Last month found me lost in a world of saltmarshes and flighting duck, and some wistful thinking about what the season ahead might bring. That is by no means uncommon during the long warm days of summer and any wildfowler worthy of the name will pine for the cold winds and shorter days of winter.
But, as ever, there is work to be done, plans to be made, and, with good fortune and forbearance, some of those plans will come to fruition over the months ahead. To some extent, you make your own luck, and two examples spring to mind.
Coastal curveballs
While carrying out some long overdue filing, my eyes fell on a letter from a farmer, dated October 2017! In it, he asked whether we were interested in some marshland and saltmarsh shooting rights he owned. Does the moon go around the earth?!
However, my mind fled back to that time, when telephone calls, emails, and even snail mail had all elicited no response. But, being a hoarder, the letter was dumped on the pile, and gradually that pile grew taller and the letter moved ever nearer to the bottom! The letter was re-read with a grimace, and a decision needed to be made whether to dump it or file it. I gazed at the faded number, picked up the phone and dialed. Much to my surprise, on the third ring, I was through!
In the ensuing discussion, which was all very cordial, it turned out the land was no longer available (scarcely a surprise after three and a half years), but my interest was noted. Being a persistent cuss, I followed up with a text later that day, saying that if the land should become available again this is the sort of figure I would be prepared to offer. The letter was filed and life moved on.
This story is from the August 2020 edition of Sporting Shooter.
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This story is from the August 2020 edition of Sporting Shooter.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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