Big Ted and the geese.

[Britsmoothy]

Wow, what a session.
I got a phone call from a good friend inviting me to stand under some geese. They are feeding on stubble then making for a roost passing his home.
Naturally I said I'll be there!

So I made ready big Ted.
I popped a cap on a jagged patch for each barrel. I kept the hammers down. Once there tipped 90gn of the finest grade black I have down each tube. Then a thin card, some homemade lube, three more cards and rammed home. Next I tipped 1&3/4oz of #3 TM shot down amd rammed a single card on top.
Interestingly my 2oz measure for lead only throws 1& 3/4oz of Tungstan Matrix. I guess it is not as heavy ??
Anyway we got in position me being guided by Tom. We were using maize for cover.
We had a good chat and Jess did her thing exploring etc. Then we heard them. Then we saw them. They were low and fast but going to our left. I ran to the corner of the maize Tom graciously letting me shoot first.
They looked to be 30yards plus to my left.
I picked the last bird in the skein closest to me. I lost sight of it in the smoke but Tom shouted "down" so I swung through a second bird by probably 8' and fired and it too came down alas a runner (but we soon got it located with Jess and dispatched).
Tom told me to reload but I declined and told him to shoot if others come. At this point I was still anxious to collect the runner. So while collecting my birds other birds did come so I hid and Tom took two other birds with his unmentionable 12g.
With all the birds in via the dogs and Tom's son we congratulated each other and couldn't stop grinning, I'm still grinning lol.
Meatloaf coming up!
What truly awesome birds.
Thanks Tom and thanks Lord.

 

[3Setters]

Wow, those look like big geese. Good shooting

 

[Walkingeagle]

Well done sir!
Walk

 

[Cpt Flint]

I need your recipe for meatloaf!

 

[Skychief]

Congratulations Nathan. Looks like a good time was had by all. What type of geese are these? We have Canadian and snow geese here.

Enjoyed the post. I can picture you hustling through the maize with Big Ted in tow with a devilish grin on your mug!

Best regards, Skychief.

 

[deermanok]

Some fine looking birds.

 

[Brokennock]

Most excellent. I knew you would get it done.
Thank you for sharing.

 

[oldwood]

Good shooting Brit.......

 

[Britsmoothy]

Congratulations Nathan. Looks like a good time was had by all. What type of geese are these? We have Canadian and snow geese here.

Enjoyed the post. I can picture you hustling through the maize with Big Ted in tow with a devilish grin on your mug!

Best regards, Skychief.

Thank you fellers and you Skychief.

Skychief, these are greylags. My area is covered with them now nearly displacing the canadas.
In fact I hardly ever hear canadas around here anymore!
Here is a photo graph of one giving me the evils!

 

[tom_in_vt]

Great story! Congrats on your geese.

 

[Nameless Hunter]

Wow, what a session.
I got a phone call from a good friend inviting me to stand under some geese. They are feeding on stubble then making for a roost passing his home.
Naturally I said I'll be there!

So I made ready big Ted.
I popped a cap on a jagged patch for each barrel. I kept the hammers down. Once there tipped 90gn of the finest grade black I have down each tube. Then a thin card, some homemade lube, three more cards and rammed home. Next I tipped 1&3/4oz of #3 TM shot down amd rammed a single card on top.
Interestingly my 2oz measure for lead only throws 1& 3/4oz of Tungstan Matrix. I guess it is not as heavy ??
Anyway we got in position me being guided by Tom. We were using maize for cover.
We had a good chat and Jess did her thing exploring etc. Then we heard them. Then we saw them. They were low and fast but going to our left. I ran to the corner of the maize Tom graciously letting me shoot first.
They looked to be 30yards plus to my left.
I picked the last bird in the skein closest to me. I lost sight of it in the smoke but Tom shouted "down" so I swung through a second bird by probably 8' and fired and it too came down alas a runner (but we soon got it located with Jess and dispatched).
Tom told me to reload but I declined and told him to shoot if others come. At this point I was still anxious to collect the runner. So while collecting my birds other birds did come so I hid and Tom took two other birds with his unmentionable 12g.
With all the birds in via the dogs and Tom's son we congratulated each other and couldn't stop grinning, I'm still grinning lol.
Meatloaf coming up!
What truly awesome birds.
Thanks Tom and thanks Lord.
View attachment 92420
View attachment 92421

Great pictures (with some happy faces), and a great story as well.!
Congratulations!

 

[FishDFly]

I always look forward to your critter pictures.

This side of the pond, they band ducks and geese and if you get a banded one, it is considered a large plus to the day. If you send in the band number they will tell when and where it was banded. Do they do that there?

Our ducks and geese come from Canada for the most part. Where do yours come from?

 

[Britsmoothy]

I always look forward to your critter pictures.

This side of the pond, they band ducks and geese and if you get a banded one, it is considered a large plus to the day. If you send in the band number they will tell when and where it was banded. Do they do that there?

Our ducks and geese come from Canada for the most part. Where do yours come from?

Residents for the most part.
Some may visit on coastal stretches. I think feltwad knows more than me. Pink footed geese visit, I think from Scandinavia and Iceland. Maybe eider ducks too.
There are Brent geese too but I'm not sure where they come from.
We do get migrating swams around the coast.
Not sure on the banding, we call them rings. There was a scheme on ringing woodcock a few years ago for a study into their movements.
Ask feltwad. He is generally more knowledgeable than me on this subject.

 

[MountainSmoke]

You sure know how to have a good time Brit. Really enjoyed reading about your hunt, congrats on those geese!

 

[4575wcf]

Great work with the BP double! While I was down at the brother's I was looking over his steel shot reloading stuff. I am thinking those big thick walled red plastic wads he uses could be loaded in my shotgun over a card wad and provide enough protection to the bore to shoot the hard steel pellets through it without damage. As a general rule the BP guns don't generate enough breech pressure to work well with plastic wads, just leaving lots of debris in the bore from a poor seal. Has anybody tried this? I could lay in some Bismuth and go that route I guess, but such experiments are for people with a real retirement income.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Great work with the BP double! While I was down at the brother's I was looking over his steel shot reloading stuff. I am thinking those big thick walled red plastic wads he uses could be loaded in my shotgun over a card wad and provide enough protection to the bore to shoot the hard steel pellets through it without damage. As a general rule the BP guns don't generate enough breech pressure to work well with plastic wads, just leaving lots of debris in the bore from a poor seal. Has anybody tried this?

They just need a firewall friend. A couple of thin cards and some lube.
I have used them a long time ago but not now.
I've heard of folks using plastic and paper hulls as a wrap to protect from steel.

 

[4575wcf]

I was thinking maybe a guy could fill the hollow base wad in the plastic one piece steel shot wad with Crisco, and load the thing over a hard .135 card wad. Of course you are bringing hydraulics into play there, preventing the wad concaving into the recess, and hydraulics can ALWAYS do weird unpredictable stuff, but this might do the job and keep the fouling softer at the same time.

 

[Euan]

Excellent results, well done.

 

[Stykbow]

Nice shooting. Looks like a good time was had by all.

 

[SSBN617b]

Britsmoothy,
The picture of the Greylag brought back fond memories.
I had one as a pet for @15 years. The most loyal pet you could have, plus he protected our ducks and chickens.