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First time out


Lloyd90
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I’m not too worried. Looking forward to the cold setting in (I won’t say that when it’s here lol). 
 

Taking me back to old memories sat in some bracken, shooting ducks coming into a small coastal pond back in Wales. 
 

Shot my first ever duck on that pond with my first ever gundog :) 

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Lloyd if it keeps your hopes up, a couple of years ago, an associate in the same club went until the last week of the season without a bird, and had only fired his gun a couple of times..... admittedly due to work could only shoot on a Sunday regardless of weather or tide for most of the season, then on two lights in the last few days of the season got 2 wigeon with one shot in the morning and his first ever goose that evening!  and he is still a member but gets more birds these days

this year its more about learning the ground, the boundaries and how the river changes its tide and weather🙂

 

 

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4 hours ago, nic said:

Lloyd if it keeps your hopes up, a couple of years ago, an associate in the same club went until the last week of the season without a bird, and had only fired his gun a couple of times..... admittedly due to work could only shoot on a Sunday regardless of weather or tide for most of the season, then on two lights in the last few days of the season got 2 wigeon with one shot in the morning and his first ever goose that evening!  and he is still a member but gets more birds these days

this year its more about learning the ground, the boundaries and how the river changes its tide and weather🙂

 

 

Good point I’ve seen me go The whole season with maybe shooting one or two duck There’s boys on the forum that would have shot that number in 10 minutes So every season I keeps open mind On what numbers I’m gonna shoot For me now it’s all about getting out Enjoying the sunrise on the marsh or lough 👍👍👍

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Had a beautiful morning sat watching the sun coming up listening to the Geese on the bank opposite. 
 

3-4 Skeins came over but too far away from us. 
 

We sat for a few hours then spent the end with Nic and I giving the dogs a few water retrieves. Ted is really shaping up now with a combination of running by the bike, hunting him on ground with game and swimming in the river against the flow. Think I gave him 7 or 8 retrieves swimming down the river and back against the current. 
 

Nic kindly gave me some eggs from his Hens and on the way home I stopped into the butchers for some meat and knocked up a nice breakfast when home before a nap... about to start evening shift shortly! 
 

 

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2 minutes ago, Lloyd90 said:

Had a beautiful morning sat watching the sun coming up listening to the Geese on the bank opposite. 
 

3-4 Skeins came over but too far away from us. 
 

We sat for a few hours then spent the end with Nic and I giving the dogs a few water retrieves. Ted is really shaping up now with a combination of running by the bike, hunting him on ground with game and swimming in the river against the flow. Think I gave him 7 or 8 retrieves swimming down the river and back against the current. 
 

Nic kindly gave me some eggs from his Hens and on the way home I stopped into the butchers for some meat and knocked up a nice breakfast when home before a nap... about to start evening shift shortly! 
 

 

That wee dog got Good drive in him mate should get plenty of magical trips out to the marsh with Ted 👍👍👍

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5 minutes ago, Lloyd90 said:

Had a beautiful morning sat watching the sun coming up listening to the Geese on the bank opposite. 
 

3-4 Skeins came over but too far away from us. 
 

We sat for a few hours then spent the end with Nic and I giving the dogs a few water retrieves. Ted is really shaping up now with a combination of running by the bike, hunting him on ground with game and swimming in the river against the flow. Think I gave him 7 or 8 retrieves swimming down the river and back against the current. 
 

Nic kindly gave me some eggs from his Hens and on the way home I stopped into the butchers for some meat and knocked up a nice breakfast when home before a nap... about to start evening shift shortly! 
 

 

Was that you or the dog panting 🤣

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35 minutes ago, Gerry78 said:

That wee dog got Good drive in him mate should get plenty of magical trips out to the marsh with Ted 👍👍👍


thanks mate :) 

33 minutes ago, B725 said:

Was that you or the dog panting 🤣

 

Hey it’s not just Ted shaping up, I’m down almost 10lb myself now 👍🏻🤣... and I’d been sat down all morning so not from me. 


I THINK it was Nic’s dog, he makes Ted look like a toddler, a proper Labrador and a great swimmer :) 

 

Those retrieves in the moving water definitely give them a good workout. The one shown was a short one compared to the rest! 
 

 

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On 14/09/2020 at 16:11, Gerry78 said:

Good point I’ve seen me go The whole season with maybe shooting one or two duck There’s boys on the forum that would have shot that number in 10 minutes So every season I keeps open mind On what numbers I’m gonna shoot For me now it’s all about getting out Enjoying the sunrise on the marsh or lough 👍👍👍

I agree that some mornings and evenings come to that are magical , but not all and the only reason I turn out in rough weather is to get amongst the fowl and not to watch it getting light or dark , you can help yourself by finding where the geese are feeding during the day and where they go back at night , then depending what way the wind is blowing you would then stand more chance either in the morning when they go out ,or in the evening when they go back home , we get most of our geese go out in the Winter in a Northerly direction so if the wind is blowing hard from the north then the mornings are your best bet and visa versa if it from the South then wait till they come home with a night flight .

Sadly if you have only got the odd day to go for a flight you will have rely on a certain amount luck , but if you do your homework you can reduce the odds and you will get more chances ...... GOOD LUCK 

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On 15/09/2020 at 15:53, Lloyd90 said:

Had a beautiful morning sat watching the sun coming up listening to the Geese on the bank opposite. 
 

3-4 Skeins came over but too far away from us. 
 

We sat for a few hours then spent the end with Nic and I giving the dogs a few water retrieves. Ted is really shaping up now with a combination of running by the bike, hunting him on ground with game and swimming in the river against the flow. Think I gave him 7 or 8 retrieves swimming down the river and back against the current. 
 

Nic kindly gave me some eggs from his Hens and on the way home I stopped into the butchers for some meat and knocked up a nice breakfast when home before a nap... about to start evening shift shortly! 
 

 

Burning the candle both ends good for you. Lovely dog too I can see a springer on the list when the lurcher goes 

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On 07/09/2020 at 00:07, Lloyd90 said:

Yep he was really good, sat with me getting petted and had a good fuss off our guide. 
 

Sadly no retrieves for him today. He has picked duck in the past, I am hoping when the time comes he will pick a goose. 

I had similar thoughts a few years ago, would Ed retrieve a canada from the severn when he had never seen one before ?  it was all textbook no dramas.   im sure you'll be fine if its dead and you don't have to much soft mud or banks to climb

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  • 4 weeks later...

Up early this morning at 04.30am.

 

I met Nic and off we went to the marsh. 
 

I left my dog at home as I’ve just taken the stitches out of his leg after a barbed wire injury and worried it’ could open back up when wet, so will leave it for a few more days. Nic luckily brought along his Lab, also named Ted. 
 

 

It was fairly cold and windy out on the marsh this morning, we got set up with a few decoys out and sat tucked in on a drop in the bank. 
 

We started off missing a couple of very fast and jinking Teal that came in low and fast, exciting shooting but hard to hit the little *******. 
 

As we sat enjoying a cup of coffee we saw several lots of Wigeon going past out of range, flying up and down the river with the changing tide. 
 

I think it was me that heard some geese in the distance, and noticed them circling a couple hundred yards out over some crop fields. I shouted to alert Nic, who got on his caller and like some sort of magic managed to call the geese from a few hundred yards, into swirling over the crop field, changing direction entirely and then coming right over the top of us. 
 

I pulled up on them and pulled ahead, and managed to drop one right from the front of the pack, which came down on the bank maybe 20 yards behind us. This was picked by Nics lab and delivered quickly back to hand. 
 

We sat on the bank chatting and enjoying the scenery for another long while, until the end of the flight when we started packing up. Just as we were about to go a group of 3 Widgeon came along the rivers edge and Nic quickly raised his gun and dropped one into the Severn... it was an absolutely cracking shot as well. 
 

 

Overall a good flight and a big thank you to Nic for getting me out as an associate member, showing me the field craft and calling that goose in with your skill. 
 

When they are coming over head like that it is a cracking experience and some good shooting for sure :) 

 

 

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Yes sadly I didn't want to risk Ted's cut opening back up as he has drawn a run in both of our first field trial in 2 weeks, so it it opens we'll have to pull out. Another few days and be fine I'm sure but better safe than sorry. 

 

Good to christen the new gun, was starting to think it didn't fit... turns out I just can't shoot :lol: 

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