Wilts#Dave

I’m sure a well setup smart thermostat would have achieved similar results alongside the standard trv’s set accordingly, if your old system merely switched between day and night? You must have a rather large house to heat though, to have been costing £357/month to heat!

I’ve got a Hamilton Khaki divers watch, really nice watches for not a lot of money!

The MST cars look much nicer in my opinion, and those are ludicrously expensive too…..most buying them will those wealthy enough to have large collections of cars and buying one just because they can, and them being fairly rare as built in such limited numbers. I’d have one if I was one of those people though!

That’s a more common winter rape session right there. Very difficult to achieve the consistent results that you can at other times of the year, but hats off to you for keeping at it!

Absolutely, whilst I can at time shoot good numbers through the spring/summer, winters are always lean here through lack of numbers. Great that you’re having some well deserved success yourself, keep it up!

You seem to be achieving better results during the winter than you did through the prime months of summer. 70 is a cracking bag on winter rape, glad to hear you’re getting plenty of shooting through the winter….keep it up 👍🏼

Cracking stuff Daz, well done mate 👍🏼I’ve not pulled the trigger since October, but 40 during the winter months is like shooting 100 during high season! Those duck will make good eating too.

I must admit, I do tend to concentrate on work during the winter as I run my own business and take lots of afternoons off for the 6 months of the year when pigeons are in more plentiful supply. To be honest they disappear here largely during the winter months anyway now, so an odd day here and there if they do appear on rape is all I can usually manage anyway regardless of time. I really miss the lack of shooting during the winter, but usually get a few good afternoons flighting them to roost when the conditions are right!

It was always common for every hobby based magazine wasn’t it (I do miss looking forward to a monthly magazine in a way though), sucks you in for a while until you realise they’re just being paid to write about/test things favourably so you will keep spending money on things you don’t need/don’t work 😂

They need to write something, so try and make it ‘different‘ to engage readers. In reality most of that is completely unnecessary at any time of year, shooting good bags of pigeons is largely about reconnaissance and knowing your ground (and having pigeons there to shoot at). You can massively overthink things to be honest, and miss the basics. We’ve all got our favoured decoy setups etc, which will have the same effect when used in the right place!

Farmers regularly blame pigeons for a poor rape crop, when I know full well that’s not been the case. Flea beetle/slugs and bad growing conditions are the biggest causes, late sown often never gets going too. The crop can recover from some leaf damage in the spring, but the flea beetle damage is inside the stalk so a healthy looking crop may never mature from spring onwards (visible when you cut a stalk open).

I always wanted one, wish I’d bit bullet years ago when 20k would have bought me a low mileage minter but missed the boat and they spiralled a few years later. Could never justify the cost they go for now, but would still have one on the drive as a third vehicle if I had the spare money as there’s just something about them! I run a 68 plate L200 for shooting/ family use and if I’m honest it’s been rock solid, reliable, good enough off road with bigger tyres and plenty of room in the back/cabin. Obviously lacks the ‘character’ of a Defender that I always fancied but Japanese pickups will always be the sensible choice! If you’ve got the money and don’t need to be sensible 100% go for it.

I was referring to your initial post about the farmer saying the pigeons weren’t doing any harm eating the grain on the surface so didn’t want them shot.

What the farmer really means by saying that is that he doesn’t want you out there but would rather say that than just tell you ‘no’. They’re an odd breed at times, I’ve known them say no to asking for permission to shoot on winter rape being hammered even, to then see a banger out in the field and no one ever shooting……but it’s their land and their prerogative at the end of the day!

Always thought they looked awful, and this isn’t any better (I guess I just prefer the more traditional look)….i’m sure it’ll be a well put together gun though!