WHATS HAPPING AROUND THE COUNTRY

[nrat 8]

Ladies & Gentlemen

 

I dont get much fowling so when I do I make a day of it. Hence, on saturday past I got the chance, finally to go for my first fowling foray to my "home" marsh, the Ythan estuary north of Aberdeen. It is a small estuary but the area holds a great deal of waterfowl, there is a volunatry refuge downstream of the main road bridge but above that there are loads of places to go.

 

I'm not really a goose fan, I target the duck and if I get a goose it is a bonus, but when I arrived on Saturday morning about 6.15am, the sun just lighting the sky, the sky was alive with geese. They were all too high for shooting throughout the day, but on one field a click behind where I parked , the stubble changed from a colour of gold to grey/black throughout the day. From where I could see the field there was about 15000 on this field alone, it really was unreal.

 

Anyway......back to ducks. I started out on the marsh. It was very still and bright depite not yet being official sunrise, so I used the passing geese calls as cover to walk in. I spotted a mallard on a splash. She saw me so I froze and let her find cover. I moved into the wind to the right, send the lab to the left and bang! At a distance of about 25yrds I shot this mallard with a 3" hevishot 3's. A bit overkil so I aimed plenty in front to get the neck. The dog went in but came back with nothing, a few more turns round the thick sedges and she moved and got picked up. Deuch passed her over but she was not dead. I rung her neck and checked. There was 4 holes in her neck, 2 in her head, and several under her wings...on both sides!!!! It passed straight through rather than shocking the body. Interesting.

 

This shot send a small pack of pinks off the burn, my luck as they rarely come down onto the burn itself, and a small pack of teal to flit up and then back down onto the edge of the basin. I stalked them by moving out and downwind and coming back onto them where they were feeding at the point. There were no other fowlers around, which is not always the case so this made this job possible.

 

I could have sworn there was 50 of them, but when I send the dog in, again downwind, only 7 arose. Perfect shots to take with these 3" Express steel 3's, but I waited for the others. Nothing?

 

So I looked behind me in a short while and I saw all those teal, all 50 of them flight down onto the same splash I shot the mallard on. So back I went. They flushed, kill, kill, miss. And the dog and I can only find one bird, The water was very high so I can only imagine that she fell into some underwater vegetation and got stuck. I spent an hour looking for that bird. It really stressed me out so I decided just to leave and catch my next venue before high tide.

 

The forecast was for a low tide but with gusty winds so I planned to maroon myself on an island in the middle of the estuary and shoot the tide flight. I gathered all the kit, all the decoys, lunch, some water, dog food, wind-spinners and long lines, the gun the dog and my hat.

The first place I set out the deeks usually works well near the river channel, needless to say that it failed this time, and about 500 wigeon dropped in behind the other side of teh island. So I packed up and moved before I could think about whether I could be bothered. The ducks were too many, I saw about 500 wigeon in groups of 50 -100 throughout the afternoon. Because they were all in big packs they would not readily respond to the charms of my calling. But eventually I managed to peel 4 off the back of a pack and they swung in over. I had, for luck, made my first shot a 3.5" large load of 2's. The young male drifting the left of the four dropped out the sky like a stone and hit the water, with a little encouragement of direction Deuch brough him back. Gorgeous.

 

This happened again about 20 mins later, again I picked out a bird to the left and at the back and this time a she drifted toward the river. Not a kill!

Deuch chased but she dived on him and I had to wade after her fast, I got the point where I was soon to be engulfed by water. I stopped and loaded a 3" steel, dead bird, found deuch, pointed him seas ward and he came back with this fridays starter for two.

 

Then as the high tide began to lapse, everything went quiet. 3 large birds flew into the bay to my right, they headed for a wigeon pack floating out on the water, I hammered my raspy "tall timber" call with a repeat of 3 grunts and they turned straight for me. "Stay" I said to Deuch. I gripped my gun. Then thought, " they are not wigeon". 3 light bellied brents, which at 50yards still looked like large hen wigeon landed, made peace with themselves and grazed for a good 25 mins before I could no longer appease Deuch's wish to bite their arse off.

 

They flew a few yards and rested on the water. Then another bird came into my right, this time either a godwit or a hawk. At yds a hen pergrine decided that either me, the dead wigeon or the plastic resting teal behind me were going to be her supper and she swooped to ground level beating her wings in almost slow motion. I waved her away.

 

For the next 20 mins or so I had a sarnie and returned to the sand and gave Deuch some food. When I looked round there was a drake wigeon hovering above the deeks. Bang miss, Bang Hit, Bang miss. Bugger. It was only 25 yrds away. Deuch was off but again it dived. I loaded the only shells I had in my pocket, bugger, the expensive ones. Bang miss?*******!!!! This happened again and I noticed that the spread was very tight and high. So I reloaded and fired below the bird. Dead, Deuch retrieved. 3.5"Remi's x3@£1 = 3"express x3@£0.25 so a £3.75 duck!

I was using half choke and I think it was far too tight for these steel loads at these moderate distances. I need to check this.

 

Anyhoo.....IN SHORT .... 6 ducks, 5 retrieved, great day out in a twitchers paradise!

 

hi,about 2 hrs further north than you,thought about trying your area for the ducks,do you get many fowlers down there??,was up nigg bay a week ago had 2 greylag,took the barrels of my old hammergun into mcleouds of tain to get the choke bored out so will have another go there next week,good article you wrote cheers jim

[bjlfishing 0]

not had any geese yet, [couple of the shambles have had a few pinks] but seen plenty, there are several thousand roosting near our shoot and flighting out to the Ribble, and over in the bay [Cockerham Marsh] there are thousands flighting in over Pilling and that area these birds are skyhigh, and the permission over there [where its feasible to shoot them] is mostly Wildfowling Clubs. we are getting plenty of mallard flighting in on various flashes over the shoot, the marshy stuff is brimming with snipe and we are getting the geese starting to come lower across us, so fingers crossed first goose of the season in the next couple of weeks.

 

not the greatest pics but hope it gives you an idea

 

 

 

birds lifting off the fields near the marsh at Pilling

its good goose land around pilling the pnks have returned to southport this last couple of weeks back at martin mere this is where the sky high geese youve seen will be heading i guess there is thousands dwn there

[Jim Grant 4]

We usually have them in the thousands. Hear them going over all of the time. Full moon for the past week or so hasn't helped. Just cannot get them. Seen a few but not on ground I could shoot. Not bad around here at letting you scare them off the early Barley. Don't mind if you come back some windy night, as long as you leave one (or two).

 

We live in hope.

[wag 13]

has anyone been out lately? , i havnt been out much because of work but did manage a trip out sunday morning to bag a few wigeon and teal .

[bjlfishing 0]

has anyone been out lately? , i havnt been out much because of work but did manage a trip out sunday morning to bag a few wigeon and teal .

i was out sunday a couple of grey lag in the bag but the ducks seem too have done the off but the pinks are on there way back from dwn south

[selvey 2]

What do you mean Sunday you are not allowed to shoot wildfowl on a Sunday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

has anyone been out lately? , i havnt been out much because of work but did manage a trip out sunday morning to bag a few wigeon and teal .

i was out sunday a couple of grey lag in the bag but the ducks seem too have done the off but the pinks are on there way back from dwn south

[troutnabout 0]

What do you mean Sunday you are not allowed to shoot wildfowl on a Sunday.

 

 

some places you can!

[wildhorse 1]

selvey What do you mean Sunday you are not allowed to shoot wildfowl on a Sunday.

 

Can't shoot wildfowl in scotland on sundays but some parts of england you can

thought you would have known that being a wildfowler?

[selvey 2]

Yes of course i know that, its just not the done thing its frowned upon [bANNED TEXT].

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

selvey What do you mean Sunday you are not allowed to shoot wildfowl on a Sunday.

 

Can't shoot wildfowl in scotland on sundays but some parts of england you can

thought you would have known that being a wildfowler?

[wag 13]

Yes of course i know that, its just not the done thing its frowned upon

 

 

 

 

who says it is !!! , what about the working man who works all week and can only get down at weekends

 

he aint going to sit at home on a sunday when its the only time he go wildfowling is he . its the 21st century selvey get with the times me old mate .

[bjlfishing 0]

ill say im out every sunday rain shine whether its worth going or not as long as im out and about seeing whats about you learn more on the marsh than sat at home watching the box whether you shoot owt or not

[bjlfishing 0]

Can you please let me know where in England you can shoot on Sundays thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

90% of my shooting is in cumbria and ive been doing it all my life so unless the laws have changed and not told me i think its fine to get out on a sunday

[wag 13]

Sunday and Christmas Day Shooting

 

England & Wales:

 

No game (including hare) may be shot in any county on any Sunday or on Christmas day.

 

Before the passing of the wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, Orders prohibiting the shooting of wildfowl on Sundays could be made under the provisions of sections 2 and 13 of the Protection of Birds Act 1954. Although Sunday Orders can still be made under Section 2 (3), none have been made. However, some Sunday Orders made prior to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 have not been repealed and are still in existence. They have the effect of making it illegal to shoot wildfowl on a Sunday in the following counties (or parts of counties in existence before the 1974 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.

 

Scotland:

 

There are no statutory restrictions on the killing of game on Sunday or on Christmas Day although it is not customary to do so. Wildfowl may not be shot on Sundays or on Christmas Day.

 

Northern Ireland:

 

All wild birds in Northern Ireland are protected on Sundays or on Christmas Day, under the Wildlife Order NI.

[bjlfishing 0]

WELL DONE WAG THATS CLEARED IT UP I WAS STARTING TO DOWT IF I WAS RIGHT IN GOING SHOOTING ON A SUNDAY

[Ian292 0]

A friend and myself have been feeding a small pond (only 20yds x 35 yds) on a farm where we go ferreting.

On Monday we managed 5 mallard and a Pochard, and saw many more including a few Teal.

 

Another small pond only a mile away had lots of mallard on it the other morning when I was past.

 

Are Pochard common on small inland ponds/lakes?

 

Regards,

Ian.