How did your season go, GOOD? BAD? OR INDIFERENT?

[MARSH GUN]

My season is Done early 😔 Normally i get out until the last day on the foreshores, But Work has dictated i have go to the states so i am finished .

Its been a strange season for me, after the none events over covid 19 this season promised a little respite if we could avoid any lock downs which thankfully we did. And the recent variants  the vaccination roll out and uptake look positive for the future.

However Despite the Free run on, the season never really took off for me, it ws looking promising at first with a few early season pinks off the shores, but the migrators did not hang around my areas much, and local greys and ducking was the main part of a largely unfulfilling season for me. In fact i will go so far as to say i have never had a worse season in over 40 years.

I am not loosing the enthusiasm any, but its been a bitter disappointment to me overall and i am not ashamed to admit i am glad its over. Looking farward to 2022/2023 season .

 

[sam triple]

You are not alone 

[WalkedUp]

My wildfowling season has been heavily disrupted by our landlord (MOD) having what I assume is a civilian shooting club what feels like every Saturday and Sunday. Each time I plan to make a trip in advance and take a probationer out it is cancelled. It would be great to be 40 years older and retired with a pick of the days based upon weather, but sadly my life is heavily timetabled in advance with many commitments and the late notice of the rifle shooting has nuked all but one day. 

They start at 0900 which is too early to be able to get off after a morning flight, and finish at 1600 which is too late to head out for the evening flight. I will email the wildfowling club chairman to see if there is a workaround but feel bad as it’s not his fault. 

Edited February 3, 2022 by WalkedUp

[muncher]

My season has been good so far, but as I’ve been told many times I’m just lucky. 

[Smokersmith]

Fairly normal for me … I’ve shot what I can use with the ‘normal’ amount of effort. A few particularly good flights. 
Not over yet either 👍

[marsh man]

Sorry to hear some of you have had a poor season and couldn't spend a lot of time fowling due to your work and family commitments. this can be part of the problem in having a poor season as not being able to go at very short notice when wind and tide is at it's best then you have missed out of putting a few in the bag . 

Down this way by going by the amount of shooting you hear some mornings and in the evenings the ones that have been have had a good to very good season .

Maybe not as many geese as we had a few seasons ago but more than enough to keep everyone happy , duck numbers have gone through the roof with counts on the estuary often exceeding well over 20.000.

My own season have been good , didn't start till late October when they started to take the livestock off the marshes , the marshes started to flood at the right time when the grass was still fresh , had some very good early Wigeon flights although the first shot of the season I got a drake Pintail in perfect condition , then as time went on we got more water on the marshes than we wanted and the number of duck were well spaced out , even so if you could go regular then you didn't go long without getting a duck or two.

From Christmas till the end of the inland season we had a lot of Teal came in and these little duck were using our fleet dykes during the frosty weather as this dyke very rarely freeze due to running water when the pumping station is switched on .

My last day was last Saturday as we had a shoot on the Friday and a beaters day on Monday which was the last day of the inland fowling season , in the morning I got two Teal and at night I went on my own marshes and had a bit of luck getting three Mallard and a Wigeon , this brought the end of what ended up a decent season . 

I must add that my marshes are more or less on my doorstep and I have been retired for over fourteen years , I now no longer do the extra 20 days on the estuary as my old body at 74 can't no longer cope with the hard work involved in coastal fowling , but I do wish the hardy lot who will be going for another couple of weeks or so the best of luck 

 

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[Walker570]

Brilliant as always.

[Big Mat]

Injured dog, moving house twice and a baby curtailed most of my shooting, but I've done well when I have been.

Still time for a few more flights.

[nic]

on one clubs marsh it has been very slow, however i have been mostly going out with new members which often makes the shooting harder (by having two of you close together)  On my other club, i managed to get there for a few days and had some good flights each time 🙂

 

[shakin stevens]

I'm still managing two flights a day at the moment and hope to continue to the end of the season  , other than no shooting on Sunday .

I guess its what you make it , even if the weather and conditions dictate what you can actually bag on the day .

It's been nice to just see some old faces returning due to missing the past seasons through covid .

[marsh man]

Time seem to be one of the main factors for not going as much as some of the members would like  , I dare say distance would also be there towards the top of the list . but surely you can find time for the odd morning and evening flights ?

Before I retired I would do a lot of morning flights before I went to work , this was easy in the early part of the season then from mid October it then got to much of rush , evening flight was the same , this was possible until the clocks changed .

Once we got into November I looked forward to the full moons and the few days before and after , weather can govern moon light flights but you can normally get a night or two running up to the full moon and also a few nights when it is on the wane .

I can fully understand if you have got a young family and your wife or partner might be working evenings , or the distance might be much to get back home from a morning flight and then go to work .

I think if you want something bad enough you will find the time although it might not please other members of the household , and I had , and still have a very understanding with

[Hicky]

13 hours ago, WalkedUp said:

My wildfowling season has been heavily disrupted by our landlord (MOD) having what I assume is a civilian shooting club what feels like every Saturday and Sunday. Each time I plan to make a trip in advance and take a probationer out it is cancelled. It would be great to be 40 years older and retired with a pick of the days based upon weather, but sadly my life is heavily timetabled in advance with many commitments and the late notice of the rifle shooting has nuked all but one day. 

They start at 0900 which is too early to be able to get off after a morning flight, and finish at 1600 which is too late to head out for the evening flight. I will email the wildfowling club chairman to see if there is a workaround but feel bad as it’s not his fault. 

See if you can speak to the range warden/staff. Depending on the layout of ranges etc there’s usually a workaround. 

I’m a probationer, the offers are slim pickings judging by the WhatsApp group. One guy was quite willing to help but we both have young kids/families and full time jobs so timing is key. Others who were meant to be helping seemingly weren’t. I’m left feeling it was a waste of a wait and fee sadly. 

[MARSH GUN]

It seemed even when i got the homework done, got where the geese were . I just never was quite right somehow, Just 50 yards out of range just a little too high . And this was not like now and again, which is kind of usual this was constant like all the time.  I made a few trips to the northern firths and geese were about no question about that, but could i get under them?  Not a chance, i was by about December starting to take it personal😀.

 I got a Nice right and left on pinks  mid January , which filed my spirits a little. but Next time i went out i was back in the doldrums.   No despite more than my average efforts, it just never fell into palace this year. And my premature seasons Halt simply put a tin hat on it for me.

 

[Spr1985]

50 minutes ago, Hicky said:

I’m a probationer, the offers are slim pickings judging by the WhatsApp group. One guy was quite willing to help but we both have young kids/families and full time jobs so timing is key. Others who were meant to be helping seemingly weren’t. I’m left feeling it was a waste of a wait and fee sadly. 

I too am a probationer (thankfully a personal friend is a full member so I don’t have to rely on others) and what I have noticed with the clubs WhatsApp group is…..OFFERS do not occur! although, when new members bite that bullet and get past the “I’m not asking I’ll wait for an offer” mindset, the group is more than willing to accommodate. Although “asking” may seem rude or lacking etiquette it’s usually not the case, other members are not mind readers and they don’t pay the fee’s to make offers to take others out but I’d hazard a guess at they’re willing when asked. Just my two pennies on that point, put a request out and gauge the reaction 👍🏻
 

as for my season, it’s gotten between my teeth! I’ve not been out as much as I would have liked but work and family sometimes has that effect.  I have had shots but yet to get my first duck/goose on the marsh. Hopefully before the season is out I shall succeed. if I don’t, next season will be another opportunity. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing things I’d not have seen had I been at home in bed, the highlight being and African spoonbill on my second visit to the marsh ……I thought I’d gotten up to early and was suffering sleep deprived hallucinations 😬. I also have the added bonus of pigeon shooting as part of the membership and although over the winter I’ve not had much success I’m hoping that will change over the next few months and into the  summer. I may even have a report or two to make. 
 

I hope all those that are seeing it out untill the end of the season on the marshes/foreshore have some productive shooting 👍🏻

[Hicky]

I’ve asked, others have too. I should of made that clear

The few times I’ve been the reward was watching the sunrise and the waking of the wildlife. 

Edited February 4, 2022 by Hicky

[6.5x55SE]

Myself and Conor's season has been very good. Especially a two week period in December where Conor shot several Pink's which his young pup retrieved from a notorious difficult marsh for Geese . One flight a long wavering Skien approach my friend armed with a 28ga myself with a 20 GA Conor with a 12ga all three of us killed Pink's from the same Skien. In six days i shot Pinks from the same marsh using Conor's SBS 10ga O/U 20ga my SBS 12ga Pump 12ga Semi Auto 20ga. Conor achieving his ambition of shooting Pink's under the moon on his 21st birthday and his pup retrieving them. Conor taking a triple from the same Skien i took a right an left then watching our three dogs carrying Geese at the same time. So many more fantastic flights and memory's long may these continue 🤞👍

[Gerry78]

On 03/02/2022 at 02:37, MARSH GUN said:

My season is Done early 😔 Normally i get out until the last day on the foreshores, But Work has dictated i have go to the states so i am finished .

Its been a strange season for me, after the none events over covid 19 this season promised a little respite if we could avoid any lock downs which thankfully we did. And the recent variants  the vaccination roll out and uptake look positive for the future.

However Despite the Free run on, the season never really took off for me, it ws looking promising at first with a few early season pinks off the shores, but the migrators did not hang around my areas much, and local greys and ducking was the main part of a largely unfulfilling season for me. In fact i will go so far as to say i have never had a worse season in over 40 years.

I am not loosing the enthusiasm any, but its been a bitter disappointment to me overall and i am not ashamed to admit i am glad its over. Looking farward to 2022/2023 season .

 

Agree marsh gun the large inland lough I hunt on the shore the migrants didn’t hang about now truth be told like yourself I didn’t get out much due to family commitments But reports from other members there wasn’t as much ducks about This brings me onto a debate with other members should the season be started later and end the last day in February for inland duck shooting Over here in NI the winters haven’t been cold enough Just a thought 👍

[nic]

19 hours ago, Gerry78 said:

Agree marsh gun the large inland lough I hunt on the shore the migrants didn’t hang about now truth be told like yourself I didn’t get out much due to family commitments But reports from other members there wasn’t as much ducks about This brings me onto a debate with other members should the season be started later and end the last day in February for inland duck shooting Over here in NI the winters haven’t been cold enough Just a thought 👍

This question has been asked for the last decade at least!   However don't ask too loudly or some will grant half your wishes and start the season later but say that as the season ends when it does to allow breeding, it will still stop as it does now.

 

[Gerry78]

8 hours ago, nic said:

This question has been asked for the last decade at least!   However don't ask too loudly or some will grant half your wishes and start the season later but say that as the season ends when it does to allow breeding, it will still stop as it does now.

 

Can’t see it ever happening but  is always debated 👍

[grahamch]

Enforced early finish as NE have got the jitters and closed Lindisfarne to fowling on the pretext of bird flu. Strange i think you can still walk, fish and ride on the reserve but not fowl.

[team tractor]

We had 152 total I’ve been informed last week off our little splash . I guess I’ve had 20-30 of them out of 5 of us . 
£150 a year for rent and corn each . 

[greenshank1]

I had a good season and enjoyed my time on the shore. 
Had greenshank nearly walk over my legs a few weeks ago and on a few flights had otters just a few feet away. In fact I think one was attracted to my calling which maybe says more about my calling 😂.

Hope everyone has a good and safe end to their season .

 
 

[billbob11]

For me was my 1st season been shooting for years but never been proper fowling. Unfortunately due to covid restriction I couldn't get out for a day permit through basc scheme on the two clubs that are local to me. But had some trips on my own and couple times with my lad down at hinkley point for a morning and a couple evening flights would have liked to have gone out with a seasoned Fowler for couple times first but I wasnt to worried regards quarry identification and tides as some my other hobbies growing up was bird watching and showing and breeding native birds so was very confident on that aspect and not to green when it comes to tides as done fair bit fishing over the years. But I have never been to hinkley before and heard a lot about the tides!! So was still excited and nervous!! So got hold james green for some tips on the place. To be safe decided go down on a ebbing tide just as getting light and james advice was stay tight to the water! Was spot on! I had couple shots at pintail drakes on that first trip and missed both!!

Not a easy place but ****** I loved it!!  Had two 1st for me down hinkley a cock wigeon and a pintail. Really looking forward to hopefully joining taw and torridge and devon Fowler's for the exe and be great meet like minded people for me and the lad. 

 

[marsh man]

14 minutes ago, billbob11 said:

For me was my 1st season been shooting for years but never been proper fowling. Unfortunately due to covid restriction I couldn't get out for a day permit through basc scheme on the two clubs that are local to me. But had some trips on my own and couple times with my lad down at hinkley point for a morning and a couple evening flights would have liked to have gone out with a seasoned Fowler for couple times first but I wasnt to worried regards quarry identification and tides as some my other hobbies growing up was bird watching and showing and breeding native birds so was very confident on that aspect and not to green when it comes to tides as done fair bit fishing over the years. But I have never been to hinkley before and heard a lot about the tides!! So was still excited and nervous!! So got hold james green for some tips on the place. To be safe decided go down on a ebbing tide just as getting light and james advice was stay tight to the water! Was spot on! I had couple shots at pintail drakes on that first trip and missed both!!

Not a easy place but ****** I loved it!!  Had two 1st for me down hinkley a cock wigeon and a pintail. Really looking forward to hopefully joining taw and torridge and devon Fowler's for the exe and be great meet like minded people for me and the lad. 

 

Well done young man and I hope they are the first of many , now the season is all but over try and spend a bit of time during the warmer months to study the area where you intend to shoot , tides will be different with the predicted height with the wind direction and how strong it is , get to know where you can cross the drains if you need to get off quick , better still stick to higher ground until you are sure you can find your way off in the dark when the tide is pushed up a lot higher than predicted .

GOOD LUCK and STAY SAFE.       MM

[islandgun]

Nothing to report here,  I've had some weird **** with my feet and not been able to get a pair of boots on since early November [clearing up now] Plenty of Geese flying about my house, Has anyone been impacted by bird flue ?