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Goose flighting has a magic of its own and I
shall deal only with inland goose flighting here. If there was ever a
seven-wonders-of-the-shooting-world sights and sounds competition, then the sight
of skeins of geese against a dawn sky and their talking as they move to their feeding
grounds, must rate highly in this category. The season for geese opens on September 1st.
but our main migratory flocks start arriving around the middle of September so the serious
goose shooting starts around late September until the end of the season which is the end
of January for inland shooting.
Our main quarry species in Scotland are the Greylag (Anser anser) and the
Pinkfoot (Anser brachyrhynchus) and in some areas you may also encounter the
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis).
Most goose flighting takes place at dawn on fields. The guide will put out decoys whilst
still dark and the guns are placed in hides or ditches to wait the arrival of geese which
depart from inland lochs or the sea foreshore where they have been roosting at night and
then go out to feed on grass or cereal fields during the day. You need to stay well hidden
when geese are moving near you and a hat with a decent peak to shade your face as well as
fingerless mittens to shield your hands are essential. A good habit to develop is to
watch the birds by keeping your head down and just looking up with your eyes
against the peak of your hat - a bunch of white faces staring at the birds as they circle
out of range is sure to scare them off! If the birds flare off before landing then
they have usually spotted someone moving. Only move to shoot when the birds are in range.
It is best to wait until the birds commit themselves to land before taking your shot
- wait until they set their wings and come into range. If it looks as if your
neighbouring guns will get a shot, then wait until the bird are in range for the other
also.
All the estates I work with operate a bag limit of 5 geese per gun per flight and most
operate on 4 birds.
It's easy to over shoot birds early in the season when they are naive and also anytime
when they are seriously hungry. Also, it is unsporting to continue shooting or staying on
the field more than 2 hours or so after full sunrise - they should be allowed peace to
feed during the day. It's illegal to sell or barter any shot birds.
Most people use 12 gauge guns. Cartridges should ideally use shot size BB or No. 1.
Goose shooting costs around £70 - £80 per gun per flight (including VAT if it applies)
and most estates require a minimum of 3 guns to make up a team. Of course, goose flighting
can be combined with other sport during the day, but when planning this be aware that by
the time you return from a dawn flight, have your breakfast and get organised, you would
be starting your day at around 10.30 or 11 am - at least an hour later than normal.
One last point about goose shooting. Policy varies from one estate to another, but many
estates consider that as soon as a group has fired 4 or 5 shots, then that counts as a
flight and they will not consider any refunds thereafter. Of course, all hunters want to
get value for money and some consider they have been ripped off if they do not each shoot
a couple of geese during a flight. As long as some people in the group have had a chance
at shooting some birds, then the guide has fulfilled his obligation. Of course, he wants
hunters to actually shoot a few birds each, but these are wild birds and no guarantees can
be given.
Duck flighting.
Almost always carried out in the
evening, one hour prior to sunset and for one hour after sunset. The main species of duck
which are shot over inland ponds or lakes is mallard and depending on the time of season
and the water, widgeon and teal . There are other species , but they are less common. As
for goose shooting and pigeon shooting, you need a cap or hat with a decent peak and also
fingerless mittens. The guns are usually placed along one side of a pond or stretch of
water to which the duck will come into for feeding and resting during the night. Sometimes
you may be placed in hides or butts or you may simply sitting on the ground. You may only
be sitting 3 to 5 metres from the other guns and in effect more than one person will be
shooting at the same bird at the same time - you may think this makes things too easy -
but don't believe it - every season I see as many as ten shots fired at a duck and it
still flies away unscathed!
Once you are in position, have a really good
look at your surroundings and also estimate the range of your arc of fire. Remember, that
as the light fades, you will end up shooting the birds in the dark but against the light
of the sky. By the time the light has gone, many people become confused about the range
they will be shooting at birds. If you are placed close to the water, then when the birds
set their wings & put their paddles down, then you know they are about to land and
must be immediately above the water - that's the time to shoot because you know distances
from studying the water the trees and bushes when it was lighter.
Many folk still think they need a heavier shot size for duck flighting but this is only
really required for driven duck during the daytime. Most ducks during evening flighting
are going to be shot at a range of between 10 and 20 metres, so shot size 6 is fine for
this.
As for goose shooting, keep your face down and
do not move as ducks arrive and circle. If the birds flare off without landing, then they
have seen something suspicious. Until the light really fades, you may have to expect to
shoot sitting down - 4 or 5 people jumping up is hardly going to improve your chances. In
fact, even when it is completely dark, it's better to stay sitting down because then you
can more easily see the birds against the sky.
Tactics for widgeon and teal may be a little different to Mallard. These smaller birds can
be really difficult - especially in windy conditions. The birds may not circle but come
straight into the pond at a height of about a metre and before anyone is ready there can
be a dozen little splashes with all the birds on the water. I need hardly add that
shooting birds whilst still on the water is simply not done. Wait for the birds to take
off - as they inevitably will do - and then take a shot when they are against the sky.
These are really fantastically sporting birds and many inexperienced sportsmen find them
too demanding - but if you have a chance to flight these birds - don't turn it down - just
to sit and watch a heavy flight of these birds is a real experience.
Last but not least, I come to the thorny
question of what can hunters expect for their money. Duck flights cost anything from
£60
to £90 per gun per flight. If you are paying less than £45 per flight, then if just a
few ducks come in, that may well count as a flight and if you don't shoot anything, the
estate may well say that's the luck of the hunt. For most areas, on a flight for 4
hunters, if 30-40 duck come into the water (or circle, trying to land but are scared
off) then that would be regarded as a reasonable flight of ducks. Of course, how many
birds are actually shot is really irrelevant from the estate's point of view - the guide's
job is to give you the opportunity to shoot ducks - after that, it's down to the
skill of the hunters. If the 30-40 ducks all decide to arrive in two bunches or in a
trickle of 2's and 3's , then you have still had good value for money.
And the best quality flight? You may have to try many flights for many years to get this,
but my perfect flight is in December or January when the birds are really wild on a water
where geese as well as mallard, teal and even widgeon are flighting in and there is half a
gale blowing. Every bird is different and the speed of the larger birds is under estimated
and those of the smaller birds is over estimated - really difficult but seriously good
fun!
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