Wildfowling Ways
Alan Jarrett

Someone once described football as the beautiful game; for me wildfowling is beyond question the beautiful sport.

Surely there can be few greater beauties than the turn of a wing in the rays of a winter sun; the hint of gold from the mudflats as a watery sun nudges over the eastern horizon; the far off chimes of goose music coming down on the wind. These and many other integral parts of the coast scene fill these pages.
"Black shapes loomed out of the gloom and the dogs ran and gathered time and again. At length five wigeon and a single duck mallard lay next to me on the salting; the tide was into the creek, and with a long walk back at the end of an exhausting day it was time to leave – even though there were sufficient breaks and light patches among the cloud to be able to shoot by. Perhaps on another day I would have sat in the creek, moving back in front of the tide, and maybe gathered in another duck or two.

Back at the car there was time to sit and reflect, not merely on the day itself but on the many days before it over the last 35 years. The moon continued to nudge through to spread its wan light over the wind-torn estuary, and I knew there would be birds moving throughout the marshes and across the shore, although now they were hidden by the night.

It was indeed a beautiful sport."

Beautifully illustrated by wildfowler Ian Phipps, and written by Alan Jarrett chairman of KWCA and BASC, 'Wildfowling Ways' is available from Kent Wildfowlers at £17 + P&P.

E-mail wildfowling ways to reserve your copy.