old'un

I think you missed the WE as im 61 myself!! And no youngster but thanks for thinking I was might see if I can pull some young birds!!

There are two things we have on our side, the first is age the second is midweek shooting if you have them two it’s half the battle. Only problem is with age it gets harder carrying all the gear up the field and even harder coming back if you have a good day.

There are a few things you can do that will help your chances of gaining more land to shot over. I do realise it is not easy but as some of the post have said you need to keep plugging away it will come with time. Some of the stories my farmers tell me about the approach of some shooters begs belief, one recent approach went something like… Shooter turns up at the farm with their gun and decoys over their shoulder and dog/dogs in the back of the car and says “or right mate is that your field down the road, “farmer replies yes it is” well is there any chance I can have a go at the pigeons on it” farmers reply “No sorry MATE” Never make your first call with your dog and gear; most farmers will not give you permission, mostly because they do not know you or your dog. Having said that I have got shooting when I had the dog and gear in the car but you need the farmers name and a little bit of reverse psychology, something on the lines of, “good morning Mr Jones, my name is Jack, I’ve come past your farm a few times over the last couple of weeks and noticed large number of pigeons on the bottom field of rape and I see they are on it again, now I cannot do anything today because I am on my way to shoot Mr Greens rape fields but if I can be of any help in the future please give me a call any time. Now you are unlikely to get a phone call but the main thing is you have broken the ice and it opens the door for you to pop in and see him again. Another thing that some of my farmers tell me and that is most shooters who knock on their door want to shot the pigeons and rabbits but very few shooters ask if they can have ago at the Rooks and Crows, I have got lots of shooting from going out just looking for fields being hit by Rooks and Crows. Best times are on laid Barley and spring sown corn when it’s about an inch or two high and after a good down poor, had some big bags on maize. Another trick I have used a few times and it works but you need patient, find a field that you can see from the lane and is near the farm and getting hammered, park your car in the gateway and just stand by the gate and watch the field, you may have to wait a bit or make a return visit but eventually some one will stop and ask you what you are doing, “Im just watching these pigeons on this rape field, looks like they are giving it some stick, you don’t know whose field it is?” farmer “yes it’s my field”……. With a bit of luck and the right approach you might end up shooting it. Pick an area and drive around it stop and get out of the car, have a walk up the lane, if a Landover or tractor comes past put your hand up and acknowledge them, go out as much as you can and get your face and vehicle known in that area, if the opportunity comes to have a chat with someone working in the field or cutting the hedges not let it slip by. Once you have one farm in an area you will find it easy to get other farms by name droping but it also takes hard work and time.

My wife just sent me this joke thought I would share it with you, quite good for her!! A Cow's Tail A man staggered into a hospital with a concussion, multiple bruises, two black eyes, and a five iron wrapped tightly around his throat. Naturally, the Doctor asked him, "What happened to YOU?" "Well, I was having a quiet round of golf with my wife, when at a difficult hole, we both sliced our golf balls into a field of cattle. We went to look for them and while I was looking around I noticed one of the cows had something white at its rear end." "I walked over, lifted its tail, and sure enough, there was a golf ball with my wife's monogram on it - stuck right in the middle of the cow's ***. Still holding the cow's tail up, I yelled to my wife, "Hey, this looks like yours!'" "I don't remember much after that"

Nice one, pity it was binned it would of looked good mounted. It looks like a white/cinnamon, have you seen a pure white?

Found at the bottom of the freezer, as I said not pure white but more white/cinnamon in color. I can remember watching them flying around with a flock of about five hundred other pigeon and they stood out like a couple of stars in the night sky.

Ok thanks for the reply, I have seen this method but do you know why it’s not possible just to simple attaché a picture from my PC in TALK FROM THE FIELD? As it’s possible on other posts of this forum. Thanks

Can someone please tell me why I cannot see anywhere to attaché a picture in any of the post in TALK FROM THE FIELD. If I click reply to post I get the window letting me add text but no where to upload a file from my desktop. I can see there is a link for an http:// …. But not from my PC. Thanks

Yes I have found lots of different things in pigeons but never with so many of one thing (slugs) and such a lot of the birds having nothing else in their crops but slugs And I mean slugs their crops were like tennis balls. Mined you we better keep quite cus if Mr farmer thinks they are doing more good than harm he might tell us to leave em alone

Just wondered how common this was, a few years ago I was shooting on a field of rape with a mate we had shot a few when my mate commented on the crops of the birds we had shot, he said it feels like they have been eating wet sponges, so I picked one up and opened its crop it was full of small black slugs, we checked about ten birds and none of them had rape in their crops just full of slugs!! Not seen it before or since, Just wondered if anyone else as seen this.

Shot a few white wood pigeons over the years, last one about a year ago, think I have two in the freezer, will have a look. I must say I have never seen a pure white one, they all seem to be white/cinnamon In colour.

I may have missed something here but why didn’t the farmer just ask them to leave?

Don’t worry too much about flocks braking up, just look for sown fields and hopefully birds wanting that field. The only way to learn is from your mistakes or successes, so use your eyes and look for birds in the air around field, no one can tell you how long it will be before the birds will hit the sown field maybe the same day or it could be two, three days latter or not at all, but you will know when it is right. if you have any, look at the fields sown with peas or beans first, not sure why pigeons sometimes go mad for peas or beans, I can only think that because the seeds are large they can fill their crops quickly and get back to the safety of the trees. Like I have said use your eyes, sit in the car and watch the field for an hour or so, don’t get to excited at the first signs of pigeons don’t rush things, look at the weather forecast for the days you have free and hopefully a windy day (don’t bother getting up if its chucking it down, pigeons not like getting their feet wet if they can help it) try not to shot the field to early in the morning, let the birds get confidant on the field, look to see if they prefer a certain part of the field. if they are hitting the field walk them off a couple of times before you set-up, there is no text book setup because every time you go out it’s a different day, YOU WILL KNOW WHEN ITS RIGHT. I am sure there are lots of people who can give you guidance but the only way to learn is to get out there and give it a go, we learn from our mistakes the same way pigeons do!!

By this I mean how many of us have taken a pot shot at a Magpie when we have been walking around our farms, now the question is what harm was that Magpie doing flying over my farm. Or should I run around the field trying to scare the crows or pigeons off the field before I shot at them. Seems to me the ice is very thin!!!

It does say ALL other methods, answer to your question is, not many but on the same note there’s not been a lot of pigeons either

Ok have read the General Licence and if you take it literally we are all braking the law and I quote “These conditions include the requirement that the user must be satisfied that legal (including non-lethal) methods of resolving the problem are ineffective or impracticable.”

Ok let’s go back to the beginning, some of my replies have been flippant but I am only meeting fire with fire, if the reply is sensible then I will give a sensible reply But my main argument is why is it ok to cull Magpies but mention the word Hawk and hold onto your hat!!

That’s quite a funny reply, seems I have stirred the hornets nest on this one, not sure what ayrshiretaxidermy ranting about hope he will tell me what law I have broken, Seems to know all about abbreviations “various GL`s that NE issue each year”

Funny I have just passed my police medical!!

Funny, “fruitcake extremist” the website seems to have replies from old ladies who put a bit of bread out for the birds.

well I am in big trouble then because I been braking law number 1 for years and thanks for telling me about number 2 looks like there is no protection list, goody sorry about number 3 bit dyslectic

Ho just one more thing I don’t think the public are that stupid take a look at this link http://songbirds-slaughter.org.uk/2010/07/05/155#comment-201

Thanks for the reply, funny how bad language comes into the conversation when someone knows very little of what they are replying to. My question was do you think the Sparrow Hawk should be removed from the protected birds list. I said nothings about braking the law!!

Here’s a short answer to some of the replies. You cannot go around saying its ok to shoot Magpies because they take eggs and chicks and in the same breath say the Sparrow Hawk should not be removed from the protected birds list, think about it!!

I am waiting then!!!