Wilts#Dave

Look like maple peas to me, one of my farms grows them for bird seed. If not, put us out of our misery!

If you’ve shot an area for a number of years it becomes very apparent, a lot of shooters won’t have this knowledge which can work in your favour. I have some great shooting in an area that’s not too far from a town/housing. I think it’s because those areas can hold pigeons all year round feeding in parks and gardens etc, and have learnt where there may be a food source at certain times of the year. Fingers crossed those fields provide you with plenty more shooting!

It’s the single most irritating thing for any pigeon shooter to have a ‘guide’ operating in your area…..certainly not my cup of tea but money talks I guess, and there are a lot of lazy shooters out there who want to pay the money to just turn up and shoot as they do with pheasants etc.

Lovely bag, I’m yet to go over the 100 mark this year. Always goes down as a good day when you do! I know what you mean ref the fields, some fields will produce and others left untouched even in the same area. Over the years you certainly learn where those fields that the pigeons like are, and I get excited when the right crops end up in said fields!

Nice bit of shooting there, well done 👍🏼

Nice one Jdog, spotting opportunities when pickings are slim is key.

Have a look round for a Honda Civic with the 2.2 diesel engine…..bulletproof engines that go really well for what they are too, we run ours as a third vehicle now for the other half when we don’t all need to go out (3 kids) and it never goes wrong, always passes the mot and does 45-50mpg. My brother in law has had one from three years old and has barely spent any money on it! Annoyingly she loves driving my double cab around now so it’s hard to prise her out of that, but saves a fortune on fuel 😂

Cracker that, wouldn’t have expected to shoot that number over an old onion field would you…..but then that’s what it’s all about, finding unlikely fields where the pigeons have been left alone to build up. Sounds a great afternoons sport! I’m yet to bag over 100 this year, looking forward to getting the opportunity to do so!

Go to a good local dealer and handle some guns in your price bracket, what fits one won’t fit another etc etc…..you’ll get recommendations mostly based on what people own themselves and get o with but might not suit you! Personally don’t think you can go wrong with any of the entry level miroku/browning or beretta’s, will last a lifetime and still worth a few quid if you decide to move on. I went in to buy a new Browning B525 many years ago and left with a new Beretta 682Golde…..they laid out a selection of guns and then offered me the Beretta just to see what I thought which fitted like a glove and handled beautifully over the Brownings for me personally, fell in love with it even though it was a lot more money at the time. Still use it today mostly on pigeons now and been bulletproof, great gun that’s never missed a beat!

Exactly what we use, ideal and needs a backrest for me personally

I’m the same, not bothered about the value of what I shoot but don’t feel comfortable shooting a heap of pigeons and having to chuck them away (I know there’s the age old debate of it being pest control so shouldn’t matter).

It’s a real shame pigeons seem to be off the menu now, ever since Covid they seem to have hit rock bottom. We had a local place for years who would come and get our frozen pigeons in bulk in a van as and when we needed them to and worked brilliantly…..not a money maker but that’s not what we do it for and made shooting any numbers stress free. They closed down during Covid and it’s been a bit of a pain getting rid of large numbers ever since, I’ve managed but it’s all a bit of a pain and not as straightforward as it used to be. I phoned every game dealer within an hour and a half and all were almost rude when I mentioned wood pigeons….a resounding ‘no’ was all I heard, so clearly they’ve no outlet for them? Back in the day they used to cry out for them in any numbers, and as long as you didn’t mind taking them in it was always easy to offload large numbers of fresh or frozen birds, the more the merrier…..makes you think why isn’t pigeon on the menu as a cheaper option as clearly supply now outstrips demand.

Cracking 👍🏼

Thanks 👍🏼 Absolutely, quite happy with what I shot but often when you’re not expecting it! Thanks Jdog, how is the pigeon population where you are currently? I agree it’s quite amazing how these days out can divert, my other half raises an eyebrow and gives me her usual ‘look’. Never gets boring that’s for sure. If this persistent rain hadn’t come I would have likely given it another go, but at this rate the field will be under water! Odd isn’t it. When the farmer’s initially all stopped growing rape the winter shooting died off naturally but when they started growing it again albeit in smaller acreages the pigeons have just never returned in the numbers we used to get, very frustrating as I used to look forward to some winter rape decoying. This bag came completely out of the blue, as you say they’re the best days. Fingers crossed some pigeons will be along for you shortly 👍🏼 Absolutely PC, managed to miss this small block somehow. Hope you’re keeping well.

I used to use the phd protein powder when I went to the gym (far too long ago now), but the full fat version and as you say they make such nice tasting thicker shakes than most. I used to look forward to drinking them 😂

As seems usual for us in our area now, a lean winter chasing low numbers of pigeons on rape resulting in only one bag of 16 and another more recent bag of 3. A few nice evenings flighting through December/January and the rest of the time spending money on diesel driving around in hope of pigeons turning up! Only last weekend on a family day out did I spot a few in some trees on a permission that never grows winter crops/rape so I’d not looked at. I went back for a closer look the following day to find pigeons feeding on what looked like a very sparse crop of rape, that I later found out was a fodder mix of all sorts with rape among it. There was a good number sitting up in the trees that I put out and eventually saw an odd one or two return. I glanced at it again for the next few days and seeing odd pigeons floating over each time decided it was worth a go, and shot it on the Thursday. Due to access via locked gates and grass fields to cross it was a later start that intended but eventually Dad and I were in position and set up with just a rotary by 12.30 after disturbing a couple of hundred out of the trees on the way there. The first bird crossed the pattern some way out within a few minutes which I shot, and a large number of pigeons dispersed from all over and gave me the opportunity to shoot half a dozen pretty quickly which I set up on cradles. For the next two hours I had some great sport with lots of flighting shots and plenty sweeping into the pattern. It slowed up a bit and the last half an hour picked up again until the cartridge bag was empty at 15:30. Deciding it wasn’t worth going back for any more shells we took some time sweeping the area for a pick up, which resulted in picking 83 pigeons (I had 88 on the clicker). A wonderful few hours that offered every shot in the book, and as it always does when it comes unexpectedly left me realising just how much I love the ongoing chase to find those pigeons! Had we been in position at 10:30 with more shells would have been well over the hundred mark but maybe there will be an opportunity for another go over the next couple of weeks, who knows.

Shocking isn’t it! I remember my old man having a heart attack when they went over £200/thousand…..crazy how much they’ve managed to bump them up in recent years.

Looks absolutely banging!!

What are all the 6&1/2 shot loads available out of interest? I used to use the eley pigeon back in the day that were 6&1/2 and brilliant but can’t say I’ve noticed many others?

I’m guessing he may not have had to carry too far, but as you say flying solo that’s a lot of work to do at the end of the session what with picking, carrying off then sorting out at the other end. i’d happily take on such work if there were sufficient pigeons to shoot! Whilst I’ve shot over 200 at other times of the year, winter rape is the one crop pigeons just never seem to hit in numbers here no matter how hard I look, I’ve never managed over 100 even. Cracking bag, you always do well through the winter.

‘Settle in settle down’. Iconic bullseye voice of Tony Green. RIP

Funnily enough 2 bed bungalows don’t tend to get built alongside a double garage! Although you see plenty of bungalows sat on large plots so no reason you couldn’t find a bungalow with the room to build a double garage. As it goes what you’re after would be my ideal requirements too if I were in your position (would hate to give up my double garage).

I’d say there was more than just a few using his rape, cracking bag 👍🏼

Came across as a genuinely nice guy, enjoyed watching his exploits on tv. RIP Dave.

Cracking stuff Jdog. Nothing like some flighting pigeons to get your eye in with a new gun!