ernyha Posted November 7, 2003 Report Share Posted November 7, 2003 I don,t know if it is much the same in other parts of the country but due to the dry conditions, a lot of the fields that i shoot over that were intended to be planted with rape by now are still stubble. The one or two that have been planted are very thin in places and i would think that these should provide some good shooting, however whilst this might be a good thing from my point of view, is it a good thing for the pigeon survival rate over the winter if it should be a hard one. Would i be correct in thinking that even with this recent rain that it is now too late for the farmers to sow before springtime? I would like to hear what is happening in other parts of the country and what members think, especially the ones in the farming industry. :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mahmood Posted November 7, 2003 Report Share Posted November 7, 2003 the rape i normally shoot over in the winter is only grass at the moment :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted November 7, 2003 Report Share Posted November 7, 2003 The winter rape has gone in where I shoot and is showing. The pigeons don,t seem that bothered with it, at the moment. They seem to be well spread out on old stubbles, self sown, meadows etc. But, I have noticed the flocks of birds building up, so perhaps Winter is coming. Despite the subsidy loss, or reduction, there still seems to be quite a lot of rape fields around here. The farmers seem to have got into a habit of wheat/rape rotation. I think there will be plenty of food for the birds, in fact if we have a mild Winter, there could be too much, which will make the shooting harder. The beech mast should also be prolific again. Record breaking temperatures in November, almost everywhere in the UK, at the moment. There doesn,t seem much prospect for some really hard weather, in the next 3-4 months. Its possible we may not have a Winter this year. Spring will probably start in February. :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzer Posted November 7, 2003 Report Share Posted November 7, 2003 Ern......you are right in thinking that it is to late for rape to go in now. It is the first winter crop to be sown after or during harvest, the next window for Rape will be in the spring (spring varieties) We managed to get ours in during harvest,although the ground was very dry! and is looking well now and standing about 6" high. All the best Buzz :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob G Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 A lot of the farms round my way have pulled it up,driiled wheat ,oats or ploughed in beans.What little is left is just starting to show Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odgc Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 i have been shooting over rape for the past two months now in kent, it's been a complete waste of time, i have noticed in the past week now very big flocks but they have no interest in the rape, still too much food in the woods and hedgerows i guess, anyone else in kent having much luck on rape? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M ROBSON Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 There are quite a few fields of rape around in fife but alot of them started off really patchy due to the dry weather, looking ok now though. The pigeons are still feeding on the barley stubbles untill the frosts set in, some of the flocks numbering over a thousand. Had Peter Theobald out on Tuesday after the geese had finished, he had about 30 in a couple of hours then the flightline dried up. The birds are just swapping from one field to another at the moment, the only good shooting is on the flightlines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyCM Posted November 17, 2003 Report Share Posted November 17, 2003 Hi odgc, Sounds like my recent holiday was good timing after all. I've not been out for a month. Will I be seeing you Thusday night ? Andy Mahon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vermin Dropper Posted November 17, 2003 Report Share Posted November 17, 2003 Hi ern, I'm Only over in solihull and one farm I'm trying to get on at the moment has rape about 4-5 inches high, the pigeons are all over it and no-one seems to be shooting there, I'm hoping that when I do get to meet the farm manager He will have noticed the problem and will let me go n do some sorting out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billm Posted November 17, 2003 Report Share Posted November 17, 2003 They don’t grow rape down here s/w Cornwall, mostly greens. Went out yesterday never saw a pigeon, recon you boys from up country have been down here and nicked the lot. billm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quercus Posted November 17, 2003 Report Share Posted November 17, 2003 They're growing more rape here than they ever have. Generally it falls into two catagories; the stuff that went in just before we had a shower, which is storming away, and the stuff that went in a couple of days later, which is very patchy and will probably be pulled up in the Spring. The pigeons here are just starting to flock up and take an interest in the rape. One of the lads had 83 on Sunday. Q Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.223 Posted November 17, 2003 Report Share Posted November 17, 2003 plenty of rape are around here i leicestershire im going to have a go at a couple of thousand that are hammering one paticular field ignoring flags an bangers which have been put out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vermin Dropper Posted November 17, 2003 Report Share Posted November 17, 2003 If there's too many for you .223 you can always give me a shout! I'll drop a few for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dead-eye-dick Posted November 18, 2003 Report Share Posted November 18, 2003 anyone else in kent having much luck on rape? Same as mate, Far to much beech and acorns to eat. Also lack of wind not helping. Rape will come into it's own soon though Which part of Kent are you from Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.223 Posted November 18, 2003 Report Share Posted November 18, 2003 just got back it went like this, arrived at field at 9.30 walk off about 1000 birdsl, found an exellent place to set up in a ditch set up hide and 18 decoys. got into hide at 11.00 as soon as i sat down in came a flock of about 200 birds Bang Bang and 2 birds drop dead , after waiting about an hour of not seeing a single bird i got the feeling they wern't coming back . started packing up at 2.45 with a total of 3 birds for 4 shots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ernyha Posted November 18, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2003 I,m afraid that happens all too often .223, many a time i have got all excited at seeing hundreds of pigeons on a field only to have the same result as yourself. If there are just a few on a field but there is a steady movement of 2 or 3 birds coming and going, you usually end up with a much larger bag. Saturday was just such a day as i set up on a rape field with only a few birds on it but there were plenty flying around in the area. Result was a bag of 26 plus 2 crows and what looked like a no-hope day turned out very pleasant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vermin Dropper Posted November 18, 2003 Report Share Posted November 18, 2003 Thats the time you need that extra gun or two, if a few of you set up at diferent locations you can sometimes bounce them around from field to field. As a matter of interest .223 did you have any moving decoys out? ( flapper, bouncer or rotor machine)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.223 Posted November 18, 2003 Report Share Posted November 18, 2003 As a matter of interest .223 did you have any moving decoys out? ( flapper, bouncer or rotor machine)? yes i had one rotor and 3 bouncers. 10 dead birds, 3 full body and 5 shell decoys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vermin Dropper Posted November 18, 2003 Report Share Posted November 18, 2003 I just hate it when they all just flock off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odgc Posted November 20, 2003 Report Share Posted November 20, 2003 anyone else in kent having much luck on rape? Same as mate, Far to much beech and acorns to eat. Also lack of wind not helping. Rape will come into it's own soon though Which part of Kent are you from i'm from sidcup and shoot the eynsford valley, but the way things are going at the moment i think i'm gonna start looking further afield for woodies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odgc Posted November 20, 2003 Report Share Posted November 20, 2003 Hi odgc, Sounds like my recent holiday was good timing after all. I've not been out for a month. Will I be seeing you Thusday night ? Andy Mahon welcome back to sunny england andy, see you thursday night, you aint missed much mate, just the frustration of seeing big flocks flying high and fast straight over the valley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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