motty

32gm 4s smack pigeons hard at 50 yards. That is surely enough for most pigeon shooters. Hopefully the wad issue will be resolved with the recent advances in technology.

To be fair, non toxic shot (steel) is relatively cheap.

I disagree. This will be sorted in due course. I am certain shooting will ne allowed for certain individuals in certain circumstances. What do you mean "leeway"?

That is the old license!

Fair enough, but it sounds an expensive way to kill pigeons.

Ever thought about reloading hw18/tss in the .410? I think that is the non toxic route I would take.

A good review. Thanks for taking the time.

I wouldn't be surprised if I was shooting on laid cereals by the weekend. I have seen some fields that are completely flat. I also saw pigeons dropping in on laid wheat yesterday. Sorry, my pal was a little slow with that.

I have been busy lately (lazy), so I thought I had better belatedly report on a day on the peas from the 1st of June, while some of the events remain in the memory bank. My old buddy Julian had invited me to a field where a newly formed flock of up to 500 pigeons were raiding. The gas guns surrounding the area had had little effect at deterring them. On arriving at the field at 10.30am, it was clear to see the damage they had done. Most of the rest of the field was over a foot tall, yielding nicely podded, small peas. Over an acre (our chosen set up point) was nigh on mown to bare earth, and will amount to no crop. It was set to be the hottest day of the year so far, so maybe I should use that as a good starting excuse of why I shot like a one armed Stevie Wonder. I was missing the easiest doddlers to start with. This soon became frustrating, especially after I had shot so well the previous week. Never mind, Jules was shooting pretty well. We were starting to build a reasonable bag over our starting set up of magnet and flocked shells. I added a couple of angels. The magnet position was changed once during the day, which had a positive effect on birds decoying better and closer. The farmer who gave Jules the call was almost certainly right in his estimation of pigeons that had accumulated on this field. However, it was clear that some were now preferring another field of peas on the farm, and also the standing rape. This meant the day, though very pleasant, was slow at times. I think my dog performed pretty well on the day (certainly better than I did) and I was pleased with some of his retrieves. By about 4.30pm we packed up, having amassed 76 pigeons and a little bit of sunburn.

No reason why you can't take out a youngster. I was in a hide with my Dad before my 4th birthday. However, young children tend to get bored and restless at that kind of age. I reckon short sessions in the field would be the way to go.

I might know a chap!

Exactly that. Been saying this kind of thing for years (although I use full choke). Pigeons at 50 yards are no problem with an ounce of 7.

Exactly!

A good report and a nice bag. I really couldn't be bothered to go out yesterday, in what really were terrible conditions.

As previously mentioned, I have been shooting a few times, but it has certainly made me think about what I'm doing.

No, I can't give any references, but stubble shooting is the area where it is hardest to cite crop protection as your reason for shooting. This, coupled with my firm belief that around 90% of all pigeons killed are shot on stubbles each year, then I think it is reasonable to assume that this is what Mr Packham and the rest considered killing for mere sport. As a side note, I think that this harvest could see a real abundance of pigeons, given all the confusion we have faced. Pigeons in many areas will have been allowed to breed unmolested.

Just one more point on this. I shoot on over 20 farms, and many hundreds of fields. Are you suggesting that I have to ask each farmer for a complete map of his rotation each year?

Another question. You have permission to shoot what just so happens to be the last field to be cut in the area. It is then harvested. It attracts a good number of pigeons, so you shoot. What crops are you then protecting? One more question. When shooting stubbles, will you still be complying with the terms of the GL by scaring the pigeons?

Some woman said it, so that must be ok!

No point asking Defra. The revised license will hopefully be with us shortly, with wording that is in favour of a decoyer. I am completely of the view that year round management of pigeons, wherever and whenever possible, is the only real way to reduce crop damage. I told Defra as much in my email to them. Anyone relying on what some women said in an interview about stubble shooting is asking for trouble. It means next to nothing. I seem to remember the PM telling us we would be out of the EU by the end of March!

Well, I think the attitude of some could be seen as blasé. Yes, I want to shoot the stubbles as I have in the past, but just saying that you're protecting future nearby crops is a bit flimsy. The reason that the license was revoked initially, is mainly down to stubble shooting. It's all well and good people having this attitude, until they get reported and potentially prosecuted. No one has yet answered my earlier question. How close does your standing crop need to be from your stubble field you're shooting?

I am not interested in what someone may have said. Until it is in writing (in a new general license) then I can't rely on it. If we are to follow the wording on the current license, how can we prove that we are protecting a crop by shooting a stubble? If we are stating that we are protecting other standing crops, how close do they have to be? After all, stubble shooting is probably the main reason why the license was revoked in the first place!

There is a lesson to be learned here... I know many people who think they are knowledgeable, when in reality....

I find a hide essential at times on the marsh. With a good tide, gutters are no longer a hiding place. I simply use 4 bamboo canes with a green and brown net cable tied to them. I would definitely shoot less ducks and geese without it.

If you want to know the size, use some calipers.