Wildfowling experience

[Diamond]

Could I ask that wildfowlers make more posts. Even if it is about recent experiences, or information about availability with regard to day permits via your club etc.
I`m sure that there are many shooters out there who would like the experience of being escorted onto the shoreline by an experienced wildfowler.

[robm_22]

i would be one of them shooters


problem with the wildfouling clubs are there are say 100 members in a club but only 15 of the members actualy go shooting on the marsh or shoreline the other 85 just pay there membership and just dont go on !

i was listning to someone talking at the clay shoot the other day " i havent been on for 15 yrs but im still a member "


makes it hard to get in to clubs

im on the wating list for a club now only an estimated 35 yr wating list mind !!!!!!!!!

really buggs me that even more so that i only live about 500 meters from the marsh !


so come on wildfoulers if you dont go to you club let other people enjoy it !!!! please !!!!

[Diamond]

Perhaps clubs should encourage a day share scheme where their unwanted days are shared out to guest shooters for a donation to club funds?

[robkayak]

Wildfowling in my experience takes a lot of local knowledge about tide, bird behaviour & weather conditions. This takes a lot of time & effort to acquire. Rather like fishing. This knowledge is zealously guarded & it takes a truely selfless person to share this knowledge.
I have shot 105 duck on the estuary this year & I feel that I have been excessive. Next year I would be quite happy to just quide other club members & not shoot, but I find it an uphill battle to get people up early in the morning in foul weather. A lot of people are keen but have not made the commitment to train a gun dog

[Diamond]

The ones that wont make the effort are just not interested enough to bother with! But I`m sure there are plenty out there worth the effort from people like you. After all jealously guarding experience and knowledge means eventual death of your sport.
Thankfully there are a few people out there like yourself who will share with those willing to commit.
Much respect!

[Christoff]

I agree Diamond. You have quite a lot of people like us in Guernsey who cant shoot any wildfowl as it was banned about 10 years ago who would certainly jump at the chance of some duck/goose shooting.

I have only had a go once in January this year and will certainly be back later on in the year to have another bash.

[Putnamsmif]

I started shooting over the last couple of months; clays only so far. Next season what I'd like to do is get into wildfowling but you don't make it sound as if it's going to be very easy! There are numerous wildfowling clubs in my area - North Norfolk - are they usually amenable to new members, and are current members willing to take newcomers out and show them the ropes so to speak?

[doyt]

i had a walk down my local shore on sat morning with the hope of ending a pretty good season's wildfowling with a last shot at a goose there were already 2 car's there when i arrived and from the shot's i heard while i was down on the shore they were having a pretty good morning (i had plenty o geese go over me but most were too high and the rest were borderline so i left them alone) when i got back to my car i noticed 8 or 9 pink's hanging in the back o 1 o the car's so i waited for the owners to come back for a crack with a fellow wildfowler they arrived back with another 5 pink's so i tried to engage them in conversation wish i hadn't bothered 2 ignorant so an so's couldn't be bothered to answer with more than 1 word. other fowlers i've met in the past have alway's had the time for a crack an a bit o banter but not this pair i hope not to meet them on the shore again

[robkayak]

They had 9 Pinks? That is more than enough for 2 guns. I wonder if they were using non toxic shot (If they were not it may account for their reluctance to engage with you) & if they plucked the geese or more likely just cut off the breast meat.

[doyt]

not sure what they were doing although having talked it over wi a m8 who was down further along the shore he asked what they'd been shooting at as he couldn't see any geese up when he heard the shot's i cant remember seeing any geese in the air at the time o there shot's either