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SHOOTING TIMES Taw's jewel in the Crown Tony Jackson admires the way in which Taw & Torridge WC serves it's members and the local community If the Taw & Torridge Wildfowling club had a motto, it might well be: "Tiny but perfect in every detail". Based almost entirely on the Taw estuary, which snakes its way inland to Barnstaple in north-west Devon, and a small area of the River Torridge, this is a disciplined well structured 'fowling club, which makes maximum use of the Crown foreshore it leases. There is a ceiling on membership of 100, and ,though numbers currently stand at 87, only about 40 per cent of the members actually use the marsh for shooting, the remainder wishing to exert the right to shoot on the foreshore and support the club. As a result of moves by the RSPB and the Devon Birdwatching & Preservation Society to turn the entire estuary into a bird sanctuary, the club was formed in 1975. A small group of shooting enthusiasts decided that the only way forward was to create a wildfowling club, in order to unite local 'fowlers by providing them with a base for negotiation, political representation and a means of voicing views on local issues. That was some 26 years ago and, today, two of the original founder members, Malcolm Joy and Roger Heywood, sit on the committee. A year later, the Taw & Torridge WC was affiliated to WAGBI (now BASC), and they were advised to negotiate for the Crown lease, in order to secure the future of shooting on this lovely little estuary. It proved to be a tedious and drawn out business, but, in the autumn of 1996, after 11 years of negotiation with the RSPB, English Nature, the MOD, and town and parish councils, the Crown foreshore lease was finally signed, and the club was placed on a secure footing Today, the club has a good working relationship with both the RSPB and the Devon Birdwatching & preservation Society. This is a very popular area for birdwatching, and "twitchers" are drawn by regular sightings of Spoonbills, Avocets, a resident population of around 77 Egrets, the occasional Peregrine and the large numbers of waders, which are attracted by the saltmarshes, sandbanks and mudflats, and whose numbers can reach more than 20,000. Regular bird counts are held throughout the year, and the RSPB have a bird reserve at Isley Marsh on the south side of the estuary. The majority of duck on the estuary tend to be Wigeon, with some Teal later on in the season, Mallard in some areas, and a sprinkling of Pintail, Goldeneye and Gadwall. Numbers vary, of course, according to the weather, but it is fair to say that if large bags are anticipated, the Taw estuary is at the lower end of the bag league. In fact, members are reminded that the chances of shooting duck occur on an average of two visits out of five, while a brace should be regarded as a bonus! However Canada geese more than make up for a modest duck return. At the beginning of the season there is usually an influx of about 1,000 geese, birds which tend to stay a few days and then dissipate as the season progresses, until around 300 remain as residents. The club secretary is Matt Bluge. Dedicated and efficient, he told me that great emphasis is placed on duck returns from members, in order to ensure that birds are being harvested in sustainable numbers in relation to duck counts. Each season, approximately 300 fowl are shot by members, of which about 30 are Canada geese and, according to RSPB figures, this is about 10 per cent of the population of fowl using the estuary. This is a club which shoots over a relatively small estuary and which, by virtue of its condensed size, is well aware of the emphasis which must be placed on cultivating good relations with the public, the Police, and those organizations which, if they chose, could create ill-will and strife. Wardening of the marshes is undertaken by all of the club members, under Brian Stimpson, the club liaison officer, though it is emphasized that, in the possible event of a violent confrontation, wardens should back-off and call for Police assistance. Police liaison is excellent, with co-operation at two levels. A serving policeman has a place on the club committee and is available to offer a broad range of advice, including information on applications for shotgun or firearm certificates. The committee is also in touch with the 36 wildlife liaison officers who serve the South West. At another level, the club is also represented on the Estuary Forum, which was formed in 1980 from representatives of a wide variety of estuary-based interests, including Salmon netsmen, parish councils, leisure activities, English Nature, The RSPB, North Devon Bird Watchers and the Environment Agency. Internal conflicts of interest can, hopefully, be solved across a table, and so it is vital that the clubs able to represent and protect its interests. The Taw & Torridge WC is highly organized and well aware of its duty to conservation, of maintaining good relations with the public and the welfare and safety of its shooting members. Each new member must be proposed by two established club members and undergoes an induction procedure. This ensures that they are mindful of all that wildfowling entails, in terms of equipment and clothing, safety on the marsh, aspects of conservation, bird recognition, wardening , shooting and reserve areas and other club activities, which include an annual open clay shoot, estuary clean-up operations and participation in sporting quizzes. These details are set out in an information pack, which also provides a club history, maps, rules, details of how to use a compass on the marsh, cold weather shooting restrictions, the Beaufort windscale, the wildfowlers code, plus four pages of wildfowl and birds likely to be encountered on the foreshore, reinforced by details of the Wildlife and Countryside Act1981, which include birds which may be shot. Safety on the Taw estuary is emphasized in this pack, sadly a member of the club was cut off and drowned in 1988. Though he was experienced, it is believed that he failed to appreciate that, on this occasion, a rising tide with a strong wind behind it, together with fresh floodwater coming down the river, would result in an exceptionally high tide. Members are advised never to enter the marsh without a companion or letting someone know where they intend to go and the time they should be back. In essence, the estuary has abase of loose sand, which tends to shift from year to year, and there are, in addition, areas of extremely tenacious and dangerous mud. Public relations play an important role in the club's structure. Martin Burge, chairman of the club, explained that last year, for the first time, the club organized a Country Pursuits area at The North Devon Show, which gave members the opportunity to explain to the public, in conjunction with other West Country 'fowling clubs, BASC, the NGO and the CA, exactly how a conservation-minded club operates. As this venture was so successful, the club hopes to repeat the experience in 2002 - and would have done so this year had the show not been cancelled due to foot and mouth. The Taw & Torridge WC is the very model of a modern wildfowling club. This friendly and welcoming North Devon club deserves support from every section of the local community which it seeks to serve so well. It has, I believe a robust, well founded future.
New members are very welcome. The membership fee is currently £73 per year with a £10 joining fee. Members are invited to a total of four guests in any one season. For further information contact
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