Wilts#Dave

Cracking Jdog! That must have been a tough invite to turn down. I spotted a good number on maize stubble last week, but alas a bit late as I’d been busy working and rain prevented me going when I could go! 110 is some sport in a couple of hours 👍🏼

Beans often produce good bags here due to them being one of the last crops cut and the other stubbles being long gone by the time they do (the later cut the better generally). Obviously as you say this needs to be in an area that holds numbers of pigeons!

Oddly I shot three great bags on beans this summer, beginning of September when we had the hot spell I shot 93 (would have been another 50 if I’d started a bit earlier and stayed a bit later). The following week on another farm a good field I’d been watching when the beans were standing was combined and I shot 150 on the first visit and 140 the following week, they really wanted it…..being cultivated was the only thing that stopped me getting another bag! Very much depends on area / field though as other fields were untouched. Funny how differently pigeons behave, what keeps you on your toes I guess!

Frustrating when they just won’t play ball (or turn up at all). Reconnaissance really is key to getting consistent results though, without it you’d need to be extremely lucky! It’s obviously much easier to find them when you’ve got bigger numbers to go at in all fairness, but even then you still need to know when to be there and where to put your hide / decoys.

Same. Personally never found the flapper particularly effective, although I’m trying to get hold of a couple of ff6 to give them another go. On the odd occasion I’ve had the magnet pack up on a busy ish day the action has always noticeably slowed up! Also as you mentioned in your previous post, every time this year when I’ve shot bags over 100 I’ve only picked up once or twice initially to get 20/30 out on cradles etc and left the rest scattered all over the place, belly up etc and they seemed to like it better if anything especially towards the end of the day when they’re super keen to feed.

Cracking session that, it’s just great when you happen to have an area that keeps producing…..certainly narrows down where you need to look! I find the same most years, usually when the right crops are grown in the right areas I shoot. Beats a partridge / duck day value for money wise that’s for sure!

Personally never shot as many over maize when it’s harvested early, usually little to nothing left on the floor…..worth a look though! How come your other perm is now a ‘no go’? Gutting that.

I’ve had Le Chameau for years and not had any fall apart, shame as personally think they’re the nicest to look at (I find them comfy too) although have got stupidly expensive! Perhaps I’ll try a different brand when I need a new pair.

These, nothing else needed. The Sipes punchier with the High Pheasant super smooth and what I use 90% of the time through 20 and 28 bores (pigeon shooting mostly) I’d take the Sipes if I was going pheasant shooting!

Sounds like good work if you can get it.

I’ve got a Hamilton Khaki divers watch which is a good quality watch for not too much money, around £800 (a brand worth looking at) With watches, a bit like guns the difference in quality is quite apparent when handling them.

You’ll need to machine polish to remove anything but very light scratches, but if you’re going to hand polish I used to do the following process….go over with a clay bar to decontaminate first followed by some cleansing polish, then use a mild cutting compound you can apply by hand (I used to use Dodo juice Lime) prime with a applicator sponge, wipe off with a thick polishing towel (hard work). Then apply a good quality hard wax and buff off to seal in the shine. I tried loads but the Dodo juice range was always good for the money (I favoured blue velvet as my cars were blue/dark colours).

Echoing that, I’ve always found in the height of summer nearly all my best days have seen the action hot up again come 4/4.30 and a steady afternoon can turn into a very busy last couple of hours when they’ll decoy better than they have all day! The last good session I had was at the end of July on some peas, where I’d shot around 50 by 4 o clock and by 6.30 finished on 165 after a frantic last couple of hours. Would never bother setting up first thing in the summer, personally.

I bet the poor chap wanted to curl up and die! Was he shooting at birds too far away / flaring or just having a really bad day? That must have been equally frustrating for you watching actually.

Another good session Jdog! I drove up through the wolds during the week and noticed a fair bit of uncut crops…..amazing that I’m not too far away and all our rape was cut weeks ago now. Good result, those two hour sessions are certainly fruitful when you know what you’re doing.

Those fields that just produce / have good flight lines over them are the best….takes time to find them but when you do! Cracker 👍🏼

Ahh, those fires whilst considered very out of date and old fashioned don’t half do the job! My parents always had one when we were kids, and I had a slightly nicer looking one in my first house built in the mid 90’s…..as you say will heat a whole room up in 5 minutes, couldn’t stand to keep it on high for long! Perfect should there be power cuts.

Try your local game dealer 👍🏼

Cracking stuff. Love pulling them off a flightline, satisfying when it works! I shot a cracking bag last year decoying on a grass field on the flightline to standing wheat, it’s amazing to see them decoying in when it’s clearly not where they want to be. Well done, you had to use your knowledge to get a bag there 👍🏼

Nicely done Jdog. Those 2 hour sessions of yours are certainly fruitful, most enjoyable having a busy couple of hours than slogging it out for a few more over 8.

Lovely report. As you say, sometimes it isn’t just the numbers that make it enjoyable and you can only shoot what’s there too (especially when you’re limited time wise)!

Shot a white woodie many years ago, but never one dark like that….looks like one that’s soaking wet 😂

Very common here too. The rape stubbles are often knee high and a pain to walk in and drive over…..they go over the stubble with the topper soon after combining generally, to make cultivation easier! Much nicer to shoot over once it’s been shaved off

Well done Jdog. Glad to see you managed to get amongst them with Jacko! There’s still rape stubble here but they haven’t got on it at all really with this wet weather, which is a shame as it’s generally one of my favoured stubbles to shoot over. Hope you’re having a good summer shooting season in between the rain!

I agree. Last year it was blistering hot conditions every time I was out, rape seed in particular is so small it germinates quickly with rain and they won’t peck around trying to pick it up when the ground is wet. Shame, but that’s pigeon shooting isn’t it….can never expect the same every year!