shooting in the rain

[miroku38]

Im just wondering what impact the rain/showers has on pigeon shooting. Will they still fly in the rain or do they sit in the woods. Presumably if its raining all day they have to feed so would have no choice but to venture out right?

[Mungler]

Im just wondering what impact the rain/showers has on pigeon shooting. Will they still fly in the rain or do they sit in the woods. Presumably if its raining all day they have to feed so would have no choice but to venture out right?

 

 

In my experience they sit tight... "sense to stay out of the rain".

 

I however I stood soaking wet in a hedge for hours waiting for rain to stop, never firing a shot or seeing a bird.

[Cranfield]

In prolonged heavy rain the birds seem happy just sitting deep in the woods.

 

However, I had one of my best bags shooting over wheat stubble on a day with occasional heavy showers.

It had rained almost constantly for the three previous days.

Every time there was a break in the rain, the pigeons poured into the decoys.

They did this almost into darkness. I remember driving up the farm track with dipped headlights on.

 

Whilst they will land on wet stubbles, they don't seem to like landing on wet drillings.

I suspect its a "mud on the feet" thing.

[Mungler]

It may well have been that solid rain during the daylight hours of the previous 3 days would have kept them out of the skies and away from food. By day 3 they would have jumped at any opportunity to get something to eat.

 

Perhaps?

[pin]

I have noticed they do like to get out of the trees as soon as they can after rain anyway. I am not sure exactly of the reason but I think they like to dry off?

 

Can't say I have noticed them getting right onto food immediately after rain, but they come out in numbers for sure. I think in the situation cranfield mentions it would deffinately have been hunger.

 

Just goes to show how important fieldcraft is in getting good shooting, if its been raining a lot get on them as soon as it breaks

[Whitebridges]

In prolonged heavy rain the birds seem happy just sitting deep in the woods.

 

However, I had one of my best bags shooting over wheat stubble on a day with occasional heavy showers.

It had rained almost constantly for the three previous days.

Every time there was a break in the rain, the pigeons poured into the decoys.

They did this almost into darkness. I remember driving up the farm track with dipped headlights on.

 

Whilst they will land on wet stubbles, they don't seem to like landing on wet drillings.

I suspect its a "mud on the feet" thing.

 

Rain and pigeons is a funny thing, sometimes it's bloody baffling I can tell you. I remember shooting 90 odd on wheat stubble. It was a glorious summer up in north Norfolk and one half got soaked after the cut and the other didn't get a drop. After 2 days of rain the grain that got left on the ground had swelled (maybe it was easier to digest) and the birds went mad for it. When it's raining and the birds are on a crop look for higher ground, as Cranners says they hate getting muddy feet. I've shot a few with muddy feet but when you get them home to dress them there's rarely anything inside them - they have landed on sticky ground because they are extremely hungry rather than through preference.

[iainwt]

never had much like in the rain

[bigsam]

i had one of the most memorable days last year decoying in the rain in july on rape stubble. the rain had been falling all morning and the birds had been holding back from feeding because of it. in the end i think they just got too desperate for a feed and had to decoy right into me picked up 96

 

cheers BS

[digger]

ive had better luck on showery days than ones were it pours all day.

my old head keeper used to say it rains for ten minutes longer in the woods than it does in the field.and with the dripping from branches etc he was dead right.