kitchrat

What choke did he use JD to get all those pellets in a bird at that range? Is his name Mr Digweed??

The lure of several hundred feeding birds outweighs "common sense". But would you ignore a really busy pub, full of happy drinkers, to go into an empty one nearby on the hope of getting a better pint?? Bearing in mind too that some "pubs" have regular "fights", ie shooters waiting for you!!

Wow, how did you manage to get triple figures?? I have been watching 4 decent flocks for weeks, each hitting their own farm on a regular basis. However, they are as good as un-shootable. They feed as and when they fancy it, on whichever part of which field they fancy. They sit in the trees most of the day, then have a snack at random times. If you put them off, they will come back eventually, high and wary and don't fall for the decoy or magnet trick. If you try a speculative shot you might get 1 but the rest are gone for the day. If you leave them in the hope they will decoy better, they are gone for the day. The odd "Nobby-No-Mates" will decoy every now and then and pays the price. (If you are awake enough!) The best I could do was a 22, took all day, just the odd "Nobby" and a few little bunches. The main body of birds gave me the finger!!

I would have gone for position 2 as well, because round here a hide in the middle doesn't work and it's only 2 whelmarks away from the dot. I've just had a decent day (22) in a similar situation and managed, for the 1st time this winter, to pull birds to when I wanted them to be. I have often had them come to look at my pattern but at extremes of my usufull range have drifted away. "Thanks but No Thanks", not frightened flaring off, just no thanks. By this time I am hoping they will commit so don't even get a speculative shot off. This time I had just a magnet and no shells, adding dead birds. There had been hundreds there for weeks, not that many came back but those that did came right in in small groups and usually lost a member. If the pee doesn't work, they like cheese sandwiches and strong coffee. Good luck, keep us posted!!

At least I know what you are talking about JD!! Too ------ many round Dunmow. One less this week though.....

Roosting last night was "a game of 2 halves!" The wood has very tall trees and the birds (lots more than last week) were very cautious, high over the trees looking for a safe place, even spooked by shoots from other woods over 1/2 a mile away. I started badly and had had at least a dozen shots without nailing a pigeon. I had clean missed some, scared some, knocked a few feathers out of some and hit one or two that might have come down further away. Then, suddenly, one bird just folded up, stone dead, not a lucky stray pellet but full of holes, "centre of the pattern job"!! Thereafter I was about "Mr 50%" man and picked up 12 (there must have been some lost in the dusk with no dog), including a Right &Left, (remarkable!) for about 40 shots total. What a difference!! I know that the wind had got up a bit and the gathering dusk helped but I put most of it down to confidence. When I've put myself under pressure I think too much, I start trying to measure the lead in feet. This leads to me watching the bird too much and I think that tends to make me track under the bird rather than through it (so I can measure the lead better) - anyway, it doesn't work! When things are working well it's just a question of muzzle swing speed vs bird speed, swing through the target and pull the trigger x milliseconds after getting through the bird. Anyway, it worked for me and it was another evening of great sport (eventually!)

I think the gas guns made a difference to my evening. This week, there were 2 guns on rape fields on the next farm, where the birds were coming from last week, they had rape in their crops. This week, almost no birds, the 2 I got were empty...

2 for 5 shots. Saw less birds than I killed last week!

Same here, 2 down for 5 "speculative" shots. Saw less birds than I shot last week!! On the lofting poles thing, the trees in this wood are 90-100 feet tall, can't get a decoy up there!!

Also, I do tend to move about in the wood as they "learn" where not to come in ( or rather follow others who get in safely)....

Yes I have tried it BUT getting them down in the dark, especially if it's windy, makes for a nightmare - I had to shoot a branch off and the decoy broke when hitting the ground. Not worth it I feel. Pray for wind this Saturday....

Fully agree with Cat, today (VERY windy) I have seen flocks in grass fields, wheat, barley and on ploughed fields. Close observation with binos reveals they are just sitting there, not feeding, to keep out of the wind. It's only when windy that I see them doing this. Can you inaging how tricky it is to hold onto a brach in a 60mph gale??

Certainly was JD! Could be windy again this week......

Great roost shoot last night!! Really windy, tall beech and fir trees making the birds swirl about high up, really testing shooting. In spite of my being hidden in a large bramble bush, in full camo, face mask and gloves they would see any movement and the wind would take them to safety in a split second. I found that raising the gun when a bunch could be seen approaching through the trees would work better if one came into my field of aim but I was still only getting about a 20% hit ratio. The wind was so strong the poor birds couldn’t hold a steady course and give me something to swing through if they had wanted to!! Later I spotted an area with lower trees around the edge of the wood and birds coming in seemed to get less buffeted about by the wind. As the light failed, they couldn’t see me so well either and the odds swung in my favour!! I must have had about 125 shots but picked up 45, which in a dark wood with no dog is not going to be all of them. Great sport!! More shooting and a better challenge than a £900 pheasant day on Exmoor!!!

And???????...................................... (what happened?)

"Got my own shooters" is a standard excuse around here as it offends less than saying **** off!! As you say, you never see or hear anyone there and the confident way the pigeons troop in there confirms they are safe.

Here today, gone tommorrow.... I'd seen a lot south of Takley yesterday too, on rape, all gone today, on weeds (chickweed) on a field near Hatfield Heath, which I can't shoot. Hope they're back for you on Thursday....

At least it sounds as though you had a few showing interest. Round here, if you put them off by any means (setting-up, walking, even driving up and stopping), that's the last you see of them for a few hours. Try putting the pattern behind you and shoot them on the way in if they won't decoy properly. However, it sounds like they are decoy-shy or hide-shy or maybe they see you raise the gun to shoot at them, which of course you have to do. People on this forum say (quite rightly) thay it's movement they see, but you can't shoot them without raising a gun and swinging through....

I don't know about this but do know they are trying GM to develop rape which is less palatable to pigeons. It's called HEAT or something like that. Look on farmers forum... (GM stuff like that should be banned )

This year I spotted a lot of birds heading in one direction and by following a footpath, found 5 abandoned fields covered with volunteer wheat from previous years - uncut and covered with pigeons. Enquiries revealed that the land was owned by an animal rescue and recovery centre- "Any chance of me shooting hundreds of birds on your land??" Didn't bother to ask, just tried to look the other way when driving by.......

My thoughts too. They let you shoot in cover crops??????????????? In January??????????????????? WOW lucky you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Cat, glad you are still alive and well. My point is that they are not scoffing anything, just topping up here and there to keep ticking over. Of the 1000 or so I have been watching they are spending 90% of their time sitting in trees, with the odd snack thrown in, as and when they choose. I see very few on berries, some are topping up in the game covers but generally no real interest in food. Maybe they are on a health kick and are trying to slim down a bit! I recall the postings about "You have to be where they want to be", well there is no one place they really want to be, anywhere for a quick snack will do. Little concentrated crop damage is being done so little support from farmers!

Good thinking JD!! They did once yesterday, to a different field as described. Today I was sure they would be gone for good

UPDATE! Today I went to the same farm, same scenario BUT, inspite of another cold night and a cool breezy morning (+1C) there were less birds (250??) and they didn't carry out steps 2 &3, ie they just sat in the trees. I watched for 20 minutes, no change. Went to another farm where birds had been building up on osr, a few 100 sitting in the trees, I watched for 20 minutes, no change. Went to yet another farm where birds had been building up on osr, a few 100 sitting in the trees, I watched for 20 minutes, no change. Went to yet another farm where birds had been building up on osr, No birds at all. Went to yet another farm where birds had been building up on osr, but I can't shoot, a few 100 sitting in the trees, I watched for 20 minutes, no change. I go to Tesco and put another £50 of diesel in the truck. I go back to the original farm, 3 hours after I left. and the same birds (well the same sort of number) are sitting in the same trees. I watched for 20 minutes, no change. So I have now seen 1000+ birds sitting for hours in 50-foot trees around fields of nice, unfrozen osr, where they have been feeding previously. I have seen ZERO birds feeding, I have seen ZERO birds flying about, I have seen Zero birds on ivy or other berries, I have seen a handfull on grass fields or paddocks. So Motty, in my opinion, the pigeons around here are not hungry!! Decoys back in freezer, gun back in cabinet, coffee on, TV on!!

How do you "follow them"?? If they go to A N Other field/farm, as soon as you arrive and start to set up, they go to A N Other field/farm. You spend half an hour getting the gear up, then what?