A change of fortunes

[Dave at kelton]

It has been a pretty poor year here on the Solway; well for me at least. I have shot fewer geese than at anytime since we moved up six and a half years ago. Those that have been about have been pretty unpredictable with no two flights the same. A very warm wet winter in the main has not helped with geese roosting inland rather than frequenting the shore. Even the large numbers that came down during the cold spell seem to have moved on.

Now I have dropped to only a days work a week in preparation for retirement I have a little more time to get out in between picking up. This morning I was out on the Reserve and with only the warden in the car park had the Merse to myself. It was a warm dull morning as I walked through the wood to the access point. It was starting to get light as I climbed the stile and set off across the Merse. We aren’t allowed out more than an hour and a quarter before sunrise so it is always a bit of a race to get in position before the geese begin to move. As I walked out to the gutter I wanted there was not a goose to be heard which was pretty unsettling as by now they are usually starting to call as they wake and ready themselves before heading in to feed.

I dropped in about a hundred yards from the edge of the mud with a small bay in front where geese will hold up on a big tide. Ben was settled down and lay below the lip of the ditch whilst we waited for some action. After about another quarter of an hour I could hear the feint call of pinks way out but only just above the clamour of barnacle geese that were on the move. Eventually the sound of pinks grew as a hundred or more picked up in front but cut away along the Merse passing easily within gun shot but about four hundred yards wide. I had settled in too far over, or so I thought. Five minutes later another couple of skeins lifted about half a mile out but instead of following the same line headed straight in toward me. Ben fidgeted but stayed laid down. He knows the call of pinks might mean action! 
 

Rather than gain height the geese came on in a long straggling line to pass both sides and over me. I was by now crouched in the bottom of the gutter waiting to see the pinks over the lip of the grass when I could kneel up and take my shot. As they appeared in eye line I picked my goose but rushed the first shot making up for the error with my second folding a goose stone dead. It dropped about thirty yards behind. Ben had marked it but knows better than to run in so was lying looking at me expectantly waiting for the okay to retrieve. When given he was off and soon back with a good healthy pink.

We waited another ten minutes but all was quiet save for the barnacles which were now flighting in large numbers. I slipped the gun into the slip and gave Ben permission to go and have a run about as we set off back to the car park. After a few minutes walking I heard more pinks behind and saw a large skein coming from way out, toward us. There was no cover here so all I could do was lie Ben down and lie down twenty yards away pulling my face mask up and hope for the best. Having learned over the years that this can happen my gun remains loaded in its slip until we are nearly ready to leave the Merse. It was now a case of lying still and hoping the geese would not see me lying in the short rushes and water. Fortunately they didn’t and a party of six or seven sailed over my head about thirty yards up. They gave me the chance to sit and pick a bird. Whilst again I rushed the first shot I followed through and again dropped it with my second. This one fell about fifty yards back in the rushes. Ben had not marked this bird but once I got him back and down wind he soon got the scent and dug the goose out delivering it to hand.

So at last a couple of pinks, my first double of the season. As I walked back I could help thinking my luck might have changed. As I write this the wind is picking up and rain batters the windows. If it keeps up for evening flight I might be out testing my luck again.

[London Best]

Nicely written. Thank you.

[Old Boggy]

Lovely write up.

Many thanks for sharing.

OB

[Rookandrabbit]

Excellent write up could almost hear the birds calling as I read it. Good shooting and thanks for sharing your adventure with us. Your dog Ben looks ready for more action.

[simcgunner]

Terrific write up, thank you.

[motty]

I enjoyed that read. Thanks for posting. 

[marsh man]

A brilliant write up with a very nice photo to match , this season have been well below par with a lot less geese than we would normally expect by now , a lot of duck about but with the never ending rain the duck have got 100s of splashes to chose from , still you have to battle on and a slim chance is better than no chance .

Good luck with your retirement , if like me you will love every minute of it .

[Penelope]

Enjoyed that.

[kippylawkid]

Great post, like the look of your dog.

[6.5x55SE]

Excellent well done Dave 👍 i have to say in several places which normally get thousands upon thousands there has been hardly any also again several places i shoot in different county's they have been here today gone tomorrow a lot of other wildfowlers experiencing the same. Good luck for the rest of the season 🤞

[Dave at kelton]

As a post script the wind picked up as forecast so I headed for another Merse where there are no restrictions on staying on after sunset. In gales the geese are often late and leaving before they have arrived is frustrating. The wind took my breath away as I faced into its full force heading for the Merse edge and a little shelter with it at my back. I had Alex my older dog out for a change and he soon found a comfy spot where he could take a little nap.

A few shellduck battled into the wind as I awaited the geese but it was otherwise quiet as the breakers receded on the falling tide. Occasionally I thought I heard the call of pinks above the howling gale but couldn’t see a thing in the falling light. Then I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. Seven pinks were battling up the fence line but I was too late picking them up and missed clean with the first shot after which they flared on the wind making the second shot even more difficult. Needless to say I missed but at least I worked a chance for myself even though it was a blank flight. 

Returning in the dark, the wind at my back saw me at the farm a lot quicker than when I went out. There I could get a little shelter from the buildings before making my way back to the van.'

[marsh man]

2 hours ago, Dave at kelton said:

As a post script the wind picked up as forecast so I headed for another Merse where there are no restrictions on staying on after sunset. In gales the geese are often late and leaving before they have arrived is frustrating. The wind took my breath away as I faced into its full force heading for the Merse edge and a little shelter with it at my back. I had Alex my older dog out for a change and he soon found a comfy spot where he could take a little nap.

A few shellduck battled into the wind as I awaited the geese but it was otherwise quiet as the breakers receded on the falling tide. Occasionally I thought I heard the call of pinks above the howling gale but couldn’t see a thing in the falling light. Then I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. Seven pinks were battling up the fence line but I was too late picking them up and missed clean with the first shot after which they flared on the wind making the second shot even more difficult. Needless to say I missed but at least I worked a chance for myself even though it was a blank flight. 

Returning in the dark, the wind at my back saw me at the farm a lot quicker than when I went out. There I could get a little shelter from the buildings before making my way back to the van.'

Another fine account of your evening flight and as we all know that blanks flights are part of the package and now they seem to outnumber the ones where something is carried back in the bag .

Maybe slightly different up the far North but the nights now are pulling out fast , tonight was at long last dry , a strong wind with broken cloud , I didn't leave mine till nearly quarter past four and time I got down the marsh the town lights were already on and getting brighter by the minute , what seem a little bit strange is I have been each night from Saturday as our game shoot was Friday and as we can't go Sunday so I have now been five nights out of the six either on mine or the club marshes and in that time I haven't seen a single soul .

Saturday night I finally broke the run of five blanks when I got a Wigeon and another Gadwall , then all this week up until tonight have also been blanks , tonight didn't look much better as the cloud cleared and the stars were covering the sky , a few times my dog went on alert with him steering into the gloam and a Lapwing would fly past or a couple of Waders came and dropped on the edge of the splash , then as hope of a shot was fading he again stood on alert when a dark shape was dropping down into the water , with a dark background I could only fire where I thought it was and after my shot I knew I had got it wrong , but as it started to climb back up to the sky it was quickly brought back to earth with my second shot , my dog was then in his eliment as he ran across the water and a minute or two later he came with a fine drake Mallard in excellent condition , so the run of blanks have again come to a end and hopefully tomorrow night won't be the start of another , fingers crossed .

 

 

Edited January 12, 2023 by marsh man

[Dave at kelton]

8 minutes ago, marsh man said:

Another fine account of your evening flight and as we all know that blanks flights are part of the package and now they seem to outnumber the ones where something is carried back in the bag .

Maybe slightly different up the far North but the nights now are pulling out fast , tonight was at long last dry , a strong wind with broken cloud , I didn't leave mine till nearly quarter past four and time I got down the marsh the town lights were already on and getting brighter by the minute , what seem a little bit strange is I have been each night from Saturday as our game shoot was Friday and as we can't go Sunday so I have now been five nights out of the six either on mine or the club marshes and in that time I haven't seen a single soul .

Saturday night I finally broke the run of five blanks when I got a Wigeon and another Gadwall , then all this week up until tonight have also been blanks , tonight didn't look much better as the cloud cleared and the stars were covering the sky , a few times my dog went on alert with him steering into the gloam and a Lapwing would fly past or a couple of Waders came and dropped on the edge of the splash , then as hope of a shot was fading he again stood on alert when a dark shape was dropping down into the water , with a dark background I could only fire where I thought it was and after my shot it wasn't where I thought it was as it started to climb back up to the sky only to be brought back to earth with my second shot , my dog was then in his eliment as he ran across the water and minute or two later he came with a drake Mallard in excellent condition , so the run of blanks have again come to a end and hopefully tomorrow night won't be the start of another , fingers crossed .

 

 

Another nice account well done!

[Pushandpull]

Thanks for posting that nice wee tale, Dave. It's a few years since I was at that very spot (with less success)but it all came back.

[Gerry78]

Lovely post my friend 👍