When to shoot OSR?

[OddJob]

I've just been given my first permission on a field of oil seed rape. At what times of year is the crop attactive to our winged friends? It is all very new to me so your wisdom would be appreciated.

[proTOM1]

Best idea is to keep an eye on it but for me i find late october they start to show more when the temp drops

[imissalot]

I've just been given my first permission on a field of oil seed rape. At what times of year is the crop attactive to our winged friends? It is all very new to me so your wisdom would be appreciated.

wen they are there

[semiautolee]

Best idea is to keep an eye on it but for me i find late october they start to show more when the temp drops

 

 

+1 im with tom on this one

[Cranfield]

If its your first permission, then make sure you are seen checking out the field regularly, always best to show willing.

[yickdaz]

simple answer when they are on it, but may be later this winter with the amount of acorns that are about this year

[motty]

When all the other food sources have gone, pigeons will turn their attention more to rape. At the moment i'm seeing plenty on wheat/bean stubbles.As daz said, there will be the acorns,too. It'll be a few more weeks yet before i even bother to look at a rape field.

[The Essex Hunter]

I've just been given my first permission on a field of oil seed rape. At what times of year is the crop attactive to our winged friends? It is all very new to me so your wisdom would be appreciated.

 

November!

 

TEH

[bunny_blaster]

I went and had a drive around this morning and saw plenty feeding on winter rape.

 

Cheers

Ben

[The Essex Hunter]

I went and had a drive around this morning and saw plenty feeding on winter rape.

 

Cheers

Ben.

 

Are they feeding on the rape or picking on the bits of the previous crop?

Rape is quite often drilled over wheat with the direct drilling; quite a lot of the wheat is still on top!

I think the shooting will be quite interesting this season with so much OSR planted in my area of Essex the birds will have so much choice of fields to feed in!

 

 

TEH

[bunny_blaster]

Definately feeding on the rape. Theres nothing else for them to feed on

 

Cheers

Ben

[caeser]

I think it's bit soon yet for the birds to be attacking the rape, but it won't be long I suppose. Like has already been said, once all the acorns and seeds have been exhausted, they'll be looking at the rape fields.

The other day I was driving through a large very private wood ,when a flock of about 50 or more woodpigeons took off from the ground amongst quite dense trees. They were feeding on acorns, definately.

[OddJob]

There has definately been ****** all there the last two days. I'll give it a bit of time and get some decoys

[sitsinhedges]

Pigeons wont hit the rape leaves much until all other sources of food have been exhausted, mainly I understand because it is low in nutrition and tastes somewhat bitter too. It's usually late in the season before they hit it for that reason, but when they do the amount contained in a pigeons crop is quite amazing.

 

Conversely rape seed seems to be very high in nutritional content and seems to be woodies first choice when it becomes ripe enough to seperate from the pods at harvest time.

[The Essex Hunter]

Pigeons wont hit the rape leaves much until all other sources of food have been exhausted, mainly I understand because it is low in nutrition and tastes somewhat bitter too. It's usually late in the season before they hit it for that reason, but when they do the amount contained in a pigeons crop is quite amazing.

 

Conversely rape seed seems to be very high in nutritional content and seems to be woodies first choice when it becomes ripe enough to seperate from the pods at harvest time.

 

 

TEH

[proTOM1]

Pigeons wont hit the rape leaves much until all other sources of food have been exhausted, mainly I understand because it is low in nutrition and tastes somewhat bitter too. It's usually late in the season before they hit it for that reason, but when they do the amount contained in a pigeons crop is quite amazing.

 

Conversely rape seed seems to be very high in nutritional content and seems to be woodies first choice when it becomes ripe enough to seperate from the pods at harvest time.

 

 

Bitter really patridges love it when it just coming through ,i no of a few acres that have already gone this year

I no it gets bitter later in the year but did not think it would be bitter from the start :unsure:

[sitsinhedges]

Bitter really patridges love it when it just coming through ,i no of a few acres that have already gone this year

I no it gets bitter later in the year but did not think it would be bitter from the start :unsure:

 

Well I haven't eaten any myself but pigeons clearly prefer seeds and berries etc and use rape as a last resort most of the time.

[proTOM1]

Well I haven't eaten any myself but pigeons clearly prefer seeds and berries etc and use rape as a last resort most of the time.

 

 

Oh yes they prefer seeds and berries but they do like rape that is for sure .The birds ive shot and my clientshave shot over drilled wheat (which has beed dirct drilled in to rape stubble) has showen they like seed both rape and wheat but also re-growth rape .

 

Just never heard of it being bitter at an early stage thats all

[semiautolee]

the only way it will be bitter first thing is from the first application of fertiliser which is now (on my drilled rape it is anyway) the field is covered in small rape shoots and leafs showing and the fertiliser was put on beginning of this week (loads of small white balls) pigeons wont touch it much because of its salty/bitterness

Edited September 25, 2011 by semiautolee

[sitsinhedges]

Oh yes they prefer seeds and berries but they do like rape that is for sure .The birds ive shot and my clientshave shot over drilled wheat (which has beed dirct drilled in to rape stubble) has showen they like seed both rape and wheat but also re-growth rape .

 

Just never heard of it being bitter at an early stage thats all

 

Thought it was the nitrogen later in the year that made it bitter but it still wont be their first choice now while there are nicer alternatives. They seem to spend most of their time feeding on the hawthorn bushes round these parts now the harvest is done

[proTOM1]

Thought it was the nitrogen later in the year that made it bitter but it still wont be their first choice now while there are nicer alternatives. They seem to spend most of their time feeding on the hawthorn bushes round these parts now the harvest is done

 

Ive been told it goes bitter when its above a few feet high dont no why tho ,tend to find they hit it hard when top dressed .

Ive birds on rape now even with stubbles and drillings about but most of them are feeding on the last crop as most farms direct drill round me .and this year more rape going in as price was high ,tho like said seen some rape totaly eaten by patridges

[Outlander]

still no sign of then on the rape round here, far too many other goodies to be had at the mo.

[Fisherman Mike]

The thing is with rape its got little nutritional value for Pigeons and its not a natural foodstuff for them Historically.

 

They usually hit it when everything else in that area is exhausted and the winter staple of Woodpigeon before rape was widely cultivated was Ivy.

 

When they do start hitting the rape then they will generally feed twice a day to pack up their crops because it has so little nutritional value and unlike the seed virtually zero oil content which is what they really need.

 

It just so happens that when natures bounty has been harvested it usually coincides with Mid winter when the weather turns really cold.

 

Ive always had the best shooting on Rape in January and February.

 

Most of the Rape fields around here are normally safe from pigeon attack on a large scale these days because as an example 10,000 birds have about 20,000 acres of rape to choose from where as 30 35 years ago it would have been about 500 acres if that!