Mud Pattens
To overcome those stickier moments out wildfowling, Nick Horten devised a mud patten that should enable you to keep out of the quagmire.
Estuarine mud
Often black, glutinous and stinking, estuarine mud is the very stuff of which wildfowling is made. Home to the myriad small creatures and plants upon which the duck, geese and waders feed, it frequently seems possessed of a life of its own as it creeps insidiously about the fowler’s boots, clothing and gun.
Fortunate, in respect of his personal hygiene, is the fowler whose estuary consists of sand. More inert by nature than mud, although perhaps more damaging should it find its way into the action of his gun, sand, when it is not of the quick variety, is at least easy to walk upon.
Not so the mud. As it progresses from boot sole to calf, knee and thigh in depth, it becomes more leg and heart muscle straining. If the mud goes much beyond your thigh, you will not be going anywhere.
The practical solution
Anyone who has carried gun, cartridges, decoys and the makings of a hide more than a few hundred yards across mud little more than ankle deep will appreciate the true meaning of having to work for their birds. The obvious solution is to use mud pattens: stout wooden boards tied to the fowler’s feet to spread weight over a greater surface area.
The harbours of Portsmouth, Langstone and Chichester contain a particularly viscous brand of sediment. Many years ago those with business about the harbours perfected the design of their mud pattens. The boards are traditionally 12 inches square with rounded corners. Elm was traditional, although marine or exterior-grade plywood can give years of service.
The secret
The secret lies not so much in the board’s dimensions, but in the positioning of the foot and the precise method of fastening. Two rope loops secured under the board with a figure-of-eight or stopper knot provide the anchor points for the rope ties.
Always carry spare ties, practise before going onto the mud, and remember that pattens are an aid to easing your passage across the mud. They are not magic. Used with care and commonsense, this simple old-fashioned device can considerably broaden your fowling horizon.