Dissapointing Friday evening..

[Nial]

I took a drive round the estate I have permission for last Wedensday at 7:30 ish and scared several large flocks

of pigeons off a turnip field. I thought I'd found the local hot spot so couldn't wait to get out on Friday night.

 

This farmer's a bit odd and doesn't like decoys out as he thinks it attracts the birds back when you've stopped shooting.

I thought that if I got a few they could be arranged as decoys and I could claim that's where they'd fallen

There's also a fairly wide strip of something (barley/wheat?) round the perimeter of the turnips.

 

Excited at the large bag I was sure to get I lugged all my kit from the car across the large very wet field and set

up at the edge of the turnips where I thought was in the middle of the flight line in and where they'd been

feeding. I was set up at about 7:15 pm.

 

Unfortunately there were very few birds about and my shooting was awful. By the time I had a few arranged as

decoys the flow of birds had completely stopped, I packed up at 9:00 with _8_.

 

Thinking back last Wednesday was wet all day just clearing up in the evening so that was what I saw was probably the pigeons

trying to get something to eat after roosting most of the day.

 

Ah well, it was a pleasant night to be out of the house.

 

 

Nial.

[Cranfield]

I think you are probably right as to why the birds were feeding later when you watched the field.

It does sound like a field worth trying again, with just an earlier start.

 

Many years ago I shot for a farmer that had the same opinion about decoys and would not let me use them.

I tried to explain that as I removed the decoys when I finished shooting. they weren't there to attract the birds, but it was no use.

[browning n spaniel]

if i remember rightly, there was a peice in the farmers weekley [in mid 80s]saying that decoys encourages pigeons days after you stopped shooting, and quite few farmers around this way wouldnt let us use um

[Nial]

if i remember rightly, there was a peice in the farmers weekley [in mid 80s]saying that decoys encourages pigeons days after you stopped shooting, and quite few farmers around this way wouldnt let us use um

 

 

The thing is this field's been hit quite hard but it's a fairly big field and they're feeding all over.

 

There are a few flight lines in and out and they're not so well defined that if you sat under it most would

be in range. And the border makes it difficult to conceal a hide, but he wants it protected.

 

There are enough birds about that with decoys I think I'd get a fairly decent bag. I'd make a lot

of noise and hopefully a bit of a dent in the population of birds feeding on it, we don't get the

massive flocks you southeners get round here.

 

I wonder if it's worth a chat with him?

 

 

Nial.

[browning n spaniel]

The thing is this field's been hit quite hard but it's a fairly big field and they're feeding all over.

 

There are a few flight lines in and out and they're not so well defined that if you sat under it most would

be in range. And the border makes it difficult to conceal a hide, but he wants it protected.

 

There are enough birds about that with decoys I think I'd get a fairly decent bag. I'd make a lot

of noise and hopefully a bit of a dent in the population of birds feeding on it, we don't get the

massive flocks you southeners get round here.

 

I wonder if it's worth a chat with him?

 

 

Nial.

we have flocks 1 day and they flocked off the next id go and have word mate, can only help