anser2 Posted March 21, 2012 Report Share Posted March 21, 2012 (edited) Over the past few weeks in N Norfolk we seem to have had a healthy increase in the pigeon population. Not the huge numbers of past years , but enough for a good days shooting. Managed bags of 50,8 , 40 and 20 in the past few days. Mainly on clover , but a few on rape. Weather conditions have been very good for drilling so almost no spilled seed for the pigeons. I think the shooting would have been better , but the weather has been far from perfect , with very light winds and frequent foggy mornings. The rape had got too tall on most of the fields so with the exception of a couple of hard hit fields I do not expect much more shooting over them. I have never seen a winter with so little pigeon dammage on rape as the last one. Edited March 21, 2012 by anser2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharpshooter.123 Posted March 22, 2012 Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 You havnt seen my fields in Suffolk a few of mine maybe getting ploughed in it's so poor partly from a bad start to the crop but pigeons havnt helped any!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitebridges Posted March 25, 2012 Report Share Posted March 25, 2012 Rape now in to spring growth after top dressing anser2. Well high now and flowering. There was an informative read in the Eastern Daily Press this Saturday (24th) about how well (too well) the rape was growing. They were forecasting the early release of sclerotinia spores and crop damage if it's not sprayed. On the pigeon front, the roost shooting has been very average but I got a few on sown barley, very flinty ground, but nothing to write home about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted March 25, 2012 Report Share Posted March 25, 2012 Farmers seem as if they want to get the raped drilled earlier and earlier . The down side to this according to my farmer friend is they are relying on a good rain in may . Other wise the yields will be low as will the cereal yields . As to pigeons Anser 2, as you know I am only a short pigeon flight from you ,yes I am seeing a few more birds . Harnser . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayano3 Posted March 25, 2012 Report Share Posted March 25, 2012 You must have called them in from South Lincolnshire, they are no longer in the big numbers here now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anser2 Posted March 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2012 (edited) Almost all the 20 odd rape fields i can shoot over are too high now ( with no low grazed patches to decoy in ) , but two have good possibilities. All I need is a bit of wind to help to get the birds flighting. Most seem to still be on clover at the moment. Which is a anoying as the farmers are just starting to get the livestock out onto the spring grazing. Conditions seem perfect for drilling this spring and as yet I have not found any numbers of pigeons on exposed grain. As for early anuumn rape drilling Hanser , one of my farmers came unstuck a few years ago when we had a very wet autumn and did not drill until late september The rape never realy got going before the pigeons hit it hard. In the end he redrilled the fields with spring rape despite some heavy winter shooting. Edited March 25, 2012 by anser2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 In and around the Kings Lynn are there are masses of pigeons, still. Some of the rape has been hit really hard in certain areas - hopefully some good bags will be shot from them. The last couple of weeks has really seen the flocks start to split up and i had a couple of respectable bags on rape at the weekend, 41 and 40. With the pea drillings well under way, this can only bode well for the coming weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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