Foreshore only

[Dave at kelton]

So with the game season over I can concentrate on my wildfowling. I had a couple of quiet flights this week when geese had passed me by or been out of shot. Being Saturday morning I expected it to be busy but was first in the car park at 06:30 and when I walked out there were only three of us at this end of the Merse. I foresook my usual spot to get under the geese that had slipped by me over the last two days. As I walked out I could already here geese talking; their chatter brought to me on the fresh south westerly wind. My spot was a deep creek with vertical bank to hide the dog and small grassy mound to give me extra cover. I hate using nets as the geese do see them but that does not seem to deter some who set out with the equivalent of a B&Q garden shed on their back. I settled in and slid the Tolley 8 bore out of the slip. Checking the barrels were clear i slipped in a couple of 2oz ITM cartridges.

The pinks started to move early today and the first big skeins lifted at 07:30 heading away across the river where other fowlers waited. Ben by this time was curled up and asleep but soon woke when he heard the geese lift. It amazes me how the dogs attune to the geese as we do and anticipate action. The click of the hammers going back has him fully alert although remaining laid down. 

Despite the numbers that had flighted a few hundred pinks remained to my front and the first of these lifted at about 07:45. These were heading my way as they settled into a long line abreast covering about 100 yards. I pressed myself into the bank looking for movement over the lip of the mound so I could kneel and take a shot. My moment came as eight geese appeared. I knelt and swung the big gun through missing my first goose but readjusting to kill the second stone dead. It dropped about thirty yards behind and having marked it Ben was out on command to retrieve.

I put the gun down to collect as he came back only to hear more pinks behind. Another five were heading my way. I grabbed the eight, and fumbled to get more cartridges in. These geese were coming on quickly and I judged I had time to get only one cartridge into the breach. Loading these old big underlevers is a faff. One cartridge was enough to take out another goose. This time I held Ben in as more geese were starting to lift and I wasn’t going to make the same mistake. I had two cartridges up the spout when the next skein appeared and had another dead for my two shots. Now I had a break to send Ben to recover both geese as those remaining were sitting tight.

I thought a final chance would come my way as these last skeins lifted with three coming in low and fast. Just as I knelt to swing I realised my error as it was barnacle geese mixed in with the pinks. This is a common problem at this time of the year and I have missed a few chances at pinks recently because barnacles have been in with them. I don’t trust my marksmanship enough these days to risk a friendly fire incident which would cost me wildfowling and license.

One of my best flights of the year ended with a bit of a trudge back to the car laden with three geese but it’s a good feeling after a flight like that!

[6.5x55SE]

Excellent Dave well done mate 👍 myself and Conor also had some luck yesterday morning due to it clouding over the moon the geese went back out to roost. A very late flight with endless Skiens keeping us on our toes. We managed two each. Fingers crossed they are still around Wednesday night for a moon flight and not headed north 🙏

[Dave at kelton]

28 minutes ago, 6.5x55SE said:

Excellent Dave well done mate 👍 myself and Conor also had some luck yesterday morning due to it clouding over the moon the geese went back out to roost. A very late flight with endless Skiens keeping us on our toes. We managed two each. Fingers crossed they are still around Wednesday night for a moon flight and not headed north 🙏

Moon always makes morning flight unpredictable but🤞for what’s left of the season. Shoot straight pal

[Spr1985]

A brilliant account of a good flight well done Dave and Ben. Makes me a little jealous as I’ve in the last five minutes had to turn down going out for a flight this evening due to whiplash 🤦‍♂️. I’ve got my fingers crossed that I’ll get out at least once more before season end. 

[SuperGoose75]

Nice write up and great photo of your big fowling piece and bag.  To quote the Cornish Countryman..Proper job 👌

[Gerry78]

1st class Dave lovely gun 👍👍

[flippermaj]

Thanks for the right up and a great photo

 

[Morkin]

Well done that man👍and as sid lovely gun what is it please 🤔

[Dave at kelton]

7 hours ago, Morkin said:

Well done that man👍and as sid lovely gun what is it please 🤔

Thanks. It’s a Tolley, reproofed nitro 1200 bars when I bought it. Very little brown left on the barrels from foreshore use over the years. But was treated to a strip and service last year. It’s a working gun doing what it was built for so cosmetic appearance means nothing to me. Never let me down unlike modern semi autos.

[islandgun]

Great stuff, I still covet a large Tolley.😉

[greenshank1]

Great account of your flight and what a beautiful gun .

Sadly the Barnacle geese up here have  bird flu and the odd one seems to be dropping away from the usual big skeins and showing up on their own,  I watched one the other day that was freaking out a resident group of greylag and today there was no sign of it so either they chased it off or it succumbed.