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Seasons.


columbus
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When i was a little lad all those years ago my first experiances of shooting, fishing,etc came from going with my father.So when it came time for me to make my own way in the sporting world,it was obvious that my fathers sporting values would be mine. We lived in a small mining village in the welsh valleys, where game! was at a priemium if you went out and had a pigeon and a rabbit on the same day ,you'd had a red letter day.Not much to attract pigeon on coal tips.In the second week of feb we always stopped shooting, was told by dad that pigeon and rabbits were starting to breed and that if we wanted some for next year we had to let them breed. Now that stuck a chord in my mind and even though things have changed and i'm living in a different district now i cant seem to get those fudimental ethics out of my mind. I see nothing wrong with shooting pigeon all year round (they are a pest after all)but silly me i still follow those seasons imprinted in my mind. Even though i know they do not apply in this day and age.And that is why ive put the gun away untill mid august when the pigeons start again for me. Does anyone else follow the seasons like that .

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I don't tend to follow seasons as such regarding pigeon shooting.  I do however leave pigeons alone if its a very hot summers day, this is due to the fact that Its very difficult to prevent what you have shot becomming fly blown before you leave the field.  Its also uncomfortable shooting when its very hot.  

If the farmer asks me to have a do then I obviously will, but if its not really necessary then I'll leave it for a cooler day.

I'm affraid I wont have seasons with wood pigeons. As you said they are a pest and if the farmers good enough to let me shoot game or pigeons on his land then when he needs my assistance then I'll be there.

I have recently had this subject out with a mate who will gladly shoot pigeons on a stubble in the winter months when the pigeons are doing no harm, but when the farmer wants them shot in the spring/summer he's nowhere to be seen.  I have actually considered kicking him off the shoot for this reason. I feel his argument is fuelled by the fact that he has racing pigeons and doesn't have time in the spring/summer to shoot wood pigeons yet uses the nesting and young bird excuse not to show up.

What do other pigeon shooters feel about someone with that mentality.

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This is a bit of a moral dilemna and I have a terribly mixed approach to it.

I will shoot pigeons 12 months of the year, but I travel and fish quite a bit, during late Spring, early Summer and therefore miss some of the nesting period.

When I didn,t travel so much, I usually found something else to do at the weekends, during this time.

 

Hard to explain ,really.

 

supergame, normally, its hard to get some pigeon shooters out on cold, wet Winter days.

However, the same chaps are very quick to shoot pleasanter Spring drillings and Summer wheat.

This being the common case, I assumed there was something wrong with your mate.

I then noticed he kept racing pigeons.

'Nuff said. :X  :sick:

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I'm very fortunate that the land I shoot over has pigeon fodder all year round.  There are peas, beans, rape, wheat, oats, barley and fields sewn with clover - used to increase certain nutrients in winter silage.

 

The only time the pigeons get a rest is certain times of the pheasant season, when a couple of the local keepers limit us to roost shoots on Saturday afternoons.

 

The farmers expect us to appear fairly regularly and be available if 'needed' at any time.  There are around 5 of us that shoot together, so normally one of us can help out. Working shifts allows me time to shoot in the week which tends to be better for some reason  :o  Sometimes its nice to ing the farmer to say I've been out all day and shot nothing!  Makes him feel we are keeping on top of the problem - which we obviously aren't!

 

I also shoot and ferret for rabbits on a couple of fruit farms - apples and pears.  The guy that owns them wants the rabbits eradicated not controlled  :*) Again, we shoot all year round ther but are selective in what we kill.  We have an agreement with the farmer to only take fully grown rabbits which, although he'd rather we shot everything, he is willing to accept.  Ferreting has its own 'season' really.  Pointless going out to dig all day - might as well go up the allotment  :*)  :sick:

 

Supergame, have you considered having a few 'rules of the club' for your shooting group?  Perhaps a little clarity of what is expected is needed.  I'm fortunate that the people I shoot with are my dad and 3 other lifelong family friends - the people that we call 'uncle' but aren't, and if I step out of line they'd just whack me round the head!  :sick:

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