Feeders around the shoot

[BrowningB7]

Hi all, looking for your opinions. Our shoot puts down 200 pheasants in 3 small strips of woodland. The drives are close together and not much cover crop, apart from some we put in on track verges and near the woods. We keep a few birds around, but a lot head for the boundaries (down to a river or sunning themselves on neighbouring rape fields)

On some of the hedgerows and grassland leading to these areas I propose putting some feeders out, to keep the birds from going to far and where we can dog them back. Others have said we shouldn't put feeders on the edge of our shoot because we will then pull the birds away.

Surly having something there to keep them on the edge of our shoot is better then having them wonder off completely?

Edited September 16, 2014 by BrowningB7

[ColinF]

I would put the feeders where you want the birds to be on shoot days. If you put the feeders near your boundary, they will come back to feed then go again, especially if the habitat is better next door. At this time of year there is plenty of natural food around for them, hopefully later on they will need to rely on your feeders which should draw them back to your ground.

[Bentos]

no expert on this but run a shoot on what sounds like a similar basis to yours, we used to have feeders near fields which we hoped would act as a stop, it did not they fed and carried on wandering. Changed that, we now only feed in main feed points ( four or five feeders and a drinker in sun lit areas) where we want the birds to be last year saw a decent increase in retention of birds so I am in favour of centralised feeding not scattered feeders

 

it may be a better idea to put some scare crows / flags up near the boundary edges to send them back to where you want them?

[BrowningB7]

Over the past few seasons and mild winters they have followed the hedgerows and fruit to other areas when on a wonder. I'm thinking a feeder with plenty of straw along these routes may keep them entertained. Also if they do hold where I plan to put them I will have room to add a couple of new drives, especially early on in the season. This should help push the birds back to wood and keep them free for later I would of thought?

[BrowningB7]

no expert on this but run a shoot on what sounds like a similar basis to yours, we used to have feeders near fields which we hoped would act as a stop, it did not they fed and carried on wandering. Changed that, we now only feed in main feed points ( four or five feeders and a drinker in sun lit areas) where we want the birds to be last year saw a decent increase in retention of birds so I am in favour of centralised feeding not scattered feeders

 

it may be a better idea to put some scare crows / flags up near the boundary edges to send them back to where you want them?

That's what I'm worried about. Putting out feeding stations and adding a new drive to find the birds have come to feed then ******** back off over the hedge on shoot days, taking others with them. Past seasons they have gone wondering that way anyway so I'm thinking what have we got to lose. ( all the birds instead of 50% I suppose! )

[rimfire4969]

We have always used the feed the birds where you want them idea. My main worry with feeding them on the edge of the shoot is having more birds head over that way and losing them. I would concentrate in have some very good feed areas where you want the birds, a mix of food, straw etc. get some maze or sweetcorn and chuck a few cobs about, wind fall apples, hang a few cabages up anything to keep them interested. There is so much in the hedgerows at the moment they will wonder about, so on a small shoot where numbers are very important you have to give them best that they can find and have some good luck.

[Scully]

Do you have any idea where your birds roost? In your woods or someone else's?

There are two woods just outside our boundaries, ( neither of which we shoot in ) and we discovered that a lot of our birds were leaving one of them first thing, coming to their nearest feeders, and then heading back to the wood, as there is very little cover for them, so all our feeders are towards the centre of the shoot now. There are no guarantees of course; if there is plenty of food around, wild or otherwise, the birds will wander, but if there is nothing there for them, then they are likely to return to your feeders, especially when the weather turns bad and there is little food elsewhere. A lot of our birds will roost in the tall trees across the river from our shoot ( we have lit them up with the lamp at night in the tree tops) but they always return onto our land to feed and then are in no rush to wander off as there is loads of cover for them at this point, out of the cold, rain and wind.

Nothing likes wind, and birds will wander to get out of it in search of shelter, so if your woods are cold then no amount of feed will hold them... It may be worth trying to create windbreaks with brash as cover and planting some crop as cover at various places for next season.

[Kes]

I would try early season feeding TO where you want them to be i.e. from pen to cover crop or copse, use a string of feeders along the route.- bit of straw wouldnt be a bad idea near feeders to help.

Then, later in the season, bring feeders back to main areas near the centre of the shoot, maybe early December, when food is thin on the ground to encourage them back, add some kibbled/spli maize then to add interest.

If you are getting 50% return with no adjacent shoots, you arent doing at all bad anyway !

Edited September 16, 2014 by Kes

[David BASC]

I agree with much of what's been posted:

 

Keep feeders well away from boundaries

Keep feeders where you want to flush the birds from

Birds will need a mix of cover and open areas to sum themselves to hold

Birds will pretty much follow the sun through the day, and will follow ditches, hedge lines and streams like pheasant motorways, with a bit of early morning observation (remember birds will be up with the sun!) will show you which way they are going, so start leap frogging feeders away from the pen towards the holding area(s) they are moving to.

Dogging in your boundaries as soon as the birds start leaving the pen(s) is very important, especially back from the leakage points towards the holding areas, they will soon get the message that going past the holding area is not as good / safe as staying where you want them.

Keep well on top of predators and pests in the pen and the holding areas

 

David

[BrowningB7]

Thanks for all your comments.

We get close to 50% shot each season which we are very pleased with, last year dropped to 30% I think. We just didn't get the frost to bring them back on the feeders, by January they had wondered all over the place.

Pest control is needed more. Everyone volunteers but no one shows up! Dogging in is my main aim this year as we now know where the birds wonder to.

Think I will concentrate on 1 new drive at the bottom of a hill which is well within our boundary and where they like to get out of the wind with plenty of cover.

I will leave the boundaries and focus on building better habitats/ feeding stations near the woods and on our usual drives.

Thanks again.

[rich1985]

Put the feeders where you want the birds to be, I noticed a line in your original post that I think could be the cause of your problem, you said down to the river. Do you supply a source of water around your covers and woods? Birds will walk further to find water than they ever will food. Just a thought.

[Paul223]

River tells a tail, put water out

[rimfire4969]

I bet there are a hell of a lot of shoots who would like 50% or even 30%.

[ColinF]

Putting water out is a good idea, but pheasants are attracted to, and will follow, flowing water regardless of the availability of drinking water.

We have a brook which runs within a few feet of one of our pens, and through one of our drives. I regularly have to dog birds back from further down the brook.

Edited September 17, 2014 by ColinF

[BrowningB7]

We have water in the woods and by feeders and pens. Don't have water by some feeders near cover crop, this is something we could look at. On other shoots I have been on they love rivers/ flowing water. Our woods and drives are all on the top of our land and when it blows across the open fields it BLOWS. The river down the bottom is out of the wind and the grass around it is left so it provides lots of cover. If they stay by the river sep-november come winter they usually return to the woods. If they don't stay by the river there off over neighbouring land/ allotments where we can't dog them back.

[rich1985]

All you can do mate is your best! Best of luck and just keep at them, they will calm down in time.

[lordripon]

I was always told feeders should only be placed in the pens or drives or the routes between the two , before you start the shooting season the feeders on the routes should be removed. all feeders should have drinkers with them. I use 20ltr water barrels cut in half to make two drinkers .

the other trick is to buy kids windmills, the plastic ones they sell at the sea side ? place these on both sides of your hedges / streams that your birds are wandering off down it will limit them / slow them down .you can use 1 ton builders bags for this as well, tied to a tree or hedge.

 

I have a similar problem with my birds roosting in my pens , feeding from my feeders at first light then legging it over my boundary's to spend the day in someone else's woods !!! only to return just in time to roost ! cheeky monkeys ...I solved this by getting down there before first light on shoot days with my faithful pigeon magnet complete with a tractor battery , I set this up on the leaky hedge with two white feed bags spiked on two the arms, set it into action and bingo the birds stay at home on shoot days !! I just tell one of my stop men to switch it off when we shoot that drive and collect it after we finish shooting.

[Ttfjlc]

I was always told feeders should only be placed in the pens or drives or the routes between the two , before you start the shooting season the feeders on the routes should be removed. all feeders should have drinkers with them. I use 20ltr water barrels cut in half to make two drinkers .

the other trick is to buy kids windmills, the plastic ones they sell at the sea side ? place these on both sides of your hedges / streams that your birds are wandering off down it will limit them / slow them down .you can use 1 ton builders bags for this as well, tied to a tree or hedge.

 

I have a similar problem with my birds roosting in my pens , feeding from my feeders at first light then legging it over my boundary's to spend the day in someone else's woods !!! only to return just in time to roost ! cheeky monkeys ...I solved this by getting down there before first light on shoot days with my faithful pigeon magnet complete with a tractor battery , I set this up on the leaky hedge with two white feed bags spiked on two the arms, set it into action and bingo the birds stay at home on shoot days !! I just tell one of my stop men to switch it off when we shoot that drive and collect it after we finish shooting.

 

That's a very clever idea you've had there! Birds wondering is a nightmare for a full time keeper let alone a part time one, we have a tenancy for a forestry commission wood and it's a nightmare as the track that you drive on through the wood also acts as a highway for wandering birds!