I feel like crying !

[fenboy]

I have had my heart set on my first foreshore pink this season .

I have managed to get under some on a number of occasions now but they have always been to high.

 

I was out this morning and with a good wind blowing I was hopeful any I saw may be low enough for a shot .

 

The alarm went off at 4am and I was down the marsh and in position by 5 , me and the dog got tucked into a nice creek and sat waiting for fowl to start moving .

 

Things were very quite , I let 3 teal pass that were on the edge of range , I saw a lone wigeon that was too wide and that was about it.

 

The flight was near to a close , I had seen a good few pinks coming off the marsh a couple of miles or so away and though my chance had gone.

 

Just as I was ready to call it a day , I spotted a small skein of about 20 pinks heading in my direction and at a shootable height , they kept coming but looked to be drifting wide , I gave a couple of calls and they straightened toward me perfectly , they came directly overhead around 45 yards up , not as low as I thought they were going to be but in range , for the choke and cartridge combo I was using.

 

I picked a bird at the back of the skein and promptly missed it , swung through the bird some more and my second shot hit it hard and it started to drop , clearly it was not dead though with the strong wind pushing against it the pink planed down around 60 - 80 yards from my position the dog had marked it and it was going to be a simple enough retrieve , I did a little victory jig and sent the dog out , he was straight out to the area the goose dropped but then things went badly wrong , he got within about 10 yards of it and it got up and flew , it was around 80 yards now but I had another shot hoping against the odds I would drop it , it was not to be and it flew far enough to go out of sight , I feel absolutely gutted both that it got away and the fact I did not get up front of it enough for a clean kill.

 

I managed a late teal to avoid a blank flight but that was scant consolation.

[E.w.]

Bad luck that, things will change for the better I'm sure, as for the goose no such luck but will wash up on the shore line soon enough.

[WelshAndy]

Always a shame to loose a bird :( good luck for next time

[Big Mat]

See your PM fenboy

Edited November 2, 2014 by Big Mat

[hifly]

Unlucky fenboy you will soon get your goose especially with the moons coming in to play just stick with it, but if you don't get one I will take you for a flight on our club marsh, plenty of geese moving about this morning

Edited November 2, 2014 by hifly

[Spaniel]

I always hate it when you know you hit the bird hard but you can't retrieve it but I'm sure you will get your pink soon fenboy

I was out yesterday evening second Saturday where I have seen nothing moving

We don't get pinks down this way although I am determined I will get one at some point but for now I would be happy with a duck for the table

[Diabolo]

Posting on an open forum that there are now not one but two wounded birds flopping about somewhere on a marsh is grist to the mill of those who would get wildfowling banned. We know it happens but no need to give the RSPB et al. signed confessions.

[Big Mat]

Posting on an open forum that there are now not one but two wounded birds flopping about somewhere on a marsh is grist to the mill of those who would get wildfowling banned. We know it happens but no need to give the RSPB et al. signed confessions.

 

Give the man a break!

Edited November 2, 2014 by Big Mat

[UK fowler]

Posting on an open forum that there are now not one but two wounded birds flopping about somewhere on a marsh is grist to the mill of those who would get wildfowling banned. We know it happens but no need to give the RSPB et al. signed confessions.

glad some one has there head screwed on

[kent]

Obviously it wasn't quite as IN RANGE as you thought! Just learn from it and draw those ranges down. Its not honestly connecting with higher birds that's the issue its dropping them dead. Wounded geese can be a test for any dog.

Lets be fair we all miss and we can all likewise wound (if you miss and wound as many low ones or high ones your not doing too much wrong and the antis are well aware of this).

I had a connected over confidence thing happen to me a season or two back. New choke and a fast steel load patterned real well so I extended my range on Duck, sure my hit rate was certainly there as was the numbers that dropped from the sky but far to many were not DRT kills which is what we should all seek.

If you cant see the eye of a goose and its not too dark and you don't need glasses its out of range for that DRT kill, its not out of range for bringing down wounded

[fenboy]

Obviously it wasn't quite as IN RANGE as you thought! Just learn from it and draw those ranges down. Its not honestly connecting with higher birds that's the issue its dropping them dead. Wounded geese can be a test for any dog.

Lets be fair we all miss and we can all likewise wound (if you miss and wound as many low ones or high ones your not doing too much wrong and the antis are well aware of this).

I had a connected over confidence thing happen to me a season or two back. New choke and a fast steel load patterned real well so I extended my range on Duck, sure my hit rate was certainly there as was the numbers that dropped from the sky but far to many were not DRT kills which is what we should all seek.

If you cant see the eye of a goose and its not too dark and you don't need glasses its out of range for that DRT kill, its not out of range for bringing down wounded

Kent , I was there , you were not , the goose was adequately in range , I did not do my part ,42 grams of fast BBs will kill geese all day long at 45 yards if I had of done,

 

Posting on an open forum that there are now not one but two wounded birds flopping about somewhere on a marsh is grist to the mill of those who would get wildfowling banned. We know it happens but no need to give the RSPB et al. signed confessions.

 

I am sorry if my honesty upsets you Diabolo , but I would guess the RSPB all ready has an inkling shooters wound birds from time to time .

But for what is worth RSPB if your reading this I am genuinely sorry , my intention is always to kill not wound , of course that goes for all species I shoot at not just geese.

it has nothing to do with or with not being in range I have passed up a number of chances this season on geese that were borderline

Are you telling me you have never wounded a in range bird ?

[fenboy]

Unlucky fenboy you will soon get your goose especially with the moons coming in to play just stick with it, but if you don't get one I will take you for a flight on our club marsh, plenty of geese moving about this morning

 

Thank you hifly

Unfortunately I have to work this full moon which is a shame as I was planning on trying a moon flight for the first time , I fear many of the pinks will have departed by the time the next one comes around.

[Redgum]

Kent , I was there , you were not , the goose was adequately in range , I did not do my part ,42 grams of fast BBs will kill geese all day long at 45 yards if I had of done,

 

 

I am sorry if my honesty upsets you Diabolo , but I would guess the RSPB all ready has an inkling shooters wound birds from time to time .

But for what is worth RSPB if your reading this I am genuinely sorry , my intention is always to kill not wound , of course that goes for all species I shoot at not just geese.

it has nothing to do with or with not being in range I have passed up a number of chances this season on geese that were borderline

Are you telling me you have never wounded a in range bird ?

Hey mate, Kents always there, his hologram is always in the bushes when I'm stalking think the emotion got to you a bit mate, especially to be honest on this forum, a brave thing indeed . The old saying goes Fenboy, 'If you have never wounded then your either a liar or don't shoot'. Its the know all's that don't bother chasing up missed live quarry with 'haaa I know I missed it' that need the gallows.

[fenboy]

Thank you Redgum , if I had mentioned shooting at a pigeon and it flying on leaving a puff of feathers behind I dare say nobody would give a toss.

[hifly]

KENT wrote

(Obviously it wasn't quite as IN RANGE as you thought! Just learn from it and draw those ranges down. Its not honestly connecting with higher birds that's the issue its dropping them dead. Wounded geese can be a test for any dog.

Lets be fair we all miss and we can all likewise wound (if you miss and wound as many low ones or high ones your not doing too much wrong and the antis are well aware of this).

I had a connected over confidence thing happen to me a season or two back. New choke and a fast steel load patterned real well so I extended my range on Duck, sure my hit rate was certainly there as was the numbers that dropped from the sky but far to many were not DRT kills which is what we should all seek.

If you cant see the eye of a goose and its not too dark and you don't need glasses its out of range for that DRT kill, its not out of range for bringing down wounded)

 

How can you say ( it was not quite as in range as you thought) I have shot geese at 20 - 30 and 40 yards and they have gone on for 150 -200 yards sometimes even further with multiple holes straight through them when inspected upon retrieval and I use BB, BBB, AND T shot in steel at 42grams you don't always center the bird in the pattern.

and as for seeing it's eye 60 grams of hevi shot or power shot in BB will stop a goose dead at 75yards try seeing it's eye at that range

[Ttfjlc]

I have had my heart set on my first foreshore pink this season .

I have managed to get under some on a number of occasions now but they have always been to high.

 

I was out this morning and with a good wind blowing I was hopeful any I saw may be low enough for a shot .

 

The alarm went off at 4am and I was down the marsh and in position by 5 , me and the dog got tucked into a nice creek and sat waiting for fowl to start moving .

 

Things were very quite , I let 3 teal pass that were on the edge of range , I saw a lone wigeon that was too wide and that was about it.

 

The flight was near to a close , I had seen a good few pinks coming off the marsh a couple of miles or so away and though my chance had gone.

 

Just as I was ready to call it a day , I spotted a small skein of about 20 pinks heading in my direction and at a shootable height , they kept coming but looked to be drifting wide , I gave a couple of calls and they straightened toward me perfectly , they came directly overhead around 45 yards up , not as low as I thought they were going to be but in range , for the choke and cartridge combo I was using.

 

I picked a bird at the back of the skein and promptly missed it , swung through the bird some more and my second shot hit it hard and it started to drop , clearly it was not dead though with the strong wind pushing against it the pink planed down around 60 - 80 yards from my position the dog had marked it and it was going to be a simple enough retrieve , I did a little victory jig and sent the dog out , he was straight out to the area the goose dropped but then things went badly wrong , he got within about 10 yards of it and it got up and flew , it was around 80 yards now but I had another shot hoping against the odds I would drop it , it was not to be and it flew far enough to go out of sight , I feel absolutely gutted both that it got away and the fact I did not get up front of it enough for a clean kill.

 

I managed a late teal to avoid a blank flight but that was scant consolation.

On a lighter note, lesson learnt! Go for a bird at the front Edited November 2, 2014 by Ttfjlc

[fenboy]

On a lighter note, lesson learnt! Go for a bird at the front

 

I always go for the front unfortunately we do not always achieve what we are aiming for , I consider myself a competent shot but I am not Digweed.

Though it would have been my first foreshore pink I have shot quite a few flighting inland over the years , this is the first I have ever had get up and fly off , if I had thought it was likely to do that I would have gone out with the dog , it would have been a simple follow up shot if I had done so.

[kent]

KENT wrote

(Obviously it wasn't quite as IN RANGE as you thought! Just learn from it and draw those ranges down. Its not honestly connecting with higher birds that's the issue its dropping them dead. Wounded geese can be a test for any dog.

Lets be fair we all miss and we can all likewise wound (if you miss and wound as many low ones or high ones your not doing too much wrong and the antis are well aware of this).

I had a connected over confidence thing happen to me a season or two back. New choke and a fast steel load patterned real well so I extended my range on Duck, sure my hit rate was certainly there as was the numbers that dropped from the sky but far to many were not DRT kills which is what we should all seek.

If you cant see the eye of a goose and its not too dark and you don't need glasses its out of range for that DRT kill, its not out of range for bringing down wounded)

 

How can you say ( it was not quite as in range as you thought) I have shot geese at 20 - 30 and 40 yards and they have gone on for 150 -200 yards sometimes even further with multiple holes straight through them when inspected upon retrieval and I use BB, BBB, AND T shot in steel at 42grams you don't always center the bird in the pattern.

and as for seeing it's eye 60 grams of hevi shot or power shot in BB will stop a goose dead at 75yards try seeing it's eye at that range

 

And see you brought before committee in many clubs. yes it will but not with the same certainty in pattern and energy it will at 35-40 ! Seen 9 ball lead loads bring an odd one down as well (often not dead). Flying on is common and is the same as a deer bleeding out from a lung shot, when you watch them they die in the air and fall stone dead.

[kent]

 

I always go for the front unfortunately we do not always achieve what we are aiming for , I consider myself a competent shot but I am not Digweed.

Though it would have been my first foreshore pink I have shot quite a few flighting inland over the years , this is the first I have ever had get up and fly off , if I had thought it was likely to do that I would have gone out with the dog , it would have been a simple follow up shot if I had done so.

 

I am sorry you took offence, it will slow down the learning curve (none of us carry rangefinders to ping geese in flight before shooting) and I am sure that many of us pass on in range shots that only look too high, its better than the reverse. Its often hard to let them go by when you think there is a chance. I felt very much the same on the first awaiting the perfect shot and passing up a fair few that should have been doable and then I thought that's it they have all gone inland now and a skien came perfect over me for a left and right (sooner or later it will come good even if its not on that flight) Few things are worse than loosing a goose you know you got some shot into

[E.w.]

I always go for the front unfortunately we do not always achieve what we are aiming for , I consider myself a competent shot but I am not Digweed.

Though it would have been my first foreshore pink I have shot quite a few flighting inland over the years , this is the first I have ever had get up and fly off , if I had thought it was likely to do that I would have gone out with the dog , it would have been a simple follow up shot if I had done so.

you are as normal as any wildfowler it happens and will happen again, practise your shooting a bit more then you can wave them in and when they are close enough to give you a blink of the eye you can shoot like Kent does.

[fenboy]

 

I am sorry you took offence, it will slow down the learning curve (none of us carry rangefinders to ping geese in flight before shooting) and I am sure that many of us pass on in range shots that only look too high, its better than the reverse. Its often hard to let them go by when you think there is a chance. I felt very much the same on the first awaiting the perfect shot and passing up a fair few that should have been doable and then I thought that's it they have all gone inland now and a skien came perfect over me for a left and right (sooner or later it will come good even if its not on that flight) Few things are worse than loosing a goose you know you got some shot into

 

The only reason I have taken offence is that you automatically assume that because a goose has been wounded it was not in range despite me being under them and you being several 100 miles away , I think I was far better placed to decide if they were in range or not .

 

No I do not carry a range finder but with over 30 years shooting behind me I would like to think I have some idea what is shootable and what is not .

I am sure anyone who has been out with me could tell you that I do not take a shot on unless I am confident that there is a high chance of a kill .

Edited November 2, 2014 by fenboy

[motty]

Obviously it wasn't quite as IN RANGE as you thought! Just learn from it and draw those ranges down. Its not honestly connecting with higher birds that's the issue its dropping them dead. Wounded geese can be a test for any dog.

Lets be fair we all miss and we can all likewise wound (if you miss and wound as many low ones or high ones your not doing too much wrong and the antis are well aware of this).

I had a connected over confidence thing happen to me a season or two back. New choke and a fast steel load patterned real well so I extended my range on Duck, sure my hit rate was certainly there as was the numbers that dropped from the sky but far to many were not DRT kills which is what we should all seek.

If you cant see the eye of a goose and its not too dark and you don't need glasses its out of range for that DRT kill, its not out of range for bringing down wounded

Are you being serious? I've never once looked a goose in the eye when deciding whether to shoot.

As has already been said, anyone who has never wounded a bird has either done very little shooting or is lying. He without sin cast the first stone.

[marsh man]

Don't worry about it Fenboy you will never please everyone , people will always say you should have done this or should have done that but they wernt there , you knew they were in range and had the right combination to deal with them at 45yds , we all hate losing anything that we hit and cant find , but a dog can only do so much and if we are truthful we all lose one or two of something each season . I know I do but its not through lack of trying to find them as I have been out at times the next morning and had another look but if we lose one its not through lack of trying to retrieve it . at least you admitted it , and better luck on your next outing.

[harrycatcat1]

Can someone just clarify this for me please, if i see a Pink Foot Goose on the marsh should I wait until I see its feet clearly, wait until I see its eyes and it winks at me or take a range finder with me?

[Diabolo]

Can someone just clarify this for me please, if i see a Pink Foot Goose on the marsh should I wait until I see its feet clearly, wait until I see its eyes and it winks at me or take a range finder with me?

 

Just don't spill your guts on the internet to give the antis ammunition if you don't pick it.