Cranfield Posted April 19, 2011 Report Share Posted April 19, 2011 It certainly looks to be a bumper year for stock doves in my area. This last couple of weeks there have been a few groups of up to 20-30 birds rushing around everywhere (like they do), making me think they are woodies and generally creating chaos. I am use to seeing perhaps 2-7 stockies at a time, but not this many. They will sometimes bring pigeons into the decoys, but they will also spook incoming birds, by their bombshell aerobatics over the decoys. I have never been able to work out why they are protected, they eat the farmers crops and in these sort of numbers they must be causing some damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catamong Posted April 19, 2011 Report Share Posted April 19, 2011 They never used to be protected, back in the "good ole days". But, there again you would never see a Cormorant on an inland water, and if you saw a Green Woodpecker, it would be the talk of the pub for ages. How times change..?? Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
proTOM1 Posted April 19, 2011 Report Share Posted April 19, 2011 There a pain in the **** and there are shed loads of them ,you can get a licence to cull them well you could tried to get 1 again this year and was told i was not able to get it . Got a farm with more stocks than woodies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popgun Posted April 19, 2011 Report Share Posted April 19, 2011 I went decoying on a drilled barley field last Thursday ended up with 24 Pigeons and 7 rooks and crows i could of shot 30 or 40 stock doves they kept throwing them selfs at the decoys, i used to love shooting them in the good old days very good sport they can change direction so fast and where very switched on great sport god knows why they are protected now, still it's the law and thats that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yickdaz Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 It certainly looks to be a bumper year for stock doves in my area. This last couple of weeks there have been a few groups of up to 20-30 birds rushing around everywhere (like they do), making me think they are woodies and generally creating chaos. I am use to seeing perhaps 2-7 stockies at a time, but not this many. They will sometimes bring pigeons into the decoys, but they will also spook incoming birds, by their bombshell aerobatics over the decoys. I have never been able to work out why they are protected, they eat the farmers crops and in these sort of numbers they must be causing some damage. thats the thing with em you spot them in the distance think they are woodies,fix your eyes on them,they come over the decoys stand up mount gun,then realize they are not woodies. in bad light when they come straight over you its easy to make a mistake,but clear days can spot them hundreds of yards away and they go round in pairs mainly. but they are annoying little bleeders for catching your eye through the net,thinking a woodie has just come in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilR Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 Yep, I didn't see a woodie today I'd got the pigeon and crow decoys out and the former keep getting dive bombed by stock doves, the gun was in and out of my shoulder several times. I got so fed up with them I bought the pigeon deeks in and concentrated on the crows instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrpip Posted April 21, 2011 Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 They tend to keep you on your toes especially when its quiet. I've found lots of times when they come in & land that woodies follow them, I often see woodies flying with them usually young uns when on the stubbles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrin Posted April 21, 2011 Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 same problem on one of my nppc farms. I've given up decoying pigeons there due the number of stock doves and concentrate on the crows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest terry the rat Posted April 22, 2011 Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 the woodies in the pea fields in kent where i shoot are still mostly on the tree buds at the moment but seem to only hit the peas in the afternoons but the stock doves are out numbering them about 20 to 1 big flocks of them coming in to the deeks. They should be taken off the protected list as they do plenty of damage too but then again they should not have been protected in the first place Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retromlc Posted April 22, 2011 Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 are they indiginous,and can anyone tell me why they became protected.......out of interest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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