getthegat

Doesn't surprise me, I saw hundreds commuting from Essex, across the estuary towards Kent the other morning. Looking like a slim time ahead for my perms.

None around my area, but then it was spares all harvest. Had a dozen corvids on fresh seeded grass a couple of weeks ago, but they completely stopped coming after about an hour and 3/4s.

Never heard of that disease. Certainly very few birds about, but then apart from a few bushes with haw berries, there is nothing around for them to eat. Not found any dead birds and the last ones I shot we're in good condition.

When ever you manage to get out, I hope you have luck, whether it's blacks or woodies

Opened an interesting can of worms here me thinks. My late great uncle had an old single barrel 12 bore that we referred to as "a duck gun" and something had to be done to the breach area to tighten it up to fire modern cartridges ( modern in the early 70s) as I seem to remember something being said about it being a black powder gun. It had a 34" barrel. Don't know if any of the above info was true, but it had quite a range, though I personally struggled to hit much with it. I once saw my uncle drop a crow that paced out to over 100 paces, probably a realistic 70 or 80 yards. It was light and felt odd with that length barrel, but mainly because it was a single barrel I think. An over under would feel very different I'm sure, and with that said, "feel" and "fit" ( not necessarily professionally fitted) are probably what counts and what leads to confidence. My Franchi Affinity (27" barrel) is not an expensive gun, nor has it been fitted to me, but I have confidence with it and I guess it must fit me fairly well. I'd just like a second gun of a different bore, to do the same. My Franchi Raptor 20 is lovely, it's light and easy to handle, but I have varying degrees of success with it. I've had SxS's but generally I prefer looking down one barrel, rather than up between two, which is why I'm considering an over under 20. Perhaps I need to speak with my local-ish gun shop, and see if they may let me try before I buy. I'm hearing good things about the Turkish Kofs, especially for the price, so may wander over and put one to my shoulder 😁

Thanks guys. Really nice replies. Means a lot.

Thanks everyone, very useful knowledge/info. Sort of what I thought, but one can never have too much intel. My Franchi semi auto has 27" barrel and I definitely shoot best with it. Perhaps with that and all your responses, my query has been answered.

Due to work and home commitments, I rarely get out to shoot other than on a Saturday morning; not ideal, but retirement is not that far away and I'm told one has LOTS of free time then 🤗 I've been watching one of the last stubble fields all this week and at times, pigeons have been flocking to it, though as usual, they seem to come in large numbers, rather than a stream of traffic. So the morning arrived and after helping move girlfriends son, into a new flat, a nightmare journey through central London on a Friday night and a rubbish nights sleep, I'm trashed and chosen field is deserted. With no other choice, I set up in the middle of the field under a telephone pole, with a camo tarp behind me and remnants of barley and weeds, plus net, in front. In a vane attempt to drag in anything that passes within a hundred yards, I put 10 shell and 3 full bodied crow deeks to my right on a patch of cultivated ground, then 12 shell pigeons out front. Behind the hide, about 40 yards away, is one floater and to my left out front are 6 Fuds and 1 forty plus year old full bodied. The magnet with silosocs is a bit further away and to the left, is one more floater about 40 yards on from there. Unfortunately one of my batteries has died, so no flapper today. Customers are slow to appear and I'm glad I brought the corvid deeks, as crows and jackdaws ( normally my nemesis) are the only passing trade. Surprisingly, just about every black is dropped, even with the cheap 7.5 twenty eight gram cartridges. Just when I'm thinking I may as well take a nap, a trickle of woodies starts and chancing my arm, I take a few longish shots, giving Soph something to do, at last. A lot go over well out of reach, but some venture close enough and are dropped, usually with the first shot and the odd couple with the second. By 12.00 they are coming well and both man and dog are happy 😁, a mix of old and juvenile birds. I had to pack up just after 1.15 ( best time still to come, I hear many of you shout) but remember the "C" word at the beginning; commitments😞. Anyway, we picked up and packed up, bagging one more as we did so, and had a final total of 21 woodies and 8 corvids from 38 shots. The sun was just coming over my tarp and the wind was blowing my weak hide material every now and then, so perhaps the time was right to call it a day. But a good and surprising few hours.

So I've always been one for chopping and changing my guns (gives me more excuses for missed shots😁) and I'm thinking about getting a 20 bore over under instead of the semi automatic 20. I still have my semi automatic 12, my confidence gun and favourite; that one will stay. I'm wondering what sort of difference longer barrels makes, 30 or even 32 inch. I only ever shoot pigeons or corvids. Would said sizes be cumbersome in a hide, though I've heard it said it can improve swing and follow through? Any thoughts, experiences etc greatly appreciated.

Nice day had by both man and dog. Nice report. Cheers

Feel for you man, but similar for me. I reckon it's been the leanest harvest I can remember. Not had more than one reasonable outing. Frustrating.

Makes sense👍 Ever hopeful and positive. The farm next door is cereal and was last year as well, plus a blinding field of beans which for a short time was teaming.

So with still very few pigeons anywhere on my perms, even after the barley has been cut, yesterday I had the news that all the acreage that is cereal this year, next year will be grass for hay and hayledge (think that's how it's spelt) A few fields will be OSR or wheat, but the majority, grass. I guess I may see more crows at times, but my preferred quarry of Mr Woodie, may be in even shorter supply. There are no rabbits anywhere and no good habitat for them either, so I think lean times could be on the cards. I still have another perm nearby which at the moment has standing wheat waiting for the combine, so I'm ever hopeful of a few birds on there and some diversity from the impending grass land invasion.

I have exactly the same thing. I live in a 2nd floor maisonette with a big outside terrace, sometimes I'm sure I could hit them down with a broom handle and a field just up the road has been getting hammered for weeks whilst my perms has almost no birds. Double aaaarrrrrggggghhhhh

It's all about being polite, plus a degree of luck. All of my perms were got that way, though one was achieved by mentioning one farm I already shot on, lending a degree of trust.