holloway Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 It would be interesting to hear if we are still seeing the same number of fowlers out especially in the historical hotspots i know there will always be the old diehards but are numbers decreasing ?What have you noticed this season ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShootingEgg Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 14 minutes ago, holloway said: It would be interesting to hear if we are still seeing the same number of fowlers out especially in the historical hotspots i know there will always be the old diehards but are numbers decreasing ?What have you noticed this season ? The age demographic would definitely make it look thar way. My local club that does have a waiting list of younger shots is still a group of older wiser fowlers with stories to tell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guzzicat Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 I noticed far more fowlers @ Nigg bay in November, but I think a lot were fowlers usually visitors to Findhorn bay pushed north by the foundation terrorists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry78 Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 We’re I am it’s the complete opposite there’s to many Fowler’s shooting to many ducks gone are the days when I had the foreshore or freshwater lough to myself or the odd Fowler in the distance but now I see plenty of Fowler’s no problem with that as they pay there money the problem I have is they shoot to much duck Gone are the days couple of duck for the pot Now it’s about big bags Not given the ducks time to settle I’ve seen the teal population drop and the Pochards are non existent 😓 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B B Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 I do not think wildfowling is in decline, but i think some areas of the country are seeing changes in wildfowl activity and some of these areas a drop in wildfowlers clubs members / visiting as a direct result. But overall i think we are holding our own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holloway Posted February 11, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 30 minutes ago, Gerry78 said: We’re I am it’s the complete opposite there’s to many Fowler’s shooting to many ducks gone are the days when I had the foreshore or freshwater lough to myself or the odd Fowler in the distance but now I see plenty of Fowler’s no problem with that as they pay there money the problem I have is they shoot to much duck Gone are the days couple of duck for the pot Now it’s about big bags Not given the ducks time to settle I’ve seen the teal population drop and the Pochards are non existent 😓 Couldnt agree more ,i saw a post on facebook the other week were a fowler was shooting at one of my favorite spots on a Scottish river happy as Larry because they had put 17 in the bag on their first morning (Pinks that is ) ,that was between 3 with the rest of the week to go. It is a spot were you can always bag a goose so no skill required really and i know they werent doing anything illegal i could have filled my boots there many a time but never felt the need to . The post disappeared very quickly from the page ,someone told me the writer had something to do with one of the shooting organisations.The thing is why post it and then remove it ? maybe felt a little embarrassed or certainly didnt feel that proud afterwards did he ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry78 Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 Just greed Holloway in my view well said 👍 mate couple duck does me get the dog working people wonder why some wildfowling areas have seen a dramatic drop in species But unless there’s a general bag limit implemented can’t see it changing any time soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted February 12, 2019 Report Share Posted February 12, 2019 On 11/02/2019 at 08:17, holloway said: It would be interesting to hear if we are still seeing the same number of fowlers out especially in the historical hotspots i know there will always be the old diehards but are numbers decreasing ?What have you noticed this season ? I wouldn't say numbers of local fowlers are decreasing , on the other hand , they are not increasing by much either , more or less holding there own . What I have noticed is , from the roughly 10% of members who leave the clubs each year through old age , and members who have found wildfowling not to there liking after 2/3 years are replaced with a different breed of wild fowlers that I was brought up with . The main things I cant get my head round are , firing three shots at just about everything they fire at , shooting wild fowl without a dog , staying out on the marsh well after flighting time , leaving empty ( and I have found full cartridges ) behind , only interested in goose shooting and driving as close to there marsh as possible . This certainly don't apply to all new members ( and old ) as there are some very good ones still coming into the sport and long may they continue . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancer425 Posted February 12, 2019 Report Share Posted February 12, 2019 I recognise what you are saying marsh man have seen such activity , this is how some chose to go about the sport. I will admit to being primerily a goose shooter , but duck are far too good sport to miss out on by dedicating your fowling to just geese. The way i see it is it is their choice and they that are missing out , they are not in a minority once the pinks show up on a marsh the word is out car park next morning rammed have to park on the verge if your not there with several hours to spare. Mobile phones and media have people 100 miles or more away knowing how many you shot what gun you had and the breed colour of dog you had long before you got chance to phone and tell the wife. I do not think anyone begrudges helping a felow wildfowler out especialy if hhe is from out the area, but in this sport the old saying loose lips sink ships is evermore relivent with todays world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted February 12, 2019 Report Share Posted February 12, 2019 On 11/02/2019 at 14:54, Gerry78 said: We’re I am it’s the complete opposite there’s to many Fowler’s shooting to many ducks gone are the days when I had the foreshore or freshwater lough to myself or the odd Fowler in the distance but now I see plenty of Fowler’s no problem with that as they pay there money the problem I have is they shoot to much duck Gone are the days couple of duck for the pot Now it’s about big bags Not given the ducks time to settle I’ve seen the teal population drop and the Pochards are non existent 😓 I think if they have shot out the teal population, then there wasn't many to begin with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted February 12, 2019 Report Share Posted February 12, 2019 On 11/02/2019 at 15:55, Gerry78 said: Just greed Holloway in my view well said 👍 mate couple duck does me get the dog working people wonder why some wildfowling areas have seen a dramatic drop in species But unless there’s a general bag limit implemented can’t see it changing any time soon I don't entirely agree that bag limits need to be enforced. Some of the places I shoot, the amount you carry for a long distance is what limits you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted February 12, 2019 Report Share Posted February 12, 2019 5 hours ago, lancer425 said: I recognise what you are saying marsh man have seen such activity , this is how some chose to go about the sport. I will admit to being primerily a goose shooter , but duck are far too good sport to miss out on by dedicating your fowling to just geese. The way i see it is it is their choice and they that are missing out , they are not in a minority once the pinks show up on a marsh the word is out car park next morning rammed have to park on the verge if your not there with several hours to spare. Mobile phones and media have people 100 miles or more away knowing how many you shot what gun you had and the breed colour of dog you had long before you got chance to phone and tell the wife. I do not think anyone begrudges helping a felow wildfowler out especialy if hhe is from out the area, but in this sport the old saying loose lips sink ships is evermore relivent with todays world. I accept that not everything to do with fowling in the past was perfect , you still got out of range shooting and the odd one who would spoil it for other people who were out on the marsh. I think that a lot of the younger guys who are coming into the sport have so many other things going on with there lives at the same time , a lot of them can well afford clay shooting , the odd day game shooting and if they want , pay for a days pigeon shooting , plus , cars , females and night clubbing , A lot of them want instant sport , they buy all the latest gear , read all the books and then when they go out without doing a lot of ground work they then soon find that without having the field craft to go with the latest gear they soon get fed up coming home with an empty bag . When we were young we had very little money for essentials let alone to waste , in fact we had to save up for a box of cartridges , money didn't really bother us , we had the marshes and the estuary on our door steps and fowling was second nature to us , all our free time was spent learning about the habits of wildfowl both in and out of season . Punt gunning was still going on the estuary in our early days but being an apprentice bricklayer there was no way we could afford a punt gun , although with a bit of scrimping and saving we did buy a 21 ft gun punt that we used for shoulder guns , in the summer time we practised pushing on to seagulls and any other birds that were swimming about , at first we were pushing the punt all over the place and then the more we done the better we got at it until we were fairly confident we could get within gun shot under most conditions if there was enough water under the boat . This was all a learning curve which paid dividends in the years to come . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gustaff Posted February 12, 2019 Report Share Posted February 12, 2019 as an avid wildfowler with many years of fowling experiance on the scottish firths and bays i dont go any more as the mobile phone and media spoilt what were quiet fowling areas into mega fowling hot spots where intrepid have ago goose shooters would flood the areas and if a goose was this side of the moon it was game on even if they had their game gun then the media spread to the antis and you came off the merse after the flight to find flat tyres on your car or death threat notes on your windscreen or a screaming crowd awaiting you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave at kelton Posted February 12, 2019 Report Share Posted February 12, 2019 Some interesting points on this thread so here is my tuppence worth and I accept some may disagree. social media has generally been a negative thing with posts even during a flight so no need to do your homework. Guns are reliable and good cartridges easily accessible. people have more money and leisure time so can just drop everything and head to the coast if they are so minded geese bring out the worst in many guns, skybusting, shooting out on the roost and a general disrespect for the quarry bag limits are an imposition but with such disrespect for the quarry why not? Five geese is plenty to both carry and use, if you are that lucky. I have managed it once this season. we have now had nearly four months of wildfowlers monitoring at Caerlaverock, limit on shooting irrespective of bore size to 50 yds. Yes I know we don’t have yard sticks out there but we know the difference between 50 and 100 yds. Limited access time morning and evening enforced. Do you know what? We have had respectful guns and almost no incidents of poor and unsporting behaviour. Better still as it is permit only so you can’t just turn up because social media says the geese are in it is regrettable that controls are needed but as general standards of behaviour and respect in society deteriorate we need them. Forty years on from my first trip on the Solway I am as entranced by wildfowling as ever I just have to take a different approach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fen tiger Posted February 12, 2019 Report Share Posted February 12, 2019 47 minutes ago, gustaff said: as an avid wildfowler with many years of fowling experiance on the scottish firths and bays i dont go any more as the mobile phone and media spoilt what were quiet fowling areas into mega fowling hot spots where intrepid have ago goose shooters would flood the areas and if a goose was this side of the moon it was game on even if they had their game gun then the media spread to the antis and you came off the merse after the flight to find flat tyres on your car or death threat notes on your windscreen or a screaming crowd awaiting you It was quieter in many places up there up to around the mid 1980s, that was about the time it started to get more popular, once the word was out it became the meca for many bergioning wildfowlers who were prepared to travel . But i think there are still quiet bays up there where you can see no change from the late 60s 1970s. Findhorn through no fault of its own casts a dark shadow on wildfowling up there and potentialy elsewhere lets hope a practical solution can be found for findhorn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6.5x55SE Posted February 12, 2019 Report Share Posted February 12, 2019 11 minutes ago, Dave at kelton said: Some interesting points on this thread so here is my tuppence worth and I accept some may disagree. social media has generally been a negative thing with posts even during a flight so no need to do your homework. Guns are reliable and good cartridges easily accessible. people have more money and leisure time so can just drop everything and head to the coast if they are so minded geese bring out the worst in many guns, skybusting, shooting out on the roost and a general disrespect for the quarry bag limits are an imposition but with such disrespect for the quarry why not? Five geese is plenty to both carry and use, if you are that lucky. I have managed it once this season. we have now had nearly four months of wildfowlers monitoring at Caerlaverock, limit on shooting irrespective of bore size to 50 yds. Yes I know we don’t have yard sticks out there but we know the difference between 50 and 100 yds. Limited access time morning and evening enforced. Do you know what? We have had respectful guns and almost no incidents of poor and unsporting behaviour. Better still as it is permit only so you can’t just turn up because social media says the geese are in it is regrettable that controls are needed but as general standards of behaviour and respect in society deteriorate we need them. Forty years on from my first trip on the Solway I am as entranced by wildfowling as ever I just have to take a different approach. I personally take my Hat off to you Dave along with who else helps with the Wardening. It's a shame it has to come to it BUT done right it can only be good for Wildfowling and it's future Well done again i say. Just to add my main reason for no longer traveling to Scotland is as yourself and Gustaff describe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Anderson Posted February 13, 2019 Report Share Posted February 13, 2019 As a “white settlers “ visiting Scotland I have noticed more Fowler’s going to places that perhaps the locals had all themselves in the past. As long as findhorn scenario doesn’t become the norm I will be happy but it is something that requires local and travelling Fowler’s to work together on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave at kelton Posted February 13, 2019 Report Share Posted February 13, 2019 1 hour ago, Charlie Anderson said: As a “white settlers “ visiting Scotland I have noticed more Fowler’s going to places that perhaps the locals had all themselves in the past. As long as findhorn scenario doesn’t become the norm I will be happy but it is something that requires local and travelling Fowler’s to work together on. Travelling north fo 38 years before moving here permanently I have always found local Fowler’s always very welcoming as long as you follow the rules and are respectful. Now as a local I welcome visitors on the same basis. Most visitors are recognised as providing local income on which rural communities rely. It is all a matter of balance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry78 Posted February 13, 2019 Report Share Posted February 13, 2019 Motty there was plenty of teal and still is the problem being is the teal won’t settle because to many people are shooting at them Regarding bag limits watching your Chris green video your entitled to your view Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted February 13, 2019 Report Share Posted February 13, 2019 1 hour ago, Gerry78 said: Motty there was plenty of teal and still is the problem being is the teal won’t settle because to many people are shooting at them Regarding bag limits watching your Chris green video your entitled to your view I cant vouch for all the U K fowling clubs but the ones I have been in and others I know about do have bag limits , more so geese than ducks , without naming my local club the bag limit on geese is four a flight and no more than six in a week , duck you have got a free hand but most decent fowlers will have there own limit on the amount they shoot. As for over shooting a marsh or where fowl spend time resting , there are restrictions in place , on some marshes you have to be off by a certain time and the same thing apply when you go back on for the evening flight . Most marshes will have a limit to how many guns can go at any one time , then there are certain marshes where you can only go on certain days , this also applied to shooting on the estuary , in Norfolk you cant shoot wildfowl on a Sunday and when I had a permit to shoot on the estuary you couldn't go on a Monday as well , so it got at least two days on the trot rest free . So as you can some restrictions are in place . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry78 Posted February 13, 2019 Report Share Posted February 13, 2019 Good to here marshman the point I’m trying to make is boys hammer the duck and geese then complain about numbers dropping Lets be honest think if more wildfowlers took couple for the pot then the sport would be better for all of us I’ve had times when shoot couple ducks then had my flask of tea and sandwiches just watched them fly in lol Just me old romantic at Heart 😊 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted February 13, 2019 Report Share Posted February 13, 2019 I think I can hear what your trying to say Gerry , but you cant really condemn the man who have been out on several occasions in all weather conditions and put very little in the bag , then one flight everything goes in his favour and he manage to get a decent bag .and as you well know you go home with an empty bag more times than you go home with a full one . Duck are not stupid , if they feel it is getting to unhealthy they will soon find somewhere a bit quieter , as an instance , if you had a load of Teal coming into a fed flight pond and you shot it a couple of times a week instead of every 3 /4 weeks , they would very soon stop coming , just because you don't see many on your 2nd visit in the same week don't mean you have shot them all , just that they soon got wise to the danger and found somewhere that is a bit more friendly . This could well be the reason you are not seeing the quantity of duck over your side of the pond . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted February 13, 2019 Report Share Posted February 13, 2019 A friend of mine went for a week of fowling somewhere in the North of Scotland. He came home early as he was so disgusted with the behaviour of many of the other guns. This included digging in on the goose roost, high shooting, and taking up position next to him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edenman Posted February 13, 2019 Report Share Posted February 13, 2019 31 minutes ago, motty said: A friend of mine went for a week of fowling somewhere in the North of Scotland. He came home early as he was so disgusted with the behaviour of many of the other guns. This included digging in on the goose roost, high shooting, and taking up position next to him. Almost an every day occurence on some east coast of Scotland estuaries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry78 Posted February 13, 2019 Report Share Posted February 13, 2019 Yes marshman I wouldn’t condemn anybody regarding getting good bags but as I say greed has played its part in wildfowling I’ve seen some big bags being shown on social media which I don’t like Regarding the teal population one of the loughs I shoot is only shot on a Saturday but it’s like a cowboy film sometimes some of the Fowler’s shooting There was a good population of teal but the over shooting of them has made them decline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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