1st Of September

Vegeta

Well lads its approaching again so who will be out for a duck or a deer.

My brother is bringing his 4 year old son to his first day of school so he's going to miss the morning hunt. Myself and Mr. Beretta will be out for a duck on lower or upper lough derg at the crack of dawn. During the day when my brother drops his kid off to school we will probably go looking for sign of deer and try and track one down.

So who is going out the first and what have ye planned??

Degsy

Assuming i'm not on holidays,i'm hoping to head to malahide estuary to have a pop at a duck or two.I got a permit last year but never got a chance to get out there so this year i'm hoping to bag one!

thelurcher

Looking forward to it too - I'm taking the Friday and most of the week after off.
The Friday I'll try for a deer in the morning and have a few local ponds to try in the evening for a duck. They've been there all Summer but have a habbit of dissapearing all season.
Must go scouting out more permission as well.

Hezz700

I'll be on the beer in Stradbally at the "Electric Picnic":( so all will be safe on my patch untill the 5th or 6th depending on my head. But a dawn raid on the local pond will be on the menu. I think i'll have to invest in a new pair of wellies/waders though, which is a total pain in the arse.

Hezz;)

BOBTHESHOOTER

Degsy wrote:

Assuming i'm not on holidays,i'm hoping to head to malahide estuary to have a pop at a duck or two.I got a permit last year but never got a chance to get out there so this year i'm hoping to bag one!

How do you go about getting a permit for Malahide Estuary? What part of it do you shoot, there is a lot of housing in the area, how do you manage to avoid hassle!

macnas

Will be headin for Lough Ree for the 1st as per tradition. Stay down there for two days, first day shooting and second day walking the islands with the dogs picking up other peoples woundies.
Won't start on the deer til November.

thelurcher

Just wondering macnas - why not start in September?

CJhaughey

My Beretta has a problem slide won't return, and I haven't got my deer rifle yet.
No gun no fun

Terrier

The West is alive with Ducks, numbers are well up..
Going to be a good season!!

Vegeta

yeah i am prob going to scout out a few places for duck this weekend. Anyone here do much goose shooting.

We have only ever shot 2 but my god we put in a lot of effort to get them.

well if macnas is waiting til november its probably for a stag

macnas

I usually wait until the doe/hind season starts and the rut is over, I'm not really into heads or eatin pissy venison. I don't have access to a cold room and september/october can still be fairly warm for hanging deer. Pretty much the same with the ducks, I'll shoot the first couple of days of the season and then wait for the foreign duck to arrive at the end of October.

thelurcher

Heard a few lads say the same more or less.
Me - I'll be out as much as possible - being my first season I wouldn't mind a few trophys - also a local semi retired butcher has a cold store.
Main thing though is that the farmers are putting me under pressure to get out - all Summer in fact :rolleyes:
They'll bring in lads to lamp them if they don't see me around so I'm the lesser of two evils - for once!

macnas

I enjoy hunting for bucks on those hard frosty mornings in February, they tend to be in much better condition then too. I usually stop shooting does after the first week or so in January, just too messy.

PAIMEI

Was out yesterday evening feeding a small bay on Lough Ree for the ducks. Bit late starting this year but I find for the last few years that the first for ducks has been a bit of a dissappointment because of the abundance of guns and the shortage of ducks on the lake. Still cant beat that feeling though, and the thought that this year could be the bumper season when you bag a handful of birds.

Vegeta

PAIMEI wrote:

Was out yesterday evening feeding a small bay on Lough Ree for the ducks. Bit late starting this year but I find for the last few years that the first for ducks has been a bit of a dissappointment because of the abundance of guns and the shortage of ducks on the lake. Still cant beat that feeling though, and the thought that this year could be the bumper season when you bag a handful of birds.

I hear Lough Ree is a bit of a belter for duck alright. Lough Derg is very big so its tough to find a place where you get a consistent flight of duck coming over.

You're right though its the feeling of sitting out on a brisk morning with some of your close friends and enjoying your sport. Its fantastic

Vegeta

macnas wrote:

I enjoy hunting for bucks on those hard frosty mornings in February, they tend to be in much better condition then too. I usually stop shooting does after the first week or so in January, just too messy.

sorry macnas i am new'ish to deer hunting what do you mean by messy?

thelurcher

Pregnant?

Like Vegeta I'm new to deer hunting so advice on etiquette etc. would be greatly appreciated.

As I said here before I got the handbook that the WDAOI etc. put together but realise that just like fox hunting there's bound to be do's and don'ts that aren't usually put in print.

macnas

thelurcher wrote:

Pregnant?

Yup,

Although I don't think it's an etiquette thing, it's more of a personal preference. Does are pregnant throughout the season but the later it gets the more and more obvious this becomes. I was shown how to stalk by an older brother who I followed around the hill for years before I was even old enough to licence a rifle and I have never done a deer hunting course but I believe if you don't have someone to show you the ropes this might be the best way to go. I shoot a good few deer in a season but I don't think I would be qualified to give advice as such, there would be far more knowledgeable members on this board than me but if you want to PM with a question or two I will certainly try to answer them.

Meanwhile, to bring it back on topic, I'll be camping somewhere around the Black Islands on Ree this 1st, firing lots of lead and scaring off a few duck.

Vegeta

yeah it is definitely a different ball game to any other type of shooting I have done.

My bro is more experienced than I but we are both always willing to learn.

we only shoot 1 or two a season but if we had someone to use the meat we might shoot more as they are more than plentiful around us

PAIMEI

Well lads, only 2 more sleeps to go. Looking forward to just getting out now and the possibility of getting some game, the last 2 firsts have been such an anti-climax (No duck shot last year and only one the year before by me) that I'm looking forward to the season just opening, as the saying goes a bad days shooting is always better than a good day at work.. Weather is meant to be windy too which should help things..

Vegeta

PAIMEI wrote:

Well lads, only 2 more sleeps to go. Looking forward to just getting out now and the possibility of getting some game, the last 2 firsts have been such an anti-climax (No duck shot last year and only one the year before by me) that I'm looking forward to the season just opening, as the saying goes a bad days shooting is always better than a good day at work.. Weather is meant to be windy too which should help things..

yeah i was a little worried about the weather being mild.

Bought the ammo last night and will be doing the equipment check tonight so I can get at least a few hours sleep thursday night.

I have friday off and was tempted to take monday off as well but that would be over doing it I think.

macnas

Must get ammo!

PAIMEI

Have the ammo bought, but busy tonight so Thurs evening will be taken up with cleaning the gun, dragging out the decoys, checking the camo nets and stands for it and possibly getting my mates boat ready so I reckon there mightnt be any sleep got at all..
On the weather, I wouldnt mind it being mild, every duck in the country will be on the move but when its calm and bright they fly at some height, I've often been sitting there and you hear the wings whistling, look around and cant see anything then look up ,about 100 yards in the air and theres 7 or 8 big mallard vacating your area. Hopefully some wind and an overcast sky might keep them down within shooting range..

Vegeta

ahh the whistling wings. I love that sound.

PAIMEI

Have you ever heard the swoosh as they drop in close around you and you cant see them, happens to me a fair bit when shooting floods, you're relying on them coming in against the sky that the sun just set behind to get a shot, but when they dont and drop in to land with their wings opened they make a swoosh that kinda makes you want to duck (excuse the pun) and you hope that they might actually be able to see you so you dont get a belt of a mallard in the back of the head..

macnas

PAIMEI wrote:

Have you ever heard the swoosh as they drop in close around you and you cant see them, happens to me a fair bit when shooting floods, you're relying on them coming in against the sky that the sun just set behind to get a shot, but when they dont and drop in to land with their wings opened they make a swoosh that kinda makes you want to duck (excuse the pun) and you hope that they might actually be able to see you so you dont get a belt of a mallard in the back of the head..

Snipe????

Vegeta

looking forward to friday even more now.

I know the exact sound you are talkin about.

Mac.....Snipe shooting is fantastic sport. I am not the best at it though. tricky little feckers

PAIMEI

Snipe make the same noise but they need to be very close to you, I think Teal really swoosh in as they fly very quickly and have a habit of jijjing around in flight especially when landing, but any duck with its wings opened to land make it.

Hezz700

Lucky gits the lot of ya, i won't get a shot off until next monday. The semi auto is clean and oiled, the Remington shurshot is in the safe the hide is in good nick. but i have an extra 4 days to wait.

Hezz:(

moby10

the only duck that i have ever shot was while i was out pigeon shooting last sept would you believe:p they came right in to land amongst the decoys and to top it off it was a left and right. but i dont know anyone who has done proper duck shootin-i know it sounds stupid but can someone explain the times to go out, setup, the ideal setup etc. it sounds brilliant and i sure am envious of yous heading out tomorrow.

Vegeta

From what i have learned over the years: only 7 years of shooting so not an expert by any means this is just what works for us.

I shoot on Lough Derg, the lower lake and the upper lake. It is a big area (duck can fly up the middle of the lake if they want) so you have to get the duck to stay close to you on the shore. This generally implies the use of a hide and/ or suitable clothing and decoying. I use camo all the time, some people on here think its useless and carries negative stigma. I like it.

The duck will genreally stay in the shallows near the shore as they can feed there and hop onto land for a snooze.

Dusk and dawn are the times to be out as they will be on the move. At dusk they may be finding a quite spot for the night and at dawn they'll be heading out for feeding.

So you set up in a nice little area where you have seen duck or signs of duck (feathers and droppings). It is good to put out a few decoys and have a decent caller.

As with using any caller it is a skill, as for the decoying we don't over do it. Unlike pigeon shooting, I don't really put the mallard decoys in a pattern as when they fill with water and the weight hits the bottom the decoy will move around in the wind and current I like using 3 or 4 decoys

Basically you want flighting duck to come and land near you or fly close enough to have a shot.

Unfortunately there are not that many duck on our part of the lake anymore. This has forced us to start rearing duck ourselves in the gun club to try and keep the numbers up.

So i wouldn't be too jealous as by the sounds of it the pigeon shooting is pretty good for you. The most duck we have ever shot in a morning might be 10.

myself and the brother did once shoot 6 in a go. We both had 3 cartridges in the semi autos and we were walking along the shore, 6 duck got up and 6 duck fell down.

Clare gunner

Should be an exellent weekend weatherwise for duck hunting.It looks like a major rainstorm and winds is on the way tonite and tomrrow.:D

E@gle.

when can i shoot snipe i allways thought it was the first of november.


yeah Vegeta lough ree is a good spot for ducks i live on the shores of lough ree but i avoid it on the first cos you would be tripping over people shooting there on the 1st

jcatony

Of all weekends i had to be on call on this one! The semi is oiled and gleaming and the ammo bag is full of shur shot. Can't wait!!!

Vegeta

Ok so to sum up the experiences of the 1st.

My father, brother and I got up at 4am. Had a decent breakfast and packed the gear into the car.

We drove to a spot we regularly shoot on northern Lough Derg. Its a little island with a walkway from the mainland out to it (I know technically no an island but for descriptions sake) and a calm bay on one side of the walk way and the open lake on the other side.

We arrived at the island at bout 5.30am. On the walk from the car down to the Island we could see boats coming up the lake guided by torchlight. It was a completely overcast morning and I could barely see the ground 10ft in front of me, nearly fell.

The island is about 200 yards out with a walkway about 15 ft wide out to it. the walkway is years old and was made of rocks with soil on top. Grass has grown on it and a few large rocks are still exposed and provide decent cover.

My brother set up on the walkway closest to the Island (in case geese came in to land on the island, he's goose crazy) I set up in the middle of the walkway and my dad set up closest to the land.

The guys in the boats took ages to reach the island and get set up in the bay, they put out a load of decoys and pulled the boat into the reids.

Luckily it only drizzled for about 10 minutes all morning so we stayed pretty dry.

Anyway, as it started to get bright a flock of about 7 diver blitzed over my head but it was still way too dark to even attempt a shot, although i have a thin thru glow site on the beretta which is fantastic for early morning shooting, if i was a bit quicker i might have managed it.

Finally when it got brighter teh guys in the boat started calling, and a steady flow of mallard and diver started coming in. The thing is though we knew the duck fly across the walkway to land in the bay so any duck the guys in the boat were calling were passing by my brother, father and me.

Had a great mornings shooting. I shot two diver, my dad shot 3 mallard and a diver and my brother shot a mallard. My brother left to bring his kid to school at 7.20 but my dad and i stayed til about half 8 when the sun came out from behind the clouds and its reflection on the water made it impossible to spot any approaching birds.

The quote for the day is"Should have gone to Specsavers". I was sh1te. I actually started to sulk at how badly i was shooting. I don't know was it lack of practice or what but I should have shot about a dozen duck but only managed 2. I performed brutally on the day but enjoyed being out there again and hope to do the same this weekend.

Clare gunner

As my Grandpa used to say."Hunting is a new adventure every day."

Dont beat yourself up Veg.First fruit is always rotten.Diana will smile on you yet.:)

Vegeta

Cheers CG

That was only 4am to 9am

went out again on lower lough derg from about 11 to 2 but that was more exercise than anything else as i walked about a mile and a half along the shore in full camo, on a hot day with waders on, pockets full of ammo and a loaded semi. Good times

nothing compared to the stroll i took with my rifle that evening though. The thing is a beaut to shoot but she's one havy bitch. I have no problem with a heavy gun as i love the exercise from carrying it but I felt it the next day.

Did you go out the first CG??

thelurcher

E@gle: No snipe around my area yet.

Very poorly designed chart here on our hunting seasons:
http://www.nargc.ie/Wild%20Birds%20Hunting%20Seasons.htm

Clare gunner

Didnt get a chance yet Veg,was in Kerry on a diving course,and then was home late.Am at the moment looking for some landowners to get some deer letting off in the Clare areas.As the ol coot in Henry St has finally laid out his preconds for issueing the liscense for the Steyr
PM me on this .
Thanks CG

E@gle.

thelurcher wrote:

E@gle: No snipe around my area yet.

Very poorly designed chart here on our hunting seasons:
http://www.nargc.ie/Wild%20Birds%20Hunting%20Seasons.htm

thanks for the chart.
its kinda too early to shoot snipe anyway.

gquirke

Hi Vegeta,

I often wondered how someone would go about shooting on Lough Derg. I live about an hours drive from Nenagh and often thought about trying for duck on the lake. Can anyone shoot on the Lake or do you have to be a member of a club or something on the lake. I am already a member of 2 gun clubs and shoot duck regularly on local flight ponds and floods. Places like Dromineer and Terryglass and Portumna would be within striking distance from me and my pal. Any information would be great.
Cheers.
G.

Terrier

gquirke wrote:

Hi Vegeta,
Can anyone shoot on the Lake or do you have to be a member of a club or something on the lake.

I think, but could be wrong, that all you require is a Foreshore Licence with the specfic area you wish to shoot.

Vegeta

Terrier wrote:

I think, but could be wrong, that all you require is a Foreshore Licence with the specfic area you wish to shoot.

100% correct, they are free and last 5 years.

Still, to get to the shore you will have to pass through someones land so i'd advise picking a few spots and asking the farmer/landowner can you walk through his land to the shore. Just to cover yourselves if any local gun club lads tried to move you on. You can tell the gun club lads you have every right to be there as you are licensed, insured and have permission from the land owner.

Its not restricted to the Tipp shore either you can cross to the Clare side if you wanted, again better for you to have permission from landowners. Permission is not 100% needed but easier in the long run.

I had shooting rights for a lovely spot on the shore for years, a local gun club started up and told me i had no right to be there. I told them i had permission from the farmer and had a foreshore license. They put pressure on the farmer and the farmer asked me not to go through his land anymore and to leave it to the local lads. I was pissed but respected his wishes

If you know anyone with a boat its worth taking a day trip around the areas you would like to shoot as you will get a better idea if there are duck flighting into them or not.

Don't go buying a sh1te load of decoys and callers just yet. Try before you buy.

Finally respect all sanctuaries, in the town I am from there is a sanstuary about a mile in either direction of the town on the Shannon because most of the duck in that area are tame as feck from tourists feeding them. You could literally walk up to the biggest trophy mallard ever and club him so its not any sport really to shoot them.

jcatony

Finally got out for my first shoot of the season last weekend. Up at the crack of dawn on saturday morning and bagged 3 mallard.

gquirke

Vegeta and Terrier,

Thank you both for the very helpful replies. I do have access to a boat so I will do like you say and scout around and see whats what. I will probably leave it now until next season to get started and give it a good go and see how I get on. Thanks again for the very helpful information. I will read up on wildfowling and trawl the net so I am well prepared for next year. Watch this space
Kind regards,
G.

Vegeta

jcatony wrote:

Finally got out for my first shoot of the season last weekend. Up at the crack of dawn on saturday morning and bagged 3 mallard.

Nice 3 mallard is a decent return. I shot 3 diver on the opening but no mallard.

I must go out again this weekend for an early morning.

Vegeta

gquirke wrote:

Vegeta and Terrier,

Thank you both for the very helpful replies. I do have access to a boat so I will do like you say and scout around and see whats what. I will probably leave it now until next season to get started and give it a good go and see how I get on. Thanks again for the very helpful information. I will read up on wildfowling and trawl the net so I am well prepared for next year. Watch this space
Kind regards,
G.

Its a long season.

I'd say if you put in the spade work now you'd be shooting before you know it.

Sort your foreshore license.
Scope out some areas to go, nothing is off limits really bar sanctuaries
Ask for permission from land owner if crossing there land

good luck with it anyway and let us know how it goes

PAIMEI

Was out on the first and dropped a teal and a Mallard, only got the teal though, had my Labrador out but it was her first first, once the shooting started she was a bit excited and spent most of her time watching the decoys, then when I dropped the mallard out to my right she made a burst for the decoys, had to call her back and by the time I got her to the general area where it dropped it must have had time to dive, walked some of the shore then and dropped the teal for her which she duely retreived off the water which was great, she starting to mouth them a bit though once she gets them to shore.
Out last night and shot a widgeon and a mallard drake. Very early for widgeon, thought it was a big teal til the dog arrived back with it, then dropped the mallard, didnt see much else flyin and then a fox trots up the shore, it was very hard pick him out in the dusk, let fly at him but I dont think I gave him any lead.

alicaffrey

hi lads just wondering is it ok to shoot duck with a rifle...and will i need a license and if so were could i get it thanx lads all help appreciated

jaycee

hi lads just wondering is it ok to shoot duck with a rifle

NO ! :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Unsporting if they are "sitting ducks"....and bloody dangerous if they are flying !

BTW.. If you haven't got a licence for the .22 yet , it hardly matters anyway as you can't shoot. !

alicaffrey

i dont understand what the difference is if there sitting.....youd only shoot a rabbit when it is sitting (with a rifle) never when its running cause that would be too difficult and no one says unsporting when you'd shoot a rabbit like that.....but thats fine if its illegal or that i wouldnt i just wanted to know thats all...but do u see were i was coming from