If your only experience of shooting wildfowl is driven mallard, you could be forgiven for failing to realize that you need to be well hidden if you really want to stand much chance at wild ducks and geese in broad daylight.
On the other hand, there is a lot of nonsense talked about the ‘essential’ nature of camouflage clothing, as well as the use of a lot of other specialist equipment.
So what are the real rules that you need to abide by in order to be a successful wildfowler?
KEEP STILL
It’s remarkable what you can get away with if you keep still. Ducks and geese are very quick to spot movement, but will often do silly things if you play dead. So do not shuffle about in your hide as they approach and, if you are decoying, be prepared to wait for birds to circle over you and drop lower. Usually, if you are impatient and try to steal a glance at what they are doing, the game is up. If you need to move at the last minute to shoot, fair enough, but with experience, you can often figure out from what the approaching birds are doing when the moment is right, position accordingly while they are still well out then keep still.
SHADES OF GREY
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 22, 2021 من Shooting Times & Country.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 22, 2021 من Shooting Times & Country.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
United we stand
Following United Utilities' decision to end grouse shooting on its land, Lindsay Waddell asks what will happen if we ignore our vital moors
Serious matters
An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning
They're not always as easy as they seem
While coneys of the furry variety don't pose a problem for Blue Zulu, he's left frustrated once again by bolting bunnies of the clay sort
Debutant gundogs
There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting
When the going gets rough
Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
In this excerpt from the 60th anniversary edition of the BDS's Field Guide To British Deer, Charles Smith-Jones considers the noise they make
A step too far?
Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work
Two bucks before breakfast
A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem
Stalking Diary
Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill
Gamekeeper
Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside