What do pigeons do after they get up in the morning?

[WoodyPopper]

So far this year, the pigeons haven't been feeding anywhere on my permission. There's no OSR, but plenty on the nearby farms. They fly out of some local woods at first light and fly away over and off my permission. So, I've been getting out at first light and trying to ambush them as they come out of the woods. After an hour or so, I go home.

Yesterday I decided to use my decoys for the first time this year - even though I hadn't seen any pigeons feeding. I just thought "sod it" I'll go where I think they ought to be. I was out at 7am for my normal ambush but the pigeons were flying too high, despite a strongish wind. I then went off and set up near a maize strip that had just been cut. Plenty of pigeons flying around in the distance, and quite a few sitting in local trees. At 10:30 I fired my first shot and brought down a passing pigeon. Any pigeons which came over showed no interest in my decoys. A few actually jinked when they saw them.

I didn't change my pattern, but, at about 11, they suddenly showed an interest. Not huge numbers - but after several recent outings when I haven't fired a shot, it made a great change. Things were starting to warm up, but I had to leave at midday. I fired 14 shots in an hour and finished with 6 pigeons. All their crops were empty. I've always assumed that pigeons get up at first light and fly off to feed somewhere. But apparently not. So, what are they doing?

There were some other guys shooting nearby and they were having a great time - it sounded like the pheasant season was still open. But I guess they have OSR.

[linny]

if they are not feeding on you land than it will be a right pain trying to get the in to your decoys why dont you try to get them going up to roost

[beretta88]

ive been doing the same to try and bag a few as they come out the wood in the morning supposudly going out to feed all the ones i have shot have had emtpy crops even when coming back to roost in the evening strange i dont no what they are feeding on ive seen more in the streets around house than anywhere else i might decoy my back garden at this rate

[linny]

thats strange all the pigeons i have shot roost shooting seem to have full crops i dont check all of them but most are stufed full as we like to see what they have been feeding on i carnt remember one with an empty crop

[Davyo]

So far this year, the pigeons haven't been feeding anywhere on my permission. There's no OSR, but plenty on the nearby farms. They fly out of some local woods at first light and fly away over and off my permission. So, I've been getting out at first light and trying to ambush them as they come out of the woods. After an hour or so, I go home.

Yesterday I decided to use my decoys for the first time this year - even though I hadn't seen any pigeons feeding. I just thought "sod it" I'll go where I think they ought to be. I was out at 7am for my normal ambush but the pigeons were flying too high, despite a strongish wind. I then went off and set up near a maize strip that had just been cut. Plenty of pigeons flying around in the distance, and quite a few sitting in local trees. At 10:30 I fired my first shot and brought down a passing pigeon. Any pigeons which came over showed no interest in my decoys. A few actually jinked when they saw them.

I didn't change my pattern, but, at about 11, they suddenly showed an interest. Not huge numbers - but after several recent outings when I haven't fired a shot, it made a great change. Things were starting to warm up, but I had to leave at midday. I fired 14 shots in an hour and finished with 6 pigeons. All their crops were empty. I've always assumed that pigeons get up at first light and fly off to feed somewhere. But apparently not. So, what are they doing?

There were some other guys shooting nearby and they were having a great time - it sounded like the pheasant season was still open. But I guess they have OSR.

They sit in the tree on the opposite side of the field laughing at me,lol

[Fisherman Mike]

Pigeons will fly great distances to the right food stuffs and feeding feild and ignore other feilds local to the roost.

 

One example of this I experienced was in about 92 I shot a roost wood near Inglesham, Lechlade and many of the 30 or so birds I shot were stuffed with Sunflower seeds.

 

The only crop of Sunflowers for a radius of about 25 Miles that I was aware of was just outside Ampney Crucis near Cirencester about 16 miles as the crow flies....or pigeon in this case.

 

I went to the Sunflower field on Saturday afternoon and watched the pigeons flighting at about 4 in the afternoon I watched them fly directly SE in the direction of the roost and watched them through the bins as far as I could.

 

Im pretty confident that they were the same birds.

 

Mind you 16 miles is nothing for a pigeon...

[yickdaz]

Pigeons will fly great distances to the right food stuffs and feeding feild and ignore other feilds local to the roost.

 

One example of this I experienced was in about 92 I shot a roost wood near Inglesham, Lechlade and many of the 30 or so birds I shot were stuffed with Sunflower seeds.

 

The only crop of Sunflowers for a radius of about 25 Miles that I was aware of was just outside Ampney Crucis near Cirencester about 16 miles as the crow flies....or pigeon in this case.

 

I went to the Sunflower field on Saturday afternoon and watched the pigeons flighting at about 4 in the afternoon I watched them fly directly SE in the direction of the roost and watched them through the bins as far as I could.

 

Im pretty confident that they were the same birds.

 

Mind you 16 miles is nothing for a pigeon...

sent some details from 3 ringed woodies i shot over last few years to the BTO last summer and one was shot 13 miles from ring site

[anser2]

Another factor here is the angle of light hitting the decoys. I have often noticed that all the pigeons aproaching from one angle ignore the decoys while ones comming from another direction come in nicely to the decoys. And this may change during the day.