islandgun Posted January 31, 2018 Report Share Posted January 31, 2018 Had a good look around earlier and noticed a nice new little splash with a few white feathers in the margin. Ever hopeful of a duck I went before dark with the only homeloads I had, Hevi 3's .I had patterned earlier and decided that the pattern was too open, much beyond 30m in my old fixed choke Beretta. The full moon was incredibly bright but there was just enough cloud in the direction i was expecting any birds to arrive from, I positioned myself and wet Spaniel into a large sandy rabbit hole, warm enough, with the near gale N Westerly directly behind. about 30m from the splash. The first two Mallard arrived with the (semi) dark very low and invisible with a low hill behind, I hoped they would attract more, which they did briefly. more followed and dropped about 45m away and so it went, with Teal included, one group came within my range and i managed a double miss. Geese started to follow the same route as the ducks allowing me to miss twice on what appeared to be stationary targets. I was able to leave the sitting position and stand in the open, (even though the bright moon was causing me to cast a shadow) another bunch of geese came in low and i actually managed to mortally wound a young bird towards the back, a job for the dog that quickly found it, leaving me to dispatch. A very pleasant end to my inland season, bringing my total to 6 geese and one duck, I would have liked a couple more ducks. hopefully next year. How was your season Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stu_young Posted January 31, 2018 Report Share Posted January 31, 2018 Nice end of the season Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bell Posted February 1, 2018 Report Share Posted February 1, 2018 Islandgun, well done on your last flight.....you are blessed to be able to go about your business in such an inspiring place... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgun Posted February 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2018 Thanks lads, Bell I do consider myself blessed, and it was fitting the last flight was so successful (apart from my appalling aim ) I was very happy to see the numbers of duck as we had been avoiding each other all season, the conditions were perfect and any reasonable shot probably would have made a bag to remember. my stupid mistake of taking only 3's thinking geese, when i could have taken some ITX 6's and maybe stood a better chance with the duck. In the end it was great to be there and feel that the plan came together.....mostly.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yanto Posted February 2, 2018 Report Share Posted February 2, 2018 Last Saturday morning, and my last chance also to shoot geese inland. Went for a recce on Friday afternoon and spotted a fair number of Greys feeding in a field a long way off the main road on a hillside about a mile away from my home in the main town. Up bright and breezy in the morning-poor forecast with heavy rain and gales coming at 9am. Set up 8 deeks on what I thought would be their flight path, beside a burn with a large area of gorse as cover, and sat for the next hour and.......nothing. Rain starting to get quite heavy, and then spot a flight of about 10 coming straight towards me from downwind around 8.40am-very late and fully light-and they spread over me at perfect height. 3 greys with 3 shots all stone dead, and feeling that buying my new Affinity was the right choice. Thought I would hang around for a little longer to see if the main brunt of the geese were still coming, so left it 30 mins, and got very wet so decided to pack it in-was happy with my bag anyway. Packed up deeks and started down farm track with everything and sure enough, 2 large flocks, maybe 300-400 came right over where I'd been sitting. Unusually late, around 9.25am, so not sure where they'd been. Anyway, very happy, and hopefully will shoot the ebb this weekend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgun Posted February 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2018 1 hour ago, yanto said: Last Saturday morning, and my last chance also to shoot geese inland. Went for a recce on Friday afternoon and spotted a fair number of Greys feeding in a field a long way off the main road on a hillside about a mile away from my home in the main town. Up bright and breezy in the morning-poor forecast with heavy rain and gales coming at 9am. Set up 8 deeks on what I thought would be their flight path, beside a burn with a large area of gorse as cover, and sat for the next hour and.......nothing. Rain starting to get quite heavy, and then spot a flight of about 10 coming straight towards me from downwind around 8.40am-very late and fully light-and they spread over me at perfect height. 3 greys with 3 shots all stone dead, and feeling that buying my new Affinity was the right choice. Thought I would hang around for a little longer to see if the main brunt of the geese were still coming, so left it 30 mins, and got very wet so decided to pack it in-was happy with my bag anyway. Packed up deeks and started down farm track with everything and sure enough, 2 large flocks, maybe 300-400 came right over where I'd been sitting. Unusually late, around 9.25am, so not sure where they'd been. Anyway, very happy, and hopefully will shoot the ebb this weekend Great shooting and frugal use of cartridges, perhaps just as well you left before the main body arrived as carrying nine Greylags could prove hard going, good luck with the shore. I imagine Orkney is a lot like here, not much estuary or mud but rock and sand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yanto Posted February 2, 2018 Report Share Posted February 2, 2018 5 hours ago, islandgun said: Great shooting and frugal use of cartridges, perhaps just as well you left before the main body arrived as carrying nine Greylags could prove hard going, good luck with the shore. I imagine Orkney is a lot like here, not much estuary or mud but rock and sand. Thanks. I'm shooting a lot better at closer range now-my other gun is an old A5 full choke which is fairly deadly at range but not great at 20 yards. Although I should never have been shooting at it, I dropped a goose the whole width of a field about 10 years ago. Paced it out at 110 yards and not a mark anywhere to be seen-maybe died of a heart attack! Used to shoot the shore a fair bit, especially in colder/snowy weather when the ducks would come into a lee shore in the mouth of a burn to feed, but really need a dog. As you say, our shores are similar to yours-most beaches fall away steeply and there's a fair height between tides . Strangely enough Shetland has very little rise and fall compared to us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted February 2, 2018 Report Share Posted February 2, 2018 Our last tidy up day on the Pheasants was Wednesday , a lovely days sport but standing about for any amount of time became very cold and it was one of those days where you were better off walking instead of standing. We finished around 4pm and the owner of the shoot offered my a flight down one of his ponds if I wanted to go , as I had my brother with me and he was only beating instead of shooting I turned his offer down so I could get my brother home and I would have the last flight of the season down the marsh . Time we got home , had a cup of tea , hung a few brace of game up and then gave my brother a lift back to his house the time was getting on towards 4.45 , which with a clear sky was still fairly light , walking over the marsh it dawned on me that this could be the last time I shoot these marshes after nearly 50 years as the farm and half the marshes is now up for sale , I can still go on the ones they are keeping but where I am tonight could be sold by next season. I had a choice of about a dozen fields with water on them and I decided on the one where over the years I had spent most of the time on , this is a oblong bit of water about 100yds long with tufts of marram grass poking out and always a good field for a flight , sitting there I started to day dream of all the good and ( bad ) times I have had on this bit of water over the years. While I was thinking of flights in the past I didn't notice it was getting lighter instead of getting darker , this was due to the super moon ( as I found out when I got home ) as the moon was rising above the town it was like someone shining a powerful torch towards me , I could see Lapwings as clear as day while they were in the beam but then they became a dark image when they went into the star light sky. Anyhow I was there to try and put the last duck into the bag and not to watch the plovers , two or three duck passed either side but with a clear sky I couldn't pick them up with no background so I had to rely on any coming into the water dead in front , my first chance came when a pair of duck came gliding towards me as if I was a decoy sitting on my stool , my first shot connected but my second shot went astray , by the time I had reloaded, my dog Bobbie was beside me with a lovely cock Widgeon in his mouth , I could hear a few duck and now again I could see the dark shapes and I regretted not putting a few decoys out , never mind , my next bit of luck was when 5 or 6 swung round in front of and my two shots fired towards them left two behind , I couldn't call it a right and left as I wasn't sure I had hit the ones I fired out , but it don't do any harm to have a bit of luck now and again , when the dog came back with what I thought was another Widgeon it turned out to be a Shoveler duck and has luck would have it, the other one was a drake. By now the cold was getting into me and with three duck on the last night I was more than happy so I called it a day and another seasons curtains are finally shut. P S , the two Shoveler are in excellent condition and if any member want them to try or set up you are more than welcome to them , I will try and put a photo of them tomorrow so you can see what they look like . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgun Posted February 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2018 (edited) great stuff MM, That moon was something, surreal walking about in virtual light, a shame that memorable places change hands but thats life i suppose. happy memories though. cheers, i hope you find a taker for the shovelers.. Edited February 2, 2018 by islandgun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted February 2, 2018 Report Share Posted February 2, 2018 52 minutes ago, islandgun said: great stuff MM, That moon was something, surreal walking about in virtual light, a shame that memorable places change hands but thats life i suppose. happy memories though. cheers, i hope you find a taker for the shovelers.. Thanks islandgun , as you know our landscape is as different from Black to White as it is in your lovely part of the world , the only hills we have got is what the Moles leave behind . You done well on the Greys and I am sure if you had as many duck as we are lucky enough to have your seasons tally would be a lot higher. As for the moon , the weather girl on the box was saying it was a blood moon , a super moon and also a Blue moon as we have had two full moons in the same month . When I was younger and on the rare occasion I got my leg over , it was always referred to once in a Blue moon but I could never remember getting it twice in the same month Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 If anyone want these pair of Shoverler f o c , please get in touch . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.