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pigeon controller

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Posts posted by pigeon controller

  1. Getting harder

    in Talk From The Field

    Posted

    I was invited out by Ben AKA Bunny_Blaster this morning. During the dark/ day break down the motorway all I could see was pigeons feeding on the roadside berries . On arrival to the fields of rape birds were sitting in the trees not attempting to feed on the rape, using my Carp Barrow across the field it was difficult to find any dry areas and the barrow was sinking into the wet areas. 
    The birds wanted to feed but would hover over the field looking for a dry section which was difficult.  

  2. golf course

    in Talk From The Field

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Bigbob said:

    Since the wet weather or the holidays closed the golf course across the road i have taken to going over with the dogs , and the amount of pigeons thats on the hawthorns and raking about under the trees in the leaves i have never saw that many for years , I sign of surplus or hard times i dont know which 

    They  are looking for food that will not get their feet covered in mud.

  3. This was a strange one.

    in Talk From The Field

    Posted

    Well done JDog for making the effort and avoiding the temptations. 
    I had a similar concern with the sun on my last outing with Ben, the birds would insist on coming to the decoys out of the sun. My hide was under a tree in the centre  of the field but the birds wanted the edge that the decoys were.

    Thanks  for posting.

  4. Impatience

    in Talk From The Field

    Posted

    We have a good number around us at present on the rape, we also have a good number of hawthorn berries, Ivy, etc. 

    Rape is part of the cabbage family and not a substantial food , thirty years ago cabbage and sprouts were the mainstay of winter food for pigeons along with berries. I’m not sure what the effect of me eating brassicas would be for the ozone layer..

    Observing the pigeons on our rape they do tend to land on the drier surfaces and eat the rape confirming the theory that they want to stay clean. 

  5. My last 2 outings

    in Talk From The Field

    Posted

    Well done Ben on both occasions, I did accompany you on the last session and managed a further 18 for 44 shots. Which just goes to prove I’m a normal shooter who can have a bad day.

    Again Ben, thank you for inviting me out in the last few months and well done in your results.

    May I wish all on Pigeon Watch a Happy Christmas and a Healthy New Year.

  6. Portek double banger ropes

    in Guns & Equipment

    Posted

    I inquired at a local fireworks shop just to buy the bangers to make some specialist rope bangers and was informed that they had been banned in the UK, still available in Europe. The storage of fireworks ( rope bangers) has also been tightened and a lot of retailers are not prepared to upgrade security so demand has dropped.

  9. ONLY IN BRITAIN !

    in Off Topic

    Posted

    On 16/12/2023 at 20:15, clangerman said:

    that’s why everyone is now using them to shift their drugs mate lol 

    We have lots of electric bikes running along the canal tow path at night from the city to the posh estates in the countryside. When walking the dog late along the canal we have queues under the bridges, I spoke to a local Bobby and he said they were aware but it’s small fry.

  12. Fridays Shooting

    in Talk From The Field

    Posted

    I had a call on Tuesday from Ben informing me that he intended to shoot a shared permission on Friday. I had planned to do my bottle run on Wednesday so I could have a look at the rape for Friday. I told Ben I would join him on Friday. During my bottle run I had a look at the three fields of rape and could not see a bird on it but just then the farm manager drove across the field on his quad so I left.

    Friday morning I arrived at the fields at approx 9.20 and Ben at 9.25. I could not see any birds down but Ben glassed the field and the local woods and could see birds in the trees . They then started to drop in at the far end of the field we had driven into, the field layout is as such. Two fields east to west side by side with the third field north to south adjoining both. The birds were dropping in at the intersection of all three. As I’ve said before you have to set up where the birds want to be, so it was going to be a long walk. So we loaded the trolley and Ben steered  it down the field, when we arrived the birds were coming in with the wind and then turning into it at the last moment. So the hide position was under an Oak tree with the wind in our faces slightly from the left. The Oak tree gave us cover from birds coming to the pattern over our heads. We set up the decoys in the tram lines in front of the hide, two on the magnet and nine on cradles in the taller rape on the edge of the tram lines.

    We had birds coming to us from in front and turning in an arc across us and birds from the back coming over our heads. It was a slow day and we finished at 15.00 and picked up 51 pigeons and one high corvid. It was nice to be out and the banter was interesting.

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  17. Not Been Out for Ages

    in Talk From The Field

    Posted

    40 minutes ago, marsh man said:

    As already mentioned it was good to hear from you again and also nice to know that whatever treatment you are having is working and you fitness levels are building up , mind you if you can manage to cart off 50 odd in a sack again then I will be looking into in having the same pills you have been taking .

    If the weather you had yesterday was anything like we had down here then I didn't envy you one bit sitting around in freezing , foggy conditions , when I took my dog out first thing in the morning it took me a while even getting into my motor as all the doors had froze up , once in it didn't take to long to warm up and on the dash the warning came on about possible ice on the roads , the temp was showing minus 3 and the conditions then were misty rather than fog , I could hear a few shots going off where the hardy wild fowlers were waiting for the geese to lift off , I wished them luck as they certainly needed it in these very still cold conditions .

    I was back home by 8am and had enough time to read some of the paper and a bite to eat before I had to set off again to meet up for the days shoot at 9 am , after a slow journey due to the icy roads we all made it and a glass of Port was handed out to all who wanted one , as I don't drink I was more than happy having a coffee , we got away at 9.30 and the mist was already turning to freezing fog with the temp now showing minus 2.

    We were ready when the guns turned up and we could just make them out while standing on the pegs , the drive started and we could hear shots but couldn't see what they were firing out and now again you could hear a thump when a Pheasant hit the hard ground so we had to move in a bit so we could see what was going on , at the end of the drive we picked up what was behind the guns and then had a quick look in the woods before we moved on to the next drive , this carried on till dinner and the fog was around the border line to be called off , as it was we carried on and got finished around 3.30 , this gave us a extra ten minutes or so to look for any ones we were told that had been clipped , I found the last cocx bird that had ran along a water course and that was it , took the birds up the game larder and they had just over 100 head of game with a few Pigeons , so all in all the guns done well to stick the day out , easily one of the coldest days shooting we have had for a while .

    So P C for you sit around in those conditions I really hope it didn't do you any harm with breathing in that cold air , I always said you were super human but you still need to take it easy as reports are very thin on the ground at the moment and yours are always worth reading to sift out any little gems of advice .  STAY SAFE            MM

    Thanks for your kind words and the great report.

  19. Not Been Out for Ages

    in Talk From The Field

    Posted

     

    I was called out last Wednesday as the farmers agrologist had informed him that the pigeons were destroying his rape. So I headed out to the field with the thought of shooting loads of pigeons. When I arrived the field was devoid of any birds so I set up in my favourite place under a giant Ash tree, which gives me plenty of protection from the wind and sun. During the time I was setting up six pigeons flew over me seeing the decoys. Once I was set up and in the hide nothing for thirty minutes. Then I heard the familiar cry of a Canada goose as the flock flew over me to land in the field, they were too high to shoot so I put up a warning shot and they landed on the lake on the next farm.

    After three hours no pigeons arrived and I packed up. Stopping at the farm on the way back home I had a talk with the farmer and he will put a gas gun on the edge of the field close to the lake!!

     

    On Thursday night I had a missed call from Bunny­­_Blaster he sent me a text on Friday saying he was going out looking and would I be interested to shoot on Saturday. It was a YES obviously. I had been out looking but not seen a bird on my permissions. He rang me to say he had found a good number on one of his rape fields so we arranged to meet up at 09.00.

    As I set out in the morning it was minus 3 degrees and foggy , they predicted that it would clear for two hours then freeze again. I met up with BB and we drove around the estate in the fog disturbing nothing out of the trees and decided to set up in the hope that the fog would clear and give us some shooting. I had eleven thawed birds as decoys put two on the magnet and the others on cradles above the rape. Not sure of the time but could have been 10.30. We had various gas guns around us and they sent us birds, the first in BB dropped two and I had a third. I went downhill after that missing bird after bird ( I had not shot since August) The fog thinned a bit but did not clear as predicted. We shot till 15.00 and picked up 46 pigeons. I must thank BB for the invite and the banter it was refreshing.

    I must also thank Yickdaz and our other Northern Shooters for sending down the pigeons south as part of the “Levelling up Process”!!

    Just a quick update on my current condition. I have concluded eleven months of four weekly infusions and daily steroids which has brought my Myeloma under control. In a  few weeks I will have a plasma extracted from my blood cleansed ready for a Stem Cell transplant in January.

    I have built up my fitness to walking on average 5.5 miles a day, which has allowed me to be put forward for the treatment

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  25. Remembrance sunday

    in Off Topic

    Posted

    Isn’t it purely “ the minority controlling the silent majority” otherwise if people want to come to this country surely they should respect the law and the will of the people. They enjoy freedom of speech not allowed in their own country and they influence young people who do not appear to remember the sacrifices made in warfare in the past. I despair at times.

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