History

From earliest times, the Dee estuary was a major trading and military route, to and from Chester. From about the fourteenth century, Chester provided facilities for trade with Ireland, Spain, and Germany. As the Dee started to silt up, harbouring facilities developed on the Wirral bank at Burton, Shotwick, Neston, Parkgate, Dawpool and Hoylake. The estuary provided subsistence to local communities in terms of farming, fisheries and of course wildfowling. Many of the Deeside communities today continue to have a tangible association with the Dee.

Wildfowling has taken place on the Dee for more than two centuries, for the last 60 years or so as a sport that can put quality organic meat on the table but before that, it was a semi-professional way of life when everything shot not needed for subsistence living was sold. Prior to the Second World War, punt gunning was the way to obtain sufficient fowl to supply to market and the birds would be sent by railway to the big conurbations of the Midlands or even as far as London.

Prior to the War, the area of salt marsh had been limited and the extensive areas of sand and mud, intersected by large gutters, had allowed punt gunning to be unrestricted.  After the War salt marsh accretion accelerated and the opportunity for punt gunning became more limited resulting in an increase in the numbers of shoulder gunners. Wildfowling was a cheap way for people to go shooting and there was great interest in joining the club after it was formed in 1952.

Documents recording the founding of the club, in 1952, have recently been transcribed and can be seen by following this link:The Founding of the Club

By the end of the 1950s the club had more than 1,000 members but over the following decades, as the estuary changed and people had more disposable income, the number of people wanting to go wildfowling has decreased. We now have a limit of 120 full and probationary members with no limit on the numbers of juniors, seniors or students.

Wildfowling on the Dee at the beginning of the 20th century.

Wildfowling on the Dee at the beginning of the 20th century, waiting for flight.

Wildfowling on the Dee at the beginning of the 21st century.

Wildfowling on the Dee at the beginning of the 21st century.

Wildfowling on the Dee at the beginning of the 21st century.

Wildfowling on the Dee at the beginning of the 21st century.

For more information about wildfowling around the turn of the 20th century, the club recorded interviews with Harold Gill before he died in 1961 and produced the following book.

*Harold Gill, Dee Wildfowler 1883 - 1961 77 pp maps and photographs -
available from the Club Secretary (Contact Page) £6.00 inc. Postage.

This is the last box of the first edition books published 25 years ago - a collectors item!

MAKING A HISTORIC DEE WIGEON WHISTLE - by Hwfa Jones.

If you listen carefully in the winter on the Banks of the Dee Marshes you may hear a Wigeon whistling. Wildfowlers have made whistles to immitate the Birds for generations. I was presented with one of these by an ancient Wildfowler the first time I went out on the Dee and was intrigued. I wondered who first made the whistle? Some bored wildfowler messing with empty cases? - We’ll probably never know, but it appeals to me as a good example of the survival in a time where the first port of call wasn't the shop. Certainly the old Dee Wildfowlers all made them but all the ones I’ve seen are pretty crude, and made to fit together by crimping with pliers, and gluing with epoxy resin.

Interestingly, they do sell whistles in the gun shops, they are a little larger in diameter and shaped like a Discus, with the same sort of holes. I belive there are other shapes as well.

These really work; as a newcomer to the Estuary I can't say I've ever made a particularly sucessful Mallard Call, but even I can turn a flock of Wigeon with a few whistles from this.

You can make your own, as they work just as well when made with simple tools and used 12 bore cases. Keep the skills alive and preserve the history of the marshes.

As stated above, remember to make your whistle out of used cases. Do not under any circumstances attempt to disassemble live cartridges. The dimensions are 12 bore X 16/32 of one inch depth. You just need to work out how to flange one case over the other with all due attention to health and safety rules (details below). Power tools are not required. Please let me know if you have any details on the history of this artefact; I’d like to think they were first made on the Dee, but someone may know better. I really do wonder, who made the first example?

Note: One wildfowler mentioned that wildfowlers also used the whistle from the domestic kettle. This seemed to work quite well, but sometimes left a black ring of soot around the mouth, which was probably amusing to everyone who saw it!

Blowing the Whistle

Blow the whistle to imitate the call of the wigeon; "Wheeeoooo" is about the best explanation I can give. The sound may well be louder when blown one way than the other.

Please note that the whistle is made from genuine cartridges, and as such the case is brass plated, not solid brass. It will wear and deteriorate with time if conitnually allowed to get wet, especially with salt water. The two cartridge bases interlock as an interference fit, however they can be glued together permanently with amount of non toxic adhesive spread on the circumference of the smaller cartridge base. For my own I use epoxy resin.

MAKING THE WHISTLE

1. Take two used brass 12 bore cartridge (brass depth approx.12mm and 7mm)
2. With protective gloves hold the plastic and heat the brass end of the cartridge in the flame until the plastic can be pulled from the base (takes a little practice)
3. Knock out the spent primers with a punch (Put the case rim upwards over an orifice – nut etc.)
4. Widen the mouth of the deeper brass base by tapping in a tapered cylinder (I use an old socket that has been ground to size) This makes a nice neat flange into which the smaller base can be inserted (tapped in with a small hammer) to make the whistle
   Notes: the small flaps of metal which support the primer need to be flattened back to leave a reasonably clear primer hole – not absolutely necessary but makes a better whistle if so done
   The two cases will usually stay together due to friction – epoxy resin can be used to make the fit permanent
   Finished width of the whistle is about 13mm
5. Finally tie a loop in a piece of string (aprox 19mm diameter) and force it over the whistle rim to make a tight fitting lanyard...

Dee art 1966

A nice water colour 21 x15 inches on board shows a painting of the Gayton gutter looking to Wales in the background with duck flighting in on what most likely depicts morning flight. Written in pencil on the back "Frozen Gutter, Dee Marshes, Gayton, January 1966" The use of the term "Gutter" indicates possible familiarity with local terminology. Any idea who the artist is/was? The signature is difficult to read, but looks like "G L Gannay" or "G L Granby" all insights welcome.

Gayton gutter January 1966