A quick couple of hours flighting

[Lancs Lad]

I was lucky enough to get an invite from a Gent who my wife was saying hello to when she walked past his house walking the dog.

 

He first offered to buy my dog for 450, then offered her 850 the following day.......NO FUNNY COMMENTS LADS....

 

We got to know the Gent, apparently he is a right cantancerous old ******................ but we have found him a nice bloke, I take it some people just dont get on with some folk. Each time we take the dog out we stop and have a chat, let him say hello to Jaz and have a stroke, all the time whilst trying to dognap him into the garden.

 

Anyway, I had a phone call from him and he asked if I wanted to come flighting, Yup was the reply Ill do the picking up for you. No No he said, bring your gun, dog and a torch and that was it.

 

So off I set lastnight after work, arriving at his house by 18.30, dog, gun and torch duly in hand with a box of new FUD Mallards as a present. With the gift exchanged and my thanks we headed out to his shoot, about 5 mins from his house consisting of a number of flight ponds, woodland and arrable fields and some stubble crops. The shooting rights are owned by himself, and only he shoots there with "guests". So, this was indeed a priveledge.

 

We set up next to one of the ponds, another guest headed off for another. Jaz, myself and Mr H setteled down to the sounds of owls and pheasants going to roost. Decoys out into the pond and gun at the ready.

 

It wasnt long before the first flight was circling, 4 mallard dropping height from the sky, but doing about 10 circuits before commiting themselves to the pond. They came in a bit quicker than I had expected and my first shot eneded up with miss, the second connected and the duck fell from the sky. He was only pricked and as Jaz went to retrive him from the water he ducked and we lost sight. Unfotunately Jaz got slightly tangled in the lines of the decoys that MR H had put out, so we were having fun getting him back in to the side. Once we did, the duck was out and away into the undergrowth. A hard seach and it was found and brought back to hand. Good lad.

 

Another 20 mins or so and more ducks were comming in, this time around 8...Again circling for a while before coming in, 2 more to add to the bag. Another hard search for jaz after getting caught up again in the decoys, bless him, he even tried to recover one of them.

 

Light was starting to fade and we saw ducks flighting to the other pond where the other guest was, a couple of shots rang out and that was another 2 in the bag.

 

More came, but again, into the other pond, a single shot confirmed another.

 

It was around 7.45 and another dozen ducks flew overhead, the quacks accompanying the twit twoos of the owls in the woodland, 5 ducks broke from the main group and came in. Another couple of shots, but only 1 hit.

 

 

I eneded the night with a bag of 4 birds, the other guy had 3. I was quite happy with the dog, although I need to control him from running in as soon as the bird is down. a bit more work in the field methinks.

 

Still, it just goes to prove, that your invite can come from anywhere,,,,even a complete stranger.

 

 

As we parted, another invite was offered for some rough shooting and some beating later in the season and another go at flighting....

 

 

So, there you have it, my first "propper" flighting and some more to boot. I would have posted pics but after starting to pluck my way through the ducks, the kitchen being covered in feathers......................I decided, sod it and just breasted them out....................Anyone got a plucking machine in the Wigan Area.....

[Spaniel]

Sounds like you had a great evening out on the ducks,

[mayfly36]

here ya go amte, make one off these.

[kdubya]

Anyone got a plucking machine in the Wigan Area

 

Ive bought a few plucking machines from the wigan area?

 

KW

[hawkeye]

Kdubya it isn't spelt that way mate