Bigteddy1954 Posted August 27 Report Share Posted August 27 Hi folks any body out this Sunday the 1st day cheers teddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poor Shot Posted August 27 Report Share Posted August 27 Yeah, I'll be out before first light for the first flight of the season. Unfortunately, following this cold (relatively), wet and windy weekend next weekend is forecast to be 23 degrees, bright sunshine and little wind so not ideal conditions. We also have the 1st being on a Sunday this year which will preclude many from shooting where Sunday shooting is restricted. Our clubs marsh spans the boarder of two counties in which Sunday shooting is only permissible in one county meaning anyone from the club going out is confined to the less productive half of the available marsh. Hopefully there will be a few Mallard and Canadas about to make the trip worth while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krico woodcock Posted August 27 Report Share Posted August 27 Yes will be out for deffo. Haven't missed a 1st of September in 30 years. At one time I would have been counting the days, hours, minutes, till 1st. But I'm not that bad anymore, and can sleep before opening morning, but it's not that many years ago that I couldn't get to sleep with anticipation.. it's a tradition and heritage to get out and break a new season in. I hope to shoot a few mallard with my young bitch, tessie.. she chomping at the bit to get working. I could bring one of my experienced dogs instead, but I always knocked first duck of season for my youngest dog, if they were old enough to work.. good luck to everyone that ventures out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrimshanker Posted August 27 Report Share Posted August 27 I’ll be out for the morning flight can’t wait! It’s going to be pretty warm on the south coast but need to cover up to avoid being eaten alive by the mozzies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CumbrianWildfowler Posted August 27 Report Share Posted August 27 Is there a list of the counties that preclude Sunday shooting? I'm 99.9% certain I'm not in it in Cumbria but just for general interest?.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CumbrianWildfowler Posted August 27 Report Share Posted August 27 England and Wales No game may be killed or taken in any county on Sunday or Christmas Day. Game for the purpose of this section means pheasant, partridge, red grouse, black grouse and hare. Orders prohibiting the shooting of wildfowl on Sundays made under sections 2 and 13 of the Protection of Birds Act 1954 are still in existence in the following counties (or parts of counties in existence before the 1974 local authority re-organisation): Anglesey, Brecknock, Caernarvon, Carmarthen, Cardigan, Cornwall, Denbigh, Devon, Doncaster, Glamorgan, Great Yarmouth County Borough, Isle of Ely, Leeds County Borough, Merioneth, Norfolk, Pembroke, Somerset, North and West Ridings of Yorkshire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahamch Posted August 27 Report Share Posted August 27 ||Wont be out, this is first year have not yet applied for my Lindisfarne permit. Cant raise any enthusiasm! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted August 27 Report Share Posted August 27 Our ( season ) used to start around mid August , the combines would be down the marsh getting the last wheat fields in before the rain put a damper on the proceedings , Mallard were the main quarry and some years you could count them in the low 100s and another year they would across the river and our side would have some but not in the big numbers , as the days wore on we were getting into the wildfowling mode and a week before the season started we more or less knew where we going on the 1st morning , I had my own block of marshes so I didn't go on the clubs marshes and in those far off days you knew where everyone was going , on a clear morning we would hear the first shot between 4.45 and five o clock , then as it got light the shooting would increase and by 6 am it then quieten down again , I would very often put some Pigeon decoys out that I leave down the marsh as the Pigeons would come on the stubble from about 6 onwards , no need for a hide as you just got behind a fringe of reeds beside a dyke , by 7 am I have had enough and would then get back home , feed the dog , have a bacon sandwich and get to work by 8 am . This was my routine for over 50 years then these last few years the interest have gone out of early season duck shooting , now I would sooner go and watch the duck rather than shoot them , very rare now we get rough weather in early September and this year don't seem any different with nice warm weather forecasted , I had a very good run and I can see the appeal but the last few years when I took my gun it was more of a tradition than a bag filla , I will still be about down there somewhere thinking about all my ole mates who sadly are no longer with us and aiming my stick at any duck that pass rather than a good ounce of shot . All the best for the season , have a good one and STAY SAFE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CumbrianWildfowler Posted August 27 Report Share Posted August 27 I'll be out on Sunday morning, more to mark the occasion than anything else. I'm not that interested in shooting half moulted duck but geese on the other hand...there is plenty/too many greylags and I will shoot them without a second thought. I have an obsession with making goos Cumberland sausage and the more soft young geese the better. But I swear the geese know the calendar too! They are like Mafia men here. Don't show any pattern to your life at all or you may get whacked! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted August 27 Report Share Posted August 27 19 minutes ago, CumbrianWildfowler said: I'll be out on Sunday morning, more to mark the occasion than anything else. I'm not that interested in shooting half moulted duck but geese on the other hand...there is plenty/too many greylags and I will shoot them without a second thought. I have an obsession with making goos Cumberland sausage and the more soft young geese the better. But I swear the geese know the calendar too! They are like Mafia men here. Don't show any pattern to your life at all or you may get whacked! A lot of our geese are not very streetwise and look at the human race as there friends , around the Broads area the geese are fed by the holiday makers during the Summer on the hired cruisers and are not clever enough to tell the difference overnight from the last day in August to the start of September , mind you after a bit of bashing they very soon find out that not everyone is a friend and begin to stay clear . A word of warning ... A fresh goose in this hot weather don't stay fresh for long , you can shoot one in the morning , hang it up and it will go off in a matter of hours , the body don't cool down with all the tight feathers and down and you will see the vent start to blow up with all the gases in it's body , then the flies will be laying eggs in the beak just to add to the problems , by the next day they are not worth eating and you have got the added problem of getting rid of them . MM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CumbrianWildfowler Posted August 27 Report Share Posted August 27 16 minutes ago, marsh man said: A lot of our geese are not very streetwise and look at the human race as there friends , around the Broads area the geese are fed by the holiday makers during the Summer on the hired cruisers and are not clever enough to tell the difference overnight from the last day in August to the start of September , mind you after a bit of bashing they very soon find out that not everyone is a friend and begin to stay clear . A word of warning ... A fresh goose in this hot weather don't stay fresh for long , you can shoot one in the morning , hang it up and it will go off in a matter of hours , the body don't cool down with all the tight feathers and down and you will see the vent start to blow up with all the gases in it's body , then the flies will be laying eggs in the beak just to add to the problems , by the next day they are not worth eating and you have got the added problem of getting rid of them . MM You're right, first get your goose of course, but we are lucky in having a walk in chiller for deer that helps get them cooled down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted August 27 Report Share Posted August 27 5 minutes ago, CumbrianWildfowler said: You're right, first get your goose of course, but we are lucky in having a walk in chiller for deer that helps get them cooled down. All sorted , well done you , just seen where they are predicting a record hot September , I wouldn't be at all surprised , bring it on as I like a nice warm September as long as it don't go over 30 degrees . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krico woodcock Posted August 28 Report Share Posted August 28 13 hours ago, marsh man said: Our ( season ) used to start around mid August , the combines would be down the marsh getting the last wheat fields in before the rain put a damper on the proceedings , Mallard were the main quarry and some years you could count them in the low 100s and another year they would across the river and our side would have some but not in the big numbers , as the days wore on we were getting into the wildfowling mode and a week before the season started we more or less knew where we going on the 1st morning , I had my own block of marshes so I didn't go on the clubs marshes and in those far off days you knew where everyone was going , on a clear morning we would hear the first shot between 4.45 and five o clock , then as it got light the shooting would increase and by 6 am it then quieten down again , I would very often put some Pigeon decoys out that I leave down the marsh as the Pigeons would come on the stubble from about 6 onwards , no need for a hide as you just got behind a fringe of reeds beside a dyke , by 7 am I have had enough and would then get back home , feed the dog , have a bacon sandwich and get to work by 8 am . This was my routine for over 50 years then these last few years the interest have gone out of early season duck shooting , now I would sooner go and watch the duck rather than shoot them , very rare now we get rough weather in early September and this year don't seem any different with nice warm weather forecasted , I had a very good run and I can see the appeal but the last few years when I took my gun it was more of a tradition than a bag filla , I will still be about down there somewhere thinking about all my ole mates who sadly are no longer with us and aiming my stick at any duck that pass rather than a good ounce of shot . All the best for the season , have a good one and STAY SAFE. Always great to read your memoirs mash man, you definitely had many years of the very best of duck shooting/ wildfowling. A very lucky man indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aled Posted August 28 Report Share Posted August 28 Nice write up Marsh Man, strange as you get older the urge to pursue a quarry you once did with a single minded determination wanes, i no longer fish for sea trout with as much commitment as i used to. Cheers. Aled Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted August 28 Report Share Posted August 28 10 hours ago, Krico woodcock said: Always great to read your memoirs mash man, you definitely had many years of the very best of duck shooting/ wildfowling. A very lucky man indeed. 6 hours ago, Aled said: Nice write up Marsh Man, strange as you get older the urge to pursue a quarry you once did with a single minded determination wanes, i no longer fish for sea trout with as much commitment as i used to. Cheers. Aled Many THANKS for your kind replies , I now look back and think maybe I was born in the right place at the right time to be involved in a lifetime of wildfowling as the world is a very different place now than when we were growing up , in the very early days we had some wonderful flights with waders being the main quarry , if you could decoy Curlew within shot whilst concealed in a gun punt then you won't have a lot of trouble doing the same with duck , Curlew have very keen eyesight and you want them to concentrate on looking at your decoys rather them looking at you, after we had a good go on the first Spring tide in September then we eased up on the ( lew ) , mainly because the early Wigeon had started to arrive and once the lew started to feed on the mudflats then what little taste they had before they resorted to the mudflats had all but gone and although we didn't have much , we had more than enough to leave those fish and mud smelling birds well alone , but shooting wise then they were very good sporting birds , although having said that I would never shoot another one even if they were on the list , that might be wishful thinking ,as I can safely say that we will never see them back on the quarry list , and I believe rightly so , they are a nice bird and the estuary would be poorer without them and the lovely sound they make . Good luck and keep us informed how your season develop MM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Boggy Posted August 29 Report Share Posted August 29 21 hours ago, Krico woodcock said: Always great to read your memoirs mash man, you definitely had many years of the very best of duck shooting/ wildfowling. A very lucky man indeed. I keep trying to persuade Marshman to write a book of his experiences particularly of his puntgunning days and general fowling stories. It would make great reading. Those memories will be lost forever otherwise. OB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Posted August 29 Report Share Posted August 29 4 hours ago, Old Boggy said: I keep trying to persuade Marshman to write a book of his experiences particularly of his puntgunning days and general fowling stories. It would make great reading. Those memories will be lost forever otherwise. OB The new Jonny know little. Marshman will know 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Svenandolaf Posted August 29 Report Share Posted August 29 Always out on the first, never expect anything though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scolopax Posted August 29 Report Share Posted August 29 Work gets in the way again but hopefully get out later in the week. I don’t mind early season wildfowling, usually plenty of geese around and can be a lot of teal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgun Posted August 29 Report Share Posted August 29 6 hours ago, Old Boggy said: I keep trying to persuade Marshman to write a book of his experiences particularly of his puntgunning days and general fowling stories. It would make great reading. Those memories will be lost forever otherwise. OB Seconded Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted August 29 Report Share Posted August 29 (edited) 2 hours ago, Penelope said: The new Jonny know little. Marshman will know 😉 Certainly do Paul, I will give you some clues , the man was a school board inspector by trade but he must have had plenty of time to write several books and do countless drawings , he lived near the towns police station and the road is now called Patterson Close , there yer go Paul , I have got a few of his books and the last one I bought was from a car boot , a first edition called Nature In Eastern Norfolk and signed on the inside A H P 7 hours ago, Old Boggy said: I keep trying to persuade Marshman to write a book of his experiences particularly of his punt gunning days and general fowling stories. It would make great reading. Those memories will be lost forever otherwise. OB Hi Chris After the episode the other day where I put the boiling water in the tea caddy instead of the teapot I would for ever more losing the partly finished book , we had done plenty of gunning out of our punts but not the traditional punt gunning , it came to a close in 1968 when the estuary was turned into a reserve , to maintain any shooting at all that was something we had to agree to after a lot meetings when we burnt the midnight oil , the ole punt gunners put up a terrific fight but sadly to no avail and the best we could do was to agree on a 8 bore being the biggest gun that could be used on the estuary , now it is virtually finished as far as shooting out of a gun punt , I walked around the North side only a week or so back and the only landmark that is still standing from the late 50s is what we called Banham's Black mill , that is it and like most of the ole wildfowlers are all but gone for ever . MM Edited August 29 by marsh man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Posted August 29 Report Share Posted August 29 21 minutes ago, marsh man said: Certainly do Paul, I will give you some clues , the man was a school board inspector by trade but he must have had plenty of time to write several books and do countless drawings , he lived near the towns police station and the road is now called Patterson Close , there yer go Paul , I have got a few of his books and the last one I bought was from a car boot , a first edition called Nature In Eastern Norfolk and signed on the inside A H P Hi Chris After the episode the other day where I put the boiling water in the tea caddy instead of the teapot I would for ever more losing the partly finished book , we had done plenty of gunning out of our punts but not the traditional punt gunning , it came to a close in 1968 when the estuary was turned into a reserve , to maintain any shooting at all that was something we had to agree to after a lot meetings when we burnt the midnight oil , the ole punt gunners put up a terrific fight but sadly to no avail and the best we could do was to agree on a 8 bore being the biggest gun that could be used on the estuary , now it is virtually finished as far as shooting out of a gun punt , I walked around the North side only a week or so back and the only landmark that is still standing from the late 50s is what we called Banham's Black mill , that is it and like most of the ole wildfowlers are all but gone for ever . MM To be fair, Old Boggy has a point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted August 29 Report Share Posted August 29 1 hour ago, Penelope said: To be fair, Old Boggy has a point. That Black Mill was once the only draining mill along the length of the North wall which is around five miles long , when they diverted the fleet dyke to a short distance away from the mill, the drainage board installed an electric pump which put paid to the Black mill of ever pumping any more water off the marshes , the Black tarred house was empty and showing signs of decay in the early 60s although the tiled roof was still on and at the back was a big slate tank that collected the rain water as the house had no main services at all , time moved on and I used to do a lot of Pigeon shooting across the river at Caistor , one day I was talking to this bloke as he had a Springer and he liked walking around the farm to have the odd shot at a Pigeon , anyhow while we were talking he mentioned he used to live in a little house beside Breydon Water , I only knew one house and that was beside the rond where you once shot and got your Mallard , that house wasn't the one , the one he lived in was the one at the Black Mill , I was eager to find out what life was like in one of the isolated house you are ever likely to come across . He was telling me about getting the water in on a cold night to stop it freezing , oil lamps and a iron cooking range ect , to get to school they had to walk along the railway line to the un maned station at Berney Arms that was until recently the less used railway station in the UK ,( once they advertised that everyone jumped on the train to go and have a look which very soon knocked it off the perch as the most isolated station ), the distance was around a mile and a half , he told one day when they had a fair bit of snow it took ages to walk to that little station but they made before the steam train came to take them to the school at Reedham , they still had a bit of a walk from the station to the school when the train pulled in, when they finally got to the school they found a load of locals couldn't make due to the snow and yet they had made it from living in the middle of nowhere and they had the same journey to get back home , they were certainly a hard ole lot . MM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted August 29 Report Share Posted August 29 Write the book, John. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted August 29 Report Share Posted August 29 13 minutes ago, London Best said: Write the book, John. He ALREADY HAS, it just needs someone to pick the bits out of PW, put it together and publish it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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