Irish Extra October 2023
And just like that the season is upon us. Even if you don’t make an appearance on the 1ST it is pleasant knowing that its back to the winter routine which I found myself almost unknowingly slipping back into the last couple of weeks. I didn’t bother going out on the 1st day or even first week, save for taking a scout round some Deer permissions where his year I have added a couple of trail cameras on my Deer permission which should assist things a little more. I used them during the summer on the wading bird areas and found them invaluable. Even around home I quickly found out I had a visiting fox I knew nothing about until he started to get a taste for the chickens as I wrote last month. Thankfully we have had no further problems after he was removed. Looking back over my old articles from this time of year is interesting – Usually we don’t have any large influx of ducks until October but it appears the further I looked back in both articles and my own records the ducks appeared a little earlier. I have many mentions of September Teal, ten or twelve years ago, however the last 5 or 6 it seems to be October. This could be that the birds arrive later or that the Long Netter was out and about a little more when he was younger which is more likely the case.
I have been busy with my new arrival from Germany “Niobe” and she has begun the early part of her training with the place board, something I find it fantastic for Teckels and encourage anyone with a young pup to do the same. The place board has long been associated with Gun Dogs however it could apply to any breed. There is often the misinformation that Teckels are untrainable and have a sort of care less nature, doing as they please and paying little heed to anyone – These types are simply untrained, a few minutes each day with a place board gives a lifetime of pleasant ownership for any new owner.
The importance of Gun Clubs in Ireland
Ireland has in every town and Parish, a Gun club. These clubs fall under the Regional Game councils which fall under the National Association of Regional Game Councils. By my own admission, I often could never see the point of such clubs and for many years never really understood the need. However as time goes on and things change I can see the absolute requirement for such clubs and structure. Country sports is the back bone of the countryside – Such clubs are important at the grass roots level and are important locally in many ways not least public engagement – The very fact that a club engages with the local community and is in a position to make them aware of what they do to reduce vermin and improve wildlife as whole it makes a massive difference. Attending events, engaging with the public and getting the message across face to face in a neutral setting is so important and makes and will continue to make a huge difference for country sports. Its all to easy to stay in the background, do what you do and avoid things that are not comfortable but in the long run, that will only work against us.
Annual Rut Walk
October 14th is this years date for the Annual “Rut Walk” hosted by the Wild Deer Association of Ireland. The walk will meet at Deenagh Lodge inside Killarney National Park and begin with an introduction from some of the NPWS rangers who will discuss Deer and related matters followed by a Q & A session. The walk will then take place, during this time you will have the opportunity to hear, see and photograph Deer. This annually event is family orientated and the cost is free. I attended the walk a few years ago and would highly recommend it, a fantastic opportunity to get a little closer to some fantastic animals in a magnificent setting.
Irish Shots
Congratulations to the Irish Senior FITASC Sporting team who won the Home International yesterday at Dungannon CTC. What a fantastic achievement.
Also congratulations to our Ladies team and Junior Team both of whom came home with the silver medals
Congratulations to Susan McCann who ended the season on the Moy River with this fine Salmon.
Congratulations “Peggy” who tracked a rather large stag with her owner David G last week after a call out from a stalker – Peggy is a daughter of my bitch Cider and has been doing very well with David.
The Irish Hunting Podcast
I must admit to being a bit of a Podcast enthusiast! I drive a lot of miles sometimes and find a good podcast or twoa lot more enjoyable at times than music. This year I bumped across the Irish Hunting Podcast and have been enjoying it, as well as the podcast, the hosts are pretty busy on social media getting up to all sorts of projects and reviews. Their new IHP hoody is also claimed to improve accuracy by 20% so I shall be expecting one in the post!
Moy River increase
We all know that wild Salmon are in decline, so I was interested in a report I received this week on an increase in numbers, as well as a photo from my old pal Susan McCann who ended the season with a fine fish. The Moy is a river I know well, as my father spends significant (some might say too much) time their and has done since I can remember. Last week saw a bit of an upswing in catch numbers in the Moy catchment again, even though conditions were a bit of a mixed bag with low water followed by a big flood. Water levels at Ballylahan read 0.36m on Monday, rose to 1.78m on Wednesday and tapered off to 0.73m on Sunday. Ian Guegan from Foxford had two red letter days on East Mayo waters, catching and releasing 3 salmon on Monday and 4 salmon on Tuesday, all on the fly. The best fish was a 12lber. In total 165 salmon have been reported caught for the week, including one reported caught on Lough Conn.
Ballina Salmon Anglers reported 15 salmon mainly caught on the fly and the prawn.
Mount Falcon recorded 3 fish, 1 of which was released. The best fish weighed 6lbs.
Knockmore Salmon Anglers reported 14 salmon for the week, 8 of which were released.
Attymass Angling Club recorded 4 fish for the week caught on the prawn.
Coolcronan Fishery reported 3 salmon caught.
Byrne’s Fishery recorded 6 salmon for the week.
Gannon’s Fishery reported 15 salmon caught, 3 of which were released.
The Foxford Fishery recorded 17 fish, 14 of which were released. Successful methods were bubble and fly and the prawn.
Foxford Salmon Anglers reported 42 salmon for the week, of which 23 were caught at Rinnaney and 19 at Baker’s.
Local reports suggest that 6 salmon have been caught at the Foxford Rocks Fishery.
Cloongee Fishery recorded 4 salmon, two of which were released. Two fish were caught on the worm and two on the spinner. All fish were in the 5-6lbs range.
East Mayo Anglers reported 35 salmon for the week, of which 24 were released. Five of those fish were double figure salmon between 10lbs and 15lbs. The most successful method proved to be spinning.
Until Next Time….