Gerry78 Posted February 24 Report Share Posted February 24 After chasing ducks for more than 20 years on foreshores and inland loughs I’ve decided to stop my pursuit as off this year multiple reasons being my old fowling buddy has retired a man I learned a lot from just not shooting but weather readings using boats and just a great old fashioned guy my old Labrador Duke 12 years old has arthritis over he’s shoulder and needs retirement and I don’t have the time to recruit a new pup and give it the proper training Also family commitments off looking after my severely disabled son has took it’s toll on me making the time to get out And regarding characters I used to meet who would help you out in the hide there’s not the same people out hunting duck the new ones are only interested in big greedy bags I’m posting this as I did enjoy the wildfowling section of this forum and still will post on it with other members regarding debates I think I can contribute too Good luck to everyone who’s keeping this great pursuit Going in the upcoming future 👍👍👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6.5x55SE Posted February 24 Report Share Posted February 24 Sorry to hear you are packing up Wildfowling Gerry. Wish you and your family all the very best for the future 🤝👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry78 Posted February 24 Author Report Share Posted February 24 10 minutes ago, 6.5x55SE said: Sorry to hear you are packing up Wildfowling Gerry. Wish you and your family all the very best for the future 🤝👍 6.5x55 thank you very much for the reply I’ve other shooting/hunting when I get the time I’m enjoying the clays as well 👍👍👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted February 25 Report Share Posted February 25 Sorry you have called it a day Gerry , this will happen at some time with everyone who take up the sport of wildfowling , it's not a sport where you can expect a lot of shooting and it can be carried out in adverse weather conditions , who in there right mind would get up early and sit it out on a wind swept marsh in the pouring rain with only a slim chance of getting a shot , well people do and I have done it 100s of times but there will come a time where you have to face facts and think is this the right thing to do when you are the wrong side of 75 , I cut down a lot last season and never really missed it , I did go down a few nights when I fancied a duck but I only wanted a Mallard and any other duck I would leave alone , this morning I am just back from walking around the estuary wall and I enjoyed seeing the fowl in the bright sunshine as much now as when I had a gun under my arm , and now I can see myself hanging up the decoys over the next couple of years , but who knows , 80 is fast approaching and that might be my next deadline . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry78 Posted February 25 Author Report Share Posted February 25 2 hours ago, marsh man said: Sorry you have called it a day Gerry , this will happen at some time with everyone who take up the sport of wildfowling , it's not a sport where you can expect a lot of shooting and it can be carried out in adverse weather conditions , who in there right mind would get up early and sit it out on a wind swept marsh in the pouring rain with only a slim chance of getting a shot , well people do and I have done it 100s of times but there will come a time where you have to face facts and think is this the right thing to do when you are the wrong side of 75 , I cut down a lot last season and never really missed it , I did go down a few nights when I fancied a duck but I only wanted a Mallard and any other duck I would leave alone , this morning I am just back from walking around the estuary wall and I enjoyed seeing the fowl in the bright sunshine as much now as when I had a gun under my arm , and now I can see myself hanging up the decoys over the next couple of years , but who knows , 80 is fast approaching and that might be my next deadline . Thanks marsh man I still have the desire as I loved the sport But in my post I just don’t have the time with family commitments Thank you for the reply Gerry 👍👍👍👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgun Posted February 25 Report Share Posted February 25 Best of luck in the future, respect your decision but you never know, you might still feel the urge to get out when you get a glimpse of a full moon on a stormy night. 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted February 25 Report Share Posted February 25 2 hours ago, islandgun said: Best of luck in the future, respect your decision but you never know, you might still feel the urge to get out when you get a glimpse of a full moon on a stormy night. 👍 A lot of the old wildfowlers like to keep in touch even though the times spent on a marsh is all but finished , I knew a few in my old club who turn up at meeting just for a night out who like talking about the times they once spent below the sea wall or out on the fresh marshes , this must happen at Wildfowling clubs up and down the country where a percentage of there members no longer take part in active wildfowling , but still pay the subs year after year until they can no longer make it to the pub let alone a wind swept marsh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nic Posted February 26 Report Share Posted February 26 (edited) Sorry to hear that you are calling it a day. As to staying on the forum, the tales and stories of flights are great to read. It comes to all of us due to whatever reasons- age, commitments etc. The number of members of both the clubs I am in that no longer go out is incredible. I must agree though that fowling has changed. I only started doing it in the early 90's when my military posting made it possible. Then it was seen as the pinnacle of live quarry shooting. Nowadays, I feel too many see it as a cheap entry into live quarry shooting and therefore do not have the respect for them that the birds have earned. We had one person enquire about joining our club who asked how many duck could we guarantee each flight? he was shocked when we said we could guarantee NONE and any more than that was a bonus..... he didn't join! Edited February 26 by nic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted February 26 Report Share Posted February 26 8 hours ago, nic said: Sorry to hear that you are calling it a day. As to staying on the forum, the tales and stories of flights are great to read. It comes to all of us due to whatever reasons- age, commitments etc. The number of members of both the clubs I am in that no longer go out is incredible. I must agree though that fowling has changed. I only started doing it in the early 90's when my military posting made it possible. Then it was seen as the pinnacle of live quarry shooting. Nowadays, I feel too many see it as a cheap entry into live quarry shooting and therefore do not have the respect for them that the birds have earned. We had one person enquire about joining our club who asked how many duck could we guarantee each flight? he was shocked when we said we could guarantee NONE and any more than that was a bonus..... he didn't join! It would be interesting to know what percentage of members are no longer active clubs members when it come to wildfowling , I recon easily 10% , might well be more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nic Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 13 hours ago, marsh man said: It would be interesting to know what percentage of members are no longer active clubs members when it come to wildfowling , I recon easily 10% , might well be more define active? does 2-3 trips per season = active? if not I reckon it would be closer to 50% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 My last wildfowling trip was about 1992/3, after doing it for well over 27 years. I never consciously gave it up, but had taken up stalking (as well as all he picking up and helping to run a serious game shoot) and there simply were not enough hours in my life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 1 hour ago, nic said: define active? does 2-3 trips per season = active? if not I reckon it would be closer to 50% Not sure about 50% but you could well be nearer to the mark than 10% , I can go back to the time where the club I joined didn't even have any marshes to shoot on , the estuary was free shooting till 1968 and the club was formed in the mid 50s , when I joined in 1964 the pub on a meeting night was full of harden wildfowlers , we had punt gunners who spent more time on the estuary after they retired than when they were working , one of them would often spend the nights in his house boat to catch the early morning tide , the whole of there life revolved around wild fowling , now these sort of people are far and few between , on a meeting night it's a wonder there are any fowl left after you hear what some of these ( fowlers ) had shot , whereas in our early days the hardened ones would give very little away , if they told you they had got a few duck at so and so then you could take that with a pinch of salt as it was more than likely be four miles at the other end of the estuary , having said that , once they knew you were on the same level these blokes were the salt of the earth , the Summers were spent fishing and the Winters shooting , now they have many more past times like clay and game shooting where they know they are going to get more pulling the trigger than they are down the marsh , after a year or two they soon find that wildfowling is not really for them for various reasons like short of time , living away from the fowling grounds and not being able to own a decent working dog , so they carry on attending the meetings but the only fowl they now shoot is in the pub , mind you there are still some top class wildfowlers and these are the ones who say very little on a meeting night and just go with the flow of the tide MM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 25 minutes ago, marsh man said: Not sure about 50% but you could well be nearer to the mark than 10% , I can go back to the time where the club I joined didn't even have any marshes to shoot on , the estuary was free shooting till 1968 and the club was formed in the mid 50s , when I joined in 1964 the pub on a meeting night was full of harden wildfowlers , we had punt gunners who spent more time on the estuary after they retired than when they were working , one of them would often spend the nights in his house boat to catch the early morning tide , the whole of there life revolved around wild fowling , now these sort of people are far and few between , on a meeting night it's a wonder there are any fowl left after you hear what some of these ( fowlers ) had shot , whereas in our early days the hardened ones would give very little away , if they told you they had got a few duck at so and so then you could take that with a pinch of salt as it was more than likely be four miles at the other end of the estuary , having said that , once they knew you were on the same level these blokes were the salt of the earth , the Summers were spent fishing and the Winters shooting , now they have many more past times like clay and game shooting where they know they are going to get more pulling the trigger than they are down the marsh , after a year or two they soon find that wildfowling is not really for them for various reasons like short of time , living away from the fowling grounds and not being able to own a decent working dog , so they carry on attending the meetings but the only fowl they now shoot is in the pub , mind you there are still some top class wildfowlers and these are the ones who say very little on a meeting night and just go with the flow of the tide MM IMHO, it's still the cream of British shooting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenshank1 Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 On 24/02/2024 at 17:47, Gerry78 said: After chasing ducks for more than 20 years on foreshores and inland loughs I’ve decided to stop my pursuit as off this year multiple reasons being my old fowling buddy has retired a man I learned a lot from just not shooting but weather readings using boats and just a great old fashioned guy my old Labrador Duke 12 years old has arthritis over he’s shoulder and needs retirement and I don’t have the time to recruit a new pup and give it the proper training Also family commitments off looking after my severely disabled son has took it’s toll on me making the time to get out And regarding characters I used to meet who would help you out in the hide there’s not the same people out hunting duck the new ones are only interested in big greedy bags I’m posting this as I did enjoy the wildfowling section of this forum and still will post on it with other members regarding debates I think I can contribute too Good luck to everyone who’s keeping this great pursuit Going in the upcoming future 👍👍👍 Hi Gerry Sorry to hear that but totally understand your decisions. Please keep posting and contributing always appreciated your posts and we need as many true Wildfowlers contributing as possible 👍 Take care Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 10 hours ago, Penelope said: IMHO, it's still the cream of British shooting. Might well be Paul but to get the best out of it you have to be dedicated and be prepared to put in a huge amount of effort , looking at the Fenland Wildfowlers d v d I believe it was someone who was on the committee saying he was in the club for three years before he got a duck , to go for three years without anything to show for it would test the will power for any up and coming wildfowler , the majority of newcomers would sooner give the duck a miss and go straight after the geese , a goose look exactly the same if it was shot below the sea wall , or drawn in to a mass of decoys and this day age you can book online and can get from A to B in a matter of hours , so starting from scratch and possibly waiting a few seasons before you put anything in the bag , or booking up with a reputed guide for a few days goose decoying or one or two duck flights is often the better option . so will the days of harden and hands on wildfowlers slowly decline as the years go by as very few ( trainees ) are unlikely to replace them MM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry78 Posted February 27 Author Report Share Posted February 27 2 hours ago, greenshank1 said: Hi Gerry Sorry to hear that but totally understand your decisions. Please keep posting and contributing always appreciated your posts and we need as many true Wildfowlers contributing as possible 👍 Take care Thank you Greenshank and too all the forum Lads that replied I have not lost the love of the sport and probably never will I actually was watching duck today mallard flying into a small lake 😊but my original post the rigours of my personal life have now taken priority i know come the 1st of September il be wondering how the first morning flight went I enjoy this section of the forum especially reading some of the older gentlemen’s Wildfowling tales What I probably will miss the most is standing in my waders mud up to my knees with my old fox red lab DUKE Watching the sun rise 🥲🥲But I will continue to read and if I can contribute to the chats on wildfowling Fantastic photo Greenshank 👍👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pushandpull Posted February 28 Report Share Posted February 28 Hang up those decoys but hang on to them ! The time for fowling will surely come again. I have had little "adventures" in my retirement years which I never expected during the years when constrained by work and family. One day you might be the old man who mentors a youngster. Best wishes for the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guy baxendale Posted February 28 Report Share Posted February 28 On 26/02/2024 at 18:06, marsh man said: It would be interesting to know what percentage of members are no longer active clubs members when it come to wildfowling , I recon easily 10% , might well be more I was a probationary member of an Essex club a decade or so years ago where the average age of club members was to be polite 'on the senior side'. Club meetings gave me the impression that most members didnt really go wildfowling anymore (or very little). There was no organised/systematic system to pass probationary members out so i gave up on it after two seasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry78 Posted February 28 Author Report Share Posted February 28 7 hours ago, Pushandpull said: Hang up those decoys but hang on to them ! The time for fowling will surely come again. I have had little "adventures" in my retirement years which I never expected during the years when constrained by work and family. One day you might be the old man who mentors a youngster. Best wishes for the future. Thanks very much pushandpull 👍👍👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted February 28 Report Share Posted February 28 4 hours ago, guy baxendale said: I was a probationary member of an Essex club a decade or so years ago where the average age of club members was to be polite 'on the senior side'. Club meetings gave me the impression that most members didnt really go wildfowling anymore (or very little). There was no organised/systematic system to pass probationary members out so i gave up on it after two seasons. Yea , I know what you mean , at one time when there were restrictions on the number of members the club could take on there were a few no longer fowling members that were preventing new members joining the club , now I don't think that is no longer the case as membership is normally below the maximum number of members it can take on . MM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flippermaj Posted February 28 Report Share Posted February 28 Gerry, Keep posting, always looked forward to your input. Go for it on whatever you can still do! Cheers Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Posted February 29 Report Share Posted February 29 23 hours ago, guy baxendale said: I was a probationary member of an Essex club a decade or so years ago where the average age of club members was to be polite 'on the senior side'. Club meetings gave me the impression that most members didnt really go wildfowling anymore (or very little). There was no organised/systematic system to pass probationary members out so i gave up on it after two seasons. Still no change, I understand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guy baxendale Posted March 1 Report Share Posted March 1 On 29/02/2024 at 11:31, Penelope said: Still no change, I understand. Surprised half of them are still above ground ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry78 Posted March 8 Author Report Share Posted March 8 On 28/02/2024 at 20:43, flippermaj said: Gerry, Keep posting, always looked forward to your input. Go for it on whatever you can still do! Cheers Mark Thanks Mark appreciate the kind reply 👍👍👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperGoose75 Posted March 27 Report Share Posted March 27 (edited) Not an easy decision, I'm sure Gerry. I think if fowling is in your blood, then you are never really ''packing it in'' so to speak. Hopefully it will still be there if you ever decide to pick it up again. Myself personally, I am only a part time fowler nowadays as compared to when it was pretty hardcore. I still am always on the shore but mostly with a wading staff and a pair of binoculars. Some people term it doing the Peter Scott, but I genuinely don't like killing as many fowl as I used too. I have been pretty selective in my shooting this past many year's, but then big bags was never my thing anyway. I done very little shooting this year until January and I really enjoyed being out during a few storms shooting fully plumaged birds. I could tell you were never a big bag man either, and got your enjoyment from the whole other enjoyments that are unique to Wildfowling. You were aways a respectful poster also and I hope you continue to do so. ATB S.G. Edited March 27 by SuperGoose75 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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