pete1dart

They seems more interested in beech and old stubble around here at the moment

I was kindly invited by the farmer on Thursday to a walk around day on the pheasants and partridge. I while waiting for the other guns to arrive I was watching one of his rape fields. Around 30 birds on it, but two fields of spring barley stubble were blue with pigeons. The problem being they were the farm next doors. father also had an invite and we both hatched a plan to intercept them today. He sat in a clump of trees that in the past has produced some very good days, I while watching, decided to sit on a flight line which was crossing one of our rape fields. this field has woods on two sides which we normally roost shoot in, but at the moment with so many leaves on the trees it is impossible to see them. I decided to set up where I saw a lot of birds passing this morning, about three quarters along the side of a hedge row. A magnet and around 15 decoys were placed on the rape and while setting up the hide 2 pigeons came straight in. With gun still in bag they went out again unscathed. But things were looking good. after around an hour I’d not had much shooting as the birds had changed flight lines. One was across the middle of the field and the other was along side one of the woods. I decided to move up to the wood with just gun and cartridges and try my luck. Flocks of 20-200 pigeons were flighting back and forth to the barley stubble all day. With only a couple now and again peeling off into the decoys. standing on the edge of the wood helped to get a few shots off but even with a half decent wind they were still high and going like the clappers. finished the day with 21 between us for quite a few cartridges! But it was pleasing to see a lot about again after a very lean summer. Most birds shot were stuffed with barley and beech. cheers, pete

I too have been seeing flocks over work today in winchester. Biggest flock was probably around 200 with the smallest being around 20. All very high and heading in the same direction

Iv just looked back on my previous postings on pigeon watch and last Saturday was the first time I have posted anything for over a year. the post I made was greeted with constructive comments which I really appreciate. I shall be posting more. sorry guys and girls, even if I have a rubbish day on the pigeons I might well be posting it! Iv always read from afar, I think Iv been on here for around 10 years but only posted around 100 times. I didn’t like some of the comments members were getting at times. So in my head it wasn’t worth posting to just get slated. Things seem to have moved on now which is a good thing. Constructive criticism is good, don’t get me wrong but in all walks of life you always get some bad apples, who take it a bit too far!

Hi. There is one or two there! I went back on Monday before work and there wasn’t a pigeon in the sky. The drill was empty of birds. The flocks that I had seen on the Saturday have moved on to where I do not know. the farmer asked me to have a look on the rape as he had seen around 200 on there the day before. The rape has been direct drilled into this years spring barley stubble. It was badly laid so I expect the 30 that I did see on it were after the left over barley and not the rape. I walked them off and didn’t come back.

Thanks guys. Going to have a look this morning before work to see if they are still about and see if I can decoy them

Evening all, I don’t post a lot at all on here but I really do enjoy the reports, pictures, stories and general banter from afar. Any way thought I’d post my day out today and hopefully get some advice. Iv been chasing pigeons from a very young age, I’d go out with the old man from when I could walk, to then sharing a hide with him with a fourten, later moving onto the 12. He has since more or less retired from shooting pigeons, since he shot a couple of hundred bird plus days and just let’s me and my nipper now get on with chasing the pigeons. He takes my nipper out, when I can’t due to having to work! He started the same as me. 70, 36 and 11 are all our ages. So we’re not new to it as such. sorry, I have got away from the subject of today but just wanted to let you know that we’re not just starting out, as it may seem! the farm we shoot is around 800 acres with a mix of wheat, winter barley, spring barley, peas and winter rape being the choice most years. This year no rape or peas were drilled and all summer has been a very hard slog with no pigeons in the area, not just our small patch. Father first started shooting pigeons on here in the mid 70’s so we know the ground pretty well. A syndicate has always released pheasant and partridge to shoot during the season and we have always been asked not to shoot pigeons during this time. We have always respected their wishes and so missed out on the autumn drill. this year there are no pheasants down so we are free to come and go as we please to shoot pigeons. So today was the first time I have been up for a month, not expecting to see much. Helping my wife with the calves this morning on the farm next door, I couldn’t help my self watching squabs drop into the clover on the grass fields. Around 5 or 6 small flocks with 20-30 birds in each,they would settle for maybe 30 seconds then get up, spiralling into the sky then settle down again. This happened a fair few times. Once we had finished we made the short drive next door. All the winter wheat has been drilled, the rape is up but is a bit backward, with stubble turnips drilled into this years stubble for the farmers sons sheep. driving through a field of stubble turnip, there were maybe 100-150 pigeons, most of them squabs down on the field. I expect they were feasting on what the combine has left behind and not actually on the turnips. on we go, not a pigeon flying. More fields of stubble turnips, not a pigeon on them, the rape is very patchy, I know it’s too early for them to be hitting the rape but thought I’d have a look just in case, nothing on the winter wheat drill that’s just starting to chit. So back we go to the first field of stubble turnips. All the pigeons we had seen had cleared off and not come back. I’m up here now so might as well make the most of it so set up on the turnips with 12 fuds and a magnet with a couple of pigeons from the freezer. More in hope than expecting a good bag. I spent an hour watching and hoping. A few pigeons would pass by, out of range from having a shot at and not really looking at coming in. I thought I’d go for a walk to try and find at least something flying on one of the past flight lines. All the local game shoots seemed to be out today, popping away at the pheasants and partridge so I thought they might push a few my way. After walking up a couple of hedgerows that normally produce a few pigeons and they did, with two in my pocket, both squabs, I came to a field of drilled winter wheat. From where I had set up it was out of sight from my hide, and my walk to it. I had driven past it in the morning without a bird any where near it. when I poked my head round the corner I could see a blue carpet covering most of the field. They hadn’t seen me but I could see them and so I decided to just tuck myself into the hedge and just observe for a while. I could see that probably 90% of the birds were again squabs. I’d estimate there were around 400-500 on the field. My heart sank! It was getting on for 1500 and I knew that by the time I’d packed up from my original setup, dragged it over then set up again it wouldn’t be worth it so decided to just sit and watch. every 4-5 minutes the birds would get up from feeding, break into two big flocks, circle around high, then drop in again. This happened for a good 30 mins before they got up for the last time and headed off to the roost wood on the farm and didn’t come back. This was around 1530. I have never shot on autumn drill before, is this the normal pigeon behaviour? Is it this common to see squabs flocking up before the cold weather hits? I’m new to shooting pigeons at this time of year so any advice would be appreciated. im very sorry it’s a long post. I just wanted to detail as much as I could. cheers, pete

Being from Hampshire and having all ready taken the decision over 3 weeks ago to not go pigeon shooting on the drilling’s on my permissions, I fully support the chief constable 100% in her decision. speaking with one of the farmers wife’s at work, I am still working as I work in an animal feed store, they are currently lambing and she is only leaving the house every two weeks to buy essential goods, they are trying to limit the risk of the virus spreading not only to them selves but to others too. she understood why I took the decision weeks ago to not go and shoot pigeons, corvids and fox to protect their livelihood. A txt to the farmer was appreciated and they know I will be back when this is all over. the bangers and farmers are keeping the pigeons off the peas at the moment so I am not needed. It will be the selfish people still trying to justify shooting a few pigeons which will keep us in for longer, so we’ll done Hampshire police. I fully support your decision and I hope they do act on what they are saying. I will be the selfish one now by saying this, the more people who lose their license the more permissions people like me who are sticking by the rules will pick up in Hampshire.

I stopped paying basc any money when they shafted me a few years back. I would never trust them again, especially after this. But that’s another story!

Us law abiding citizens should still not be tarred with the same brush. The organisations have sold me out and I’m glad I don’t put any money in their coffers to shoot grouse in august!

My biggest gripe about all this, is that I am not a member of any shooting organisation, neither does any of my shot game go into a game dealers. Pigeon, pheasant, partridge and goose all come home with me and get put into my freezer for my family’s own consumption. why should the big organisations think they can dictate to me what I do with my bounty? I’ll use steel if I need too bit I would much rather use lead. It doesn’t effect any one apart from me. Iv been eating game for over 30 years and haven’t had any health problems from it. I will keep using lead and plastic wads as I prefer them too and the farmers I shoot for don’t give a monkeys what I use as long as I do a job for them when vermin shooting. so basc who claim to be the voice of shooting don’t speak for me so I will carry on doing what I do.

Thanks for the information guys. It’s nice to know the history behind the cartridges and the company as I hadn’t heard of them before yesterday.

It’s just got special smokeless 12 on it.

My friend did open one up to have a look inside. He didn’t mention that the shot was different in any way to the newer cartridges, just that it was harder to cut the paper case than it was to cut plastic with a Stanley knife. thanks for having a look for me. From what I have found looking on pigeon watch, they ceased trading around 1986, and were opened in or around 1946-47?

They kill well. The few we used were taking pigeons out no problem. apparently they have just been sat in a cupboard for years still in the original slab boxes.