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The literature of wildfowling abounds with evocative descriptions
of the coastal marshes of bygone years and the hardy men who
pursued wild duck and geese with punt gun or long shoulder
weapon. The works of Colonel Peter Hawker, John Guille Millais,
Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey, Abel Chapman and Stanley Duncan are
typical of the books which paint such beautiful and compelling
pictures of the sport during the 19th century and the early years
of the 20th. Virtually unrestricted in his pursuit of wild birds,
the fowler of that era was a romantic individual although, in
reality, many suffered privations which few modern exponents of
the craft would contemplate. On the one hand was the
sportsman-naturalist for whom an expedition to the wild remote
estuaries was an adventure to be relished and later recounted in
his gentlemen's club while, at the opposite end of the social
spectrum, poor market gunners endured considerable hardship in
their efforts to cull from the marshes a harvest of wildfowl.
Those days are gone forever. Industrial development and intensive
agriculture have seriously eroded the habitats of the fowl, the
spread of motor transport has opened the sport to many more
people, wildlife legislation has imposed constraints upon the
activities of the sportsman and a sense of self-restraint has
evolved in the practices of wildfowlers. The writings of
wildfowling authors such as James Wentworth Day, "B.B."
and Arthur Cadman belong to the period when the sport as we know
it today was developing. Those worthies recognised the changes
which were taking place and, in their different ways, reflected
the reactions of the fowling fraternity to the challenges of
their age. Some seriously regretted the changing scene while
others, notably Cadman, were able to rise to meet the new
responsibilities which had been placed upon the wildfowler's
shoulders.
The personal exploits which have been recalled in the preceding
chapters are of a later vintage. They occurred during the 1960s,
70s and 80s yet, in those few recent decades, many significant
alterations have occurred in the fowler's world. Clubs and
societies have proliferated, many new nature reserves have been
created, the distribution of wildfowl populations has not
remained static, modern technology has had an impact on the
fowler's guns, ammunition, equipment and clothing and, perhaps
most importantly, the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 curtailed
the species which might legitimately be shot.
It follows that the newcomer entering the sport today has much to
learn. He has at his disposal, however, a wealth of advice and
information and, once he has sampled the excitement and
fulfilment of a successful outing to the marshes, his thirst for
knowledge will lead him to study the habits and habitat of his
quarry, to experiment with different types of guns and cartridges
and to explore new foreshores. Despite the regulations which
impinge upon his pursuit, his approach to the sport will become
just as individualistic as were those of Hawker or Millais.
THE LAW
There are three principal categories of legislation and case law
which affect the wildfowler. They deal respectively with the
ownership and use of shotguns, the definition of foreshore and
the protection of wild birds. Also of interest to fowlers are
those aspects of the law relating to the sale of wildfowl and the
use of boats.
Firearms Legislation
Any person who wishes to own or use a shotgun in Britain must
comply with the provisions of the Firearms Act 1968. Under this
statute a shotgun is defined as a smooth-bore gun, not being an
airgun, having a barrel length of not less than 24 inches. To
purchase, acquire or possess such a weapon, a person must hold a
current Shotgun Certificate issued by the Chief Constable of the
area within which he normally resides. Intending applicants
should carefully complete the requisite form and submit it,
together with the appropriate fee, to their local police station.
There is no requirement to satisfy the police that the applicant
has access to a place where he may shoot, nor is it obligatory to
possess a secure cupboard in which the shotgun will be kept. The
Chief Constable does have a right to refuse to grant a Shotgun
Certificate to a person who has been convicted of certain types
of criminal offence or who has a history of mental illness. The
Firearms Act 1968 also makes provision for the use of shotguns by
temporary visitors to Britain and lays restrictions upon the
ownership and use of guns by young people under the age of 17
years.
The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 imposes a restriction on
the use of repeating shotguns. When employed against wildfowl or
game birds, a gun of this type must have its magazine plugged so
that it will not accept more than two cartridges. With most
designs of semi-automatic shotgun, this effectively reduces the
capacity of the gun to three cartridges; one in the chamber and
two in the magazine. Of interest to puntgunners only, the maximum
barrel bore which is allowed is an internal diameter of 1
inches at the muzzle.
Shooting on the Foreshore
The case of Beckett v Lyons (1967) 1 AER 833 finally dispelled
the popular myth that, in England and Wales, there was a public
right to shoot on the foreshore. It follows from this case that
any person who takes a shotgun on to the foreshore without proper
authorisation not only renders himself liable to a civil action
for trespass but, under the Firearms Act 1968 may be prosecuted
for the criminal offence of armed trespass. Members of the
British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) are in a
somewhat privileged position as much of the area below high water
mark is owned by the Crown or by the Duchy of Lancaster and,
except where the sporting rights have been leased to a third
party, the BASC has negotiated a right for its members to resort
to such foreshore for the purpose of wildfowling. That having
been said, the reality of the situation is that the most
worthwhile areas of fowling marsh have been leased by wildfowling
clubs, are in private ownership or have been designated as nature
reserves. In consequence, there are few areas of England and
Wales where an itinerant gunner can simply cross the sea wall and
obtain good quality sport without the need to acquire a permit.
In England and Wales the foreshore is defined as that area which
is more often than not covered by the flux and reflux of the four
ordinary tides occurring midway between springs and neaps. In
effect, therefore, much of the prime wildfowling land which is
flooded by only the highest spring tides does not fall within
that area which is classified as foreshore and the fowler will be
committing an offence if he shoots from such salt marsh without
specific permission from the owner.
In Scotland the situation is somewhat different from that in
England and Wales. Although the Firearms Act 1968 applies equally
in Scotland, there is considered to be a public right to carry a
gun on the foreshore for the purpose of wildfowling and, hence,
the offence of armed trespass is not committed by the fowler who
enters such an area without express permission. This situation
arises because in Scotland, irrespective of ownership, the Crown
has retained certain rights in respect of the foreshore and holds
those in trust for the public. Despite this general rule, many of
the best areas of wildfowling foreshore in Scotland are now
effectively controlled as a result of the creation of nature
reserves with wildfowling permit schemes. On other parts of the
Scottish coast there may remain a public right to shoot but
access to the high water mark is restricted by the owners of
adjacent land. Only where an established right of way exists does
the fowler have a right to cross private land in order to gain
access to the foreshore.
The definition of foreshore differs in Scotland and is
considerably more favourable to the wildfowler. That area which
lies between the high and low water marks of ordinary spring
tides is classified as foreshore and consequently includes areas
of saltings and merse which would be excluded by the definition
pertaining in England and Wales.
Protection of Birds
The species of geese and duck which may legitimately be shot by
the wildfowler during the open season are specified in the
Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. They are:
Canada Goose Greylag Goose
Pinkfooted Goose Whitefronted Goose (England
and Wales only)
Common Pochard Gadwall
Goldeneye Mallard
Pintail Shoveler
Teal Tufted Duck
Wigeon
The open season for those birds is 1st September to 31st January
(above high water mark) or 1st September to 20th February (below
high water mark). Dead wild geese may not be sold at any time
while dead wild duck may be sold only between 1st September and
27th February. Wildfowling is prohibited on Christmas Day and, in
Scotland and certain areas of England and Wales, on Sundays. No
game licence is required to shoot wild duck and geese.
During periods of exceptionally severe weather the Secretary of
State for the Environment and the Secretary of State for Scotland
may impose a ban on the shooting of wildfowl and certain other
birds. Notice of such a ban is given in selected national
newspapers and is broadcast by radio stations. The BASC always
attempts to give advance warning of a hard weather ban to
affiliated wildfowling clubs.
It is an offence to use any mechanically propelled vehicle for
the pursuit of wild birds and this, in effect, means that
wildfowlers must not shoot from a motor boat or a dinghy to which
an outboard engine is fitted. It is generally accepted that no
offence will be committed if the outboard engine is removed from
the transom and stowed on the floor of the boat before a gun is
taken from its cover.
CONDUCT AND ETHICS
Apart from legal constraints upon the sport, there is a code of
conduct which is almost universally adopted by wildfowlers in
Britain and which is designed to ensure that the quarry and
fellow fowlers are afforded the respect which they deserve. To
the man who participates in formal covert shooting it may seem
strange that fowlers adhere, in the main, to a set of
self-imposed regulations which allows many chances to pass them
by. Only a person who has experienced the magic of a dawning
estuary can fully appreciate that the size of the bag is
unimportant to a true wildfowler. It is enough to simply be there
when the fowl flight and to know that one's sport has not
interfered with the pleasure of others or with the continued
wellbeing of the wildfowl populations. The Wildfowler's Ten
Commandments embody this spirit:
The Wildfowler's Ten Commandments
1. Never raise a gun to any bird which cannot be positively
identified as a legitimate quarry species.
2. Never shoot a duck or goose which will not subsequently be
enjoyed at the table.
3. Never shoot at any bird which is beyond the range of
either gun or marksmanship.
4. Never shoot at a bird which may fall in a place from
which it cannot be retrieved.
5. Do not discharge a shotgun within 400 yards of an occupied
house before dawn or after dusk.
6. When arriving for morning flight do not disturb anyone who
may be asleep.
7. Always arrive with time to spare so as to avoid disturbing
the marsh after a flight has begun.
8. On no account take up a position in front of another
fowler or within 150 yards to his side.
9. Do not leave your position until the flight is over.
10. If a goose flight is expected, do not disturb the marsh by
shooting at duck.
Range Judging
On the question of ethics, one of the most common
"crimes" committed by inexperienced wildfowlers is that
of shooting at birds which are well out of shotgun range. So few
chances come the fowler's way that it is understandable that the
novice is tempted to risk a shot at high duck or geese but this
type of conduct not only brings the sport into disrepute, it also
spoils the flight for other fowlers. A fully choked 12-bore used
with a suitable 3 inch magnum cartridge may have a maximum range
of 50 or 55 yards but very few sportsmen can shoot with the
degree of accuracy necessary to achieve a clean kill at such a
distance. It is much more reasonable to let any bird pass which
is adjudged to be more than 40 yards high, a practice which will
allow for a slight error in assessing range. When the possible
price is a wounded goose, it is always better to err on the side
of caution.
It is only with the benefit of considerable experience that the
range of flighting fowl can be judged with accuracy. One trick is
to pin a shot duck, with its wings outstretched, to a fence and
then to view it from measured distances of 30, 40, and 50 yards.
For goose shooters who use a side-by-side shotgun, a rough guide
is that a greylag or whitefront will be within range if the
wingspan of the goose appears longer than the width of both
barrel muzzles. One occasionally meets wildfowlers who complain
that they have heard the sound of their pellets striking a goose
but that the bird did not drop from the sky. This is an almost
certain indication that the goose was well out of killing range
as, if the shot took so long to travel to the goose that the
sound of it striking the bird's wing and tail coverts was not
obliterated by the noise of the gunshot, the goose was likely to
have been at least 65 yards high.
Bag Limits
Although some wildfowling clubs do impose bag limits upon their
members, one of the basic freedoms of fowling in Britain is that
there is no statutory limitation upon the number of duck or geese
which may be shot. Nevertheless, there is a general acceptance
that excessive bags should be avoided. This is rarely a problem
for the shoreshooter but, every now and then, an opportunity may
arise to kill more fowl than is considered decent. Despite the
fact that many fowling trips will result in a completely empty
bag, most experienced wildfowlers impose a fairly strict limit
upon their shooting on the rare days when they find themselves in
the right place at the right time. Three or four geese or perhaps
a dozen duck are normally considered to be sufficient for any man
on a single flight.
What has to be borne in mind is that the sport is concerned with
harvesting the naturally produced surplus of wild populations
and, consequently, the future wellbeing of wildfowling is
dependent upon that harvest never exceeding the capacity of the
fowl to reproduce themselves. Only by adhering to a responsible
code of self-discipline can we hope to avoid the imposition of
further statutory restrictions or a steady decline in the quality
of our sport.
GETTING STARTED
One of the prime paradoxes in the shooting world arises from the
fact that while wildfowling is the most challenging and arduous
branch of shotgun sport, it is frequently the first to be
attempted by the novice gun owner. This is not entirely
surprising as, of all types of wing shooting, the pursuit of
wildfowl on the foreshore is probably the least expensive and the
most readily accessible. Nevertheless, the tyro coming to the
sport today does not have the total freedom of the estuaries
which was enjoyed by his forbears and, to secure worthwhile
shooting, the modern wildfowler must be prepared to co-operate
with his fellows. Lucky is the youngster who begins his fowling
career accompanying his father below the sea wall and perhaps
shooting his first duck or goose while still in his early teens.
Many more newcomers to the sport will require to seek the
assistance of experienced fowlers if they hope to come to terms
with the birds of the marsh.
The British Association for Shooting and Conservation
The first essential step for every novice is to enrol as a member
of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation. This
worthy organisation was until recently known as WAGBI (the
universal acronym for the Wildfowlers' Association of Great
Britain and Ireland) and was founded in 1908 by Stanley Duncan to
promote and protect the interests of wildfowlers. With over
80,000 members and several hundred affiliated clubs, the BASC is
represented on many important national and international
committees and works very hard indeed for the British sportsman.
Having outgrown offices in Liverpool and Chester, its activities
are now based on a splendid centre at Marford Mill, Rossett,
Clwyd, from where a dedicated staff offers a full range of advice
and assistance covering all aspects of shooting and practical
conservation.
Although the large number of newish motor cars which continue to
display the old WAGBI logo suggests that the change of name was
not universally welcomed, there can be no doubt whatsoever that
the broader base has been to the ultimate benefit of wildfowlers
as the sphere of influence of the BASC has continued to grow.
Despite what the cynics might think, the Association's
antecedents remain firmly rooted below the sea wall.
Wildfowling Clubs
Local wildfowling clubs also have an important role to play in
the life of a newcomer to wildfowling. The best clubs frequently
have lengthy waiting lists and may impose an entrance test or a
period of probationary membership. It is, however, well worth the
wait simply in terms of the introductions to experienced fowlers
which club activities can provide. Finding somewhere to shoot is
rarely easy these days. Shooting rights on good private
wildfowling foreshore are hard to come by and even knowledge
about club land may not be readily imparted until the novice has
established his credentials. It is incumbent upon the tyro,
therefore, to gain the respect and trust of the veterans he meets
and this is most readily achieved by a combination of a humble
approach and a willingness to volunteer for any work which the
club requires to be undertaken. Time spent felling trees,
planting verges, excavating ponds or even addressing envelopes
may be rewarded with a scrap of information or an invitation to
accompany an experienced wildfowler at morning flight.
Having joined the BASC, a list of wildfowling clubs in any
geographic region may be obtained from the Association's
headquarters and a polite, well-written letter to the club
secretaries will bring details of membership conditions and
subscriptions. In addition to wildfowling activities, some clubs
organise gundog training sessions, occasional clay pigeon shoots,
social meetings and educational evenings with films or guest
speakers. Even when a probationer is not permitted to venture
unaccompanied on to club foreshore, he will be welcomed at those
supplementary events and will learn much from active
participation.
Where to Shoot
As mentioned earlier, it is rare nowadays for a wildfowler to be
able to simply take his gun down to any convenient section of
foreshore and begin shooting. The maps on pages XXX - XXX show
the principal areas of coastal wildfowl habitat in Britain but it
must be stressed that the inclusion of an entry on the maps does
not indicate that wildfowling is permitted. In some cases the
foreshore may be in private ownership, in others it may be
regulated by wildfowling clubs and, especially in prime habitats,
there may be a nature reserve in operation. Members of the BASC
may obtain from headquarters a list of those clubs and nature
reserve authorities which issue permits to wildfowlers.
If a wildfowling trip entails a journey to a distant estuary, the
novice must establish contacts in his chosen hunting ground which
will help him to obtain news of the fowling prospects and local
conditions. Hoteliers and publicans are a useful source of
information but the real gems of assistance are likely to come
from local fowlers who have become genuine friends over a period
of years. Once again, the tyro is in the position of having to
earn the trust and respect of hitherto strangers but there is no
better way of gaining the necessary knowledge. It is also
important to obtain any access permission in advance of an outing
as authority to cross private land is unlikely to be forthcoming
at 5 o'clock on a winter's morning. Nor should it be assumed that
permission granted in a previous year will still be valid.
Ownership of land can change and the new proprietor may be less
sympathetic to fowlers than was his predecessor.
Wherever one is wildfowling, the value of very thorough
reconnaissance cannot be overstated. A survey of the area in
daylight prior to the flight will alert the fowler to any hazards
which might cause difficulty in the darkness and will also
provide the opportunity to check out other little practical
points such as the parking places which will not inconvenience
farm workers when they start to go about their daily toil. With
experience, it is also possible to examine a marsh at mid-day and
decide upon the likely flightlines of the fowl. Careful
preparations of this kind can help to avoid a great deal of
frustration at flightime.
FLIGHTCRAFT
Basically, shooting duck and geese on the foreshore is a solitary
sport although, due to the increasing popularity of the pursuit,
it is rare for a fowler to enjoy a total absence of other
sportsmen when he sets out beyond the tideline. Nevertheless, the
skills upon which his accomplishments - or lack of them - will
depend are intrinsically those of the lone gunner who is at one
with the wind, weather and tides. Flightcraft, at its simplest,
means being able to predict the behaviour of the quarry and then
lying in wait for the chance of a shot when the fowl move between
roost and feeding grounds. Duck normally roost during the
daylight hours, flighting off the shore to feed inland at night,
whereas geese reverse this pattern by roosting at night and
feeding throughout the day. It is, therefore, at dawn and dusk
that the wildfowler expects to encounter his quarry and he must
decide where they will pass on their daily journey between
bedroom and dining room.
Observation and experience provide the keys to the wildfowl
movements on any particular marsh and the novice who is
sufficiently fortunate to live within easy striking distance of a
wildfowling estuary will quickly build up a picture of the normal
roosting sites and the manner in which feeding grounds change as
each season runs its course. On top of this fundamental
information he must then overlay the effects which a multitude of
other factors will have upon the behaviour of the fowl. There are
a few general rules but, for the rest, every locality has its own
quirks and idiosyncrasies.
Moon, Tide and Weather
The natural phenomenon which has the most predictable influence
is the monthly cycle of the moon. Whereas moonlight flighting is
an art in its own right, most prudent shoreshooters will avoid
the few days on either side of a full moon as far as normal
flighting is concerned. When bright moonlight enables the birds
to move throughout the full 24-hour period, their flighting times
can become very erratic.
Weather affects wildfowl behaviour in many ways, some of which
can be reliably predicted. Even the greenest recruit to the game
will know that fowlers spend most of their idle hours hoping and
praying for a sleet-ridden Force-10 hurricane to provide the
flight of the season. Gales and storms are welcomed because wild
conditions tend to keep the birds within shotgun range when, on
most mornings, they habitually fly at a safe height. There are
more subtle ways in which the sport is influenced by the wind and
the experienced longshore gunner will calculate how the various
effects may combine. Often he will also have to take into account
the state of the tide before reaching any conclusions and picking
his spot on the saltings.
For example, a low tide and a strong wind may well result in fowl
roosting on mudbanks in preference to choppy open water. A
flowing tide may push birds over the marsh for several hours
before they elect to flight. Duck and geese normally take off
into the wind and this factor may vary by up to half a mile the
point at which they will cross the sea wall. On a calm night with
little wind and no moon, geese may drift for several miles with
the tide and start their morning journey a considerable distance
from their normal haunt. Those factors are but a few of a long
list of variables which serves to make coastal fowling a somewhat
more difficult sport than shooting inland.
Concealment
If a major component of flightcraft is selecting the place from
which the optimum chance of a shot will be obtained, there is a
second aspect to which careful attention must be paid. Whatever
the quarry and irrespective of whether it is sought at dawn,
mid-day or dusk, the novice wildfowler must learn how to conceal
himself on the shore so as to remain unnoticed by the duck and
geese until they are within range of his armament. The wariness
of wildfowl is legendary and, especially in areas where shooting
pressure is heavy, they become astonishingly adept at spotting a
human ensconced on the marsh. The parts to be played by suitable
clothing and hides are considered in Chapter 9 but, in the
meantime, there are one or two rules which should be borne in
mind.
It should become an immutable practice to select a position from
which the shore can be surveyed with a minimum of movement.
Nothing will spook oncoming duck or geese more surely than a
white face rotating through 180ø or a head bobbing up and down
from behind a clump of weed. Care should be taken to avoid
silhouetting oneself against the sky and, if a bank can be found
from which to shoot, it is better to crouch in front of a dark
backdrop than to peer over the top of it. It is vital to make use
of the sense of hearing as well as sight and the value to be
derived from the second pair of ears which a good gundog can
provide should not be underestimated. At the end of the day, the
successful wildfowler is often the man who can remain completely
invisible until the birds are within gunshot.
This file is an
extract from "Fowler in the Wild" by Eric Begbie. It
may be reproduced, in whole or in part, by magazines or other
publications with the prior permission of the author.