badgerman Posted May 6, 2006 Report Share Posted May 6, 2006 i'm a keen pigeon shooter and thoroughly enjoy decoying which i've been involved with now regularly for about 2 years. however, i often go out and won't shoot a thing all day or only a couple. this can be very frustrating when it doesn't seem to get any better but i know nothing major is wrong with my set-up and i've checked out where they're feeding etc. it's not that i'm missing, the pigeons just aren't there to shoot, or they just ignore the decoys. does anyone else frequently experience such low turnout's? or is it just the time of the year? please assure me it'll be better come summer cos i might have to take up painting instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbivvy Posted May 6, 2006 Report Share Posted May 6, 2006 what are you trying to shoot the mover right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkeye Posted May 6, 2006 Report Share Posted May 6, 2006 what are you trying to shoot the mover right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badgerman Posted May 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2006 well i haven't been able to go out for a while but when i was out it was rape, which the pigeons were destroying. it was getting a bit long in places but they were returning to the parts that they had already eaten short. which was where i was decoying primarily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungler Posted May 6, 2006 Report Share Posted May 6, 2006 Rape is too bitter for pigeons now. They are all at the peas, beans and any new drillings. They will be back on the rape in July. Don't bother for now unless you can find peas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badgerman Posted May 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2006 (edited) like i say the rape was probably about 3 weeks or a month ago but cheers for the advice with the peas etc. i think there's some bean fields knocking about on the farm i visit but i'll have to ask my shooting partner. badgerman. Edited May 6, 2006 by badgerman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted May 6, 2006 Report Share Posted May 6, 2006 Its unfortunate that some of the reports can give the impression that 50+ birds is average, for the "once a week" shooter. This just isn't the case for most people. If you can only go on one day, it means you can't choose the weather and also, your recce time suffers. Once the rape gets high and flowers, the pigeon shooting over it, is just about finished until nearer harvest time. If you have no other good feed crops for the pigeons, they will move on. Its surprising how many Farms seem to just grow rape and wheat in rotation, with very little other crops. Thats why it pays to get access to as much land as possible, so you can always have an alternative plan. I'm sure if most of us kept a record of every pigeon trip for a year and then calculated our average bag, it would be less that 20 birds a trip. Do not despair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badgerman Posted May 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2006 many thanks cranfield, i've had a few 50 bird days, but when you're their from dawn til dusk with a crow for your efforts, on more than one occassion, one can start to feel somewhat disheartened. however, punishing as it may be, i shall struggle on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackthorn Posted May 6, 2006 Report Share Posted May 6, 2006 at the moment me and lanber are shooting no pigeons due to the crops are ether rape or wheat, and the pigeons have other thing to feed on at this time of the year, role on the strong winds or harvest. no spring drilling ,peas or beans for us are well there's always the clays, do you roast, fry or boil them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deako Posted May 6, 2006 Report Share Posted May 6, 2006 Good advice from Cranfield. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big simmo999 Posted May 6, 2006 Report Share Posted May 6, 2006 Badgerman - I went out last week and shot 43...... A record by a long way for me. I went to the same field, spring beans, two days later and got 1 I went out yesterday on rape, saw about 45 - 50 birds before I set up. They flew off and didn't come back, I had two shots at one bird all day and missed. You just don't know in this game Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8 Bore Posted May 6, 2006 Report Share Posted May 6, 2006 Badgerman - I went out last week and shot 43...... A record by a long way for me. I went to the same field, spring beans, two days later and got 1 I went out yesterday on rape, saw about 45 - 50 birds before I set up. They flew off and didn't come back, I had two shots at one bird all day and missed. You just don't know in this game Where were you shooting? 8 Bore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badgerman Posted May 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2006 cheers simmo, as i say nice to hear it happens to us all, looking forward to getting back out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the hitman Posted May 6, 2006 Report Share Posted May 6, 2006 Badgerman, when i started shooting pigeons, i thought if i had seen birds on a field i was going to have a good day, i was wrong.You MUST spend hours watching your land,and even when you'r sure it can all go wrong. I would go out in all the wrong conditions just to be out, and shoot nothing. Keep trying and experience will kick in,we all blank but just not so often with practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badgerman Posted May 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2006 Badgerman, when i started shooting pigeons, i thought if i had seen birds on a field i was going to have a good day,i was wrong.You MUST spend hours watching your land,and even when you'r sure it can all go wrong. I would go out in all the wrong conditions just to be out, and shoot nothing. Keep trying and experience will kick in,we all blank but just not so often with practice. cheers hitman, but on that point what are good conditions? sun/wind/cloud? what effects does different weather have on how the pigeons behave? badgerman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the hitman Posted May 6, 2006 Report Share Posted May 6, 2006 Windy,dry and bright perfect. I have shot birds in flat calm, but wind is always best. Dead birds decoys always look good in sunlight I never go out in heavy rain, but if i'm out and it rains they might still decoy. In calm weather birds are less interested in flying,but if you are confident in your field stick it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungler Posted May 6, 2006 Report Share Posted May 6, 2006 Its unfortunate that some of the reports can give the impression that 50+ birds is average, for the "once a week" shooter.This just isn't the case for most people. If you can only go on one day, it means you can't choose the weather and also, your recce time suffers. Once the rape gets high and flowers, the pigeon shooting over it, is just about finished until nearer harvest time. If you have no other good feed crops for the pigeons, they will move on. Its surprising how many Farms seem to just grow rape and wheat in rotation, with very little other crops. Thats why it pays to get access to as much land as possible, so you can always have an alternative plan. I'm sure if most of us kept a record of every pigeon trip for a year and then calculated our average bag, it would be less that 20 birds a trip. Do not despair. Yep, Cranfield is right on the money with all of this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doggone Posted May 6, 2006 Report Share Posted May 6, 2006 I watched a field of peas for a while, rang my son in Cumbria to tell him what a good day I was going to have the next day, the pigeons moved about 20 yds. when the gas gun went off, pretty well ignored me when I walked to the place I was planning to put the hide, 250 to 300 birds on the field all the time, anyway my son came down to Cambs for the day of a life time, 250 miles and we shot 11. You NEVER know with pigeons, which is all part of their charm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAMMY Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 Aye it's a funny old game, I found a field last Sat around lunchtime, watced it fot a while, birds flighting in. Went up to the shoot, worked on the new pens and returned to check the field on the way home. OK, ar ound 200 on, in to see the Farmer had the Craic with him for an hour!! gained another new permission for Pigeons and Crows, went down and walked off the birds. Returned with my mate next day AM, shot 2. They had it cleaned up on the Sat!!! Drilled Thursday PM, so they had cleaned it in 2 days. Just my luck, but gained a new permission. Hammy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invector Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 Don't ignore OSR just because it is too high and in flower. I'm shooting a few on the six metre, uncultivated headlands, surrounding the rape. They are eating chickweed and taking some of the rape at the margins of the crop. A bit cramped for the deeks at times, but I draw them in with cradles on canes over the edge of the crop, as well as some on the headlands. Handy if the wind is blowing along the line of the hedge!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white fox Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 Yes it happens to all of us, I was asked to shoot two new fields of beans, went out last weekend and again today, nothing flying - nothing shot! As someone once said "I'll be back" WF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axel Posted May 8, 2006 Report Share Posted May 8, 2006 (edited) Hi Badgerman, welcome to the hit & miss world of Pigeon Shooting. Doing lots of recce's is paramount to any degree of success but even then you can draw a blank e.g. I had been watching a field of peas for a some days and thought I had sussed out the flight lines and where they were feeding but on my next free day, when it was dry, I set up early with plenty of decoys but they had moved on it seemed to me. When I packed up later in the day and went to the one wood I had, about 400+ came streaming out so I stood just inside the edge of the wood and got 14. Nearly all the crops were full of florets (tender, sweet, tree flowers) so until these run out, I think the pigeons will leave the peas alone in this area. A few days later, when I driving to Wisbech, the one pea field I saw was covered in pigeons (with a hide in the middle of the field), so its the old story, you've got to find out where they are feeding and not where you would like them to be. Its frustrating but if it was easy there would be even more than the 100,000 shooters chasing them that there are already. Keep at it and remember that days out with your binos and a flask of coffee will eventually pay dividends. I've been doing it a few years now but still dont get much over 400 a year. Cheers, Clipper. Edited May 8, 2006 by Axel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badgerman Posted May 8, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2006 once again thanks guys, i think it's good to have a couple of these stories on here, infact, this post can be used as a little place to go when you've had a **** day, especially with posts like that 922 bird day in scotland knocking about (not that i'd like that many to myself!). lookin forward to getting out there again, confidence restored. cheers hitman aswell for the conditions tips Good luck everyone! Badgerman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted May 9, 2006 Report Share Posted May 9, 2006 what are you trying to shoot the mover right now. :o 'THEM OVER' I think he meant to say Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbivvy Posted May 9, 2006 Report Share Posted May 9, 2006 what are you trying to shoot the mover right now. :o 'THEM OVER' I think he meant to say Mike thanks stuart , iam getting dafter than him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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