JDog Posted November 12, 2013 Report Share Posted November 12, 2013 I have not been wildfowling for a long time and I doubt whether I will ever go again. However I am still interested enough to read all of the posts about peoples adventures. There does seem to be a problem with the terminology used when people are shooting geese and this was illustrated last night when I watched the latest version of 'The Shooting Show'. The sporting agent set up two different teams of guns on some arable land and they shot a fair few geese and the agent referred to them as 'wildfowlers'. How can that be when they never got their feet muddy? My view is that they were simply people who shot geese. The habitat of true wildfowlers is not arable farmland where they can drive their vehicle to the hide position but out on the open creeks and gullies and marshland most of which will be covered by water at high tide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la bala Posted November 12, 2013 Report Share Posted November 12, 2013 the word commercial comes to mind Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oscarsdad Posted November 12, 2013 Report Share Posted November 12, 2013 I would totally agree JDog. Let's hope they are not all like the butchers who have proudly posted photographs of their unsporting massacres on here in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted November 12, 2013 Report Share Posted November 12, 2013 Correct, thing is inland shooting has little to do with wildfowling. What was seen was goose shooting, if it was over water it might IMO be called "waterfowling" (as the Americans do) but Wildfowling is conducted below the Saltwater high water mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kippylawkid Posted November 12, 2013 Report Share Posted November 12, 2013 Agreed that inland goose shooting on arable fields is not wildfowling. However, I have shot some inland marshes and floodwater that can be very testing, against totally wild ducks and geese that you have to work to get under - and you definitely get your boots dirty! I reckon that can termed wildfowling IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Posted November 12, 2013 Report Share Posted November 12, 2013 (edited) JDog, generally true wildfowling is conduced below the sea wall (below the mean high water mark). I would personally say that some inland duck and goose shooting is wildfowling too (inland fresh marshes, washes & broads), but geese over decoys or mallard at a flight pod is certainly not wildfowling, although wildfowl are shot, that is simply duck or goose shooting. As for the clip, they may be wildfowlers, but they weren't fowling. I have not been wildfowling for a long time and I doubt whether I will ever go again. However I am still interested enough to read all of the posts about peoples adventures. There does seem to be a problem with the terminology used when people are shooting geese and this was illustrated last night when I watched the latest version of 'The Shooting Show'. The sporting agent set up two different teams of guns on some arable land and they shot a fair few geese and the agent referred to them as 'wildfowlers'. How can that be when they never got their feet muddy? My view is that they were simply people who shot geese. The habitat of true wildfowlers is not arable farmland where they can drive their vehicle to the hide position but out on the open creeks and gullies and marshland most of which will be covered by water at high tide. Edited November 12, 2013 by Penelope Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anser2 Posted November 12, 2013 Report Share Posted November 12, 2013 Its a rather personal thing , but for me wildfowling is the pursuit of duck and geese in wild places which may be on the coastal salt marsh and mud flats or inland on extensive fresh marshes or large inland lakes. Shooting duck on fed flight ponds or geese on arable fields i think of as duck or goose shooting. I shoot duck and geese on the North Norfolk coast = wildfowling Broadland grazing marshes = wildfowling Broadland lakes = wildfowling Inland flight pond = duck shooting Inland arable fields = goose shooting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver pigeon 3 Posted November 12, 2013 Report Share Posted November 12, 2013 The definition of wildfowling for me is when the quarry has a better chance of not getting shot than it does being shot. Like has already been said flight ponds and geese over stubble is just shooting not wildfowling. When you are out in the big acreage of saltmarsh or foreshore then it is up to your skill and observation (as well as a big chunk of luck) to get within range of the flighting birds, and even then you find yourself in a position where you can't shoot or the birds come from the other way to what you are looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaniel Posted November 12, 2013 Report Share Posted November 12, 2013 The definition of wildfowling for me is when the quarry has a better chance of not getting shot than it does being shot. Like has already been said flight ponds and geese over stubble is just shooting not wildfowling. When you are out in the big acreage of saltmarsh or foreshore then it is up to your skill and observation (as well as a big chunk of luck) to get within range of the flighting birds, and even then you find yourself in a position where you can't shoot or the birds come from the other way to what you are looking. Plus as I find out the other evening, you also have to be able to see them......hearing them coming over your head and landing on the splash just isn't enough. But I agree with all of the above. I class Inland shooting as pest control only while Im out on the foreshore do I call this Wildfowling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted November 12, 2013 Report Share Posted November 12, 2013 I have shot lots of ducks and geese inland over the years , I have never considered myself a wildfowler for doing so . I am now shooting the wash marshes also, so when doing this I become a wildfowler and very enjoyable it is too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildfowler.250 Posted November 12, 2013 Report Share Posted November 12, 2013 I got the impression they were wildfowlers who,(in the video) were decoying geese. Maybe the week before they were shooting the Norfolk coast or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UK fowler Posted November 12, 2013 Report Share Posted November 12, 2013 I have not been wildfowling for a long time and I doubt whether I will ever go again. However I am still interested enough to read all of the posts about peoples adventures. There does seem to be a problem with the terminology used when people are shooting geese and this was illustrated last night when I watched the latest version of 'The Shooting Show'. The sporting agent set up two different teams of guns on some arable land and they shot a fair few geese and the agent referred to them as 'wildfowlers'. How can that be when they never got their feet muddy? My view is that they were simply people who shot geese. The habitat of true wildfowlers is not arable farmland where they can drive their vehicle to the hide position but out on the open creeks and gullies and marshland most of which will be covered by water at high tide. the second group were "wildfowlers" not wildfowling I got the impression they were wildfowlers who,(in the video) were decoying geese. Maybe the week before they were shooting the Norfolk coast or something. on holiday I think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie10 Posted November 12, 2013 Report Share Posted November 12, 2013 Wildfowling is seeing ducks fly by for hours nowhere near you while you are freezing and then coming back to do it again. I thought there was a clear definition in the dictionary. In the same show they shot a Chinese at considerable distance, made a right mess of the shot. Then flipped the deer over to how it fell, so you didn't see the meat damage. That guy shooting, was shooting deer and not a deer stalker. So I wouldn't worry what the show labelled them as. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neillfrbs Posted November 12, 2013 Report Share Posted November 12, 2013 wildfowling is going out on the foreshore ,at stupid hours ,freezing your nuts off, and more often than not shooting **** all. mint int it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daz2202 Posted November 14, 2013 Report Share Posted November 14, 2013 wildfowling is going out on the foreshore ,at stupid hours ,freezing your nuts off, and more often than not shooting **** all. mint int it. Wild fowling summed up that is. I have questioned my intelligence on occasions as to why I bother ... I'm normally to cold to understand or remember what my answer is, so go again the next week to try again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitchrat Posted November 16, 2013 Report Share Posted November 16, 2013 I have not been wildfowling for a long time and I doubt whether I will ever go again. However I am still interested enough to read all of the posts about peoples adventures. There does seem to be a problem with the terminology used when people are shooting geese and this was illustrated last night when I watched the latest version of 'The Shooting Show'. The sporting agent set up two different teams of guns on some arable land and they shot a fair few geese and the agent referred to them as 'wildfowlers'. How can that be when they never got their feet muddy? My view is that they were simply people who shot geese. The habitat of true wildfowlers is not arable farmland where they can drive their vehicle to the hide position but out on the open creeks and gullies and marshland most of which will be covered by water at high tide. Fully agree JDog. The best thing about the programme was that in Scotland you can use lead shot over farmland, thereby you have a good chance of making a claen kill. I recently went on a commercial evening duck flight, some of the other "Guns" would shoot at any duck that went near them, even if they were 60 yards up. Whilst they had "great sport" and had perhaps 50 shots or more, they only downed about a dozen duck, mainly with just a broken wing. What they did do was send the duck higher and away, so I only had about 6 decent shots and killed 4 duck cleanly. So, doing what we saw in TV is the only way I'm going to shoot wildfowl in the future, unless all Guns are my friends and I can trust them to shoot sensibly. PS I hope you get well soon. PPS No pigeons in Essex, having to go beating instead, just to get out and in the sport. Kitchrat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver pigeon 3 Posted November 16, 2013 Report Share Posted November 16, 2013 Fully agree JDog. The best thing about the programme was that in Scotland you can use lead shot over farmland, thereby you have a good chance of making a claen kill. I recently went on a commercial evening duck flight, some of the other "Guns" would shoot at any duck that went near them, even if they were 60 yards up. Whilst they had "great sport" and had perhaps 50 shots or more, they only downed about a dozen duck, mainly with just a broken wing. What they did do was send the duck higher and away, so I only had about 6 decent shots and killed 4 duck cleanly. So, doing what we saw in TV is the only way I'm going to shoot wildfowl in the future, unless all Guns are my friends and I can trust them to shoot sensibly. PS I hope you get well soon. PPS No pigeons in Essex, having to go beating instead, just to get out and in the sport. Kitchrat How and why did this turn into a lead shot debate? And the example you use has no bearing on what the other "guns" were putting up the barrels more the fact they were shooting at birds out of range. As most of the other wildfowlers on here know a decent steel cartridge, with a pellet size to match the quarry correctly choked and used at a decent range, for me up to 40 yards will put birds on the floor as well as a lead cartridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandalf Posted November 16, 2013 Report Share Posted November 16, 2013 Its a rather personal thing , but for me wildfowling is the pursuit of duck and geese in wild places which may be on the coastal salt marsh and mud flats or inland on extensive fresh marshes or large inland lakes. Shooting duck on fed flight ponds or geese on arable fields i think of as duck or goose shooting. I shoot duck and geese on the North Norfolk coast = wildfowling Broadland grazing marshes = wildfowling Broadland lakes = wildfowling Inland flight pond = duck shooting Inland arable fields = goose shooting In total agreement with this. Perfect summing up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildfowler.250 Posted November 17, 2013 Report Share Posted November 17, 2013 And the example you use has no bearing on what the other "guns" were putting up the barrels more the fact they were shooting at birds out of range. exactly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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