fieldwanderer Posted July 20, 2012 Report Share Posted July 20, 2012 Swathing is what happens when they go over the rape with a combine but only cut it. They leave this cut rape to dry out and as it does the seed pods become very fragile and easy to open for the pigeons and so it is very attractive for shooting. Blimey :blink: My permission's had rape on it for three, maybe four years now and I've never noticed them do that! Can't've been in the right place at the right time - Story of my life! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.I.A Posted July 20, 2012 Report Share Posted July 20, 2012 Plenty of swathed rape.... On my permissions can't wait to get on it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sitsinhedges Posted July 20, 2012 Report Share Posted July 20, 2012 Blimey :blink: My permission's had rape on it for three, maybe four years now and I've never noticed them do that! Can't've been in the right place at the right time - Story of my life! Yours must be sprayed instead, it kills it off and dessicates it over a couple of weeks so the combine can harvest it in one hit. Don't know which is best from a crop point of view but a farmer I was talking to said spraying it costs money for the chemicals whereas swathing is free in that respect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catamong Posted July 20, 2012 Report Share Posted July 20, 2012 Yes, but farming practices are changing all the time, in my area 10 years ago 90% of the rape would be swathed, (not by "a combine"), but by a specialist cutting machine that would cut it fairly high and leave it all in neat rows for the combine to pick up as soon as it had dried out, usually 5 - 10 days after cutting, dependant on the weather. Nowadays, virtually all of the rape in our area is sprayed off, and then direct combined, perhaps 10 - 14 days later, again, weather dependant. I think that most farmers are of the opinion that they can lose too much by swathing, therefore they now prefer to go straight into it. Cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aga man Posted July 20, 2012 Report Share Posted July 20, 2012 Yes, but farming practices are changing all the time, in my area 10 years ago 90% of the rape would be swathed, (not by "a combine"), but by a specialist cutting machine that would cut it fairly high and leave it all in neat rows for the combine to pick up as soon as it had dried out, usually 5 - 10 days after cutting, dependant on the weather. Nowadays, virtually all of the rape in our area is sprayed off, and then direct combined, perhaps 10 - 14 days later, again, weather dependant. I think that most farmers are of the opinion that they can lose too much by swathing, therefore they now prefer to go straight into it. Cat. yes mate, same round here. also swathed rape layed in rows can become wet which does not always dry out, therefore costing more for the farmer to dry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yickdaz Posted July 20, 2012 Report Share Posted July 20, 2012 Yes, but farming practices are changing all the time, in my area 10 years ago 90% of the rape would be swathed, (not by "a combine"), but by a specialist cutting machine that would cut it fairly high and leave it all in neat rows for the combine to pick up as soon as it had dried out, usually 5 - 10 days after cutting, dependant on the weather. Nowadays, virtually all of the rape in our area is sprayed off, and then direct combined, perhaps 10 - 14 days later, again, weather dependant. I think that most farmers are of the opinion that they can lose too much by swathing, therefore they now prefer to go straight into it. Cat. its usually around xmas round here yickdaz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeonblasterian Posted July 21, 2012 Report Share Posted July 21, 2012 A farmer rang me this morning to say they were cutting the rape today.Just been for a look but no activity yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy835 Posted July 21, 2012 Report Share Posted July 21, 2012 just been out one farm, and it was sprayed thursday.so 10 days and should be off and shooting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver pigeon 3 Posted July 22, 2012 Report Share Posted July 22, 2012 Took a trip out yesterday on one of the fields that were sprayed off, 100's of pigeons in and out of the tracks left by the sprayer, but impossibe to shoot over, set up on the boundary of the field and put the rotary in the grass verge, pulled a few birds over but they were all way up, made for some good shooting though. Dropped 10 and 3 crows in about an hour, picked 6 as the rest were way out in the rape. Dog enjoyed a day out and made some very good retrieves. Roll on Tomorrow when the combines come out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
proTOM1 Posted July 23, 2012 Report Share Posted July 23, 2012 Loads swathed round me this year and first fields being cut as i type but most are a few days off ,barely being cut now aswell .wheat some time off as yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beekeeper Posted July 23, 2012 Report Share Posted July 23, 2012 Took a trip out yesterday on one of the fields that were sprayed off, 100's of pigeons in and out of the tracks left by the sprayer, but impossibe to shoot over, set up on the boundary of the field and put the rotary in the grass verge, pulled a few birds over but they were all way up, made for some good shooting though. Dropped 10 and 3 crows in about an hour, picked 6 as the rest were way out in the rape. Dog enjoyed a day out and made some very good retrieves. Roll on Tomorrow when the combines come out They have not started to spray or swath the rape in my part of Herts but I hope this warm weather will change that and that I can get on some Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.I.A Posted July 23, 2012 Report Share Posted July 23, 2012 Just been pass tw perm that has swathed the rape and there now picking it up. Would it be better shooting once they have picked it all up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrispti Posted July 23, 2012 Report Share Posted July 23, 2012 Wheat fields were started today, the rape will be cut after Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyska Posted July 23, 2012 Report Share Posted July 23, 2012 Swathing on ours as I type. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
proTOM1 Posted July 23, 2012 Report Share Posted July 23, 2012 Just been pass tw perm that has swathed the rape and there now picking it up. Would it be better shooting once they have picked it all up? I preffer shooting over the stubble to shooting over swath rape as birds can get in better and dont tend to lose as many Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oxfordfowler Posted July 23, 2012 Report Share Posted July 23, 2012 Two of my permissions started combining today - one on his Barley the other Rape. The Pigeons were following the combine cutting Rape like Sea Gulls follow a plough, they could not wait to get on the field. I know where I'm going tomorrow Shame I have to be at work for 14:00hrs Never mind the other farm will be combining his Rape in a day or two - and I'm on leave next week :shoot: Happy Days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatcatsplat Posted July 23, 2012 Report Share Posted July 23, 2012 They've cut the rape on 2 of my fields, but the wheat is still green and more than a few sunny days away from cutting. All very odd this year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitebridges Posted July 24, 2012 Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 Cutting Barley and OSR starting midweek (Suffolk), wheat a couple of more weeks yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yickdaz Posted July 24, 2012 Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 (edited) edit put comment in another thread Edited July 24, 2012 by yickdaz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeonslayer15 Posted July 24, 2012 Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 I got it wrong in my last reply, they have started to cut the rape today so defo getting out as soon as I can Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.I.A Posted July 25, 2012 Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 Just been pass one of my perms that swathed the rape, the other day the picked it up so just stubbles. But now there ploughing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.I.A Posted July 25, 2012 Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 Was planning on decoying the said perm on sat will it still be any good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catamong Posted July 25, 2012 Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 Was planning on decoying the said perm on sat will it still be any good? Are they ploughing it or just discing it..?? If it's been disced up they will still go on it, but the best way to found it is to do a recce on Friday, if there are birds feeding there, it's worth a go on Saturday. Cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yickdaz Posted July 25, 2012 Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 Was planning on decoying the said perm on sat will it still be any good? as cat said if its just disced, which they normally do before ploughing, its well worth ago 2 years shot 60 on a disced rape field went back the day after and shot 112 with me dad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyska Posted July 26, 2012 Report Share Posted July 26, 2012 Agreed, I shoot disced fields too, with good results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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