jok 3,035 Posted January 5, 2019 Report Share Posted January 5, 2019 Bob. You will only see flighting duck when there is cloud. A clear sky makes it absolutely impossible. You need to be downwind therefore knowing which direction the birds will be alighting then watch that sky like a snake watching a rat. They are quite predictable and you only need to hear the wings to get that memorable shot. Again, good shooting. Jok. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jok 3,035 Posted January 5, 2019 Report Share Posted January 5, 2019 Just re-read your last post and I agree with not shooting birds off the water. What a shit thing to do. A bit like looking at a covey of partridge and letting rip. No mate, stick to your morals and get that lovely glow when you have a real good shot. Jok. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
foxdropper 17,092 Posted January 5, 2019 Report Share Posted January 5, 2019 Does no one feeding rabbit paunch ,they love it and deer gralloch in the margins .Potatoes sour the water as does uneaten grain . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wilbur foxhound 480 Posted January 5, 2019 Report Share Posted January 5, 2019 12 hours ago, bobajob said: Wilbur I am doing it around about 4.30pm to 5.30pm and by the latter it is very dark. Is this what you mean by evening flight?? By the 5.30pm can barely see anything and all I can do is listen for them and hope for a flight across an visible break of skyline..iv seen me sitting and all I hear is the splash of them landing in the puddle..p.s no I don't shoot them.. I try make a noise to get them up .. no sport in shooting them off the water. If all you are hearing is a splash from the duck landing in the water without seeing them coming in then it’s time to go home,also remember that mallard are a b*****d for coming in at all different times of the night,atb wf 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bobajob 55 Posted January 6, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2019 10 hours ago, wilbur foxhound said: If all you are hearing is a splash from the duck landing in the water without seeing them coming in then it’s time to go home,also remember that mallard are a b*****d for coming in at all different times of the night,atb wf Teal..!!!! Bloody fast birds .. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bobajob 55 Posted January 6, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2019 (edited) . Edited October 8, 2019 by bobajob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jok 3,035 Posted January 6, 2019 Report Share Posted January 6, 2019 You Just re-read your last post and I agree with not shooting birds off the water. What a shit thing to do. A bit like looking at a covey of partridge and letting rip. No mate, stick to your morals and get that lovely glow when you have a real teaser of a shot. By the way, in my opinion, feeding as you have indicated, will be a complete waste of time, effort and money. When the birds pair up they do not crave feeding areas. As you might already know, mallard, our native duck, does not nest on or even particularly near open water. They secret themselves in ditches and culverts quite away from ponds. They do this to hide from predators and are remarkably successful at it. There are many films or sequences of that proud mallard marching his/her brood to the local pond. No mate, in my humble opinion, your time would be better spent building suitable hides and access points which will allow you much better concealment next season. Start feeding about September and get in these hides to monitor the flights. Then go to it. Jok. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bell 3,502 Posted January 6, 2019 Report Share Posted January 6, 2019 Nothing wrong with feeding ponds beyond the season limit.....put a bit back into the cycle and just ....maybe just ...the duck will remember next season where there was some good feeding... 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
greenshank1 406 Posted January 12, 2019 Report Share Posted January 12, 2019 Sorry for daft laddie questions but never heard of feeding bananas at flight ponds. When your feeding bananas onto your flight ponds are you doing anything to them first ? Squashing them or peeling them ? and do you put them on the ground or into the water ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Born Hunter 17,622 Posted January 15, 2019 Report Share Posted January 15, 2019 Has anybody tried shooting running water? Rivers, streams, ditches etc? I assume it's possible, particularly if you have like a bit of an eddy. Otherwise feed on the bank I guess. Also I'd think a dog for picking up promptly would be necessary. Ponds are few and far between i seems round here but running water might give me options... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Welsh_red 4,298 Posted January 15, 2019 Report Share Posted January 15, 2019 2 hours ago, Born Hunter said: Has anybody tried shooting running water? Rivers, streams, ditches etc? I assume it's possible, particularly if you have like a bit of an eddy. Otherwise feed on the bank I guess. Also I'd think a dog for picking up promptly would be necessary. Ponds are few and far between i seems round here but running water might give me options... would you need a net down stream to catch any floating down stream? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Born Hunter 17,622 Posted January 15, 2019 Report Share Posted January 15, 2019 Just now, Welsh_red said: would you need a net down stream to catch any floating down stream? Personally I'd expect my dog to be on the job immediately. The little fella a bang on with mallard and in water. Made for it. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bell 3,502 Posted January 16, 2019 Report Share Posted January 16, 2019 On 15/01/2019 at 10:32, Born Hunter said: Has anybody tried shooting running water? Rivers, streams, ditches etc? I assume it's possible, particularly if you have like a bit of an eddy. Otherwise feed on the bank I guess. Also I'd think a dog for picking up promptly would be necessary. Ponds are few and far between i seems round here but running water might give me options... You could make a floating raft and tether it to the bank and feed that mate, seen it done to good effect.... 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Born Hunter 17,622 Posted January 21, 2019 Report Share Posted January 21, 2019 (edited) Had a few evenings on one of our ponds this season. 23 picked between four guns on Saturday. Best part about it for me is the dog work, working this little fella. He's got the job sussed now, sitting quietly and patiently, watching the duck zooming around and I can be fairly sure when cast off into the twilight that he has the initiative and experience to find the bird with no handling so I can remain focused on what's coming in. I always go the next morning and pick a few more that other guns couldn't find, managed to find 3 on Sunday at daybreak. Pic of Sunday morning. Back home for late breakfast. The final tally 26 picked. Edited January 21, 2019 by Born Hunter 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jok 3,035 Posted January 21, 2019 Report Share Posted January 21, 2019 Greenshank 1. To be fair it was a happenstance . A good friend worked for a local fruit and veg merchant. As you would imagine, stock got tired and needed getting rid of. Me ,being me, decided to accept his offer of free duck food. Without doubt this was one of the best things we did on the (small) flight ponds. I stripped the bananas and just laid them around the perimeters mixed in with barley. I never, on these ponds, bothered with potatoes. The results were superb. Now I can't say whether the bananas had anything to do with the outcome but it's worth a go when you consider the amounts that are getting binned on a regular basis. On an aside, the supermarkets bin tons upon tons of fruit and vegetable produce so a little word might, just might, get you an outcome. Good luck. Jok. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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