The Nights Are Now Rapidly Pulling In

[marsh man]

They used to say that when the harvest start the best part of the Summer is over , not exactly right this year as we have had some lovely weather of late with the temps in the high 20s or even the low 30s , but whatever the weather you can't escape the fact that the nights are drawing in at some speed , it didn't seem long ago that I would be going down to the river on a nice night and just sit there watching the sun going down till well gone 9pm  . 

Still we can't do nothing about it but we can make the most of it while it last , I now have my tea when I get home just before it get dark rather than have it while it is still light  , I know that wouldn't suit everyone but time wait for no one .    MM

[JohnfromUK]

Used my head torch yesterday for the evening dog walk for the first time since May(?).

[team tractor]

I said to the mrs about this . Nevs (walker570) asked me to join him foxing this week . We sat until 11 without NV last time . This week I’ll need the NV and thermal . 

[marsh man]

23 minutes ago, JohnfromUK said:

Used my head torch yesterday for the evening dog walk for the first time since May(?).

 

10 minutes ago, team tractor said:

I said to the mrs about this . Nevs (walker570) asked me to join him foxing this week . We sat until 11 without NV last time . This week I’ll need the NV and thermal . 

You notice it after a succession of clear , cloudless evenings and then like tonight it started to rain and it seem to have got dark in minutes .

By the way TT how is walker 470 ( Nev ) I missed him a lot , seemed to be a genuine nice chap .  MM

[oldypigeonpopper]

Hello, Soon be good for ratting but I do not think will be doing as much as last winter, The cold gets in the old bones😒

[Minky]

1 hour ago, marsh man said:

They used to say that when the harvest start the best part of the Summer is over , not exactly right this year as we have had some lovely weather of late with the temps in the high 20s or even the low 30s , but whatever the weather you can't escape the fact that the nights are drawing in at some speed , it didn't seem long ago that I would be going down to the river on a nice night and just sit there watching the sun going down till well gone 9pm  . 

Still we can't do nothing about it but we can make the most of it while it last , I now have my tea when I get home just before it get dark rather than have it while it is still light  , I know that wouldn't suit everyone but time wait for no one .    MM

Yep same as every year.  Getting down on the river bank and  waiting and watching to see if  any are coming in, at what time, which direction,  how many, groups, singles.  Just concealed in any rushes or weed growth on the Bank with the dog.  8.20 and dusk ishere now. Thinking whether a certain spot along the bank side might benefit from a bag of grain or a few chopped up spuds. Probably won't make any difference at all but it certainly won't make a difference if there is nothing.

[Doormat]

Yep noticed the same the other night

i think it’s fair to say we’ve had roughly 4wks of decent weather this year so far. We were off last week and rather than go abroad stayed at home, saved a fortune and the weather was gorgeous, I was up early every morning sat in the garden chillin 😎. Now first week back the change has begun 😔
 

I hate the dark nights, absolutely HATE it. 6mths of my life wasted every year. The last winter seemed to drag on forever, then spring was a wash out as was most of summer. 
 

TV is dire, costs a fortune to heat homes, everywhere you go to escape cabin fever now seems to cost money. 
 

The simple pleasure of sitting in one’s own garden during the warm weather is priceless.  Pity it is so short lived.

[mellors]

8 hours ago, Minky said:

Yep same as every year.  Getting down on the river bank and  waiting and watching to see if  any are coming in, at what time, which direction,  how many, groups, singles.  Just concealed in any rushes or weed growth on the Bank with the dog.  8.20 and dusk ishere now. Thinking whether a certain spot along the bank side might benefit from a bag of grain or a few chopped up spuds. Probably won't make any difference at all but it certainly won't make a difference if there is nothing.

For the first time in many years I've seen ducks on stubbles as there usually gone very quickly . 

With the late drilling of spring barley which won't be cut for a week or so and fewer farms ripping up stubble to grow rape its possible we'll get some stubble ducks to decoy till october drillings🤞. 

[JohnfromUK]

You can barely see it in the photo - but there was just a touch of mist over the river on my morning dog walk at 07:15 today.

[iHOWEY]

I don’t mind the dark nights, it’s the dark mornings I absolutely hate. Getting in and rushing around getting the dog dried off before heading to work 😭. But the bairn begged me for a matching jacket and headtortch so maybe there’s a trade off in sight this winter, he can dry the dog haha.

[marsh man]

10 hours ago, Minky said:

Yep same as every year.  Getting down on the river bank and  waiting and watching to see if  any are coming in, at what time, which direction,  how many, groups, singles.  Just concealed in any rushes or weed growth on the Bank with the dog.  8.20 and dusk ishere now. Thinking whether a certain spot along the bank side might benefit from a bag of grain or a few chopped up spuds. Probably won't make any difference at all but it certainly won't make a difference if there is nothing.

When we were deep into early season wildfowling the starting point for us was round about now , the town was getting quieter with holiday makers and the combines were getting ready to tackle the wheat fields down the marsh , this would be when we would be down on the marshes till darkness fell to see what duck were about , as the days moved on then we would pin point certain marshes , a week before the new season started we more or less knew where we were going , most years it wasn't a case of if you would get a duck it would be how many you would get , on a good year we sometimes had 100s of Mallard going on the grain fields and I even had the landowner ring me once before the season started to ask me if there was any way I could keep the duck off , I would be going down and have a few shots at the pigeons and he was happy thinking I was keeping the duck off , come the first day we often got our self imposed limit of 10 a flight , some years we had loads and other years not so many , but now with no crops grown as there seem to be more money in letting 100s of horses graze on the marshes those glory days are unlikely ever to return .   MM

[johnphilip]

1 hour ago, iHOWEY said:

I don’t mind the dark nights, it’s the dark mornings I absolutely hate. Getting in and rushing around getting the dog dried off before heading to work 😭. But the bairn begged me for a matching jacket and headtortch so maybe there’s a trade off in sight this winter, he can dry the dog haha.

It's worse up here in southwest Scotland in the winter , sometimes it's not proper light till 9 in the morning .was one of the first things I noticed when I moved from Co Durham. But we gain more light on an evening .

[iHOWEY]

38 minutes ago, johnphilip said:

It's worse up here in southwest Scotland in the winter , sometimes it's not proper light till 9 in the morning .was one of the first things I noticed when I moved from Co Durham. But we gain more light on an evening .

Yeah I can imagine, I’m already at work before it gets light and leaving when it’s dark so don’t really get to see much of it through the week. I drove up through Aberdeen last year just after Christmas, fortunately it was a dry day so once that sun came up it was some beautiful scenes. The other half did not enjoy the 11hr round trip however 😂

[Bigbob]

Yes you fair notice the early dark nights now  but i always think you get a good fortnight weather wise September that's when i started ferreting . But lately the last few years it was the wind the broke the cover down and not the frost  

[johnphilip]

25 minutes ago, iHOWEY said:

Yeah I can imagine, I’m already at work before it gets light and leaving when it’s dark so don’t really get to see much of it through the week. I drove up through Aberdeen last year just after Christmas, fortunately it was a dry day so once that sun came up it was some beautiful scenes. The other half did not enjoy the 11hr round trip however 😂

Yes when I was working in Darlington  early start. Then finish 4.30pm  had to pop outside at lunch time to see a bit of daylight ..

[London Best]

10 hours ago, Doormat said:

I hate the dark nights, absolutely HATE it. 6mths of my life wasted every year. The last winter seemed to drag on forever, then spring was a wash out as was most of summer. 
 

TV is dire, costs a fortune to heat homes, everywhere you go to escape cabin fever now seems to cost money. 

You may be in the wrong place?
This is a shooting forum. Winter is the shooting season.

[JKD]

46 minutes ago, London Best said:

You may be in the wrong place?
This is a shooting forum. Winter is the shooting season.

This has been said before, but on a different topic 😇😆🫡

[oldypigeonpopper]

6 hours ago, Bigbob said:

Yes you fair notice the early dark nights now  but i always think you get a good fortnight weather wise September that's when i started ferreting . But lately the last few years it was the wind the broke the cover down and not the frost  

Hello, Are many people still ferreting, ?? a friend has a Carry Box and nets going free

[Wymondley]

The nights drawing in is all part of the seasons changing, how boring would it be to live in never ending sunshine or winter?

I'm about to sit in the yard with a pint catching the evening sunshine, I'm looking forward to the leaves changing colour, the chilly mornings and having my evening pint in front of an open fire.

9 hours ago, JohnfromUK said:

You can barely see it in the photo - but there was just a touch of mist over the river on my morning dog walk at 07:15 today.

Bliss! Our countryside at it's finest.

[Bigbob]

51 minutes ago, oldypigeonpopper said:

Hello, Are many people still ferreting, ?? a friend has a Carry Box and nets going free

Tell me about it , i have went from 17 ferrets to 4 still got 1000s of pounds worth of gear you cant sell as there's hardly a rabbit about these days . I just keep them hoping the rabbit makes a come back back 

 

[Minky]

14 hours ago, marsh man said:

When we were deep into early season wildfowling the starting point for us was round about now , the town was getting quieter with holiday makers and the combines were getting ready to tackle the wheat fields down the marsh , this would be when we would be down on the marshes till darkness fell to see what duck were about , as the days moved on then we would pin point certain marshes , a week before the new season started we more or less knew where we were going , most years it wasn't a case of if you would get a duck it would be how many you would get , on a good year we sometimes had 100s of Mallard going on the grain fields and I even had the landowner ring me once before the season started to ask me if there was any way I could keep the duck off , I would be going down and have a few shots at the pigeons and he was happy thinking I was keeping the duck off , come the first day we often got our self imposed limit of 10 a flight , some years we had loads and other years not so many , but now with no crops grown as there seem to be more money in letting 100s of horses graze on the marshes those glory days are unlikely ever to return .   MM

It the same all over.  We had a super piece of ground and a really nice farmer but unfortunately he suffered a heart attack and the land was sold off.  The new owner had money but no agree experience.  A total plnker.  Soon he sold the whole farm off in bits.  mostly pony paddocks and idiots who let the place go to wrack and ruin.  We tried to get the land use back but he just channeled us through his land agent who only saw pound notes.  such a bloody shame. This evening Ironically I was communicating with one of the son in laws who is on holiday out in France about going down to the river at this time of evening and year looking for the duck flighting in.  I walked out to the front of the house and looked at the sky and a flight of 5 duck came by in a triangle formation.  I wondered where they were going ,  They zig zagged about as if they were looking for a pond somewhere to drop into about half a mile away..

[JohnfromUK]

23 hours ago, JohnfromUK said:

You can barely see it in the photo - but there was just a touch of mist over the river on my morning dog walk at 07:15 today.

Same spot today - and the geese were in.

 

[team tractor]

On 15/08/2024 at 22:06, marsh man said:

 

You notice it after a succession of clear , cloudless evenings and then like tonight it started to rain and it seem to have got dark in minutes .

By the way TT how is walker 470 ( Nev ) I missed him a lot , seemed to be a genuine nice chap .  MM

He’s awaiting a hip operation next month but he’s good as always . I met him off here buying my bandsaw 7-8 years ago atleast I’d say even ten years ago and I’d  say he’s a great friend who’s asked me to carry on shooting his ground . The soft ****** drops me at his high seat and picks me up . True gent . 
His wife walks with my mrs around his woods . Both lovely but getting older unfortunately in their 80s . 

[marsh man]

1 minute ago, team tractor said:

He’s awaiting a hip operation next month but he’s good as always . I met him off here buying my bandsaw 7-8 years ago atleast I’d say even ten years ago and I’d  say he’s a great friend who’s asked me to carry on shooting his ground . The soft ****** drops me at his high seat and picks me up . True gent . 
His wife walks with my mrs around his woods . Both lovely but getting older unfortunately in their 80s . 

Nice to know he is still above ground and enjoying his beloved countryside , we would often talk about the past and were on the same wave length , very nice friendly sort of chap.

As for his fore coming new hip , my neighbour who is also in her low 80s had a new hip a few weeks ago , she started off walking a few steps at a time with two sticks , then the walks got longer , then she managed on one stick and now although not fully fit she can now walk a reasonable distance with out any sticks , so age isn't a barrier and lets hope he soon have it done and can get back in his woods .

[bluesj]

I noticed some of the leaves starting to change well out and about today!