High Shooting and Squawking

[6.5x55SE]

Not that this thread will hit home but i will try and please forgive me for my spelling and gramar.

This season having spent nigh on 40yrs fowling i have never ever witnessed the amount of 80yrd and upwards high shooting of Pinks and people what can only be discribed as squawking at geese from total darkness to flighting geese miles away . Members posting on the internet it one club well the fact is its two both members of Fenland and Gedney who shoot alongside the Nene are as bad as each other. i am not perfect by a long shot and now and again have stretched to odd shot but to see morning in morning out skein after skein get 3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 shots going off at 80yd geese " why " ????? what is wrong with these people, what is going on in there minds

The other morning i was gobsmacked having shot 5 Pinks for 6 shots using a 12ga steel 36gr 3 shot mates homeloads i was told " that power-shot is the stuff " replying what you on about i was basically called a liar about using Steel and i personaly think is key to a lot of high shooting " that power shot will easly kill Geese 70-80-90 and 100 yrd if you hit them !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i cant print the reply these morons got. I love my foreshore Goose chasing now as much as i did when i first started But it has really shocked me the attitude of a lot shooting the Gedney and Fenland marsh with the high shooting and squawking i feel im wasting my time taking vehicale reg's and name as nothing seems to get done. oh and one cheeky *** claimed i was jealouse Really he has shot no geese having shot christ know how many cartridges and well lets just ive done alright.

Rant over and have a good season to those that know a " 50yrd high goose dies and those above continue fly "

[wildfowler.250]

This is where clubs really need to vet the folk before they are allowed to join. Only prob with being in Scotland is that if you turf folk out of a club, half the time they can walk down to the shore anyway if they wanted to,(so a no win situation).

 

It's one thing I really hate seeing. People firing enough shots in the hope that they will wing down one bird

[Penelope]

A lack of sporting ethic, no REAL knowledge and LOVE of wildfowl and too much watching yankee Youtube footage (for the squawking). I'm sure lot think that calls are the magical pipes of Hamlyn. They see calling working over decoys and think it works everywhere for all occasions.

 

High shooting has always been an issue though.

 

Not that this thread will hit home but i will try and please forgive me for my spelling and gramar.

This season having spent nigh on 40yrs fowling i have never ever witnessed the amount of 80yrd and upwards high shooting of Pinks and people what can only be discribed as squawking at geese from total darkness to flighting geese miles away . Members posting on the internet it one club well the fact is its two both members of Fenland and Gedney who shoot alongside the Nene are as bad as each other. i am not perfect by a long shot and now and again have stretched to odd shot but to see morning in morning out skein after skein get 3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 shots going off at 80yd geese " why " ? ? what is wrong with these people, what is going on in there minds

The other morning i was gobsmacked having shot 5 Pinks for 6 shots using a 12ga steel 36gr 3 shot mates homeloads i was told " that power-shot is the stuff " replying what you on about i was basically called a liar about using Steel and i personaly think is key to a lot of high shooting " that power shot will easly kill Geese 70-80-90 and 100 yrd if you hit them !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i cant print the reply these morons got. I love my foreshore Goose chasing now as much as i did when i first started But it has really shocked me the attitude of a lot shooting the Gedney and Fenland marsh with the high shooting and squawking i feel im wasting my time taking vehicale reg's and name as nothing seems to get done. oh and one cheeky *** claimed i was jealouse Really he has shot no geese having shot christ know how many cartridges and well lets just ive done alright.

Rant over and have a good season to those that know a " 50yrd high goose dies and those above continue fly "

Edited November 12, 2013 by Penelope

[motty]

Not that this thread will hit home but i will try and please forgive me for my spelling and gramar.

This season having spent nigh on 40yrs fowling i have never ever witnessed the amount of 80yrd and upwards high shooting of Pinks and people what can only be discribed as squawking at geese from total darkness to flighting geese miles away . Members posting on the internet it one club well the fact is its two both members of Fenland and Gedney who shoot alongside the Nene are as bad as each other. i am not perfect by a long shot and now and again have stretched to odd shot but to see morning in morning out skein after skein get 3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 shots going off at 80yd geese " why " ? ? what is wrong with these people, what is going on in there minds

The other morning i was gobsmacked having shot 5 Pinks for 6 shots using a 12ga steel 36gr 3 shot mates homeloads i was told " that power-shot is the stuff " replying what you on about i was basically called a liar about using Steel and i personaly think is key to a lot of high shooting " that power shot will easly kill Geese 70-80-90 and 100 yrd if you hit them !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i cant print the reply these morons got. I love my foreshore Goose chasing now as much as i did when i first started But it has really shocked me the attitude of a lot shooting the Gedney and Fenland marsh with the high shooting and squawking i feel im wasting my time taking vehicale reg's and name as nothing seems to get done. oh and one cheeky *** claimed i was jealouse Really he has shot no geese having shot christ know how many cartridges and well lets just ive done alright.

Rant over and have a good season to those that know a " 50yrd high goose dies and those above continue fly "

I have had several flights this season and have witnessed the high shooting. I have posted about this on another forum. There has been a little bit of high shooting on Fenland, but nothing like the sky busting that has been going on over Gedney. I've watched through the binoculars and time after time the geese are blazed into at 80+ yards - with nothing falling. It seems that some people just can't let geese fly over them without having a pop at them. This has been commented on by some respectable 'fowlers in Fenland.

I've also heard the strange noises being called to geese that are miles away. Odd!

[TIDES EDGE]

Happens down here in Kent as well not at Pinks but at Canadas and feral Greys also duck and why do they have to have 3 shots at everything when they are not even in range for the first

[Penelope]

'cause they can, they have a 3 shot auto. I bet there'd be 5 shots if they were allowed. (before anyone starts, I'm aware that it is the individual behind the gun that is important, not the type of gun, but a pr ick is a pr ick and if he has more he will use it).

 

IMO it's a general lack of sportsmanship and concern for the quarry. There are a lot of live quarry shooters out there that have little knowledge or interest in nature, and IMO would be better of sticking to clays. It seem the most important thing to these types is just getting the shots off.

 

Happens down here in Kent as well not at Pinks but at Canadas and feral Greys also duck and why do they have to have 3 shots at everything when they are not even in range for the first

[6.5x55SE]

Thanks for the reply Gent's Good to see and hear that i am not the only one with these thoughts

[6.5x55SE]

Motty Pleased dont lets get into my Club is best because whilst i tottaly agree that Gedney has a lot of sky busting Fenland is equal. and you dont need bins to see what is going on. Also so you never know who is sitting watching you or who you are talking to walking off

And while i do like to see other peoples Video or picturs of succes perhaps it would be good to say just how high Birds are shot rather than letting people belive they are !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lets just say high because some of us again know the true facts

[TIDES EDGE]

Penelope you are so right about the respect also right about the individual behind the gun I use an auto because I like it but dont often use 3 shots where as these people use 3 every time.

 

Stalkerboydy you are far from being the only one but the problem is if you approach the offenders you get verbal if not physical abuse if you report it to the club its your word against theirs its be going on for years the Wash was shot out by cowboys years ago and is only now back to being good but for how long?

[anser2]

Some people must have deep pockets if they are shooting a high birds regulary with even top of the range quality steel shells coming out at £1 a shot. While i can understand a fowler streaching his barrels on the odd occasion ( lets be honest most of at one time or another have had the occasional 60 yard shot ) to do so regualary is not only a waste of money, not fair on the geese and it just makes the birds more wary and harder to get a sporting shot at next time. Geese are not usualy difficult to hit and if you are not putting one in the bag for every 4 shots ask yourself what are you doing wrong and the most likely answer is you are shooting at them out of range.

[wildfowlingmad]

If the boys the other side of the Wash want to scare all the geese over to Norfolk then so be it! But you have to respect your quarry. All you are going to do at that range is Injure the birds and that's no good at all. People need to learn how a goose looks at certain ranges, because for a beginner it can be hard to judge distance.
It can also be very hard to Judge range/what's going on from a distance, ie when watching someone shooting from a mile away through binoculars. For example I was confronted before for shooting at out of range geese, however the onlooker failed to realize I had in fact shot a Left and Right Widgeon, and had no intention of shooting at out of range geese that were passing over!!

[rusticola]

IMO it's a general lack of sportsmanship and concern for the quarry. There are a lot of live quarry shooters out there that have little knowledge or interest in nature, and IMO would be better of sticking to clays.

 

 

Amen to that! The entire issue summed up in one line. The number of people who shoot the shore but couldn't tell you what a dunlin is would shock you. These are often the same people who blaze wantonly at ducks 100 yards away. The other issue is that I don't think people realise just how close 40 yards is, especially on the shore, where a sense of perspective can be lost. I witnessed a chap shooting continuously at teal passing 80-100 yards from him (which were heading straight for me, incidentally ), and when I asked him what he thought he was doing, he was convinced they were within range!

[muncher]

Strange one I was talking to my bro about the amount of high shooting going on and said it seems as if power shot, heavy shot and the likes need banning as you'll soon stop wasting your time as the idiots think it shoots so far I can have a go at the heavens . And yes I've took silly shots to but if you don't learn quickly then your a ****!!!

[joknob]

have,nt they banned big shot in sweden or denmark,something like max No 6 shot so the dont sky bust. criag

[UK fowler]

Strange one I was talking to my bro about the amount of high shooting going on and said it seems as if power shot, heavy shot and the likes need banning as you'll soon stop wasting your time as the idiots think it shoots so far I can have a go at the heavens . And yes I've took silly shots to but if you don't learn quickly then your a ****!!!

thats the key right there these c##ts just dont seem to learn if you are shooting at birds and not touchin a feather they are out of range

have,nt they banned big shot in sweden or denmark,something like max No 6 shot so the dont sky bust. criag

I think it is 4mm in steel

[aister]

It goes on up here too. I am by no means perfect and have taken long shots too but I have never emptied my belt shooting at geese 80-100 yards up like the guy I watched a couple of years ago. He spoke to me after his shocking performance and was so mad that he had fired 25 shots and not bagged one, he couldn't understand what had gone wrong then said that this 32gram number 5 bismuth might not be as good as he thought, I was totally speechless :o . This is a man who has shot for years and I still see him out regularly and he still has no idea of range, you would think the penny would drop eventually, unfortunately he is not alone.

[Big Mat]

I don't think its just fenland and gedney, i think most marshes which attract the geese have the same problems.

 

Someone did suggest a reasoning behind it to me a while back, although i dont have any basis to comment on it. It was suggested that fenland ( and i'll add gedney ), are the only clubs that have alot of geese that you can get in in the area so cowboys who fancy a change from blazing at them on the solway join the clubs and then come down the wash to blast at the geese down here for a while.

 

Whether or not this is true i do not know, i'm not in the club so cannot comment but being local i do hear things!

 

The more these people are reported the clubs the better in my opinion, word soon gets round about them!

 

Personally if i'm in any doubt about range then i leave them be, i'm not a good enough shot to even take the 40/50 yard birds that i see people bring down.

Edited November 12, 2013 by Big Mat

[joknob]

I don't think its just fenland and gedney, i think most marshes which attract the geese have the same problems.

 

Someone did suggest a reasoning behind it to me a while back, although i dont have any basis to comment on it. It was suggested that fenland ( and i'll add gedney ), are the only clubs that have alot of geese that you can get in in the area so cowboys who fancy a change from blazing at them on the solway join the clubs and then come down the wash to blast at the geese down here for a while.

 

Whether or not this is true i do not know, i'm not in the club so cannot comment but being local i do hear things!

 

The more these people are reported the clubs the better in my opinion, word soon gets round about them!

 

Personally if i'm in any doubt about range then i leave them be, i'm not a good enough shot to even take the 40/50 yard birds that i see people bring down.

good on you mat. craig

[wildfowler.250]

Just to add... it does seem to be visitors that are the worst. They drive x distance so they fire at the geese no matter what height in the hope that they will get something..

[Doriboy]

I am a member of fenland and it makes me very sad to hear the club and it's members spoken of in this way. The club does interview and vet all new members and those who don't have a lot of experience are assigned a mentor, (someone very experienced) until it is deemed they are ok to carry on alone.

I have never ventured out on the Lincolnshire end of the shore, but can honestly say I (thankfully) have never seen any stupid shooting on the Norfolk areas, although this sadly cannot be said for all the clubs I am involved with.

We all know that there are idiots in every situation in life, and I am in no doubt that fenland has it's fair share but they really do try their best as a club, so please don't tar is all with the same brush.

[muncher]

Will , say I'm a fenland warden and I've not been out much and will not comment on gedney as I'm not close enough to judge what they shooting at but I've not seen high shooting on fenland yet well not continuous any way . There is a commitee meeting very soon will see if it comes up and if it doesn't will bring it to the other wardens attention and keep a close eye on this as it's not welcome on FWA marshes .

Edited November 12, 2013 by muncher

[6.5x55SE]

Good on you Jules. But just sit on the seawall looking up the Cable Scar/Track and your see the high shooting and the odd shot at the Pen Geese. Make sure you got ear muffs on or your be deafend by the weird Squawking. Fingers crossed by posting on here and other forums it just might make those responsible THINK !!!!! As I'm sure they are on hear or the wildfowling forum.

[tigger]

I was a member of both clubs for a while and must agree I saw plenty of high shooting have confronted a few people but goes in one ear and out the other or get threatened either one and most of them didn't have local accents so could have been visitors who knows, it's a shame because they are both stunning marshes with many helpful people within them but it's the few which spoil it for the rest hence this thread I guess.

 

however on the other side of the wash I can honestly say I've not seen any high shooting what so ever, many times seen pinks 60,70,80 yards high sailing one side of the marsh to the other going untouched but was expecting to hear pop pop pop but it never came, what a lovely sight to see I don't know what the difference is just one marsh along but it is quite evident hence me giving up my membership to the other two was a member of all three for one season......

Edited November 13, 2013 by tigger

[6.5x55SE]

Tigger I've shot all the Marshes. One of the problem I see at Gedney they only have walk a few yrds park there butt to be under Geese but on Fenland and Lynn to name 2 your got a bit of a walk and effort to get under them. I know the club can't but Banning the shooting from the seawall and cradgebank would slow them up as it would involve Marsh Craft and Effort

[ayano3]

It's really sad to read this thread as I didn't realise the problem is as bad as it appears to be so close to home. I have not witnessed this high shooting on the said marshes as I am not a member but do shoot just up the road. I think it could be an accumulation of things that had led to this problem. Respect is top of the list in my opinion. That means respect of the quarry and others around you. When I first started on the marsh you had respect for the other shooting and if you were tempted to chance you skills at a bird that was deemed out of range you were sure to get reminded but those senior to you, you sure knew you had done wrong! I can imagine some of the answers if you said something now.

 

The geese, surely we have to show them the utmost of respect as they have come miles to grace our marshes. Are we no longer happy to see them fly over us and go home with the thought I was in the right place at the right time and the geese won today? I can remember their being no geese, or very few for quite a few years on the marshes. This had a big impact on the wash group clubs, membership gradually dwindled, obviously funds were lost. All this high shooting is in time going to have an impact on where the geese go to feed and indeed roost. The minority will spoil it for the majority as in all cases. If so called wildfowlers only shot at birds within range the disturbance would be far less.

The club I am in insist on New Members having a minimum of six compulsory flights with an experienced member. I have always been more than willing to assist anyone and my no1 rule is don't shoot if you don't know! If you are unsure on species let it go and if you don't think its in range the same applies.

I also put some blame on cartridge, gadgets and gun manufacturers. They boast that their product will do this and that but in reality it wont unless its in the hands of a true expert....which the majority of us are not.

Hopefully that small minority who do let the majority down will gradually get found out and banned from the sport. Maybe its time for clubs and associations to join together and have a black list so they cant get memberships or day tickets if proven guilty of such offences?