ShropshireSam

Doubt it as the fields are a good distance apart and more likely to move to neighboring winter barley .... not ideal for farmer. And when I drive round these fields lifting them off the field they just float round to another area of field so unlikely to keep off unless covered in 100s of bags

I have various sized sealed l12 V lead batteries and have an Oxford trickle charger. I keep all batteries fully charged and trickle charge them occasionally when not in use to keep them topped up. This year I seem to have had three batteries go faulty where they will not charge. When put on the charger the reported voltage jumps between about 6 V and 16 V with no charge going in - charger goes to "maintain" function as if batteries were fully charged. Any ideas if these can be recovered and what I should be doing with the batteries to help maintain them for longer? If I can't recover them then I need some replacement flapper batteries...looking at the shooting warehouse 4.5 Ah ..... any good??

Checked field I shot last Thurs and numbers had picked up again yesterday (Monday). Planned to go again this afternoon as slurry tanker is due on tomorrow, I was delayed at work so not out until 2:30. Called in to see farmer and he didn't want me on the field as close to farm house and he has a gun shy dog that was stressed out when I shot it last week. So I went to look at another field, called in at the first field near the farm and already full of pigeons (300+) and good traffic .... shouldn't have looked .... went on to next best option and about 100 birds on field and reasonable traffic in. Decided to set up against a hedge with wind from behind at an angle to the hedge. Got set up quickly, already late (3 pm) and no dead birds so started with 16 half-shelled decoys in two groups, soon had a couple down and on two flappers at front of pattern. Had two good flightlines from wood on left and wood in front and a few whizzing in from the right on the wind. Lot of easy shots of birds coming straight in to the wind but had some sport on second shots of birds flaring off left or right. Had to pack up at 6 pm but traffic had slowed by then. Finished with 60 woodies, 1 feral and 1 jay for 120 shots in 3 hours .... so a nice short session for a second best option. Well worth looking out for any wholescrop cereal stubbles. This farm has three and all have had enough pigeon traffic to be worth setting up on.

fenboy - I know many people on here feel the same as you and I do not want to have a thread of morality of shooting when difficult to retrieve. I don't like leaving birds but my main concern is not to leave wounded birds and I take care to retrieve and dispatch wounded birds quickly. I had expected/hoped I would be able to retrieve more of the bag the next morning with two dogs and more time. What I can say is that most of the barley was standing and the dogs covered a large area with minimum damage to the crop but the day was hot and I did not want to over work them and risk heat stress.

Been out watching several barley fields for the last week and one has had good activity on it all week (very steady in the mornigns then busy at lunchtime and evenings. Ended up shooting it on Saturday with a good wind. Got the truck stuck in a gateway and then a puncture so was delayed by about an hour. Ended up set up by 2 pm and had a good stream of pigeon traffic with two strong flightline from ahead (into wind) and from the left, plus a few from behind with the wind. Had some great sport with birds screaming in with the wind or curling into the pattern from the sides. Had some lovely shots and then routinely missed the "easy birds" flying slowly into the wind!! I was set up downwind and to the side of the pattern by a telegraph pole with the aim to have a kill zone over a thin section and some laid barley. However, with the wind I had birds dropping all over the place. I had to pack-up at 4:30 on the count of 97 down. I carfully marked and retreived wounded birds as I shot them. The dog worked hard to pick up 50 birds that day and then another 9 the next morning when I borrowed a mates dog to help but with birds scattered over a wide area and the dogs of risk from heat stress we couldn't find them all. I know many of you would not shoot what you can't retrieve...but my first reason to shoot is for the sport and secondly for pest control and thirdly to put sustainable sourced meat on the table.

A first for me. I was out reccying winter barley fields at lunchtime when I spotted a flightline straightover a barley field into the next field. Had a look and it was a hybrid rye that had been cut that morning as wholecrop for an AD plant. Watched for 10 minutes and then had a drive round to lift the birds off. About 100 on the field and a steady flightline in......change of plan, thought the barley can wait as the stubble will have slurry on within a week. Back the next day (Friday) with a mate I owe a days pigeon shoooting. About 150 on the field and a good flightline in. We were set up by 2 pm and had steady traffic all afternoon between a couple of rain showers. We both shot badly to begin with and a lot of birds did not decoy ....many went into neighbouring oak trees or flared away as they approached the pattern. Had a standard U pattern with a flapper front centre, a flapper to left and magnet front right, which was directly in front of an oak. I switched the magnet to the front left and that helped. Finished with 88 picked. My mate had his first double on pigeons so was well chuffed. (Went on the best barley field on Saturday and finished with 97....next post). Hybid rye stubble in July is a first for me decoying but I'll be keeping my eye on them in the future. I have another permision who should be cutting some soon for forage. Just goes to show you need to be out regularly and on the look out all the time to find the pigeons.

I am always torn wether to pack up and move or to stick around a bit longer .....and rarely does sticking around pay off. I once found a good flight line into a rape field at mid-day and took the next day off work to shoot it. Set up early and very little traffic for the first 3 hours but I stcuk it out as the flightline the day before has been a good one and was at mid-day. Traffic picked up around lunchtime and I had a busy couple of hours and finished with 70 odd. As opposed to this, last harvest I moved twice before I hit the action and ended with a PB of 219. This happened after my second hide was on a hilltop and I could see birds heading to a neighbouring farm .... a quick reccy followed by a quick phone call and I moved again. If I have a hide with a good view then happier to stay put longer as I can see what pigeon traffic about and watch for new flightlines, if traffic is slow I will often leave the hide in place but have a drive round to look at other options before I decide to move on.

Agree with the idea of not to rush into a buy. Semi-autos have a lot of positives in a pigeon hide but I bought a second hand one and although I could shoot well with it, I preferred my O/U and hated picking up the widely scattered shells...particularly in long grass....so I rarely used it and eventually passed it on. Best to try a few guns out and have an instructor guide you on fit if you are outside the "average" size. I would recommend you consider what other uses you will have for it as if you want to shoot some duck or geese with steel cartridges then need a minimum 3 inch chamber.

I've been running one for 3 years now with no issues...they are solid builds which mean on the heavy side...but certainly robust.

May...from my limited experience. This year has started poor with no decent numbers on any crops but had huge flocks over winter so hope will get some good numbers come summer. Previously have had good sessions on peas from June (when in flower) til harvest.

I have some full bodied with foam wings which are OK but replace with dead birds once a couple are shot. I also normally have a couple of preserved dead birds (dried with Borax) which work well when "fresh" but look less realistic after repeated trips in and out the truck. These are a better option for a full day as the battery lasts much longer with the decoys or preserved birds.

Keep an eye on them but if not many about after drilling then usually numbers pick up when flowering (late may/Early June?), can continue then up until harvest, and then until ploughed in.

Never really had an issue with other shooters. Have had a couple of occasions where I have come across others shooting on a good field on a shared permission when I have struggled to find another spot, but watch to see what traffic they have and where the pigeons move on to. I just try to find another location nearby without disturbing their flightline, and where we can help each other by keeping the pigeons moving. Have a couple of old boys who I regularly see out in the summer when I am on a reccy. I'll walk over, have a chat in the hide, compare notes and discuss the options of where I could set up. The best remedy for disrespectful shooters is to gain the trust and have a good working relationship of the farmers you shoot for. I have one farmer who forwards any requests for pigeon shooting on his land to me so I can co-ordinate what goes on. I have another, who when I checked about someone else shooting on his land he explained who it was and stated "any issue let me know and I'll remove their permission." If the farmers value what you do for them then they should look after you in return .... so the more you put into the relationship the more you should get back..... karma again?

I have three fields of peas on one permission. They were drilled about 4 weeks ago and have emerged now. Pigeons had just started to find them about 4 days after drilling and I had an afternoon on them, only shot about 15 as not many returned, and saw others were still on the rape. Went back a few days later and a gas gun was out on every field. The farmer had transferred the guns straight from the rape fields....maybe saved himself some time and effort but spoilt my chances of a good day ..... frustrating to see others getting ton bags on drilled peas! But well done you....have to take the opportunities as you get them.

I think most would struggle to find you good numbers at the moment. I would be hesitant to pay unless a varied rate based on shots or bag.

My dealer will only take frozen rifle shot rabbits, fur on, guts left in. I cool on concrete floor overnight and freeze next morning. Only freeze a single layer at a time in 2 freezers so limited to 28 rabbits at a time.

Biggest bag was 219 on rape stubble last harvest in my third season ... had a cracking day but no time to do anything but shoot. I think a 100 is more than enough for me!

I usually start with 18 half shell flocked in the pattern and build up with dead birds as I get them. Usually consider the more birds the better so can end up with 60 dead birds out in the pattern on a good day. Don't normally keep any dead birds so have some preserved birds (Borax treated) and put the first decent bird on the flapper. Will swap to fresh birds on the magnet if think its worthwhile ie the preserved ones are looking a bit ropey or pigeons are not decoying well. I don't normally bother bringing the shelled decoys in...leave them out. I hate packing up and moving but I certainly set up in haste too many times. Better to not set up until you are sure there is traffic into a field.

Plenty small enough for a pigeon compared to beans. I think they will be lucky to find any as likely to be drilled very thinly as only need a pumpkin plant every 50 cm.

I would recommend Archie Coates book and following the advice on this forum. I started pigeon shooting four years ago and I struggled to get more than 10 in the first year but then got my first ton in my second year. You need field craft to get the birds in range and then the ability to shoot 'em. When I started I could do neither well. Birds can be hard to decoy this time of year but shooting at birds out your range will not help. Sit tight and they may swing round for a closer look. If your getting birds in comfortable range (25-30 yards) but not hitting many then you need to get on a clay ground and improve your shooting. Skeet is a good discipline for pigeon shooting.

After spending all week looking for decent pigeon activity I found two fields with good traffic in. Unfortunately both were on neighboring land...asked for permission but both denied as already had regulars. Yesterday decided to set up on a rape field with decent numbers but no traffic. Moved them off, set up and none returned. Ended with two pigeons and a crow that were just passing by. Thought today would be rained off so set about getting some other chores done. No rain by 11 so checked forecast and heavy rain due at 2 pm. High winds so set out looking for a flightline....first option was a high overgrown hedge by a rape field I have shot before with success when the wind was up. When I arrived about 200 in field and along hedge. Set off light with 6 half shells, a flapper and a single camo net. Due to wind direction and housing and roads bordering the field I had a U shaped pattern out in the field to my right with the wind from my right....I had pigeons coming along the hedge in front and turning into the pattern and birds coming from a wood on my left and coming straight over head to drop in the pattern. Had a few showers and heavy rain held off until packed up at 4. Traffic was steady and finished with 25 from 65 shots. Lots of jinxing in the gusts in the wind made for some cracking sport.

Would have been great sport if shot in today's wind. What was the crop?

Rarely set up in middle of a field. Much prefer a hedge or tree as background. PB of 219 was with back to a telegraph pole on rape stubble. Used a very narrow hide with desert netting to blend in with small clumps of rape left around the telegraph pole.

Been round my permissions for a reccy over last two days at various times looking for somewhere to set up as have to take some time off work before April. Have a couple of rape fields been hit but when I sit and watch the fields no traffic into the fields and when I move them off they go as one flock and don't come back .... so no point bothering with them. I have spotted a neighboring field of overwintered stubble with good numbers on it and a good flightline in. Dilemma is - do I try to get permission on this when all my neighboring permissions want me protecting their rape? Have beans and peas drilled today so should hopefully get some action on them if the pigeons find them. Never seen big numbers on spring drilling round here since I started shooting four years ago. I think the modern precision drills have reduced pigeon activity on spring drillings.

We don't hear so much of the "not so good days". I had my first blank on Saturday ..... I had watched pigeons hitting three rape fields (with no gas guns on) in large flocks but no flightlines ... just arriving on mass and departing on mass. Saturday was forecast dry and windy so thought flocks may get broken up a bit. Anyway, wind was not as strong as forecast (15 mph). Set-up twice after moving flocks off for them not to return. Two shots at a distant crow and a couple of shots to get birds moving for no kills. To cap it all my magnet broke. I packed up by lunchtime in a bad mood. Sometimes you learn the hard way .... no traffic then don't bother setting up. Looking forward to the flocks splitting up this month. I have several rape fields with thin patches on that will focus the pigeons now it has started growing and some pea and bean fields to be drilled. I have never seen such large flocks on my permissions so should be a good year once the flocks break up.