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We're in the South-West of England, several feet under sea level on fields that are no
more than a thin skin of peat that floats on the marsh.
Jump up and down in one corner of a field here and a wildfowler in another feels it.
This can only be described as a somewhat humbling experience for me.
Although it's great fun.
There are a lot of birds coming in.
They are coming in thick and fast out of the gloom, really low and they are breaking early.
There's this huge wind coming from behind us so I am having to double, triple, quadruple
the lead on some of these birds just to get close to them.
When you do connect with a bird it's like the first bird, the best bird you have ever
shot.
But at the moment, if you look at the cartridges strewn around the floor, I am not as successful
as I had hoped to be.
But there is still plenty of time.
There's still plenty of time in the day as you can see.
They are on you before you can even see them, so I can see why guys spend all of their winter
days, every day after Christmas out here on these marshes.
But, it's exciting fun.
And these boys sure are dedicated.
When I packed to come here, I expected to need waders and a handful of cartridges.
We start the day in wellies and with our backs to an RSPB reserve.
Under the watchful eyes of the early-bird birdwatchers, we enjoy some of the best duckshooting
I have come across.
Pack after pack of teal, widgeon, mallard, and one spectacular pintail come spinning
in across the Somerset Moors, pushed by gale-to-storm-force wind.
The morning is a real test for my kit.
When it comes to wildfowling, it is absolutely essential you stay warm, dry and comfortable
throughout the day.
Now, this is January so it is pretty cold.
It is not as cold as it has been in previous years - in fact the whole year has been reasonably
mild - but still, when you are out there at 5.30 in the morning and it is raining sideways,
you want to be warm and dry.
Now, I have started wearing for wildfowling at this time of year my Rivers West Eider
jacket and original bib.
This is Rivers West's heaviest weight H2P fabric.
It's completely waterproof and it's very comfortable.
In addition to that, it's in Realtree Max 4 which is the world's finest waterfowling
pattern, and it is also the same jacket I use for pigeon shooting.
So the star performer today is this Armsan A612 semi-automatic shotgun.
Now, I only received this last week from Viking Arms who have brought them into the UK.
This is a Turkish-built shotgun.
And I have been incredibly impressed with it, as soon as I opened the box.
The build quality is outstanding, the finish is superb and, given the fact it is a budget
shotgun, it is only GBP550 it retails for, it is also packed full of really cool features.
26 inch barrel, multi chokes, 3 inch magnum chambered and, as you can see, fantastic chequering,
it's an incredible all-round shotgun and I am looking forward to taking it on my next
pigeon shooting outing, too.
The kit helped me help myself to the duck.
However, while the duck poured in, the snipe were hard to find.
And, once found, they were even harder to get a shot at.
Added to that, bridges were down.
We've come to have a look at these drainage ditches here but unfortunately the culvert
- the bridge - has been taken out.
There is some fairly deep water there.
Although I think I am athletic enough to leap over, I don't think my hosts are, so we are
going to head on and find somewhere else that is a little bit more easy going.
Stuart is a larger-than-life character: warm, friendly and absolutely passionate about wildfowling.
I first met him at the Midland Game Fair.
Like all wildfowling club chairmen, he has to deal with knotty issues.
His knottiest is nuclear.
Clearly you're a passionate wilfowler, but you also put an awful lot of effort into the
club.
Just how much effort goes into bringing this kind of shooting together and what happens
behind the scenes?
Because I don't think people really appreciate what it takes to make all this happen.
No, the hours that I spend, and if you speak to the wife she will no doubt elaborate on
that in more depth.
But just lately it seems like this is the only piece of real estate in the whole country.
I've explained to you that we have got the big new first-generation PWR to be built.
Just round the corner by our land there are two lots of 'managed retreats' which, if they
come into existence, and it looks like they will be, they will be the biggest managed
retreats in the country, and I am sorry about how you feel but we want to put some windmills
up?
Stop the shooting.
We want a solar farm?
Stop the shooting.
We want a managed retreat with European money that we pay?
Stop the shooting.
So, we have got to be there pushing and holding the rights, the traditional rights and the
traditional pursuits of people that wildfowl.
The real excitement is reserved for the last call of the day.
We walk up the drainage ditches, known locally as 'rhynes' looking for springing teal.
Most people know about springing teal from clay pigeon shooting.
But this teal is the real deal.
That to me is some of the exciting sport.
And I have used the term ditches.
We use the term rhynes here.
It's a common name for them.
And you saw that we walked right up to the ditch, thought - just about to drop our guns
- thought there is nothing there.
And you get twenty teal come up and you snap shoot and, well, you had a right and left.
It was extremely exciting, yeah.
It is so much fun and excitement but it is not a sure thing.
And you can tell from the shooting.
Bridgwater Bay wildfowlers are welcoming, ordinary blokes who love their sport.
This is not just a weekend jaunt.
To these people, it's a way of life.
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