Fisherman Mike Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 I drove passed a 10 acre wheat stubble field earlier local to me (A field I know well and the acreage is accurate ) and I must say Ive never seen such a density of pigeons feeding on stubble in my all my life. The field was badly laid earlier in the month and I dont think it cut too well. It had been disced but not ploughed. Not just a couple of thousand scattered over the field but after climbing a tree and scanning the field with the bins there was a pigeon every couple of square metre or so. Just a basic calulation would be 10 acres x 4000m2 / 2 = 20,000 pigeons...infact i think there might have been even more. I know the farmer well and I rang him on my mobile... hes always happy to let me shoot on the rape or drillings but for some reason wont let me shoot on the stubbles i think its because he likes to give the finches and other birds ( including pigeons ) achance to mop mop up grain that would otherwise sprout. Anyway I went home and got a couple of loose bangers rang the farmer again and told him to look out of his window ( The farmhouse was a two fields away ) When the banger went off all the birds got off circled the feild and headed off towards Cirencester... We were both staggered... My phone is a very basic and doesnt have a camera but we both agreed the birds were so thick they almost blocked out the sun. He said he was going to direct seed that and the surrounding fields with rape in the next week but has now changed his mind. I should have kept my trap shut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 So when are we going? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brown Sauce Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Mike Posted August 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 He wont let anyone shoot the stubble...hes a bit of a conservationist interprets the general licence strictly by the book and doesnt seem to mind every pigeon in the county hoovering up spent grain... If he does put it to rape I will keep an eye on it as he will let me shoot it then... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted August 28, 2012 Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 I do not dispute your figures but I cannot imagine what 20,000 pigeons looks like. It must have been impressive and I would have like to have seen it myself. Three years ago in the Shooting Gazette there was an article by a respected columnist who said that he had seen a flock of pigeons in Wiltshire which he believed contained 100,000 birds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Mike Posted August 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 (edited) I do not dispute your figures but I cannot imagine what 20,000 pigeons looks like. It must have been impressive and I would have like to have seen it myself. Three years ago in the Shooting Gazette there was an article by a respected columnist who said that he had seen a flock of pigeons in Wiltshire which he believed contained 100,000 birds. I drove passed the fields early this morning and let off two shots and put them up again...not as many but still several thousand birds. I spoke to a freind from Cirencester last night and he shot nearby fields last week ( about 6 miles away ) one of them he rekons had upwards of 10k birds on it when he lifted them off...However in 6 hours he only managed 47 birds.. He said they just took off headed west and didnt come back. I have a friend who used to work at RAF Lyneham and he used to be able to pick up big flocks of pigeons on the radar in wiltshire, so I dont doubt that 100k birds is probable. I shot in portugal/spain a few years back on olive groves part of a guided break. One of the farmers reckoned upwards of 500k pigeons hit his groves each year.! Link... http://www.fieldsportsmagazine.com/Shooting-Pigeons/argentina-to-wiltshire.html Edited August 28, 2012 by Fisherman Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted August 28, 2012 Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 Yes that was the article and it was the 'Fieldsports' mag not the 'Shooting Gazette'. I would rather see none on a field when I first get to it, followed by a steady trickle allowing a decent bag than 10,000 at the start when only a small % return. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Mike Posted August 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 Yes that was the article and it was the 'Fieldsports' mag not the 'Shooting Gazette'. I would rather see none on a field when I first get to it, followed by a steady trickle allowing a decent bag than 10,000 at the start when only a small % return. Quite me too....a couple of shots and unless its really cold and there is no abundance of feed they are off and stay off. How many times have we turned up to a field seen hundreds if not thousands of pigeons on it and then struggled to put together a decent bag of birds.. Still as long as the Farmers happy and the birds are not landing on his fields...job done. ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activeviii Posted August 28, 2012 Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 Batteries are charges and trucks loading. When we off boss? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dai bando Posted August 31, 2012 Report Share Posted August 31, 2012 Thats why i can't find any...you've got them all!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleeh Posted August 31, 2012 Report Share Posted August 31, 2012 The moment I read your title I knew you hadn't been in my neck of the woods! Anyways, at least they are about in your permission (and the local area), and you must be getting the drilling in within the next couple of weeks so hopefully a few happy days for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Mike Posted August 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2012 The moment I read your title I knew you hadn't been in my neck of the woods! Anyways, at least they are about in your permission (and the local area), and you must be getting the drilling in within the next couple of weeks so hopefully a few happy days for you! They have already drilled a couple of feilds nearby and thats partly the reason why the Landowner is happy to let them alone hoovering up the stubble.. While they are occupied with that they are not on the drillings. Also some of the stubble will be direct drilled with rape so hopefully the birds will hang around the area for a few months. Theres always plenty of Pigeons around these parts generally but Ive never seen birds flocked up in numbers before so early in the year. Normally its around October time.. Wildlife is usually pretty good at predicting the severety of winter.....I wonder if they know something we dont. ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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