cloudwalker

I have never known a season like it. Over the last few weeks we have barely seen a pigeon. A few shots in the morning and they are never to be seen again. Haven't seen any really large flocks since January and fields that were getting hit then are barren of pigeon now. This is the worst winter/spring season I have known in 25 years pigeon shooting!

Dependent on the weather. If we have a dry summer it should be around the end of July/ beginning of August. If it's wet it will obviously be later. CW

Break now until the harvest.

All finished now. Rape waist high so Woodies not really doing any damage to crop. Also all paired up now and nesting. I suggest you put your gun away until the harvest when the Pigeon start to bunch again and not quite so many birds nesting. CW

Same spot as last week, not a pigeon in sight after a hour. Moved to another field of Rape which had also produced some good bags in the past few weeks. Found some low stuff. 5 hours later and shot 6 Pigeon. That's me done until the harvest!!

I managed 50 on Rape last Saturday. No big flocks though all singles or pairs of birds. During the winter there were 1000's of Pigeon on this field. I think they have all paired up now and have dispersed. I will give it another go this weekend and then give it a rest until the harvest.

Saw my first swallow over at Bedford 2 weeks ago whilst out Pigeon shooting. Several more were flighting last Sunday in the same area. All heading in the same direction.

Ordered a pair of Le Chameau Chassuer boots from them on Monday night (Tried to get some at Kelmarsh but no one could match them for price). Arrived this morning (Wednesday) at 6.45am. Excellent service and £50 off MRRP!

If the wind is blowing left to right or vise versa, I always put my Magnets in front of the decoys and the bouncers at the back of them. If the wind is on my back the Magnets go about 20 yards out with the decoys either side and bouncers behind them. It works for me.

Just bought my second Deerhunter Ram off a well know auction site for £77 with matching trousers for £40.99. Had my first for many years but the briars have finally put paid to it!

Kelmarsh is quite a small gamefair. I dont remember many, if any guns on sale. I think Avalon turned up a few years ago but not recently.

Still not working!!

Type in "Hide poles" and tick the "completed listings" box. you will find the seller there.

We are only getting 20p in Northampton for Pigeon.

We have a lot around here too. Great to see, especially when they are in a group. I haven't heard of any problems with them from the keeper on my shoot.

54 in the rain on Saturday. 20074

26 on Wheat stubble yesterday. TOTAL 20001

25 today on bean stubble. Wouldn't decoy but got under a bit of a flight line. Total 19750

I take my decoys in as soon as possible. After I have 5 or 6 birds, I usually replace each decoy with dead pigeon in a cradle. and no you don't need to put elastic bands around each pigeon. I will bring all my decoys in once I have about 15 dead birds out. This has been particularly important so far for me as I have found the birds will not decoy at all at the moment.

Agreed And again

And 20 for me. 18496

I sat and totaled last seasons ratios only the other day. I shot just over 1100 Pigeon last season (Aug - March) over 52 days and ended up with a ratio of 1.75 shots per bird. So far this season I have been out 5 times, shot 206 Woodies for 346 shots. A ratio of 1.67. I don't suspect I will manage that all year though!

Shot a field of Rape stubble on Saturday. 100's of Pigeon all over it. Managed to get on the fight line and they were coming down the field every 3 or 4 minutes. Ended up with 67 and a crow. So quite satisfied with that. Thought we would "rest" the field for a few days. Went back today at 8.00 am armed with a case of Cartridges. Put up about a dozen as I drove across the field but couldn't see many about. Set up on Saturdays "Pigeon motorway" and waited- 1 hour later and not a single Pigeon had come within 500 yards of me and I had only seen about half a dozen in the distance. Packed up and moved to another field and managed 40 but they really did not want to come to the decoys. But what really got me was the complete transformation of the first field I set up on. 3 days ago it was alive with Pigeon and today it was absolutely deserted.

40 on Rape stubble today. Total 17983

21 yesterday on rape stubble. 17790