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A big bag on peas (91): A day of two halves


ShropshireSam
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Have been watching 6 flowering peas fields this last week and shot a large field (60+ acres of peas plus 30+ of spuds) on Wed morning and Thurs evening with bags of about 30 each day (posted previously "two small bags on peas). One other field (26 acre) was starting to build some traffic and planned to shoot that one today. Heard in the pub on Friday evening that someone else was shooting the big field on that evening. Started Saturday early with a look round at 8. Decided to set up on the 26 acre as although it had less traffic it had not been shot at all. Set up by 9 in drizzle. Forecast kept changing but was due to dry up sometime in morning. Ended up with drizzle, brief dry periods and couple rain showers. Traffic was very steady but I hoped it would pick up once it was dry. Did my best shooting with 16 pigeon and 1 crow from 21 shots. Kept waiting for traffic to pick up but never did. Had a heavy shower at 2pm and packed up once dry again. Looked at a 13 acre field but ca. 25 birds on it so moved on. Looked at the 60+ acre field and ca. 200 feeding. Parked up by a small wood at bottom of field and another 100 moved out the trees. Clapped and shouted and another 100 came out. Cursed myself for sitting in another field for hours with little traffic. Decided to set up at a different tree. A large oak fairly central to the field and favoured by many pigeons when I was sat under another oak at the bottom of the field earlier in the week. The wind direction was ideal as had my back to the road which was about 100 yards from the tree.

 

By the time I had my hide set up pigeons were dropping in at the top of the field so i walked up over the brow of the hill and tried to move them off. they wouldn't shift so i put a couple of shots in the air. returned and set up with a light kit of flapper and 12 shells. Put the shells on some home-made cradles that sit on top of canes so just above the crop. Set up by four and had nice steady traffic until 8. Pigeons kept dropping in over brow of hill and I repeatedly had to walk up and move them off as they kept drawing all incoming birds. This is a corner of field I can't shoot as on a road junction and next to some houses. By the end of the day the birds would lift off after a shot and circle round to come straight back in, another shot would dissuade most, but some would still drop back in with the others joining them in a steady stream within 5 minutes.

 

Most birds that did not get drawn to the top corner decoyed well and were coming to land in the oak tree above me, the oak had a wide canopy so had to take them early. Again shot well with 75 dropped from 120 shots. Had some corking doubles. Disappointed I did not get to this field earlier as should have cleared a ton but more than happy with both halves of the day as shot well and had some great sport. Amazed the birds decoyed so well on the fourth day of the large field been shot.

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Well done,you had a good day! Easy to say afterwards, but would a couple of flags helped at the top of the field. A couple of carrier bags in the bottom of your kit weigh nothing, and a bit of hazel or elder from the hedge might have saved your legs.Wish my average was as good as yours!

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Well done,you had a good day! Easy to say afterwards, but would a couple of flags helped at the top of the field. A couple of carrier bags in the bottom of your kit weigh nothing, and a bit of hazel or elder from the hedge might have saved your legs.Wish my average was as good as yours!

 

Yes flags may have helped...I should add some bags to my kit as you say... adds no weight. I suspect it would have just moved them a bit further out of the corner...as I said a big field. My plan for the next session if numbers build again is to take a guest who can sit in the hide and I'll keep the pigeons out the corner and do some shooting from the tramlines to intercept those that head for the corner.

My average is nowhere near as good as I hit on Saturday. I'm about 1:2 on decoys this year. I have been shooting skeet regularly recently whilst waiting for some pigeon activity and I think this has improved my shooting.

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Nice report , many thanks, I have a similar situation here in Norfolk, 40 acres of peas in flower against a wood full of large oaks , last couple of outings I have set up under the edge of the tree canopy and had good numbers coming around to look, but staying out of range, tried flappers and a magnet with full bodied decoys above the peas but they are very nervous about committing, getting regular chances but not great numbers, but still doing my job by keeping them off the peas, most I have seen at one time would only be about 30, but that seems average around the east of Norfolk , at least until the harvest starts. :good::good:

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