caeser Posted November 9, 2012 Report Share Posted November 9, 2012 I was out having a pint with one of my farmer friends in Yorkshire, and he reckons he's going to be pestering the life out of me this winter, due to the poor rape crops everywhere. The pigeon have so much less choice that he reckons they're going to hammer the few fields that there is. Stand by your phone he says. I was watching 2 fields the other day, and although the rape wasn't brilliant, the pigeon are starting to hit it already. So I can see why he's worried. I remember when I first started to shoot for him, he told me that the previous year, the woodpigeon had destroyed almost 300 acres of rape that winter.(probably about 1997/8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJ91 Posted November 9, 2012 Report Share Posted November 9, 2012 Oh thats no good, getting pestered by a farmer because of 000's of pigeons, its a hard life!! we have a few fields of **** rape that they are starting to find Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted November 9, 2012 Report Share Posted November 9, 2012 its happening here we have some fields already being decimated and a serious number of pigeons about. Sadly not ground I shoot but even on our ground last week driven shooting it was the first time I had seen pigeons coming back into the wood while the drive was going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyska Posted November 9, 2012 Report Share Posted November 9, 2012 its happening here we have some fields already being decimated and a serious number of pigeons about. Sadly not ground I shoot but even on our ground last week driven shooting it was the first time I had seen pigeons coming back into the wood while the drive was going on. We're getting battered already too, significant damage on a couple of areas, I might bite the bullet and offer a couple of pigeon drives on here if it carries on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted November 9, 2012 Report Share Posted November 9, 2012 realistically scarecrows and gas guns are the best option, shooting will help make them more effective but the damage is being done at first light and decent sized groups here so they need moving on all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitebridges Posted November 9, 2012 Report Share Posted November 9, 2012 (edited) Yes they are hitting the rape pretty hard here. It's early and if the weather turns cold and hard they will really hammer it. The last couple of years there has been a surplus of acorns and beechmast and berries. Not the case this year. I've been out and about a bit more than usual this week. Shed loads of pigeon on rape fields off the A140 main road down in to Suffolk. We've got birds all over on rape near Eye. Once we get the partridge and other game shooting done there should be some seriously good pigeon shooting. Mid Norfolk has a fair few of rape but not as bad as other areas i've been through, yet! North Norfolk loads on old unsprayed barley stubble (birds on chickweed even now). On the way home today I spend half an hour watching about 800 through the bins on sugar beet tops. The pigeon is a resourceful bird and eat it must. This year they may well be on the fields as opposed to the easy more preferable pickings which they've had for the last couple of years. Edited November 9, 2012 by Whitebridges Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyska Posted November 9, 2012 Report Share Posted November 9, 2012 realistically scarecrows and gas guns are the best option, shooting will help make them more effective but the damage is being done at first light and decent sized groups here so they need moving on all the time. Yea, we use both, they're not effective for long though, as you've said a combination, on a regular basis is the recipe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caeser Posted November 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 I couldn't agree more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BerettaSV10 Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 I go past several fields on the way to the clay ground, the farmer had just finished ploughing one field and in the next field it looked like it had recently been planted as it was covered with greens shoots and had loads of blackies on it having a ball, still no sign of the pigeons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon controller Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 I've had two farmers give me a ring as they have been told by the agrologist that there rape which is four leaves tall will not grow anymore this year and may not survive the winter. They want me to be available to shoot at a moments notice to save the crop . So it could be a busy winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catamong Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 Some rape in our area is virtually knee high, some of it has hardly got going yet, and those are the fields that the birds are hammering. They don't like feeding on tall rape. Having said that, there is a school of thought that says that early pigeon damage to the rape makes little difference to the eventual yield, as it soon perks up in Feb / March with a bit of milder weather and a good dose of fertiliser. I've seen fields of rape that have been literally stripped bare by February, that have bounced back to be 7 feet tall by July, amazing..!! I predicted a few weeks back that this Winter would be a bumper year in our area, so far I've been proved right, let's hope it continues. Cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon controller Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 In the past I've seen sheep put to graze on rape as it was suppose to improve the root structure ant therefore improve the yield . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave-G Posted November 11, 2012 Report Share Posted November 11, 2012 We're getting battered already too, significant damage on a couple of areas, I might bite the bullet and offer a couple of pigeon drives on here if it carries on. A rabbiting mate of mine who is a member here and and on the BBS, lives in Birstal, is looking for some pigeon permission, I'll PM you his member name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zx10mike Posted November 11, 2012 Report Share Posted November 11, 2012 A rabbiting mate of mine who is a member here and and on the BBS, lives in Birstal, is looking for some pigeon permission, I'll PM you his member name. don't know this bloke. but he keep stalking me.and to be honest he is not that good at shooting rabbits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filzee Posted November 14, 2012 Report Share Posted November 14, 2012 the pigeons round my way are already hammering into the rape. The main problem i have is that you shoot them on one field and they just go onto the next as there is rape everywhere. Im struggling to get any kind of numbers into the decoys. Plus they are feeding from the middle of the fields so almost impossible to get them where you want them. Yea, we use both, they're not effective for long though, as you've said a combination, on a regular basis is the recipe. If you need a hand trying to thin some out i don't mind helping. Always happy to help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyska Posted November 14, 2012 Report Share Posted November 14, 2012 the pigeons round my way are already hammering into the rape. The main problem i have is that you shoot them on one field and they just go onto the next as there is rape everywhere. Im struggling to get any kind of numbers into the decoys. Plus they are feeding from the middle of the fields so almost impossible to get them where you want them. If you need a hand trying to thin some out i don't mind helping. Always happy to help Yep, this is why I do 'drives' in the winter, put as many guns on as many fields as I can, carrier bag or rope banger the uncovered fields, you end up shooting more that are trying to escape the artillary on the wing than what drops into your pattern. I'll offer something up at some point, had good success in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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