JDog

You have been frustrated but twice have prevailed. Well done.

Pigeons appearing out of nowhere. The theme for this week or so. Last week we shot a good bag on laid barley in an area where I had seen no pigeons for months. Today another area devoid of pigeons since we moved back down here seven months ago. I noticed the line in the week. Yesterday I firmed up on plans to shoot another field of laid barley. We met at 10.30 which was really too early so we watched for an hour before deciding on setting up on a pair of ash trees facing the sun and the 20mph wind. This meant difficult decoying with pigeons having difficulty getting into the pattern and many just flew straight over us at great speed. Connecting with one of those at 40m was rewarding. We shot for three hours from two separate hides and ended up with 135 pigeons. ...... and before anyone asks no we didn't pick them all as it was laid barley and we didn't take our dogs.

Well done DEA. It’s about time you had a good day.

I posted a picture of a field of barley that had gone flat on 13th June. Only in the past few days have pigeons been getting on in any numbers. I arranged to meet my old shooting companion this afternoon for a shot or two. He is self employed and it is quite amazing how he never has work on a Friday afternoon, usually using the time valuably by looking for pigeons. As I had found the field and obtained permission I chose where we should set up. He was not happy with the long walk. He should try being seventy years of age. We had the wind and sun at our backs and a large laid patch 30m out in front of us and two rotaries. Perfect. In the first nine minutes we shot 5 each. We had 60 on the clicker in the first hour, 140 in total in the second hour and we packed up after three and a quarter hours with 210 in the bag. ..... and before anyone asks yes I did run out of cartridges. Thankfully my companion had an extra slab in his car.

Well done again. You have found the perfect crop for June shooting. Like peas, Lupins will give shooting from drilling to harvest.

The forecast today was for less heat and more cloud cover than in recent days. That would suit another outing to the 200 acres of peas. The line in on arrival was definite. As soon as we set up it changed and remained obstinately out of decoying range. We were too lazy to move so we stuck it out. It was frustrating watching pigeons elsewhere but we did manage to shoot 50 which was pleasing.

Centranthus ruber.

Verbena bonariensis.

Saw this little beauty today. Any ideas as to what it is?

We had a truly stupendous thunder storm yesterday evening. I'm not sure how much rain was put down but we had 50mm on our patio. One field of barley that I have been admiring for some time as being thick and level suffered badly. Pigeons are already showing interest but none are feeding in the crop as yet.

Blooming marvellous. I have sensed your frustration over the past few months so well done on getting an exceptional bag. It just goes to show that although it doesn’t appear that there are pigeons in an area they are there somewhere.

Out of habit rather than expectation I met up with my old shooting companion this morning. Peas at this time of year can be a source of some sport but on my eight newly acquired fields there were no pigeons between the lot of them on Wednesday. So sure were we that we would be in the pub by midday I only loaded a gun and cartridges in his car, leaving the rest of my kit, dogs water and my own sustenance behind. True to form the first seven fields had nary a pigeon between them. The local pub was drawing us like a magnet when we spotted a high line and pigeons imperceptibly dropping into the middle of a sixty acre field. There weren’t many but more than we had seen for months so we continued to watch. Bearing in mind the temperature was already in the twenties and the field would be difficult to shoot we prevaricated for ages before deciding to give it a go using a belt of overgrown hawthorn hedging and the odd ash tree as shade. We were nowhere near the sweet spot where the pigeons wanted to be, nor were we on a line into the field but shade was the determining factor for our hide position. We shared a hide. There was no alternative as my kit was five miles away. One rotary placed 40m out would have to do. Getting a partially thawed pair of pigeons on the rotary was amusing. We settled into nettles. My decision to wear shorts was a poor one. The dogs weren’t happy either. Pigeons came from a great height and surprisingly decoyed well. We were both rusty and missed a few. ‘Doddlers’ became impossible for a while until abject embarrassment made us buck up our ideas. In the first hour we shot twenty, in the second hour we shot thirty five but by that time we had no water and more importantly we had no more water for the dogs so we packed up. On the way back in order to sort the dogs out we called in at a small stream so they could cool off. Through a secret gap in the hedge, along the overgrown bank we went only to be confronted by three very scantily clad ladies and two youths ‘sunbathing’. They soon covered up when three very wet spaniels charged along the river bank, over their towels and dived in. We allowed the dogs to repeat this three times until our amusement was satisfied. To give them credit all five of the strangers took our interruption in their stride.

On my rambles this afternoon in the glorious Cotswold countryside I came across a gem of an environment. It was unimproved chalk grassland with very thin soil and a decent array of wildflowers with bees all over the place. The vegetation was pristine- I doubt that no other person had set foot there for some months. I show two plants that were in abundance. Can anyone name both?

Well done Muncher and brother. It's been a while I guess since you last shot with your old Mucker Motty who I gather has moved County to pursue carnal interests. I greatly miss your joint posts.

Desperate times PC. I now have eight fields of peas to shoot over with no pigeons on any of them.

I believe it is a Green winged Orchid. I have magnified one photo and the green wings can now be seen. This is a first for me.

The refurbishment of the house and the creation of a new garden are projects that are almost complete. Now is the time that my petrol consumption increases exponentially and the phrase 'I'm just taking the dogs out' is heard frequently between my wife and myself. There are not many pigeons in this area. There, I've said it. I never thought I would but its true. Having had several good sessions on winter rape the spring drilling season was a disaster as it was so wet. I never saw any spring beans go in and no farmer in these parts is mad enough to drill spring rape. The few pigeons that there are seem to be on buds even now. There is a handful on clover and another lot on winter rape but not enough to get excited about. Peas may be my saviour but my advances to one farm were cruelly rejected by a freckled and wrinkly faced lady whilst I was watching from the public road. She said there had been burglaries on her farm and needed to be vigilant with strangers. Whether she was soothed after our discussion I cannot say but I am an unlikely burglar even though I say it myself. I do have one last chance on peas and I am awaiting an email reply from the owner of three fields in a very likely area. Otherwise I will be waiting for laid barley which will be a month away. In the meantime I intend to go fishing.

Some may have read the poem by Edward Thomas about this village railway station near to where I live. If not it is worth a read. This photo was taken on Adlestrop Common this evening. Any ideas as to what variety of Orchid it is?

Yesterday I saw a bird flying near my house which I couldn't identify. If was the size of a crow, had a longish tail and was grey in colour. The closest bird to it would be a male Hen Harrier but it wasn't one of those. Any suggestions?

Well done that man. All pigeon shooters hope for a roughly drilled field like that.

The last picture is quite definitely Clodhopper looking for his dog.

Unlike Charles Dickens I had no great expectations today. This part of the world has had 300% of the average March rainfall so squelching round rape fields fully loaded with kit has not been an option. Even the early April days of sunshine were soon cancelled out by heavy rain. Ironically today when I did shoot over rape I saw the first drillings. I just had to get out in the 25mph wind so chose the easy option of a field two miles from home. Feeling sure about another failure over winter rape I even left the dogs at home. What do I know? Within ten minutes of setting up I had ten pigeons in the bag. I have rarely seen pigeons decoy so well into April rape. They came fast and furious for eighty minutes when I expended the last of my fifty cartridges. I carried my kit and the picked pigeons back to the car, went home for the dogs and went picking the stragglers. The bag was 35 pigeons.

Jacko came to the Cotswolds recently. I couldn't find any pigeons for him so he went door knocking to Clarkson's Farm. He had some success on his return North on one of my old permissions.

Stow.