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John Humphreys - Country Gun


The Duncan
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Did anyone read the Shooting Times, 23rd March issue?

John Humphreys wrote

"...it is rare that a rape field is seriously damaged long term by pigeons."

Really?

 

Every farmer who grows rape that I know

thinks the man is off his tree!

 

What do you think?

 

Duncan

Edited by The Duncan
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Did anyone read the Shooting Times, 23rd March issue?

John Humphreys wrote

"...it is rare that a rape field is seriously damaged long term by pigeons."

Really?

 

Every farmer who grows rape that I know

thinks the man is off his tree!

 

What do you think?

 

Duncan

 

Well he is not totally right there, but like we have all seen in the past where a field has been battered all winter then by mid may its all up and in flower . The biggest thing they do is slow it down so some flowers and seeds before the rest meaning more of a pain to harvest .

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Taking out the main shoot encourages the plant to tiller, which is to send up multiple shoots which can increase the yield. Research has even been conducted into whether it improves yields if Oil Seed Rape is 'mowed', which is a not dissimilar thing to what Pigeons do.

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Hi,

Never shot over rape so haven't a clue. If what Teal and Ginger say is right and I don't disbelieve it - it does seem to make sense, but as said, I wouldn't know, what effect would that fact have on the open licence if it were proven that the pigeon were actually doing some good?

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farmer we shoot for has just ploughed in a fair few fields of rape,and put in beans instead,due to pigeon damage, that said I have seen rape that looked like it had been grazed by cattle rather than pigeon, recover into what looked a good crop.

 

KW

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It's just as well that farmers think he has got wrong otherwise they would not let us on to shoot pigeons!

 

As for John himself, well I have known him for about 35 years now and he has been a good friend.Any shooting man with a double 8 bore magnum that he uses on the geese has just got to be the real deal!

 

Straight Powder

 

Roger

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I had to move off a 60 acre rape field today, ( having set up my full layout :rolleyes: ), as the farmer came to harrow in 30 acres of the field that had been eaten so low by pigeons and rabbits it wasn't recovering, despite two doses of nitrogen.

Tomorrow he is drilling peas into the new area.

 

Light browsing by pigeons early in the plants life is not harmful and the research Teal refers to is very valid.

Unfortunately, on some fields the pigeons and rabbits don't understand "light browsing" and will eat the plant down to the ground, then it becomes a problem and a financial loss for the farmer.

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I've no problem with JH. Read loads of his books and always look forward to his ST column. He OBVIOUSLY knows his onions about shooting pigeons and wildfowling.

He's also an opinionated guy who stands by his guns whatever the flak from dissenters.

To add to that, he's a jammy ****** that gets invites all over the world to shoot AND gets paid to tell us all about it! But he was brought up the right way and tells of his shooting education in the fens that tought him to respect the countryside and it's wildlife.

One of a dying breed fellas, lets not kill him off just yet eh?

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for a farmer to soley blame pigeons for a crop fauilure is nonsense more crops fail due to poor crop managment and weed comtrol than any other form of attack yes pigeons attacking a area full of weed will not help but the reason the area is poor in the first place is because the weeds have taken control coxy

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for a farmer to soley blame pigeons for a crop fauilure is nonsense more crops fail due to poor crop managment and weed comtrol than any other form of attack yes pigeons attacking a area full of weed will not help but the reason the area is poor in the first place is because the weeds have taken control coxy

 

 

or they feed on the headlands and around wet spots where the soil is compact , but this is no reason to drop the blame from the pigeons for doing this crop damage ! :hmm:

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Some of the worse damage I have seen has been from large numbers of pheasants and redlegs, generally consists of a 20 to 40m bare strip alongside a wood or gamecrop. The reason is the game birds attack the crops when it is still a seeding, destroying the whole plant, whereas pigeon hit the rape later in the winter and a only eating parts of an already established plant.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I had to move off a 60 acre rape field today, ( having set up my full layout :rolleyes: ), as the farmer came to harrow in 30 acres of the field that had been eaten so low by pigeons and rabbits it wasn't recovering, despite two doses of nitrogen.

Tomorrow he is drilling peas into the new area.

 

Light browsing by pigeons early in the plants life is not harmful and the research Teal refers to is very valid.

Unfortunately, on some fields the pigeons and rabbits don't understand "light browsing" and will eat the plant down to the ground, then it becomes a problem and a financial loss for the farmer.

you have got a point their Cranfield about rabbits :good: i have seen it with my own eyes they like it just as much as pigeons :good:
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