struggling to get decent numbers on rape

[keeper1984]

Hi guys

 

I am at a loss with what to do this year. We have some 120 acres of rape in the middle of 1500 acres of other rape in a 1 mile square area. When I turn up there are often 500 pigeons sitting on the rape. I sit and watch the flight lines then set up decoys near one of the flight line as I always have done in the past. First shot the whole lot lifts and not seen again that day apart from odd ones. Its very frustrating because the farmer wants them kept off but I can't really get stuck into them properly. Any ideas lads ??

 

Pattern consists of:

 

Magnet,floater,20 decoys

 

[TJ91]

That's winter rape shooting for ya

 

Best way is other guns dotted around the place to keep them on the move

[Cranfield]

You are not alone, winter rape shooting can be hard and if you have no access to the 1500 acres of other rape fields you mention, it will be very hard.

If there are no other guns, or bangers on the other fields in your area, the birds will just find a quiet field and sit tight.

There are usually fields they prefer over others (more sheltered, near the roost, near trees, near water, etc) , if you can find these you can score.

[colin lad]

just a thought as cranfield mentioned bangers,

if the surrounding farmers wont let you shoot try telling them where you are and every time you start shooting they move onto said farmers land out of your reach

then ask if you can put some rope bangers on there land to keep them moving they may even let you shoot there

just a thought,

slightly different but i asked a next door farmer if he minded me going on his land to get my ferrets back if they came out on his side of the hedge and he said while your at it you can ferret all my land too please result

 

colin

[JDog]

Wait for a windy day. The flight lines become more obvious then and there is less shot disturbance.

[Cosd]

Doesn't sound as if you are doing anything wrong. Even if you had shooting rights to all the rape there, you would probably end up chasing the birds from one field to the next. Shooting weekends when/if other guns are out would be the best bet to keep the birds moving.

 

We sometimes have organised days where we get out as many guns as the land/farmers allow to keep them on the move but there still is no guarantee you will have great bags unless there is absolutely nothing else for them to go for and they are desperate for that rape.

 

Best thing to do is if you are having a really quiet day is to pack up and go and look for the birds; When you find them knock on the farmers door and ask him if he'd like you to shoot them off for the day.

 

 

Cos

[Bobba]

Well, that's a weight off my mind. I am experiencing exactly the same scenario just north of Bristol and thought we were doing something wrong. The only difference in rape coverage is that the next nearest field with rape is over a mile away. So on the way home we drove past to see the little tinkers huddled in the trees. We now need to trace the farmer (Local knowledge is that the field are "Let / rented but no-one knows to who) and ask if we can co-ordinate shooting days to keep them moving. Perseverance I suppose!!

[keeper1984]

Thanks for all the ideas guys. There is one field that I don't have permission for that they are hammering but I can't get permission as the shooting rights are let to a syndicate which understandably don't want me near there pheasants. I have tried early mornings with some success just standing outside the roost wood but they soon learnt not to fly around there. There are maybe 8-10 bangers in the area going constantly but they don't take any notice of them any more. We have spent £250 on kites and spinning balls but they have also learnt there in little danger if in a flock and feed freely.

 

Does any one know when the flocks start to break up ?

[kitchrat]

Hi guys

 

I am at a loss with what to do this year. We have some 120 acres of rape in the middle of 1500 acres of other rape in a 1 mile square area. When I turn up there are often 500 pigeons sitting on the rape. I sit and watch the flight lines then set up decoys near one of the flight line as I always have done in the past. First shot the whole lot lifts and not seen again that day apart from odd ones. Its very frustrating because the farmer wants them kept off but I can't really get stuck into them properly. Any ideas lads ??

 

Pattern consists of:

 

Magnet,floater,20 decoys

The age-old problem! I have it just the same, but with 2000+ birds and only 500 acres of rape (8 fields in a block). You turn up and they are flooding onto field 1, so we set up 2 hides on that field. Thereafter, the birds will only feed on fields 2-8, however many times I walk them off. They won't even overfly field 1!! Yes we are well hidden!! I know birds are getting magnet aware but I fear this lot are flapper and decoy aware too. All the gas guns and rockets the farmers use just make them more mobile and happy to find a field they can see birds landing on and feeding in. They never get to build the habit of feeding in any particular place. I think that if I had 3 guns on each field, they would simply move onto the next nearest 500-acre block.

So don't beat yourself up!!

Wait for the late drillings....

[cooooper1]

it`s simple really just do as i do just sit in your hide and cry.

[motty]

The age-old problem! I have it just the same, but with 2000+ birds and only 500 acres of rape (8 fields in a block). You turn up and they are flooding onto field 1, so we set up 2 hides on that field. Thereafter, the birds will only feed on fields 2-8, however many times I walk them off. They won't even overfly field 1!! Yes we are well hidden!! I know birds are getting magnet aware but I fear this lot are flapper and decoy aware too. All the gas guns and rockets the farmers use just make them more mobile and happy to find a field they can see birds landing on and feeding in. They never get to build the habit of feeding in any particular place. I think that if I had 3 guns on each field, they would simply move onto the next nearest 500-acre block.

So don't beat yourself up!!

Wait for the late drillings....

This is why i rarely bother shooting over rape until Feb/March.

[kippylawkid]

Go to the pub until spring weather starts.

[Catamong]

Go to the pub until spring weather starts.

 

Yeah, I'm sure that's just what the farmers want to hear as they watch the grey hordes descend locust style onto their now flooded rape fields..??

 

You can get decent bags over large acreages of rape at this time of year, but you need to do a bit of spadework in order not to be just another birdwatcher in the Countryside.

 

First of all, do a decent recce at least a day before you shoot, if I want to shoot a field on a Sunday, I will ideally recce that field on the Friday and Saturday before I shoot, so I know exactly where the birds are feeding. If the birds are disturbed, where do they head off to...??, generally nearby woods or another rape field nearby.

 

If somebody else has shot the field the day before I will generally avoid it and find somewhere else, experience has taught me that there are often plenty of birds about, but they are spooked and will not readily come in to the deeks.

 

You will need to try and prevent them from feeding on those other fields, get your mates to cover them, or alternatively, put some banger ropes out, it's absolutely vital that the birds are not allowed to settle unmolested on nearby fields.

 

If the birds start to settle at the other end of your field, crack a couple of shots off to get them moving, don't let them sit there as any other birds coming to the field will generally always land amongst their live mates, you can have 100 of your best decoys out, but if there are only 2 or 3 live birds feeding on the same field, believe me, the birds will head straight for them.

 

Always use a rotary when decoying over Winter rape, use 2 if you can carry them, in my opinion they work better than a flapper.

 

Now, here's the tricky bit for some, you need to be in position, ready and waiting, fully set up, before dawn, (at this time of year about 7.45am), so that means getting there in the dark.

 

If you've done your homework you will know exactly where the birds were feeding the day before and you should position your hide accordingly.

 

If you get it right, the first hour can be very brisk as birds may well literally pile into the decoys.

 

I often see guys cruising around the lanes looking for pigeons at 9.30 onwards, they've left it too late, Winter Rape shooting is a game for the early birds, if you have to walk the birds off you've left it too late, you should be there to welcome them..!!

 

Last season was one of the worst years on record for pigeon number in my area, the few birds that there were around stayed in the woods most of the Winter feeding on the abundant Acorns and Beechmast. They only started on the Rape seriously in early Feb, my best day during that period was a modest bag of 107 birds.

 

On that day I was setting up by 6.15am, the birds started flighting into the field bang on 7.00am, by 8.00am I had 59 on the clicker, I packed up at 1.00pm with 107 picked up.

 

If I'd have had a lay in bed and got to the field by 9.30 I reckon I would have had about 30 birds, hardly worth getting out of bed for..??

 

Cat.

[yickdaz]

where did you get that quote from cat just wundering ?

[kitchrat]

Yeah, I'm sure that's just what the farmers want to hear as they watch the grey hordes descend locust style onto their now flooded rape fields..??

 

You can get decent bags over large acreages of rape at this time of year, but you need to do a bit of spadework in order not to be just another birdwatcher in the Countryside.

 

First of all, do a decent recce at least a day before you shoot, if I want to shoot a field on a Sunday, I will ideally recce that field on the Friday and Saturday before I shoot, so I know exactly where the birds are feeding. If the birds are disturbed, where do they head off to...??, generally nearby woods or another rape field nearby.

 

If somebody else has shot the field the day before I will generally avoid it and find somewhere else, experience has taught me that there are often plenty of birds about, but they are spooked and will not readily come in to the deeks.

 

You will need to try and prevent them from feeding on those other fields, get your mates to cover them, or alternatively, put some banger ropes out, it's absolutely vital that the birds are not allowed to settle unmolested on nearby fields.

 

If the birds start to settle at the other end of your field, crack a couple of shots off to get them moving, don't let them sit there as any other birds coming to the field will generally always land amongst their live mates, you can have 100 of your best decoys out, but if there are only 2 or 3 live birds feeding on the same field, believe me, the birds will head straight for them.

 

Always use a rotary when decoying over Winter rape, use 2 if you can carry them, in my opinion they work better than a flapper.

 

Now, here's the tricky bit for some, you need to be in position, ready and waiting, fully set up, before dawn, (at this time of year about 7.45am), so that means getting there in the dark.

 

If you've done your homework you will know exactly where the birds were feeding the day before and you should position your hide accordingly.

 

If you get it right, the first hour can be very brisk as birds may well literally pile into the decoys.

 

I often see guys cruising around the lanes looking for pigeons at 9.30 onwards, they've left it too late, Winter Rape shooting is a game for the early birds, if you have to walk the birds off you've left it too late, you should be there to welcome them..!!

 

Last season was one of the worst years on record for pigeon number in my area, the few birds that there were around stayed in the woods most of the Winter feeding on the abundant Acorns and Beechmast. They only started on the Rape seriously in early Feb, my best day during that period was a modest bag of 107 birds.

 

On that day I was setting up by 6.15am, the birds started flighting into the field bang on 7.00am, by 8.00am I had 59 on the clicker, I packed up at 1.00pm with 107 picked up.

 

If I'd have had a lay in bed and got to the field by 9.30 I reckon I would have had about 30 birds, hardly worth getting out of bed for..??

 

Cat.

Once again Cat, I admire your wisdom and dedication!

However, on the farm I have real problems with, (2000+ birds,8 fields, 500 acres rape), there are NO BIRDS there in the morning at all!! (Well a dozen or 2) They start to arrive about noon. Which field they decide to hit has NO relation to which field they were in yesterday. Magnets are a NO ENTRY sign to them. The farmer should dump his gas guns and rockets and buy magnets!! Although I too am Hertfordshire-based my shooting is in Essex, it's amazing how pigeon behavoir can change so much in a few miles. Yet, only 10 miles away, on another permission, the shooting is just as you describe, arriving at 1st light is too late.

On Fieldsports TV, I see films of hides set mid-field, big enough for 2 guys to stand up in, head and shoulders visible, and they seem to get 100's of shots. You could die of boredom trying that in Essex!!

As to getting my mates to cover other fields for me, I'd need a lot of friends for one thing but I'd also lose all my permissions. Rope bangers or gas guns don't move these birds more than 50 yards. That's part of the problem, the pigeons are never allowed to get to favour any 1 field and are used to being mobile until they find peace. I spend ALL my time looking for/watching/shooting pigeons and I'm not winning!! Essex Birds!!

It just keeps getting harder!!

[Harnser]

Winter rape shooting is always a hit and miss afair . Keep trying and you will keep your farmer happy . The best time on the rape is without a doubt the stubble shooting. I will shoot the stubble the day after it has been harvested . I will watch all the fields on my farms and when the birds are not playing the game and wont decoy I drive arond the edge of the fields and sit in my truck with a dozen decoys out and shoot from the passenger side of the truck ,when the birds dry up I will move onto another field and set up again . I will do this as many as 6 times a day. You shouldnt do this if you have not had the ok from your farmer to drive along the tram lines .

 

Harnser.

Edited January 3, 2013 by Harnser

[Catamong]

Kitch,

 

OK, fair comment, sometimes it doesn't work for me either, " the best laid plans" as they say do very often go wrong, I too have "bad days", which in numbers terms is anything less than about 35 birds.

 

All I can conclude is that possibly the ground you shoot is perhaps over shot, too many guys out virtually every day achieving little but spooking the birds so much they become decoy and magnet shy..??

 

If your farm is not their favoured feeding spot at dawn, then I can assure that somewhere nearby must be so, they are most definitely not sitting cooing away to each other on the branches of the roosting wood, at this time of year they feed hard from first light.

 

Harnser's gone a bit off topic with his comments, Winter / Summer rape shooting is literally chalk & cheese, there is no comparison in tactics, you're better off laying in bed and getting to the field early afternoon if you want a decent bag, and I have found that a magnet can be a positive turn-off for the birds.

 

Cat.

[kitchrat]

Kitch,

 

OK, fair comment, sometimes it doesn't work for me either, " the best laid plans" as they say do very often go wrong, I too have "bad days", which in numbers terms is anything less than about 35 birds.

 

All I can conclude is that possibly the ground you shoot is perhaps over shot, too many guys out virtually every day achieving little but spooking the birds so much they become decoy and magnet shy..??

 

If your farm is not their favoured feeding spot at dawn, then I can assure that somewhere nearby must be so, they are most definitely not sitting cooing away to each other on the branches of the roosting wood, at this time of year they feed hard from first light.

 

Harnser's gone a bit off topic with his comments, Winter / Summer rape shooting is literally chalk & cheese, there is no comparison in tactics, you're better off laying in bed and getting to the field early afternoon if you want a decent bag, and I have found that a magnet can be a positive turn-off for the birds.

 

Cat.

Cat,

I think it's too many rockets making them spooky and never allowing them to settle. And Yes, I think they do sit in the trees in the morning as the birds I do manage to get later in the day always have empty crops. There is no such thing as "conventional wisdom" any more, all rules are out of the window!!

Kitch

[kitchrat]

Winter rape shooting is always a hit and miss afair . Keep trying and you will keep your farmer happy . The best time on the rape is without a doubt the stubble shooting. I will shoot the stubble the day after it has been harvested . I will watch all the fields on my farms and when the birds are not playing the game and wont decoy I drive arond the edge of the fields and sit in my truck with a dozen decoys out and shoot from the passenger side of the truck ,when the birds dry up I will move onto another field and set up again . I will do this as many as 6 times a day. You shouldnt do this if you have not had the ok from your farmer to drive along the tram lines .

 

Harnser.

No good shooting the day after harvest here - you'll get ploughed in!! Sometimes the cultivator is in the field at the same time as the combine. What's happened to letting the birds build up so you can hit them hard??

Kitch

[Catamong]

No good shooting the day after harvest here - you'll get ploughed in!! Sometimes the cultivator is in the field at the same time as the combine. What's happened to letting the birds build up so you can hit them hard??

Kitch

 

Yes, absolutely spot on, this just highlights the difference in farming techniques across different areas.

 

On all of the land that I have regular access to, there is not one square inch of stubble being left to over winter, yet I drive up to North Herts, (Royston, Baldock areas), and there are literally thousands of acres of stubble.

 

Cat.

[Harnser]

No good shooting the day after harvest here - you'll get ploughed in!! Sometimes the cultivator is in the field at the same time as the combine. What's happened to letting the birds build up so you can hit them hard??

Kitch

 

Nothing wrong with waiting a few days to let them build up it you know that the field is not going to be ploughed in before you come back to shoot it .

Harnser.

[dazsl]

had a walk with the dog this morning there were a couple of hundred skipping from field to field so off home got tackle set up then didn't see a bird all day winter rape shooting can be so frustrating

[mossy835]

im out this morning looking round rape, see whats about

[dazsl]

another wasted day on rape they just won't come in on decoys

[mossy835]

had the same trouble,