Fish and Game

What exactly counts as wildfowling?
Is it any pursuit of wild ducks and geese, or does it only become wildfowling once you are cold, wet, deep in estuary mud and questioning your life choices?

Jake Woolf, Avian Sandercock and Sam Turner attempt to get to the bottom of one of Britain’s oldest and most demanding forms of shooting.

They look at the traditional world of foreshore wildfowling: early starts, evening flights, shifting tides, slippery mud, quarry identification and the importance of joining a club whose members know how to get safely onto and off the marsh.

The conversation also covers the dogs, guns, cartridges, calls, decoys and clothing involved; why a synthetic semi-automatic may be more useful than Grandfather’s best gun; and whether a muddy Labrador is easier to clean than a spaniel.

There is also a look back at the formidable punt guns once used by commercial wildfowlers, before attention turns to the most important question of all: what should you do with a duck or goose once you have brought it home?

Plus duck cooked over coals, smoked goose, wildfowl burgers, questionable jerky experiments, Teflon Labradors, baritone chickadees and the familiar suggestion that a badly cooked Canada goose may be less appetising than the brick beneath it.

In this episode:
What wildfowling is — and whether mud is an essential part of the definition
Why traditional wildfowling is closely associated with marshes, estuaries and the foreshore
How clubs manage access, sporting rights, mentoring and local safety
The importance of understanding tides and learning an unfamiliar marsh from experienced members
Recognising legal quarry before taking a shot
Why Labradors are so closely associated with wildfowling
Calls, decoys and attracting ducks and geese
Why electronic bird calls cannot be used
Choosing a robust shotgun and suitable non-lead ammunition
Why an inexpensive synthetic semi-automatic may be a practical choice
The history and extraordinary scale of punt guns
Clothing, communications and emergency planning on the foreshore
Why newcomers should not venture onto unfamiliar tidal ground alone
Keeping both wildfowler and dog warm in difficult conditions
Cooking duck and goose over fire, in a wok, as burgers, smoked or made into charcuterie
Why Avian may finally have talked himself into trying wildfowling
BASC introduction to wildfowling
BASC wildfowling permits, handbook and code of practice
BASC guide to quarry species and open seasons
UK Government guidance on hunting and shooting wildlife
The Crown Estate — wildfowling and foreshore sporting rights
Please note: Wildfowling law, quarry lists and local restrictions can change. Always check current government guidance and the rules of the club or land over which you are shooting.

Part of the SideCountry Network.

DISCLAIMER
Views are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.

What connects baking sourdough, climbing mountains, keeping chickens, deer stalking, forestry, fishing, farming and knowing how to sharpen a chainsaw?

In this episode - broqadcast across every show on the SideCountry Network - Richard Prideaux and George Browne attempt to explain what SideCountry actually is, why it was built, and where the network is heading.

They start with George’s idea of the “sourdough pipeline”: the idea that apparently unrelated countryside interests are often connected by the same desire to learn, make, understand and do things for yourself.

From there, they look at how SideCountry brings those worlds together - not as one enormous general-interest podcast, but as a network of shows, articles, films and resources covering different parts of life in the British countryside.

They also explain why SideCountry aims to occupy some of the ground between the usual rural tribes and echo chambers; bringing farmers, foresters, anglers, shooters, walkers, conservationists, climbers and others into the same wider conversation without insisting that every subject needs a simple good-versus-bad answer.

Richard and George discuss plans to establish SideCountry as a Community Interest Company, how the project will be funded, why commercial income will be reinvested into the network, and the importance of maintaining editorial independence.

There is also a look at what’s already here - SideCountry, Countryslide and Fish and Game - and some of what is coming next, including Wild Food People, a forestry show, How the Countryside Works and Land Girls, alongside articles, gear guides, practical resources and films.

Plus drive-by agronomy, aggressive protein acquisition, Kevlar kilts, Heath Robinson smokers, professional explaining and the continuing possibility of a company yacht.

This episode is being published across the SideCountry podcast feeds as an introduction to the wider network.Find out more, sign up for the newsletter or get involved at sidecountry.co.uk.

CreditsPresented by George Browne and Richard Prideaux

Produced and edited for SideCountry by Amy Green.

DISCLAIMER
Views are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.

What are you actually supposed to wear for a day in the field?

Jake Woolf, Avian Sandercock and Sam Turner work their way through the strange mixture of tradition, practicality and unwritten rules that governs sporting clothing.

They start with driven shooting: tweed caps, ties, cravats, breeks, plus fours, shooting coats, estate tweeds and the question of whether matching tweed is smart or simply too much.

From there they move onto fly fishing, where technical clothing, waders, polarised glasses and enormous pockets full of flies take over, before looking at stalking, camouflage and wildfowling.

Along the way they ask whether function should come before fashion, why so many countryside traditions survive long after their original purpose has disappeared, and whether worrying about the “right” clothes risks putting newcomers off altogether.

Plus inappropriate fishing shorts, the Chelsea life jacket, technical tweed, self-propelled Barbour jackets and why wildfowling in tweed is probably something you only try once.

In this episode:
Why clothing and presentation still matter on a driven shooting day
Whether function should come before fashion in the field
Tweed caps, ties, cravats, breeks, plus fours and shooting coats
Why traditional shooting clothing developed the way it did
Estate tweeds, keeper uniforms and camouflage
Why clothing should not become a barrier for newcomers to shooting
What to wear for river and salmon fly fishing
Waders, fishing vests, fly boxes and polarised sunglasses
The idea of “matching the hatch” when choosing flies
Technical fabrics versus traditional outdoor clothing
Modern shooting clothing and the rise of technical tweed
Why women’s shooting clothing is finally becoming more practical
Clothing for lowland and hill deer stalking
Camouflage, concealment and breaking up the human outline
What to wear for wildfowling on the foreshore
The importance of staying warm, dry, windproof and able to move
Matching the Hatch by Pat O’Reilly — the fly-fishing guide mentioned by Avian
Frederic M. Halford — influential writer and pioneer of modern dry-fly fishing
River Test fishing — the Hampshire chalk stream discussed in the episode
Barbour — traditional waxed outdoor clothing
Dubarry of Ireland — country boots and outdoor clothing
GORE-TEX — waterproof and breathable technical fabrics
Part of the SideCountry Network.

DISCLAIMER
Views are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.

What actually happens when you book a fishing charter — and how much do you need to know before stepping aboard?

This week, Jake, Avian and Sam head to sea. Or, more accurately, Jake heads to Suffolk Yacht Harbour to meet charter skipper Garry Wicks, while Avian and Sam contribute varying degrees of useful knowledge from dry land.
Garry has spent a lifetime around boats and fishing the waters off the Suffolk coast. From his boat Dawn Raider, he explains what a charter skipper actually does, why local knowledge can matter more than a fish finder, what complete beginners should expect, and how tides, wrecks and changing fish populations shape a day at sea.

They also get into bass, spurdog, conger eels, smoothhounds and tuna; why fishing further offshore doesn't necessarily mean catching more fish; the realities of seasickness; what you should bring on your first charter; and why the skipper knowing a particular patch of sea is a large part of what you're paying for.

Back in the studio, Avian recalls catching a 50lb conger eel off Cornwall, Sam reveals his surprisingly successful history as a mackerel fisherman, and Jake attempts to divide marine life into the scientifically rigorous categories of bitey fish and sucky fish.

And then there are the important maritime questions: should you tip the skipper, why should you never take a banana on a fishing boat, and exactly what has the rabbit done wrong?

Featuring Jake Woolf, Avian Sandercock and Sam Turner, with special guest Garry Wicks of Dawn Raider Charters.

Produced by George Browne and edited by Avian Sandercock

Part of the SideCountry network.

Garry Wicks operates Dawn Raider from Levington Marina at Suffolk Yacht Harbour, offering river and inshore fishing trips from the Felixstowe area.

Dawn Raider Charters

Fish and Game Podcast

Fish and Game on Instagram

SideCountry Website

DISCLAIMER
Views are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.

The season begins with British bluefin tuna, breeding woodcock in Cornwall and three very different shooting calendars. In the first full episode of Fish & Game, Avian Sandercock, Sam Turner and Jake Woolf set out their plans – and rather smaller personal ambitions – for the months ahead.

Sam wants to tackle Atlantic bluefin tuna off the South West coast, prompting a look at the boats, tackle and controlled fishery behind one of Britain’s most remarkable sporting recoveries. Jake is preparing for the opening of the partridge season at Warter Priory and a walked-up gundog training day, while Avian hopes to investigate reports of woodcock breeding close to his Cornish farm shoot.

There is also the proper place of elevenses in a shoot day, fried partridge and pheasant, forgotten wellies, a prospective 20-bore over-and-under, barefoot boots, beginner fly rods and the hosts’ continuing move towards non-lead ammunition. It is an opening look at the fishing, shooting, dogs, food and field adventures Fish & Game will follow through the season – with several promising rabbit holes already waiting.

In this episode

– Atlantic bluefin tuna fishing in British waters
– The tackle, boats and teamwork involved in targeting tuna
– Early-season shooting plans and Warter Priory
– Looking for breeding woodcock in Cornwall
– Why elevenses matters to the rhythm of a shoot day
– Fried game, venison and improving shoot-day food
– A 20-bore over-and-under and a first fly-fishing outfit
– Experiences with non-lead game cartridges

Links

Bluefin tuna fisheries in 2026 — Marine Management Organisation

Breeding Woodcock Survey — Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust

Woodcock species information — British Trust for Ornithology

Warter Priory Estate

Bioammo Blue 12-bore cartridges — Just Cartridges

River Lynher

Presented by Avian Sandercock, Sam Turner and Jake Woolf.
Edited by Avian Sandercock.

Produced for SideCountry by Richard Prideaux.

DISCLAIMER
Views are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.