wildfowler.250 Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 So as title really. Where does everyone consider the ‘best’? The usual places crop up in threads like the solway, lindesfarne, ‘the wash’ ect. Wheres your favourite places and why? Having seen the ‘how far do you travel’ thread people seem more than happy to drive long distances so interesting to see where’s everyone’s favourites? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smiler23 Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 My favourite place is 10 mins from home, 20 min walk out onto the mud flats, surrounded by industrial lights, and docked boats only thing there really is wigeon, but it's the best shooting I do once they start flighting up and down the little creeks, love it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave at kelton Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 The Solway for me. Shot it for forty years and now live on the Scottish side so have my wildfowling on the doorstep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokersmith Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 Several ... depending on time and tide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 I only really shoot the wash, but it is a good place to be. I went to the Solway once. It was full of people trying to knock pinks down at well over 100 yards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 Overall we have got all we want when it come down to Wildfowling , maybe not as coastal as the Wash but the inland marshes can be first class . If you are happy with what's on your doorstep then the more time you spend on it the more you will learn about it , so then no need wasting your time going to unknown places . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave at kelton Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 40 minutes ago, motty said: I only really shoot the wash, but it is a good place to be. I went to the Solway once. It was full of people trying to knock pinks down at well over 100 yards. A maximum 50 yds was put in place at Caerlaverock this year. It has been enforced and plenty of geese have been shot with notably more shootable geese coming through. Elsewhere the sky busting continues regrettably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panoma1 Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 If you live near the shooting you have a huge advantage over a travelling Wildfowler, in that you can get to know "your" marsh over time and you can react quickly to weather, time, tide and the presence of fowl (especially the migratory variety).......very hit and miss with the travelling fowler who is unlikely to know where to go on the marsh on a given day, if the weather, time and tide will be right, and if the fowl will be present in any numbers during their visit?..... but it's nice to shoot different places! 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancer425 Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 Wildfowling areas can all be good when the birds are there trying to work out where you can get birds is all down to knowing your way around an area or a region, and what acces you have to that area. So having stated the obvious where are the best wildfowling places,well in my opinion and for what i like doing My favourates are in order of my personal preference . West coast England Northern firths The wash & N Norfolk This is not that i dont enjoy other areas i just like the above . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildfowler.250 Posted February 11, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 Interesting reading. To be honest I maybe should have phrased it differently. Doorstep is grand for convenience but also fairly predictable and arguably slightly boring. Is there any flagship areas you’d like to shoot? Or somewhere you return to on a yearly basis because you enjoy it? I know of some people who will drive from near London up for a weekend on the solway and pass many other Firth’s on route -there’s got to be a a reason for that beyond the chance of a shot. I’ve shot the solway and was impressed with the size of the area and will definitely go back at some point. I’d like to see the wash just for somewhere different. Maybe something like Poole Harbour if I ever get south enough. Is there any must see places from a wildfowling point of view? Bag numbers aside? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted February 12, 2019 Report Share Posted February 12, 2019 A difficult thing to enforce, I would have thought. Geese are certainly well killable at over 50 yards, as you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scolopax Posted February 12, 2019 Report Share Posted February 12, 2019 Top wildfowling estuaries...by reputation....the Ribble and the Dee in the west , in the east Brancaster and Wells, most clubs in these places have very restricted membership I believe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancer425 Posted February 12, 2019 Report Share Posted February 12, 2019 7 hours ago, wildfowler.250 said: Interesting reading. To be honest I maybe should have phrased it differently. Doorstep is grand for convenience but also fairly predictable and arguably slightly boring. Is there any flagship areas you’d like to shoot? Or somewhere you return to on a yearly basis because you enjoy it? I know of some people who will drive from near London up for a weekend on the solway and pass many other Firth’s on route -there’s got to be a a reason for that beyond the chance of a shot. I’ve shot the solway and was impressed with the size of the area and will definitely go back at some point. I’d like to see the wash just for somewhere different. Maybe something like Poole Harbour if I ever get south enough. Is there any must see places from a wildfowling point of view? Bag numbers aside? Wildfowling point of view? dependent on interpritation . I Believe if you live in central England and dont want to travel 5 hours or more to Scotland and its islands dont want lengthy waiting lists and want a true wildfowling experience the western wash to west norfolf wash has everything even the most die hard wildfowler could want from an area. Club vacancies are generaly available in a few clubs there, and not all are local membership catchment only. Many of these marshes get reasonable numbers of duck and geese and some clubs have further acces should you so wish for inland washes on one or more washes for a small fee. The forshres around the wash can if you do your homework produce good bags of both duck and geese some of this sport however can involve a bit of walking and working out where you need to be and how to get there. I think the wash generaly is a honest place i feel you get out of it what you want, you can fall out of the car plonk yourself down on the bank bottom and you might get lucky, but if you put a little more efort in because the marshes are big and you get out on the marsh you can reap more rewards is how i see it. But whatever you want to do on the wash you will be Wildfowling make no mistake, you can generaly see whats happening then go there next time the areas are big enough generaly but boundries can get in the way sometimes i think the wash is a truly awe inspiring place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m greeny Posted February 12, 2019 Report Share Posted February 12, 2019 One of mine I can watch from my bedroom window so even when I don't go out I can sit for hours just watching it holds teal pintail wigeon mallard and golden eye with odd geese thrown in for good measure. One of my others is a ten minute drive and Its even got a gutter named after me on it as I frequent it a lot. Just thinking about it unless I go up the solway all my shooting is a 15 minute drive or less away from my front door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misser Posted February 12, 2019 Report Share Posted February 12, 2019 the ribble is a good estuary as someone pointed out... the surrounding clubs have no shortage of waiting list members....atb...misser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildfowler.250 Posted February 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2019 Interesting reading! And the wash sounds like somewhere I’ll have to go one year just to see the place. Is the huge waiting list in some wildfowling clubs bad for the sport? I know we all like our peace and quiet and you don’t want areas overshot. But if people struggle to join is it detrimental in the long run? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancer425 Posted February 12, 2019 Report Share Posted February 12, 2019 19 minutes ago, wildfowler.250 said: Interesting reading! And the wash sounds like somewhere I’ll have to go one year just to see the place. Is the huge waiting list in some wildfowling clubs bad for the sport? I know we all like our peace and quiet and you don’t want areas overshot. But if people struggle to join is it detrimental in the long run? I dont think its any detrement long term, being in two west coast clubs its worth the wait. I applied and just forgot about it got on with Wildfowling, The years slip by fast enough i am only glad i got in when i did over there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Continental Shooter Posted February 12, 2019 Report Share Posted February 12, 2019 I mostly go to child friendly places as Saturday tis the only day I can shoot and I like to take the kid with me. The Tay has some safe spot which can be real good at times, john Muir country park is also a nice spot but fowling wise is scarce most of the time but is very open and has a lovely beach. I went to the solway and further up north for those few days I go alone and thinking on lindsfarne for next year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Anderson Posted February 13, 2019 Report Share Posted February 13, 2019 As visiting fowler to Scotland half the fun is working out where to go, getting up really early in the dark, walking for miles ,getting lost , to find when finally think your in the right place that when you get there your gun fails to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tay Man Posted February 15, 2019 Report Share Posted February 15, 2019 On 11/02/2019 at 21:54, Dave at kelton said: A maximum 50 yds was put in place at Caerlaverock this year. It has been enforced and plenty of geese have been shot with notably more shootable geese coming through. Elsewhere the sky busting continues regrettably. Well done finally some common sense creeping in. If only this could be enforced throughout Scotland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry78 Posted February 15, 2019 Report Share Posted February 15, 2019 Anywhere you get a bit of peace away from the everyday stress of life Just love being out with my dog watching the sunrise lol 👍the odd duck a bonus we have some big loughs here in Northern Ireland one fresh water the others Tidal 😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salmo Posted February 18, 2019 Report Share Posted February 18, 2019 I like certain parts of the Tay and the northern Firth’s ....... anywhere I can get geese over floating decoys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzykbt Posted February 18, 2019 Report Share Posted February 18, 2019 Scottish solway for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnybgood Posted February 19, 2019 Report Share Posted February 19, 2019 The north west of England for be, the ribble being jewel in the crown, countries best kept wildfowling secret. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scolopax Posted February 19, 2019 Report Share Posted February 19, 2019 35 minutes ago, jonnybgood said: The north west of England for be, the ribble being jewel in the crown, countries best kept wildfowling secret. not really the best kept secret, anyone with any interest knows how good it is, it used to have 100,000 wigeon and 40,000 Pinks, and a club with less than a 100 members of which a fraction shot it. This was 25 years ago. just dead mans shoes to get in. I should have put my name down in the early nineties when I started to shoot it on the day ticket section but even so I think i would still be waiting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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