Wrong place again, dog,” I muttered, as a third group of teal arrowed past out of range, inky black against the greying dawn, before settling into a creek some 100 yards from us. Tess was unmoved. Some you win, some you lose, her look seemed to say. But I was less phlegmatic; marsh time in February is at a premium and I didn’t want to miss any opportunities.
My little piece of Essex saltmarsh has two main flightlines and today we’d chosen the wrong one. Tess and I were hunkered down near a splash that I’d been feeding right out on the ness — much used by birds hugging the water’s edge. But this morning, the teal had chosen flightline B, which is over the creek that cuts a deep scar into the middle of the saltings. It leaves an island of alkali grass, sea aster and sea purslane at high tide where Tess and I had taken cover — too far to cover the creek.
Three groups had lifted from inland flightponds and sought sanctuary only a rugby pitch's distance away, offering no shot despite my whistles and scattering of decoys. To move or stick it out?
As so often happens on the morning of an adventure, I’d slept badly. At midnight I’d let the dogs out under a moon so bright the world was cast in negative and the cockerel crowed, fooled into heralding a false dawn. The sounds of the estuary were carried in stillness over the ploughed field that divides my house from the water’s edge. Wigeon, greylag, teal and mallard were all audible as well, as were the lonely cries of curlew on the breeze.
Wigeon
Denne historien er fra February 19, 2020-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
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Denne historien er fra February 19, 2020-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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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