Done my first flight tonight

[Cant hit them all]

Total solo on my own first time out. Quite surreal out there and all the noise you can hear got as far out as I felt comfortable with got right beside a creak about 3.5 meters wide. As getting the gun out of the slip 5 teal soared right over my head about 70ft up. Was out for just over a hour and it got right dark and I decided to find my way off the foreshore befor pitch black can see where people come from thatyou could lose you way easy as it all look similar. Never let a shot of but it's not about bagging anything more if getting out there and learning

[subsonicnat]

ALWAYS TAKE A WADING STICK,and COMPASS.

IT Can Save Your Life..

[Cant hit them all]

For some reason a compass don't read true with me. Unless I never have had a decent one yes wading stick is a must now even them small creaks 18inhs wide is hard to see in low light into your on them. May invest in a GPS tracking and locator for the next solo visit

[subsonicnat]

For some reason a compass don't read true with me. Unless I never have had a decent one yes wading stick is a must now even them small creaks 18inhs wide is hard to see in low light into your on them. May invest in a GPS tracking and locator for the next solo visit

2" of water over the marsh is wonder to behold in the darkness,ankle breaking creeks 4" wide will put you in a very awkward situation ,, Do please take a Decent torch with you as well..

Only advising as I believe you are New to this very Dangerous enviroment..

Be Safe,and if possible,, Buddy up with someone..

Best of Shooting..

[6.5x55SE]

May invest in a GPS tracking and locator for the next solo visit

Rather than relying on modern technology.

You will/would be far better concentrating on learning the Marsh in quite periods when you not liable to spoil others sports or use the numbers you was given and allow experienced users of the Marsh show you the ropes.

I'm in know way trying to be Harsh but trying to run before you can walk in my opinion is not the way forward.

I see and can understand your keen to pull the trigger BUT no Duck or Goose is worth yours or anybodies life.

I cannot stress enough put lots of effort in fact finding rather than shooting.

Lots of effort will be rewarded in the long run.

I took a Novice out Tuesday night on a easier route shall we say.

Gets dark so i asked the Novice led us off then !!!!!

Good job he had me

[Cant hit them all]

Rather than relying on modern technology.

You will/would be far better concentrating on learning the Marsh in quite periods when you not liable to spoil others sports or use the numbers you was given and allow experienced users of the Marsh show you the ropes.

I'm in know way trying to be Harsh but trying to run before you can walk in my opinion is not the way forward.

I see and can understand your keen to pull the trigger BUT no Duck or Goose is worth yours or anybodies life.

I cannot stress enough put lots of effort in fact finding rather than shooting.

Lots of effort will be rewarded in the long run.

I took a Novice out Tuesday night on a easier route shall we say.

Gets dark so i asked the Novice led us off then !!!!!

Good job he had me

no i totally understand I went out far as I felt comfortable with and it was not a huge distance from the sea wall more of 8 minute walk. I had a bright 20 led bulb torch with me a phone that was no use if I needed help as no signal what so ever on Vodafone out on the spot I was in. Like I said I'm Keen to learn rather than pull the trigger I did here two shots in the far distance I was out on a quite evening tonight didn't see anyone or another car to be persist. But I think technology could help in a emergency especially if your lost in a dangerous environment if it works un like the sign on my phone tonight lol.thanks for all the advice defo taking it on bored after my fist time out there now

[Cant hit them all]

2" of water over the marsh is wonder to behold in the darkness,ankle breaking creeks 4" wide will put you in a very awkward situation ,, Do please take a Decent torch with you as well..

Only advising as I believe you are New to this very Dangerous enviroment..

Be Safe,and if possible,, Buddy up with someone..

Best of Shooting..

was meant to go with a.mate tonight who is also new to fowling but he couldn't make it and I was already there waiting for him to turn up. Thanks for the advice and it's taking on bored wading stick will be made this weekend Edited September 29, 2016 by Cant hit them all

[TONY R]

Compass is good advice phones tend to kind of do everything these days but good old compass needs no bbatry, you can generaly work out what way your going, but fog and dark can be a problem, compass is really handy, i take one in my jacket top pocket.

Torch is handy head lights those cheap leds are ok and can be handy hands free etc.

Big must have is a wading stick i never go out without one, if your on an open marsh even if you know it you can be in trouble, without one, You are walking off in a shalow sea once the tides in, and even in good light and knowing the marsh you might know theres a creek there but not sure where it is, that little creek you stepped over so easy on the march in, is now a real threat, where is it you can walk the dog slow in front of you and when hes swiming you know its there, but with no wading stick you are effectively takinbg a leap into the unknown when you launch out without probing the landing point, most times you will get away with it, but if the creek has an angle too it the dogs crossing did not show you you could be about to get wet, very wet this can in certain sittuations present you with a whole new set of problems.

If i have laboured the wadi ng stick bit here im glad because you need one everytime you go out, they help in so many ways even steping over creeks they are a pole vault of sorts be it a minor one but they add stability and can in the above scenarion get you out of a flooding marsh safely.

[Smiler23]

Can only second the opinions on a wading stick, already twice this season it's stopped me from taking one step to far and ending up going into the water, it's as important as taking your gun

[Cant hit them all]

My next trip will be a day outing hopefully this weekend if I can make it. Just got to double check tides and times as I'm sure there around 7 and a bit meters this weekend. Once again thanks for the advice and since going out last night I have the impression the remaining season is all going to be a massive learning curve.

[marsh man]

My next trip will be a day outing hopefully this weekend if I can make it. Just got to double check tides and times as I'm sure there around 7 and a bit meters this weekend. Once again thanks for the advice and since going out last night I have the impression the remaining season is all going to be a massive learning curve.

My biggest fear would be your enthusiasm , if you were lucky enough to shoot a goose and not having a dog , to what lengths would you go to retrieve if it was wing tipped and a strong runner .

 

I don't know what the bottoms are like in your creeks ( drains to us ) but on our estuary they are like silt and even in my youth I would have thought twice in crossing some of them , wading stick wouldn't had helped to much if you had got stuck and the tide starting to make up around the top of your boots .

 

On our average tide it is just over a foot an hour , unlike the tide I watched coming into Wells up N / Norfolk in the summer which covered everything in a matter of minutes and to be out there on a flood tide you can easily end up in serious trouble .

 

So good luck in your quest for your first species of wildfowl but like most of the others keep saying be careful and don't take unnecessary chances .

[Cant hit them all]

I'm not a risk taker have quite a dangerous job and I wouldn't do anything that I wouldn't feel confident to do or comfortable with and to retrieve anything in more than a puddle of water wouldn't happen.

 

With me I can't swim and wouldn't put myself in a position where I have to eavn try and swim. That's why I went out 20 minutes after high tide time got to a creek / dyke and watched that water for any sign of movement.

 

And on my other trips I plan to be off and back in the car at least 1 hours befor high tide

Edited September 30, 2016 by Cant hit them all

[misser]

wading stick definitely.... :good: ...on occasions have taken two light aluminium ones....have helped a fat ****** like me get across creeks....and handy to throw a little net over for a bit of cover if hidey holes or creeks are a tad shallow......safety first more than anything...good luck

[6.5x55SE]

Again my comments are for HELP not as a put down or to Controversies .

Last night's predicted Tide was 18.44 pm so with your cautious approach you was walking about during flight.

Also leaving your chosen position a hour before High tide again could have you walking about during flight both of which are very frowned upon.

As I've advised before until you are 100% confident of getting ON and OFF the Marsh safely shoot from the Stow Ways and Cradge Banks and pick weather over tides to learn the Marsh first. The Marsh is getting busy due to the expected arrival of a certain Wildfowl. I know of 8 fowlers on the Marsh where you was last night and who had the 2 shots.

Don't feel down hearted or your being Attacked by mine or others comments as we are ALL trying to help you in your Quest to being a Safe Successful Wildfowler 👍👍

[Cant hit them all]

Again my comments are for HELP not as a put down or to Controversies .

Last night's predicted Tide was 18.44 pm so with your cautious approach you was walking about during flight.

Also leaving your chosen position a hour before High tide again could have you walking about during flight both of which are very frowned upon.

As I've advised before until you are 100% confident of getting ON and OFF the Marsh safely shoot from the Stow Ways and Cradge Banks and pick weather over tides to learn the Marsh first. The Marsh is getting busy due to the expected arrival of a certain Wildfowl. I know of 8 fowlers on the Marsh where you was last night and who had the 2 shots.

Don't feel down hearted or your being Attacked by mine or others comments as we are ALL trying to help you in your Quest to being a Safe Successful Wildfowler 👍👍

no I now know your and every one else concerned about safety.. And safety is a must.

 

Yes I heard two shots in the far but there was no one about in my spot or any wear near me no others motors on that bit where I park the last thing I wanna desturb other people in there sport.

 

I accept you advice and other's on here and hope fully I will bump into a few of you out there and have a a little chat with out affecting anyones shooting. One again thanks guys.

[subsonicnat]

Old Fowler saying mate,,,,"Keep Yer At Dry"....

Mostly recognised by most fowlers,,3 quick shots,,REPEATED Should give most Fowlers a Head up..

If you are in TROUBLE...

[marsh man]

Old Fowler saying mate,,,,"Keep Yer At Dry"....

Mostly recognised by most fowlers,,3 quick shots,,REPEATED Should give most Fowlers a Head up..

If you are in TROUBLE...

That might have been a danger signal in the past but with the Semi Auto now being one of ( if not the most popular ) gun used on the marsh nowadays hearing three shots going off at the same time is the norm , in fact there are times when only hearing one or two shots is more unusual than hearing a triple .

 

I think the answer is....... Prevention Is Better Than Cure.

[rbrowning2]

I am no wild fowler but do very much enjoy reading about what you all get up to.

 

Is it not possible to buy a 12ga distress flare? Were they not made for the old fary pistol? Just as a last resort I'm in big trouble help, for those that use 12ga guns.

[Cant hit them all]

I am no wild fowler but do very much enjoy reading about what you all get up to.

 

Is it not possible to buy a 12ga distress flare? Were they not made for the old fary pistol? Just as a last resort I'm in big trouble help, for those that use 12ga guns.

thats a good idea of they do them Edited October 1, 2016 by Cant hit them all

[GADWALL41]

Hello.

I am unaware of any 12 G Flare shells , Though I would guess such a thing may exist in the US of A.

 

If you feel the need go into any Boat Chandlery store and buy these . I have them in my Boat bag along with Orange smoke and Red flares Large .

As you can see they are quite small and handy , the Launcher is in the cover . No I cant tell you how bright they are , suffice to say that they are professional grade , so up to the job .

 

MINI HANDHELD FLARES.

Edited October 1, 2016 by GADWALL41

[Pushandpull]

A flare has to be seen by someone else and they have to call emergency services. You are far better off calling direct via phone if yours gets a single where you shoot or best of all a Mayday via VHF.

 

In practice though you need to build up your knowledge of any marsh by prudent visits and common sense : knowning what a certain predicted tide will make in and how weather might affect it etc. Just remember that like the hills coastal waters are beautiful, seductive, and can kill you. Kipling rightly called the sea "the old grey widow maker" and he was right (In "Harp Song of the Dane Women").

[Grandalf]

There never was a safe way to go fowling. It's just that some ways are safer than others.

Risk has to be measured and judgements made.

If you go out on to a marsh following a large drain and don't jump over any wide smaller ones on the way then the chances are that you can follow your way back in the dark very easily and safely - on a dropping tide.

Try the same thing on a rising one and you will probably find yourself cut off right back near the sea wall where you crossed that sloshy lateral one that joined the one you followed out.

No substitution for finding a mentor who will show you the ropes slowly and safely over a couple of seasons.

Headlamp, compass (learn how to use it before you go out - there is no magic to it), wading stick, whistle and a spare torch in your bag.

Then you can add mobile phone, flares and satnav if you want to but make sure you have the essentials first - And can use them.

No place being on a marsh if you can't master the basics first.

 

Glad you enjoyed the trip but please take care.

Edited October 1, 2016 by Grandalf

[Cant hit them all]

Might try and mate it tomorrow out for a flight. And that's the next step.

 

Find another member or members who would like to take us out on the odd flight on short notice.

 

So we can hopefully soak up there knowledge with out being to much of a Berden and ruining there shooting

[marsh man]

Tides conditions are only one problem , one of my pet hates were fog , I say were because nowadays if it is thick fog while I am at home , then that is where I will stay , mist and light fog I can deal with but a thick pea soupper is no good to man or beast .

 

For the first 20 years or so when I started fowling a lot of the time I spent afloat in a gun punt so tides, high or low didn't bother me to much , the one thing I was always a bit weary of was being out when visibility was next to nothing .

 

One instance I can remember was in the 70s when Whitefronts then outnumbered the Pinks and to get one you had to work hard and try and use the conditions to your advantage .

 

I knew of some marshes where a couple of hundred were using that were not to far from the estuary wall , these marshes were over three miles up the river and now belong to the R S P B , on the afternoon I picked the tide had about two hours to make up , with very little wind and fairly foggy I thought if they did come off at flight time the fog might keep them down a bit and by then the tide will start ebbing given me a easy row back.

 

As it turned out I neither heard or saw any geese that night and I didn't really notice how thick the fog was getting and how dark it had got , at the time I had very little fear about anything and to me this was just another adventure , I stared off making my way back by keeping the wall in sight which was only around 15 to 20 yds away then after a while the depth of water was getting less so I made my first mistake by turning the boat away from the wall and started to row towards the channel .

 

After a few strokes I couldn't see a thing and just relied on my little bit of skill in rowing in a straight line , dead easy when you can see where your going but when you cant see a thing well that's a different story and anyone who has been on the marsh or salt marshes in the fog will tell you your mind and brain play tricks on you and you tend to hear things and see things that are not there ,

 

I knew by the depth of water I was in I must be getting near to the river and then I heard the train leave the unmanned station so I carried on rowing thinking I was rowing from the noise and at long last I came across the estuary wall again , thinking I was on the other side of the estuary I put a oar in the mud to tie the boat to and walked to the top to try and see where I was , after walking a while I came across a stile and gate that I didn't recognise and I thought I knew the area like the back of my hand , walking round it and looking at how wide the dyke was it finally dawned on me I was on the same side of the estuary I started of from , what I had done was rowed in a complete circle and not in a straight line .

 

By now I was getting cold , fed up and hungry so I had no more to do I rowed round the bottom of the wall till I came to the rhond and tied the boat up and walked the two miles back home , as it turned out I got away with it but I leant my lesson that night and from then on I always respected the fog and always kept within sight of landmarks .

[Grandalf]

Had a similar one to this about six years ago. Had a ten foot dinghy that I used for fowling on the local river estuary. It's a big one with strong tidal races. My boat was equipped with a brand new outboard and I had fitted it out well. Even had a small cuddy over the bow. I checked the tides and decided I would go a fair way up the river, around a large 90 degree bend where you must be in the centre of the river to avoid the mud flats - The river is about three quarters of a mile wide at that point. Plan was to go to my selected spot about ten o'clock in the morning on the start of the ebb and sit out on the mudflats until the tide came back under the boat and I would then call it a day and return to the slipway about two miles downstream.

I goofed. Got to my spot and beached the boat in a convenient drain. Tide went out and I had some decent duck shooting. Got time for the tide to come back and nothing happened.

Phoned The Memsahib and got her, with difficulty, to check the tide times. I was two hours adrift. Told her I would be late home but not to worry - It was a clear and bright day and if the worst came to the worst I would just stay where I was overnight and come home in the morning. I had fodder for me and the dog and a flask and water too.

Sat and waited. First it got dark, then the water started to creep over the mud flats. Slid over the side and heaved the boat towards the approaching water. Eventually had enough to float her and I got the engine started and moved out into the channel to get around that 90 degree bend. That was my second mistake of the day because suddenly all those friendly lights of the cottages and houses along the river vanished as a solid wall of fog came along the river. Carp!

Hove to and drifted for a bit while I had a think about it. Went past a navigation marker - post with pot on the top although I couldn't see what colour it was - at a hell of a rate. Tide must be really flowing by now.

Then I got lucky. The moon rose above the mirk and gave me all the info that I needed to get going in the right direction - I hoped. I am a retired pilot and know a thing or two about navigation. I did some quick estimates in my head and set off at slow speed using my compass which is badly affected by all the metal in a boat. Problem was that with the tide going at full belt I had to keep the revs up to make any headway and then didn't have clue as to what my ground (bank) speed really was. Anyway - It worked. My estimates got me around that wretched bend with only dinging my prop in the mud twice and I got to where I could pick up the northern bank in the beam of my oversized 12v lamp. I could then hug that shoreline until the yachts moored by the marina came into view with the lamp.

I got back to the slipway safely, a little older and much wiser (and a flat 12v battery). The boatyard owner said "Hi, we thought you were pushing that a bit fine - reckoned you'd be here for breakfast"!

I should have read the tide table more thoroughly, I should have taken it with me too. I should have stayed where I was 'till the morning.

Like Marsh Man, I don't like fog.