Pursuit of South Solway Pinkfeet - Part 2, 16th February 2012

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General > Pursuit of South Solway Pinkfeet - Part...

Pursuit of South Solway Pinkfeet - Part 2, 16th February 2012

By "Stotty"

The alarm went off at 5am on the second day of our Wildfowling trip to the South Solway. After a quick scramble into an assortment of warm cammo clothing Robert, Sam and I crept quietly out of the B & B, and, with Rolo, bouncing along in front again, we piled into the vehicles and set off for another morning flight on the English side of the mighty Solway. The chosen marsh wasn't too far away and we arrived in good time in the darkness, with only the red beacons of the Anthorn radio masts illuminating the distant skyline. After a short wait in the cars, we trecked across the

The geese are coming and this is a position familiar to Wildfowlers!

marsh and dropped into a long gutter running parallel to the shore. The sky lightened, and with it, the skeins of pinks could be seen drifting inland behind us about 2 miles away rising and falling in a steady long line. Our hearts raced when a closer skein of 14 pinks drifted towards us but then slowly slipped away about 100 yards to our front. Oh for those goose decoys that we'd lugged miles yesterday! I'm sure they would have lured that skein in to us. Other than a singleton calling it's lonesome 'wink wink' somewhere up in the brightening sky nothing else moved. At 8.30 am we called it a morning and decided to head back to the B & B for a hearty breakfast. Sam missed an opportunity to put a drake mallard in the bag as we crossed the marsh and we all hit the deck when another bunch of pinks honed quietly into view as we neared the seawall. They flared and we're away in no time. Over breakfast the afternoon's plan of attack was carefully put together, based on the valuable reccying that we'd done yesterday.

We needed to be in position about 1pm, so that gave us a

Stotty and Sam with a Pinkfoot each

few hours of the morning to recce some other South Solway marshes and watch thousands of Barnacles and Pinks (plus a Blue phase Snow Goose) feeding inland. At midday we arrived at the marsh access and already there were a few bunches of pinks tracking the marsh. This could be our best opportunity to bag a pink on the second day! Three bags of goose decoys and a plethora of wildfowling gear was carried hurriedly across the marsh. There were goose droppings and pinkfoot feathers everywhere on the marsh grass which had been paddled down and well grazed. The signs were looking good but there was an immediate problem...very little cover. Sam scurried ahead of us and to our delight found a suitably deep gutter that we could all hide ourselves in. Sixty four decoys were placed all around us in two large bunches, guns were loaded up with Steel 3's and BB's and Rolo was secured to the gutter floor. Half an hour passed and nothing. Suddenly a skein of about 20 Pinks broke away from a bunch feeding inland a mile away, turned and tracked towards us across the marsh to our front. A strong wind was blowing from the SW which was not in our favour as the gutter was also running in the same direction. If they came they would track up our gutter to get to the decoys which would give them the advantage! They did exactly that. Frustratingly their alarm call went at 60 yards

Rolo bringing back a Pink

from us and they all flared back on the wind just out of gunshot range. So damn close! We looked at each other in despair. Was that our chance gone we wondered? The wait was on again. An hour must have gone by. "Pinks" out low to our front coming straight towards us at a 1000 yards. "How far now?" shouted Robert....200 yards...still coming...The moment was intense. I'll give the signal. No one dared to look over the top of the gutter. Suddenly they were on us...two came into view at 25 yards. I couldn't see where the other two had gone...I had to call the shot...Now!!! We rose as one. My target goose crumpled. The other pink in view was targeted by Robert and Sam. I heard a bang from my left and then Robert cursing. His first shot had missed and his auto had then jammed. The pink took evasive action and flared back over them. Sam took it superbly as it was thrown back on the wind. A joyous moment as it was Sam's first South Solway pinkfoot!! Congratulations were in order! The other two pinks had tracked along the back edge of the decoys and were out of range in seconds giving us no chance of a shot. What a result with two pinks down. The reccying had paid off!

By now the wind was dropping off. Half an hour later the

Six Pinks between the three of us from a single flight - a Red Letter Day!

same scenario happened again. Four more pinks began their slow purposeful track across the marsh towards the decoys. This time all four were coming straight towards us, directly to our front flying at no more than 20 yard off the marsh. I waited until they were practically on top of our gutter before calling the shot. Experience told me to let them right in. Now!!! A flurry of shots resulted in three pinks immediately folding up; the fourth goose was hit and began a slow long descent across the marsh. We carefully marked it down. Rolo was sent away and pulled off a fantastic retrieve, pinning it down just as it flapped and tried to get airborne. Where would be without our 'fowling dogs. Back he came with it at full tilt. Well what an incredible afternoon flight. Six pinks from today's foray, with two geese a piece was a fantastic end to our wildfowling trip on the Solway. Three happy 'fowlers packed up the decoys, leaving the flight to continue. Back at the cars we watched two small bunches of pinks following the same route from where we had just come from. They'll never know just how lucky they were. My first experience of the South Solway marshes will remain in the memory for a long time. With a combined two day bag for the three of us being 10 Pinkfoot and 4 Teal it surely doesn't get much better than that!