Cranfield Posted June 22, 2003 Report Share Posted June 22, 2003 Is anyone out there shooting at pigeons ? How are you doing and what are they feeding on ? I have had two "drive arounds" this week and seen a few on grassland and dropping into a pea field (not mine). But, no great numbers. Anyone having any luck ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDave15 Posted June 22, 2003 Report Share Posted June 22, 2003 Me and dad were in the tractor yesterday we drove across a newly planted grass and clover field to get back to the shed we wanted to get back for tea. Anyhow as we drove across pigeons flew up everywere. They hung around in the trees then flew back down on to the crop they were after the stuff by the trees that hadn't come up yet it seams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M ROBSON Posted June 22, 2003 Report Share Posted June 22, 2003 My dad had some guns out for the last two days. There were a few pigeons on the Brocolli fields and spring rape, but most of there birds were taken on grass fields with clover patches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farma Geddon Posted June 22, 2003 Report Share Posted June 22, 2003 I have had three superb days on peas.77 last weekend(Saturday).My first solo 100(105) this Saturday and damned if I didn't do it again today on cut and worked peas,106. I very nearly shot a peregrine that came in with wings folded,very low looking just like a woodie but built like a brick outhouse,I hangfired and he smacked a dead bird,bounced off and sat fourty yards away totally bemused at these daft pigeons. I also retreived a woodie that had been eating fresh water snails while having a bevi and they were still alive in the crop!!!!!!! I have had quite a weekend.Farmageddon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Beasley Posted June 23, 2003 Report Share Posted June 23, 2003 We started shooting flat barley middle of last week with good results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.223 Posted June 23, 2003 Report Share Posted June 23, 2003 theres plenty of birds appearing all of a sudden round my area they are feeding on laid barley, spring rape sparse winter rape, clover, grass seed and peas . i dont know were they are all coming from, this time last month there was hardly any now theres 1000's .not managed to get out thats the only problem now i have started work and last 2 weekends have been spent at family get to gethers and BBQ's :( but have got thursday off and nothing booked for this weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malc Posted June 24, 2003 Report Share Posted June 24, 2003 Clover and spring rape are attracting the birds up here at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brain dead Posted June 24, 2003 Report Share Posted June 24, 2003 Yeah i have seen plenty as i have been driving along in t tractor near a large clover field and some, not so many, on a bean field, is this usual?(on a bean field) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ernyha Posted June 24, 2003 Report Share Posted June 24, 2003 is this usual?(on a bean field) The only time I have had pigeons on a beanfield before it was cut was when the previous years rape was growing amongst it. Normally the sport on beans is when they are sown and then when harvested, and great sport it usually is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red_stag88 Posted June 24, 2003 Report Share Posted June 24, 2003 Braindead, you always know someone with a shotgun living near by, lets arrange a date Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brain dead Posted June 24, 2003 Report Share Posted June 24, 2003 Yeah good point, Geoff nxt door farmers got one, i'll give him a ring :( Damn shame we had to sell ours! But i couldn't argue a case to dad as i wasn't old enough :( :< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red_stag88 Posted June 24, 2003 Report Share Posted June 24, 2003 you ve got to bet 15 now havent you? You just cant buy the stuff, but it would go on your ticket. I'm sure we would take you to Garlands and help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supergame Posted June 24, 2003 Report Share Posted June 24, 2003 Mixed variety of crops attracting pigeons in my neck of the woods. Laid Barley in the last 7 days has attracted a few. Kale strips on my shoot, Cabbages, Broccolli , clover crops and peas. At the moment there is that much choice they are not really getting stuck into any particular crop and making a big bag has been hard. I should think they will tune into the laid barley more positively in the next week or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sutty Posted June 24, 2003 Report Share Posted June 24, 2003 Finding them in good numbers on laid barley and late sown peas now Went out on Friday last and had 35, which isnt bad on your knees in laid barley Actually had two with one shot (which i assure you was a fluke!) Rigged up a floater when i finally found a dead bird which brought them in a treat Just as a bonus i blasted a rat sutty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brain dead Posted June 25, 2003 Report Share Posted June 25, 2003 Yes redstag i know i'm 15, i was saying i could do nowt to stop my dad sellin his shotgun as i was to young at the time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M ROBSON Posted June 28, 2003 Report Share Posted June 28, 2003 We had a really good day on spring rape yeaterday, 280 for 3 guns. This stuff is still only six inches high, it was planted at the end of May using the direct planting method. For anyone that doesn't know what this is, it is when the field being planted isn't ploughed first, it is simply raked over with a harrow and drilled directly. It takes ages for the rape to come through and when it does it is overtaken by weed for the first few weeks. It doesn't look to yield very well but I think it is more to do with subsidies rather than yield. I've seen set-aside planted with Kale and game crop in this way but this is the only rape we have like this. It is well behide the rest of the rape and won't be harvested till at least the third week in September. Three years age one of the fields was wheat that stood all winter due to a wet harvest, there was good shooting all winter on this field but when they raked it all up to plant the rape the pigeons went wild! they've planted rape on all their fields ever since. Anyway the pigeons love it and there are seven fields of it on this farm. :( Has anyone else seen rape like this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Austin Posted June 28, 2003 Report Share Posted June 28, 2003 Have been out with the Land Rover green laning (around South East Norfolk) today so no shooting but noticed lots of Pigeons everywhere (as you do when you can't shoot them) mostly in twos and threes occasionally more. Like an earlier post says there is such a choice of feeding available there does not seem to be a single crop attracting them. They seem to like power cables with some sitting on the wires and some feeding on the crop beneth. I have notice this on the fields we shoot, the pigeons are attracted to them. As we were driving along I did a rough count and the most common birds visible were pigeons. As for the rest of the day we drove the wrong side of a hedge across some sugar beet (another good way to wind up land owners is to rain shot on them!). No we stopped pleaded our case, well he had blocked the County road, settled for damages and free passage back to the paved road. Later the the lead vehical got tired and laid down in a six foot deep ditch to rest, so we finshed the day spending a couple of hours sitting it up and pulling it out. Happy Days in the Feild! Andy Austin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted June 28, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2003 Whats "green laning" ? Is it an organised country drive, or something similar ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deako Posted June 28, 2003 Report Share Posted June 28, 2003 oops!...bet Farmer Palmer was well chuffed! :*) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highdowns hunter Posted June 28, 2003 Report Share Posted June 28, 2003 Well im please to say we have finally got some pigeons in county Durham IWent out yesterday and saw about 150 feeding on some laid barley Problem no 1 was the laid bit was in the middle of the field and the birds were resting on the overhead power lines However i managed to find their flight line and got under it :( problem no 2 was that where i was sitting It was a bridle path and there was people walking dogs I did manage to shoot 10 in about 2 hours :( Dont laugh this is a record for my area especially with the comings and goings of horses and dog walkers. I was quite happy with my few hours of shooting I got a bit worried about a couple of horses which passed me as they could either see or smell me even though their riders could not. It took the lead horse rider about five mins to get her horse to pass my hiding place Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supergame Posted June 30, 2003 Report Share Posted June 30, 2003 Managed 16 on my kale gamecrop last wednesday, not bad considereing there was only about 25 using the strip. It was suprising to see how much damage so few birds had done. Went on a clover field on saturday evening and had 24 in a couple of hours. A few birds have turned to laid barley where they can find it, but there are very few laid patches in my area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M ROBSON Posted June 30, 2003 Report Share Posted June 30, 2003 Had 80 birds for 3 guns on Kale on saturday and 25 for 1 gun on spring rape today. Had my first shot of a side by side in about ten years and shot really well today. I always use a semi auto or an o/u, but got the chance to use a Webley & Scot s/s, I wasn't sure how I would get on with it but I got 3 right and lefts and only missed one chance all day. I think it was down to the size of the barrels, I like to see a certain amount of daylight between the bird and gun for crossing shots and with the two barrels side by side this then leads to giving a slightly longer lead, Just a thought. Anyway a really nice gun, wish I could get one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M ROBSON Posted July 3, 2003 Report Share Posted July 3, 2003 Had 40 for one gun yesterday. the birds were on a field of GM winter rape. The soap dodgers had been in it with a strimmer and cut a large area down. the pigeons were feeding happily in it :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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