Best days on the foreshore - most ducks

[Richie10]

Hi,

Out of interest and slow at work, tell me about the red letter days you have had on the foreshore, when you have had alot of duck.

 

Especially good days decoying.

 

Cheers.

[GADWALL41]

RED LETTER days ?,

Well, Im Inclined to think , that means different things to some of us .

 

Allow me to tell you what comes to mind , when I wander back down memory lane , Sorry I mean across , the SLOB , MUCK and OOzze !.

 

Last season , well pre Christmas , A single Teal comes From left to right ,( I Hate L TO R) out of a creek , Screaming across the Sky about 45yds out and 30yds up .

1st shot way behind , so with a conscious push swing right threw him and a 50 yarder tumbles stone dead .

 

A few weeks later , another Big BLOW , But things were slow , then a Single Teal , wind in his Tail again , tearing threw the sky , I mount the gun fire the second its in my shoulder and another Teal is dead in the sky , only this time its still going , must have been 30 or 35yds later before the Wind dropped it from its grasp , Splash and another Superb retrieve from that little Pixie face Springer you see beside my handle here on page side.

 

Mallard that I shot , L and R etc , sure I remember them and the Wegion and the Missed pintail , well I got 1 , yes in mind , BUT IT ALWAYS SEEEMS TO BE THE SCREAMING TEAL SHOTS , that stick with me . As I was wearing a vid cam I have the last Teal on video , what a shot a Stunner .

 

But to be honest , its not big bags that I have Red marks in my Diary for , its days like these ! .

 

Four seasons back , awaiting the flight , I hear a distant call of a bird I haven't heard in real life before ! on tv yes , surely not , it cant be . Oh yes it was , as the Full moon rose , ice crinkling underfoot , the Unmistakable shape of a Crane comes into view , then another and another , 13 in all .

I was stunned . they landed in a field across the pond from me , stayed a few minuets and rose , flew across the Face of the LOW MOON , if you've seen the movie ET , well it was just like that . Etched into the mind until death .

 

Another year , more than 10 back , in the height of a Storm , as dusk turns into nightfall , I find myself on a dyke bank . lying in the reeds and grass , as the Rains gushes across my cheeks . One of those nights when it is actually too bad to shoot , I see at eyeball level a small bird coming towards me , ? whats that ,a snipe perhaps ?, the wind blows it up and down and left and right wobbling in flight , God what an awful night .

It passes me within reach , though I of course let it go on its struggle for shelter . What was it ?, a Kingfisher , a Beautiful Kingfisher.

 

I shot 13 Teal and wegion that night , a fine bag A red letter day for me , Yes , but not because of the bag size , but because I saw a Small Animal battle nature on a savage night , as it had to and not like I , there by choice . Another memory Etched .

 

When you've seen a Peregrine , diving on Mallard , Black Tailed Godwits and on Lapwings , see the fight for life and death , the sunsets and the sunrises , the moon rises over the misty water and the look in your Dogs eyes when he swims back frozen and exhausted, having made that once in a season retrieve , how could 20 30 or 40 Duck surpass that memory ??,

 

a pic att... an evening flight and a morning flt.

 

quack quack

Edited June 3, 2014 by GADWALL41

[Penelope]

A little marsh on the southern Blackwater shore in November 2011, . A good warm south westerly blowing off of the wall from behind out to the river. Arrived in the pre dawn after a mile walk from the parking place and out on to the saltings. Placed a mix of 20 wigeon, mallard and teal decoys in the right hand dry creek bottom in preparation for the 5.1m tide due at approx.10:30am. The mud in this creek is quite soft so there was a bit of floundering about whilst putting the decoys out. The secret is to try and keep moving and not stand in one place too long.

 

Morning flight was uneventful, but as the scummy brown finger of water pushed up the creek and lifted the decoys, ducks started to move, looking for a bit shelter out the wind and progressively rougher estuary. A pair of wigeon swung round to the whistle for a look see, one stayed behind.

A short while later a single pintail drake gave a long chance as it quartered from right to left, no doubt from the pond behind the sea wall further up to my right, but I only increased it's speed by chasing it with a couple of shots. A short wait with a few wigeon in the distance flying mid channel, before a small trip of teal in their usual now you see them, now you don't flight zoomed by; crump! and one fell, with the rest going vertical like the do. Too late for the second barrel. Some more wigeon, another wheeoo and on they came, paddles down, wings arched. Two down, one stone cold they other a swimmer that required the coup de gras, both retrieved by Lucky the pocket Labrador.

 

As the tide reached it's full height a pair of mallard came by and turned to the hail and came on to the quacks. Up over the net and two shots, the duck fell, the drake carrying on over the marsh away to my right, but succumbed to the plaintive quacking, perhaps thinking it was his fallen partner. He swung around behind me on a wide arc and wide over my left shoulder; sat on the marsh with my feet glued into the mud, all I could do way pivot round on my waist and take the shot one handed to be able to get round far enough on his line of flight. He crumpled into the asters.

 

The tide doesn't stay long this far up river and soon turned and started to drop out, the flight was soon to be over, but not before the finale! Ah-honk, ahonk, honk from behind and right, a skein of a dozen or so canadas came over the wall, nice and low with two outriders on my side of them; the mad scrabble to change to goose loads as they came down the centre of the marsh but swinging a tad left with every wing beat that would put the main body just too far, but the pair of outriders were on, a shuffle round on my knees in the mud to get round to salute them, boom, thud, boom, splash as one hit the saltings and the other crashed into the receding tide. The one on the top was dead, but the other was a strong swimmer and need a couple more before Lucky could slosh out to retrieve it.

 

The walk back was a muck sweat torture, with a sack full plastic, another small rucksack with the flask and other paraphernalia and the six duck and two canadas over my shoulder. I don't think, well I know I haven't shot so well on the marsh, 8 assorted wildfowl for 12 shots.

[CBL]

RED LETTER days ?,

Well, Im Inclined to think , that means different things to some of us .

 

But to be honest , its not big bags that I have Red marks in my Diary for , its days like these ! .

 

 

Great post and really sums up the wider perspective of wildfowling. Can't remember a time I have gone to the marsh with a goal of a big bag - much more about being out there, (generally with a good friend) and on the marsh when so few are around, and enjoying the sights and sounds that a flight has to offer. A shot is always a special occasion and even more so if it brings something to hand.

 

For me, my most memorable red letter day has to my first pinkfoot to my 8 bore using black powder. It looked as if the flight was entirely over and we walked off the marsh (after a stunning frosty and sunny morning) to see skeins upon skeins of pinks in the morning light pouring along the coastal edge. We were fortunate that a few came our way and the big 8 with 2oz of Bismuth brought to hand a very tall goose I will never forget.

 

Over decoys - a memorable evening decoying wigeon when (again using the 8 bore) I restricted myself to only birds 30yrds or more away. I remember it clearly because of the incredible showing of wigeon but also for the constant laughter which erupted every time a cloud of black powder smoke covered us post-shot. I think I was fortunate enough to end the evening with 5 wigeon which remains my best decoy showing on the marsh, but not memorable for the number alone.

[GADWALL41]

Hi CBL ,

thank you for your comments .

I am quite sure there are many , Great , funny and perhaps a few Stories of Survival out there to , twud be great to hear some .

 

Great Shooting there Penelope and very well written to . So what about you Richie10 , wheres your story or 2 ?. Or will we find a New " Wildfowling Anthology " Vol 1 and 2

newly published on Amazon in about 3 months ? lol.

 

I usually shoot alone , though with my son when he is Back home from college.

To be honest I seldom , never fail to get a shot at something, while out after Duck , though I often return empty handed .

 

The best bag I had with another gun was about 5 years ago . An evening flight with my 18 month old Springer , Clint , the guy in the pic . Not much wind and no great expectation , out went the Deeks , up went the hide and in came the Teal . At the end of flight after several cracking shots , the Bag was 18 Teal and not a Bird lost , credit a young dog who had great fun on the evening .

 

That was a great Night and now , its over to the forum .

 

 

Yes the 2 on the right , are Jack Snipe and yes It is legal to shoot them where I live . I usually Shoot between one and six most seasons .

The multi coloured cases I picked up after other "shooters".

Edited June 3, 2014 by GADWALL41

[Konnie]

Great write ups guys, got me looking forward to it already.

 

As said if you want big bags wildfowling is not your sport, it's the being out there.

 

I was once taken to a part of the Norfolk coast by a very good friend,

The morning started by loading the gear into,a boat in the pitch black of night,for the trip to the far side of the bay, which is a spit of land that sticks out into the north sea. Decoys were deployed about half a dozen each in our given spot about 100yrds apart we sat, one of us with our guide for the flight. It was due to be a decent tide, as the slither of light that would become dawn started to show, the lapping water was joined by the talking of fowl, the woosh of wings but nothing visible to take a shot at, the dawn broke, and the flight did not happen, decoys collected, tide dropping, then it all happened a line appeared in the sky approaching there were about 200 wigeon as we watched them pass another line appeared, my friend said go on then. Following the dropping tide to thigh high to get under them I started a continuous flight of squadron after squadron of wigeon, in 20 minutes I had fired about 30 shots and picked 13 wigeon, this I would say was the flight of a life time not because of the number shot but volume of duck seen. they were still passing too far out now to shoot on our return we all 3 agreed we must have seen in the region of 10.000 duck. a pleasure to just be part of the world of wildfowling.

[silver pigeon 3]

I don't measure success of the foreshore by numbers shot as it is about so much more. My best bag was when everything fell into place just right, the splashes filled just as the wind and rain arrived and I arrived early as I was sure others would try to make the most of the conditions. To my amazement the car park was empty and I was the only one out braving the conditions, decoys were placed and a hide constructed in a hawthorn hedge.

All was quiet until a single mallard came fast from behind to be turned with the call offering a easy shot as it peeled into the decoys, a handsome drake was soon brought to hand by the dog. Everything settled down and I watched snipe flit around the edge of the splash out of range, as dusk started to creep in Wigeon started moving and a hen bird was added as it crossed over the splash just a little to close, a brace of teal flighted in and a rare right and left at this most sporting quarry was a welcome addition. Right on dark another wigeon, this time a drake was bundled into the water as it made a pass to look at the decoys. This shot ended the flight as the light was all but gone, packing up the decoys I let the dog have a run and to my surprise he disappeared over the sea wall to return with another drake wigeon that I must of hit but not realised. The total bag was 6 birds in ideal fowling conditions And to make it even more special I had the whole Marsh to myself.

Writing that has made me look forward to next season and all the highs and lows that it brings.

[Richie10]

Unfortunately no book in the pipeline. I am not what you would class as a writer.

 

Anyone that knows wildfowling will know that coming back with something at all is a good day, if you are put off by the blank days then the sport isn't for you.

 

Sure I have memorable shots, times when I have successful calling back mallard, watched as very large groups of teal pass me out of shooting distance, had groups of waders pass over my head literally inches away, seen birds I never thought visited this far south in the UK, been stalked by curious seals. Spent most of the time out on the marsh on my own and recall the stories to my family who pretend to listen.lol.

 

Interested if people have had bumper days, never had more than 5 myself and that is plenty when it comes to plucking etc.

 

Thanks for the replies, very entertaining reads, cannot wait for next season being out on the marsh adding to those memorable moments.

 

Thanks

[scolopax]

Had no end of red letter flights, but not if judged by numbers alone, biggest bag on the foreshore is nine teal! Have had a few flights when I could have filled the car boot with geese but have stopped after a handful. Also had some great flights when I have shot terribly and come away with two or three duck when I should have had many more lol.

[jonnybgood]

As most others have said, its not about the size of the bag, but i have no problems in a reply to the original post. One howler of a night, on an estuary filled with wigeon, i shot a little splash a long way out from the seawall, with no decoys and just my homemade wigeon wistle, i put 15 in the bag. Another flight on a different marsh, this time shooting the tide, i shot over a dozen wildfowl, including mallard,wigeon, teal, pinkfoot and golden plover, this to me is my ultimate red letter day, for the varity of the bag and the sheer number of fowl i saw, every bird on the marsh seemed to want to escape the rough sea and land within 30 yards of my hide! i could of tripled the bag, but just watched untill, like the birds, i had to escape the tide.

[GADWALL41]

Ah well Richie10,

doesn't look like were going to hear about too many Big Bags ! .

 

I imagine Its somehow , un gentlemanly to speak about such things . Kind of Like 007 , not talking about How many Martina,s , oh , sorry Martinis , he has shaken and

stirred, or the Size of Ones Gun .

 

Ah well , just have to Break out RPG ,Ralph Payne Galway or Col Hawkers Diaries again Id guess, Big bags there , but Too big in fact , for my taste at least .

Besides, one man can only carry so much , I for one don't venture out on a Gator or a quad, just Shanks Mare ,

 

Bon Chasse !

[marsh man]

Over a period of more than 50 years of fowling , I have had more than my share of good flights but how do you determine a good flight , by the bag, by the number of fowl seen, by the number of shots fired, and so on and so on. Every year I have made at least one entry in my diary stating that was the best flight of the season, but it didn't always have any birds shot. One entry said.....Had 100s if not 1000s of geese over me tonight all just to high by 20yds or so, what an incredible sight, must be one of the best flights up to now maybe for the season, never fired a shot but went home a very happy man..............I have had a lot of duck, maybe to many but I have had to spend a vast amount of time in all different weather conditions to learn there way of life, because like most field sports field craft is more important than the ability to use a gun. The art of wild fowling is getting the quarry close enough to shoot with the gun you are using and not taking long shots and hoping a lucky pellet hit a vital area, and the only way to do that is to spend a lot of time on the marsh or saltings. One of the biggest bag of duck I had was 17 Pintail shot one morning before I went to work, but that was a long while ago and for several years now I have had a self imposed limit of 10 a flight which I haven't had many of them, the last one was this past season on the night of the tidal surge down the east coast when it was blowing a gale and the flooded marsh I was on was full of duck, for the whole flight there were duck coming on to my marsh for shelter, I shot 8 duck that night 7 Wigeon and 1 Mallard and that was more than enough. The best flight of geese I had was 5 one night and I stopped shooting and just watched them crossing the marsh against the storm that was blowing at the time, nowadays if I get 2 or 3 a season I am more than happy as I get more pleasure watching fowl now than I do in shooting them.

[wildfowler.250]

One of my most memorable flights was when I took my Basque 10 bore out for an evening on the mud. It was a cold night. I knew that all the ponds would be frozen and any duck would be down by the shore. I picked the ten out in the hope that I would get under a goose or two but that evening I didn't get near any! As the light started to fade, the odd teal whizzed past. It took a few birds before I was tuned in to what was going on. Suddenly, I noticed a pair of teal flying straight towards me. By the time the gun went up, they two birds were only twenty yards above me. One shot dropped both teal just behind me and the spaniel was quick to retrieve them. A third teal charged past me from right to left and I folded it up with my first barrel. This wasn't the most orthodox use of the ten but I wasn't going to complain. Shortly after, a wigeon crossed me at 30 yards and a single shot brought it down. The night was rounded off with a mallard which flew past me at similar distance and was pole-axed with the first trigger. By the time I had reached the car it was minus 11 degrees and my jacket was starting to freeze. The dog had icicles in her coat and I made sure she got a good dry off in the house.

 

 

Not my biggest bag every but memorable due to the biting cold. The 10 is a hefty gun to use but once it gets swinging you certainly don't stop!

[Richie10]

Interesting reads guys.

 

Seems that some people have had some exceptional times on the marsh. We know we won't be getting pigeon shooting sized bags.

However it is good to hear on the rare occassions all the right conditions came together.

 

thanks

[scolopax]

For big duck bags over decoys it is mainly the Ouse washes that I have heard of, also looking at online posts, lough Neagh.

 

I think tremendous bags could be made on the Ribble, used to have 100,000 wigeon alone, but I think they operate on a bag limit there of 10 a flight(?).

[bobshooting]

Over 30 years ago now, Hoppies Creek, on King's Lynn Marsh, way, way out on the mud on a low tide, a place we can no longer go, just as well, the walk was a cruelty and I'm old.

 

The wind was howling, but it wasn't cold, I think we saw the same duck time after time, they couldn't find anywhere comfortable to sit, so kept looking and flying.

 

I had to leave early, to report for some Royal Navy training, isn't it always the way on a red-letter chance.

 

I got 13, my mate a couple more as I recall.

 

By the time we got back to the car I was swearing that me and shooting were finished for ever, but I'm still going twice a week in the season; me and good-sense aren't firm friends.

 

It's the only flight in in nearly 50 years of Wildfowling that I've shot more than 1 Pintail in a day.

[motty]

I have never shot anything like it myself, but I know my dad and one of his mates got over 50 wigeon between them on the marsh one evening. Some may say that's too many, but as you all know, that sort of chance doesn't come along too often.

 

I've never shot any huge bags of ducks or geese on the marsh, but I've had some memorable flights. I got 5 pinks in a morning flight last season, the first time I've done that. I've had a nice double at pintail, after calling them from way off.

On a memorable flight a couple of seasons back I shot a triple of mallard that were all ringed.

[marsh man]

Over 30 years ago now, Hoppies Creek, on King's Lynn Marsh, way, way out on the mud on a low tide, a place we can no longer go, just as well, the walk was a cruelty and I'm old.

 

The wind was howling, but it wasn't cold, I think we saw the same duck time after time, they couldn't find anywhere comfortable to sit, so kept looking and flying.

 

I had to leave early, to report for some Royal Navy training, isn't it always the way on a red-letter chance.

 

I got 13, my mate a couple more as I recall.

 

By the time we got back to the car I was swearing that me and shooting were finished for ever, but I'm still going twice a week in the season; me and good-sense aren't firm friends.

 

It's the only flight in in nearly 50 years of Wildfowling that I've shot more than 1 Pintail in a day.

Strange how Pintail numbers vary from area to area. Last year we had 90 odd on Breydon when they done a wild fowl count compared to over 15,000 Widgeon , nowadays you would get more Pinks in the bag than you would Pintail. At one time it wasn't weather you would get one in a season, it was how many we would get, that amount the B T O counted last year I have had nearly half that number my self in a season , and a mate of mine who packed up fowling a few years ago used to shoot more than I did as his marshes were like a magnet to Pintail . I did find they decoyed fairly easy and when I used my gun punt on Breydon I have pushed on to Pintail well in range for a 3in 12bore

[bobshooting]

Strange how Pintail numbers vary from area to area. Last year we had 90 odd on Breydon when they done a wild fowl count compared to over 15,000 Widgeon , nowadays you would get more Pinks in the bag than you would Pintail. At one time it wasn't weather you would get one in a season, it was how many we would get, that amount the B T O counted last year I have had nearly half that number my self in a season , and a mate of mine who packed up fowling a few years ago used to shoot more than I did as his marshes were like a magnet to Pintail . I did find they decoyed fairly easy and when I used my gun punt on Breydon I have pushed on to Pintail well in range for a 3in 12bore

After I'd read that, I had a think and honestly I don't believe I've had more than a total of 20 Pintail in my life and I go Wildfowling a lot. especially now I'm finished with work.

 

Ask the Wife, she'll tell you..............at length.

 

I had none last season, or the one before, got 1 the year before that.

 

I've never had any come into my Mallard Decoys, but perhaps you need Pintail ones.

 

Widgeon on the two marshes I shoot are here today, gone tomorrow. Some mornings as I sit waiting for the light the noise of them is everywhere, then I won't see one for weeks.

 

Could you ask your mate how he managed to pack up, I've been trying for years, but am totally Addicted, I wonder if there's a Wildfowlers Anonymous, with a 10 Step Plan?

 

Never tried a gun-punt, but I do know you earn every bird you get, it's a hard, hard sport.

 

Thanks, that was interesting to read.

[silver pigeon 3]

Never been fortunate enough to bag a pintail, we see a few down here but not in any numbers.

[kent]

Never been fortunate enough to bag a pintail, we see a few down here but not in any numbers.

Hey, you cant shoot what's not there. I have seen 10s of thousands of pinks come off one marsh yet no so far away on another a Pink is a real bonus. Pintail? I have seen the air thick with them yet on another nearby you only see them if there is a big onshore blow.

[kent]

My best day on the marsh has nothing to do with the bag, in fact I shot only one duck a Cock Widgeon, it was a long shot from a pack on a venue I was on the marsh in question for the first time only one shot was fired as only when I had committed to the shot and I fired did I realise the range had lengthened. Early on this last season the current dog was only a novice and I had to handle him out over the river up a rocky embankment then well out across the mud to pick it as to him it was a total blind retrieve (I had stalked them leaving him on the drop elsewhere out of view) which he did just great. It was the combination of working out how to shoot the spot, the shot taken and the success of the dog that made it. I have never shot more than ten duck in a flight, reason is I should stop shooting or four geese- wildfowling is about other things, you either get that or you don't.

Its actually quite hard to say which is the best day when you take numbers out the equation as they are all good, even some of the blanks as long as the anticipation remains.

Edited June 11, 2014 by kent

[silver pigeon 3]

Hey, you cant shoot what's not there. I have seen 10s of thousands of pinks come off one marsh yet no so far away on another a Pink is a real bonus. Pintail? I have seen the air thick with them yet on another nearby you only see them if there is a big onshore blow.

 

 

Very true Kent. Pink's are another bird that doesn't seem to ever come this far south/west, but you never know as there range within the UK has increased - fingers crossed!

It is not a bad thing to have birds still on the wish list, it even gives an arguement to put to the Mrs to get a few days away somewhere to try to bag one