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Wildfowling - Season 2016/17


Wildfowler12
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Well done pavman , Nice looking goose , but a far better looking dog , he look a stunner and very pleased with himself :good:

one I raised from our litter for a change MM........ he goes 46KG not an gram of fat

Edited by pavman
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Saying that, Mal Kempson (Leven guide) had two hulking great labs, Mac and his son Dodge who were very big but perfectly proportioned. In fact Mac is the biggest lab I have every seen.

 

Yeah. That's either one hulk of a dog or Pavman's scales are iffy. My black lab dog is weighing in at around 33kg.

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Yeah. That's either one hulk of a dog or Pavman's scales are iffy. My black lab dog is weighing in at around 33kg.

that's the last weight at vets on calibrated scales around aug when he had his jabs as he needs more medication than most, Grandalf knows him well

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Evening flight in the dunes.

After yesterdays experience I decided to try my luck again on the coast. Its rare no matter how good the shooting has been that I ever return to the same area of marsh I have shot only a day or two before. So it was a complete change in scenery as I slogged out across the hard packed sands heading for the distant sand dunes for a pool where I have had some success in past seasons. The last day trippers and bird watchers were leaving the inner dunes as followed the path through the trees out onto the beach and by the time I reached to outer dunes I had the whole bay to myself. Or so I thought. I anchored Pip ( my young untrained lab) to a sueda bush and sorted out my gear. A growl made me look around and ¼ a mile away a bright florescent jacket bobbed up and down on the inner dunes. A jogger. No problem I thought , he was too far away to effect my shooting, but in that moment Pip snapped the sueda branch she was moored up to and raced off across the sands to investigate.

 

Deciding he was probably harmless Pip raced back arriving breathless and sat down again behind her sueda bush again. This time I made sure she was more securely tied up. For the first time this season there was a distinct nip in the air as the keen north wind found its way under the defences of my jacket. It had been raining for most of the day , but now the clouds were scudding away to the south as the weather front moved off and the sky turned a riot of greenish blue and yellow , a great background to pick up the duck well in front.

 

Never the less the first bunch of four took me by surprise coming low out of the loom of the dunes. They banked sharply at the sight of me and two birds fell to my single shot . Meg ( the working lab ) made short work of both retrieves and we settled down again for the next bunch. But it was not a duck that almost gave me a chance . A single goose came out of the dark side of the sky barely in range I just could not decide in that split second if it was a pink or a brent and the chance was lost and the bird passed out to sea.

 

Megs head swung around and for a moment I could not make out what she had seen for several seconds before a pair of teal arrowed into the pool. They were a long shot , but I managed to trim out a nice little hen bird. I was on a roll now and hardly had Meg retrieved it that a pair of wigeon came overhead a good 40 yards up. My first shot missed but the second found its mark and it fell a long way out across the sands giving my dog another long search before finding it. I then missed the next pair as they passed overhead. A second single goose appeared on almost the same line at the last and there was no doubt what this one was . The sharp calls of a pink drifted on the wind , but it ever so slightly altered course to pass just out of range on its way to the roost across the channel. A final bunch of wigeon appeared out of the remains of the sunset. Perhaps I should have had one , but they were a difficult chance and this time my shots had no effect.

 

The light had slipped almost unnoticed from the sky leaving a velvet black expanse of darkness pin pricked with an array of stars. I was on cloud nine after a second successful flight. Its funny how a simple change of luck and return to form rekindles a passion for wildfowling. I am not one for counting cartridges for birds in the bag , but prior to this week my average had been something like 9 shots for every duck to about 2 shots for every duck in the bag this week. A major improvement. Maybe the Franchi has won a deserved second chance.

Edited by anser2
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Evening flight in the dunes.

After yesterdays experience I decided to try my luck again on the coast. Its rare no matter how good the shooting has been that I ever return to the same area of marsh I have shot only a day or two before. So it was a complete change in scenery as I slogged out across the hard packed sands heading for the distant sand dunes for a pool where I have had some success in past seasons. The last day trippers and bird watchers were leaving the inner dunes as followed the path through the trees out onto the beach and by the time I reached to outer dunes I had the whole bay to myself. Or so I thought. I anchored Pip ( my young untrained lab) to a sueda bush and sorted out my gear. A growl made me look around and ¼ a mile away a bright florescent jacket bobbed up and down on the inner dunes. A jogger. No problem I thought , he was too far away to effect my shooting, but in that moment Pip snapped the sueda branch she was moored up to and raced off across the sands to investigate.

 

Deciding he was probably harmless Pip raced back arriving breathless and sat down again behind her sueda bush again. This time I made sure she was more securely tied up. For the first time this season there was a distinct nip in the air as the keen north wind found its way under the defences of my jacket. It had been raining for most of the day , but now the clouds were scudding away to the south as the weather front moved off and the sky turned a riot of greenish blue and yellow , a great background to pick up the duck well in front.

 

Never the less the first bunch of four took me by surprise coming low out of the loom of the dunes. They banked sharply at the sight of me and two birds fell to my single shot . Meg ( the working lab ) made short work of both retrieves and we settled down again for the next bunch. But it was not a duck that almost gave me a chance . A single goose came out of the dark side of the sky barely in range I just could not decide in that split second if it was a pink or a brent and the chance was lost and the bird passed out to sea.

 

Megs head swung around and for a moment I could not make out what she had seen for several seconds before a pair of teal arrowed into the pool. They were a long shot , but I managed to trim out a nice little hen bird. I was on a roll now and hardly had Meg retrieved it that a pair of wigeon came overhead a good 40 yards up. My first shot missed but the second found its mark and it fell a long way out across the sands giving my dog another long search before finding it. I then missed the next pair as they passed overhead. A second single goose appeared on almost the same line at the last and there was no doubt what this one was . The sharp calls of a pink drifted on the wind , but it ever so altered course to pass just out of range on its way to the roost across the channel. A final bunch of wigeon appeared out of the remains of the sunset. Perhaps I should have had one , but they were a difficult chance and this time my shots had no effect.

 

The light had slipped almost unnoticed from the sky leaving a velvet black expanse of darkness pin pricked with an array of stars. I was on cloud nine after a second successful flight. Its funny how a simple change of luck and return to form rekindles a passion for wildfowling. I am not one for counting cartridges for birds in the bag , but prior to this week my average had been something like 9 shots for every duck to about 2 shots for every duck in the bag this week. A major improvement. Maybe the Franchi has won a deserved second chance.

Well done on your last two flights Robert long may it continue 👍 i had a spell beginning of last season when i couldn't Hit a Cow's Butt with a Banjo. Altered stock length cast you name it i done. Put the gun back as it first was. Under the Moon small party of Geese tried to sneak by no time to think Butt Bill Bang two dead with first shot one with second never fired the third shot. After that back to shooting okay. The Mind can play havoc with our shooting
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here he is saying hello to the pub landlord,

 

Despite his size he is very gentle, a real thinker and good company anyone want a big lab to cover their Bitch get in touch he has not had a go yet!

 

 

 

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Edited by pavman
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attachicon.gifimage.jpg Not quite as big but this is my boy Bracken at 42kg

sorry to upset any body but my big black lab weighs in at 54 kg and he is a big boy yes he will drop a few kg as he is back into work but although large is not fat he is now coming up ten year old and suffering a bit but eats the same amount as my other lab and spaniel and gets same exercise sadly never bred off him

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