Wind direction and flight lines

[ES100]

A question; are flightlines affected by wind direction? I have shot the same field three times in the last few weeks and twice the wind was coming from the East, the pigeons were coming in on a known flightline and coming into the decoys. The third time the wind was blowing from the North and the flightline seemed to have disappeared, this was despite there being plenty of pigeons around in the area generally and specifically reccying the field the day before and seeing plenty of pigeons feeding there. Thoughts?

[matone]

Many things would affect it,the main thing would be how exposed the field is and how cold it is.They`ll go elsewhere if it`s too cold for `em.

[Blackbart]

Pigeons nearly always approach a feeding field INTO the prevailing wind, so when the wind changes so does their flight line.

[motty]

Many things would affect it,the main thing would be how exposed the field is and how cold it is.They`ll go elsewhere if it`s too cold for `em.

Never known it to be too cold for a pigeon to feed on a field.

 

Pigeons nearly always approach a feeding field INTO the prevailing wind, so when the wind changes so does their flight line.

I'm not sure i follow.

[matone]

They always seem to prefer the sheltered field or part of ,to me !

Edited March 21, 2013 by matone

[The Ghost]

Not an easy question to answer, knowing your permission is key to the answer.

Pigeon do tend to follow the same flight lines when going to and from feeding etc, new birds to the area will take time to follow the same lines.

The main problems we have had recently on The Fens are large flocks of 1,000 + hitting the area, they tend to stay as we have plenty for them to eat.

Some of the 1,000 will break off and settle very quickly and the rest seem to target a field like locusts, these are not following usual flight lines.

Wind direction does play it's part as birds land into it, if you pull up in the car next to a wood you will see most of the birds leave the wood in the same direction.

 

I think you have had lots of new birds coming in to your area and they will quickly find the flight lines they prefer.

My recent roost shoot saw all birds coming from the West with the wind blowing East they would then land into the wind.

During the roost several large flocks 50/70 flying at 100mtrs high would come and have a look, they behaved as if they had never seen the wood and were checking it out. They would circle as if waiting for some to commit to the roost site, this is quite normal and you know they are going to pass bye and find another more suitable site to them? I took a very short video a week or so of some pigeon that just appeared on the Fens, they were not following the usual flight lines.....this is then hitting the roost.

 

 

As you will see they were in, in seconds....nothing to do with wind direction or the fact it was a misty day

[ES100]

Thanks for the thoughts, I have been shooting the field for a couple of years and thought the flight was well established regardless of wind direction, since I only saw 3 pigeons in three hours then it must have been that they were just somewhere else that day (despite scaring about 20 away when I arrived to set up and there being plenty of sprouting clover) and the wind direction was nothing to do with it.

 

Another possibility was that I did something wrong with the hide and/or decoys and they were scared away before I saw them. For interest, the hide was at the base of a tree with a rotary about 20 yds in front and a U shape behind it made of about 20 flocked shells.

 

Very fustrating to draw a blank and not know why.

 

ES100

[The Ghost]

Try putting the rotary to the right of the u shape to give them a clear line in.....or forget it altogether

Tends to work better for me, I always leave a clear killing zone in front.

If they do go towards the rotary they are still well in range.

Also if you have low branches on your tree above you put some decoys in it.

We have had birds decoying off & on over the winter and never sure if they will or not so you are not alone.

We always use coys but may only put 6 or 12 out in no pattern in front of your hide....no rotary.

Other shooters will have 30 or 50 coys out, both will work or not I carry 36 decoys with me at all times (+ three crows)

[pigeon controller]

In my experience the stronger the wind , the the more the flight line will be in the valleys. They do change with wind direction but they will always land into wind.

[motty]

Thanks for the thoughts, I have been shooting the field for a couple of years and thought the flight was well established regardless of wind direction, since I only saw 3 pigeons in three hours then it must have been that they were just somewhere else that day (despite scaring about 20 away when I arrived to set up and there being plenty of sprouting clover) and the wind direction was nothing to do with it.

 

Another possibility was that I did something wrong with the hide and/or decoys and they were scared away before I saw them. For interest, the hide was at the base of a tree with a rotary about 20 yds in front and a U shape behind it made of about 20 flocked shells.

 

Very fustrating to draw a blank and not know why.

 

ES100

You will always be able to see the pigeons before they see you.

Edited March 22, 2013 by motty

[ES100]

Thanks for all the thoughts and tips, I think it must have been one of those days where I was just in the wrong place

 

ES100

[Churchill]

i had a quiet day today, the birds just didn't seem to come close to the field that I've done well on before, so i went for a walk and stood next to a wood and shot 5 as they flew over, i'm still trying to figure them out.

[JDog]

i had a quiet day today, the birds just didn't seem to come close to the field that I've done well on before, so i went for a walk and stood next to a wood and shot 5 as they flew over, i'm still trying to figure them out.

 

Welcome to the club.

[Churchill]

Welcome to the club.

Yea i'm in that club all right, I'ts frustrating to see them in the distance moving as one big cloud, hopefully the weather will pick up and they will split into smaller groups and the bags will get better,

 

Still, a bad days pigeon shooting is better than being sat at work.

[gazbev]

ES 100, that's flight lines mate, I have a few permissions and they never seem to have flight lines over them.

I do fustratingly enough have a flight line over my house which thousands of pigeons fly over my house at dusk and dawn and wind direction plays no part, they are either flying to where they are feeding or flying to where they sleep

By the way if you have a es 100 it would be interesting to know how you are getting on with it

Cheers

[ES100]

I do have an ES100 (non FAC)...how did you guess? Off topic now but it's a great gun, light to carry and easy to strip and clean with only one mis-feed since I got it last summer (probably fired 1000+ shells through it in that time)