September 13, 2013 What really annoys me is that if i need to borrow someones dog, i mark down then wait to the end of the flight, having before asked the person if theyd be happy to help. What happened the other time (NOT RECENTLY) was a guy came walking over in the middle of a flight and told me that i would be picking up his brace that he had dropped in the river. And that i had to do it soon because he wasnt staying late. I suggested he learnt to swim then when he had left (after a few words) i picked his duck then took them home with me the cheeky ****. Jokers hay Hmmm,not sure what to call them tbh. A few names spring to mind. The majority of people are polite, and want to enjoy it as well, I never mind helping anyone out on the marsh if they ask, because when i started people were kind enough to help me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barls2-9-12 Posted September 13, 2013 Report Share Posted September 13, 2013 Hmmm,not sure what to call them tbh. A few names spring to mind. The majority of people are polite, and want to enjoy it as well, I never mind helping anyone out on the marsh if they ask, because when i started people were kind enough to help me. Totally, but some people just don't know how to conduct them selves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyrus1988 Posted September 13, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2013 We may have already spoken then. It will take a while as we are currently tweaking the system. If it goes beyond a couple of weeks send me a PM and I'll chase it up for you I was the Scottish guy that needed a haircut. Still need to get myself some wellies but will let you know if I've not heard anything in a few weeks. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted September 15, 2013 Report Share Posted September 15, 2013 No dogs allowed Kent, do they say why as I find that crazy. I shot for one season without a dog and it was very limiting, basically morning flights and only over shallow water. I will never be without one again. Snap, I did that also for a season, Saw an awful lot of fowl I couldn't raise the gun to. Yes, one guy said it was the landowner another said it was a **** on the committee who didn't like dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted September 15, 2013 Report Share Posted September 15, 2013 Not only is a dog essential if you shoot the tide or to find winged birds on an evening flight but it also provides company when out for a long time. If you can't have a dog, as long as you shoot with someone who has one, it's fine. xav, Absolutely, I bet you chat quietly away to yours like I do mine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Mat Posted September 15, 2013 Report Share Posted September 15, 2013 xav, Absolutely, I bet you chat quietly away to yours like I do mine I try avoid talking to mine, otherwise it does stupid things like this.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted September 16, 2013 Report Share Posted September 16, 2013 I watched a guy on the Eden a few years ago who did not have a dog and he was firing at long range birds that he had no chance of recovering as the tide was incoming, he was on the edge of the reserve with the birds going that way and most were high or wide. As with the above, they are essential on estuaries such as this... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alfieri Posted September 16, 2013 Report Share Posted September 16, 2013 Part of the whole experience for me being out with the dogs on the marsh. Would probably give up without them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted September 16, 2013 Report Share Posted September 16, 2013 I try avoid talking to mine, otherwise it does stupid things like this.... Gosh that could be mine other than his "extra bits". Was sort of hoping he might grow out of it and the sneaky ear licks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auceps Posted September 16, 2013 Report Share Posted September 16, 2013 I would leave my gun at home before my dog. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver pigeon 3 Posted September 18, 2013 Report Share Posted September 18, 2013 (edited) just wouldn't be the same without the dog, regardless of if I could retrieve the shot birds. For me sitting in the pre dawn sharing a bit of breakfast with him listening to the marsh coming alive is one of the best bits of wildfowling. Another invaluable skill the dog has is they often see birds well before us, often I see the dog fixed on something and I follow his gaze to see a bird appear a few seconds later Edited September 18, 2013 by silver pigeon 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remmyman Posted September 18, 2013 Report Share Posted September 18, 2013 . I appreciate that not everyone can have a dog and I know a few who don't have dogs and have a decent success rate on the marsh, but I believe it is our duty to find any shot, especially wounded bird, as best we can and as quick as we can. For that very reason I think it is essential that we own or at least go with someone with a good dog. One morning flight last season my dog, who is a good dog, disappeared only to come back with a Pink from a creek on the way to where I intended to shoot. That bird would have died a long and slow death. Admittedly they don't find every bird but they do give you a far better chance. One other point is that if you shoot a bird half way through the flight and you wander around looking for it you could easily compromise others peoples shooting. My thoughts are very similar. Regards Remmyman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerbyshireDale. Posted September 18, 2013 Report Share Posted September 18, 2013 Thinking about giving wildfowling a go, everything I've seen and heard makes it sound like great fun. The only thing I've been worried about is how important is it having a dog? Does anybody get by without one? used to do quite a bit of picking up a few years ago but never replaced the gundogs when they died, got into wildfowling last season and now have a young lab to accompany me this season, the members of our club have many dogs and are quite willing to take people out with them but dont forget you may have the marsh to yourself on occasion so you'll be stuck for assistance if you're lucky enough to shoot something and no quarry is worth risking your life for....if you can, get a dog, its more fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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