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Flight Ponds


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I am just looking to reach out to PW members for some advice/help on improving a flight pond.

We have a couple of flight ponds that we are putting a bit of work into.

We have had some good flights off the ponds and just looking to Improve them further. If anyone has any tips or advice this would be much appreicated or even if there are any members local to the highlands that have experience with ponds that would be maybe interested in coming along for a look they would be most welcome. It would also be good to meet some of the local forum members.

I know that the main thing will be to feed the shallow margins regularly and not to overshoot the ponds.

Anyways I look forward to hearing of any advice that you guys may have

 

Cheers

Jamie 

 

Edited by Jamie.
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Sounds like you are doing all the right things, everyone has their own ideas on flight ponds, I knew a keeper who would tip half a ton of barley around the shallows mid August and top-up when necessary, the ponds pulled hundreds of wild duck, the ponds were shot every Saturday from the 1 September till the end of October then shot every two weeks for the rest of the season.

For my flight pond I start feeding mid August and feed heavy till the end of September, I then top-up the shallows when needed, (never let the food run out) once I can see some big numbers using the pond I usually start shooting at the end of September start of October and shoot when I feel like it, sometimes once a week others times I may not shoot it for two or three weeks, if you are in the right area and you have the numbers coming in you could possibly shoot it once a week early season but make sure you keep it well feed and once you have your required bag stop shooting and move away from the pond to allow any late ducks to settle and feed, these are your pulling ducks for next time.

Its also possible at the start of the season they will be coming in a couple of hours before sunset, have a good feed and leave, you need to keep an eye on the pond early season so you can get there well before they arrive.

Don’t know how convenient it is for someone to visit the pond during the day but sometimes you will get ducks stopping on the pool all day, you need to get these ducks off the pond.

Apart from that there’s not much else you can do, after all, most of the ducks are coming there for one thing, food.

Edited by old'un
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Yes. An X or cross shape pond can work well as that at least means that regardless of wind direction they've the ability to land and/or take off. If you've an island do at least make sure that the slope between island and water is such that the ducks can get onto the island. Kill all coots and moorhen as they are aggressive little things and seem to keep duck off.

If you use blinds or hides set them in place now (wooden pallets turned on their edge to stand vertical like a wooden hurdle make good blinds with two posts knocked into the ground through each end of the vertical slot you've now got) so that the birds get used to them. If you get the two posts done right as and when the pallets eventually fall apart you just slot a new replacement down over the two posts. 

Indeed you can even have a series of these twin posts so as to every now and again move the actual pallet from one position to another. Some use three pallets like this I_I others just two /\ like that. Or some reckon best is to put just two but parallel like dominoes so you've front "cover" and back "cover" and that alone works.

Edited by enfieldspares
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Thanks very much for the feedback and advice lads its appreciated 

I think ive got most of it covered.

I think I will give it a go with maybe just dumping a pile of barley in the shallow edges early on and just observe at the start of the season. Then probably feed daily or set up an auto feeder.

As for the hides thats a good point with moving them so the look towards the western sky. We have a few hides in place but will probably put in a couple more to give more options depending on wind etc. 

The pond has an island which is good so another idea was maybe to improve the cover on the island to encourage nesting.

 

Edited by Jamie.
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