goose over mud in daylight

[AberFowl]

How many in here flight geese during the day?

The estuary I shoot is seeing a good number of pinks coming back to the mud during the day..i assume for a rest as I can see very little for them to eat.

How many of you would shoot and who would leave them be?

[allanm]

They'll be going back to the estuary for a drink , especially if there feeding on stubble

Edited October 4, 2014 by allanm

[kent]

Rarely, unless there is a clear reason for them to flight in a particular time window its a lot of waiting and of course you need always to consider the fact that if the geese cannot feel safe at home they will move house, shooting them too near home and in broad daylight should be thought carefully about IMO. Morning flight as they go out and evening flight as they come back, the reverse for duck (with the consideration of Tide were relevant for both).

[birdsallpl]

I personally wouldn't, Pinks need the opportunity to come back to drink and also graze / digest on their home turf. Most permit controlled areas insist Wildfowlers are off the marsh at a given time usually about 2 or 3 hours after sunrise and not allowed on similar before sunset. This is done to give the birds some respite during the day.

Hope that helps

[anser2]

Its unusuall ( outside of the moon period ) for pinks to flight back to the forshore during the middle of the day on my marsh , but inland its a different story. The pinks once they have had a cople of hours feeding will use sanctury fields or flooded grass land to rest and drink before returning to the feeding fields in the late afternoon. They do this at several sites along the N Norfolk coast and on my broadland shoot. If this habbit becomes well established a mate and I may decoy the pinks , but only two or three times a year and even then we only shoot for a short time , take a couple of brace and get off the meadows before the main flocks arrive.

 

Like wise the local greylag and canadas do the same thing , but they usually use the bird reserves.

[AberFowl]

The pinks don't, or should I say very very rarely use this estuary as a roost anymore, they did some 10 years ago

A small estuary with a large number of visiting guns...it was doomed as soon as word got out about the numbers using the place

I have spent many morning and evenings here and seen at best 50 pinks leave on a morning and land on the mud at evening

 

Bigger numbers visit during the day, flight in for and stop for an hour then away they go.

I just wondered how many of you would shoot..

I do and enjoy it, it hasn't put them off any other year as its only rarely i get chance to sit here alday. The long wait sure doesn't bother me or the young dog.

Edited October 4, 2014 by AberFowl

[edenman]

I personally wouldn't, Pinks need the opportunity to come back to drink and also graze / digest on their home turf. Most permit controlled areas insist Wildfowlers are off the marsh at a given time usually about 2 or 3 hours after sunrise and not allowed on similar before sunset. This is done to give the birds some respite during the day.

Hope that helps

Completely agree with this. I would go so far as to say it's better/fair for the other birds also not to be getting disturbed all day. I think the Montrose basin has got it right.