Out of sight and out of mind

Forget camouflage clothing and expensive equipment, follow Mike Swan’s tips on keeping a low profile when wildfowling

- Mike Swan

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