mrpip

Never worked on Drax, bloke used to come on West Burton on nights from pest control firm & shoot ferals on boilers with airgun, Been at Teeside today, sat in smoke hut watching loads of pigeon dropping on wheat, this field allways gets hammered been told it belongs to ICI no shooting, carpark fence sagging with amount sat on it.

Anyone come across this before woodies nesting inside units etc, I work on Power Stations around the north. This year woodies have nested in the stores & workshop at one station. Urbanised woodies taking the next step & becoming industrilous, caused quite a stir when the storeman put an hazard card in because of the mess they were leaving. These are definetly wood pigeon not ferals though most stations have plenty of them.

good shooting mate, can't beat it

Thanks for the replies lads,

Hi all, shot this bag of 28 pigeon on Saturday afternoon, set up at 4 & finished shooting at 7.30. Could have been alot bigger bag, but restraint had to be used, all shots had to be high as not to damage the crop abit like shooting out of clay pigeon stand as there was a road & some houses to my right. So I set up a couple of punnet boxes as markers any pigeon that flew between them was safe as I could'nt take the risk of falling shot on greenhouses & gardens. Had some exceptional shots another enjoyable afternoon.

Got a permission that had rabbits in plauge proportions, still produces good bags after 3 years of constant shooting by 3 guns. When I first started on there the owner & another bloke were driving round shooting loads & leaving them there were that many, I walked round with 410 hushpower & rimfire depending on weather taking the big ones getting bags of 30 plus. It did'nt take them long to get used to vehicles & even a shot from a moderated 22 would send them all undergound. This is my 4th year on there now the other 2 have stopped going & the rabbits are still on vallium , I now go once a week from March to October usually early evening till dusk, my bags this year have varied from 9 lowest to 27 highest never short of dog meat, had a decent evening this week picked 16, put a pic on sporting pictures. The owner knows that they will never be completley wiped out due to the terrain (dread that happening) & is happy theres no serious damage to the silage. Between me the Buzzards & the annual bout of mixie which has just arrived they are under control or just not showing while I've gone home

excellent result, good use of field craft.

had a lovely evening yesterday, staked out a couple of big warrens, then had a quick walk round. Packed up at 9 o'clock just as it started raining, picked up 16 rabbits.

Spoke to a farmer this morning, will be swathing his rape in about 10 days time, this field went in early & got away well, but no shooting till combined (his rules, hes only got the 1 field of rape)

Try this approach, first find were the pigeon are feeding, or crops that are flagged off gas guns etc, then find out whoes land it is (its allways better to have a name it breaks the ice). My inital conversation goes along the lines off, Mr XXX is that your land at xxxx theres alot of pigeon feeding on it, would it be possible to have a days pigeon shooting on it. Drop a few names of were you shoot (they all know each other) tell them your insured, safe shot etc fully respect there land won't touch the game only interested in the pigeons. Theres not many farmers about who will give you full permission to roam about with a gun if they don't know you, until you build up trust, just ask for 1 day, if all goes well ask if they won't you to keep your eye on it while theres any chance of pigeon damage or have they any more fields that need crop protection. Over the years its worked for me I've got farms with full permission to roam at will, others were I call & ask were the rapes going to be this year & only shoot those fields. Hope this works for you

to right mate, sat alot longer freezing my bits off on rape for alot less, just love being out, for me thats what its all about

Had another go on some hand pick peas yesterday, arrived at 12ish few pigeon on last strip drilled 3 week ago, 5 strips in total 1st lot well in pod. Someone else must have had been in the last couple of days found were they'd been sat few feathers & 1 spent cartridge, there anyway so set up with wind at my back rotar & 8 fresh pigeon with breast's removed on cradles. Plenty in area but not decoying, tried taking rotar in just the same, put it back out started to get a few coming in, they were dropping at top of field on 1st strip & in the wheelings on next field of rape, no good moving as I would have done more damage to peas at this stage than pigeons. Finished up with 16 picked 1 stuffed with rape, highlight of day watching housemartins snatching feathers blowing across field.

Great day mate, few years ago a guy local to me left all his gear hidden in hedgerow miles from a road to save carrying it all back to shoot again following day. All the lot had gone by first light he was well gutted :( :(

Talking to a guy other day who has just moved from Doncaster to village on edge of Humberside area, changed his address on shotgun cert, had a visit from a community copper not FLO to check his cabinet etc must be saving money

well done Tony, must have caught em on a good day, rang them 6 month ago to check a new permission was cleared, thought I would inquire about opening my ticket up (had it 3 years only 22 rimfire on it). Women who answered phone gave me a right ear bashing did'nt care how many permissions I had, said not a chance they don't even have to open it on renewal. Its not been a problem as yet every farm I've inquired about has been allready checked.

I had some good bags on kale undesown with sheep turnip during the winter, only thing above the snow. Year before last the same. Also got a lot of damage from geese & ducks due to its location. Shot well even after the sheep had been moved, all depends on what foods available to them. Well worth keeping an eye on, never seen any feeding on it down my way till the weather gets cold.

Went out sunday afternoon at 3 o'clock few pigeon on a strip of drilled hand pick peas which went in last week. These peas have been drilled in 5 sections so they crop in rotation strong wind so decided to set up on rough plough on the last piece which has yet to be drilled, to keep the wind at my back. Set up the rotar with 2 dead birds & put 2 dead birds on cradles from day befores not very successful outing (total 6) on linseed. Started shooting straight away finished up with 27 picked including first squab this year. Also heard & saw my first cuckoo this year. Forgot camera so took pic before unloading

I spend most evenings now with the rifle shooting rabbits, one place I go has a large forestry block across the road no shooting allowed. Sat there Friday & watched as a 100 plus made there way to roost between 7&8 o'clock in pairs or small groups.

They tend to keep you on your toes especially when its quiet. I've found lots of times when they come in & land that woodies follow them, I often see woodies flying with them usually young uns when on the stubbles.

heres the picture

went out sat afternoon 2 oclock, on sparse rape, next field to it has been redrilled with linseed as the rape failed. Set up on treeline lovely sunny day, used rotar & six dead pigeons (with breasts removed) on cradles. 3 decoyed as soon as I got in hide, shot 1 missed 2nd, all rest single birds all decoyed perfect, missed last bird of day both barrels & it was a sitter had a walk to some grass paddocks & shot a rabbit, all in all lovely weather lovely afternoon out, I've sat alot longer freezing in the winter for alot less.

I got stopped last December in lincs on the way home from duck shooting. Unmarked police car stopping all landrovers due to amount of thefts. Asked for name address etc, then were had I been, when I told them duck shoot he asked if I had a shotgun in vehicle. When I said yes he then asked to see my cert, I only carry a photocopy, to which he then said the chief of lincs police insists cert must be carried when shooting. I told him my there is nothing on the cert (south yorks)to say that, & my FLO said a copy would be a good idea but did not insist on it. Then he changed it to would be better if you carried the original as it could save alot of hassle in future. A few year ago lamping rabbits with my brother drove round field once got back to gateway to find police parked up, thought it best to park 20yds away & walk up leaving brother in landie with rifle & let them know what we were doing. They were not interested just said carry on were not stopping long, think they were just keeping a low profile on night shift.

looks like you had a good result 26 is a result on rape at this time of year, going out later now & staying longer

No mate, but I know the guy, was in same area Sat morning

Heres the only flightline I could see Saturday morning finished up 10 pigeon + 5 crows + ear ache joking apart it works gets the pigeon up in the air