turbo33 Posted July 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2013 That doesn't mean they had any means of storing /using them. Everyone has a freezer Andy, however small. 20 pigeon breasts will go in an ice cream carton or even a couple of small plastic bags. They could have popped them to the neighbours for free cat/dog food. There's no excuse imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sitsinhedges Posted July 20, 2013 Report Share Posted July 20, 2013 Everyone has a freezer Andy, however small. 20 pigeon breasts will go in an ice cream carton or even a couple of small plastic bags. They could have popped them to the neighbours for free cat/dog food. There's no excuse imo. The truth is that the vast majority of people have no interest in processing dead animals when food is so cheap. My problem comes when the harvest is here and I have to try and time the game dealer collection and my freezer getting emptied against not having enough for the dealer to bother or too many to put in the freezer. I can store about 150 birds. If my only option was the 2hr trip costing me £10 for fuel over 25p a bird i'm not sure I would bother. All that effort for a pittance, it's wrong but I can understand it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yickdaz Posted July 20, 2013 Report Share Posted July 20, 2013 (edited) The truth is that the vast majority of people have no interest in processing dead animals when food is so cheap. My problem comes when the harvest is here and I have to try and time the game dealer collection and my freezer getting emptied against not having enough for the dealer to bother or too many to put in the freezer. I can store about 150 birds. If my only option was the 2hr trip costing me £10 for fuel over 25p a bird i'm not sure I would bother. All that effort for a pittance, it's wrong but I can understand it. what you driving to only cost £10 over a 2hr trip, it costs me £15 over a 1hr 30 mins , 70 mile round trip Edited July 20, 2013 by yickdaz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CWD Posted July 20, 2013 Report Share Posted July 20, 2013 interesting topic ! in my opinion if you are shooting pigeons over standing crops its inevitable you will leave birds but as you are there providing crop protection then what is the point in walking about causing more damage than the birds ? we try and pick up along tram lines , headlands and any already flat patches but we do not walk around in the crop anymore than necessary . the people i dont understand are the ones that deliberately leave piles of dead birds they have already picked and throw them under the hedge to rot ? with the demand for pigeons ,rabbits etc from game dealers then this is just waste , like some one on here already said you wouldnt walk past £20 if you seen it on the floor regards andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the pigeon man Posted July 20, 2013 Report Share Posted July 20, 2013 I don't do much pigeon shooting but alot of crows and I will shoot a good 100+ a day and if I don't pick all 100 up (unless they have fallen in slurry pit) I will go back next day with my dog n clear up all young crows go to my mates ferrets and the rest go on a fire I don't like the "chuck in a ditch " aproch as they ******* stink after a few days and I need to set up there again ha ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon controller Posted July 20, 2013 Report Share Posted July 20, 2013 Always pick up what I shoot, leave the twelve frozen birds I started with for the foxes. Seven freezers in the garage, sorted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yickdaz Posted July 20, 2013 Report Share Posted July 20, 2013 Always pick up what I shoot, leave the twelve frozen birds I started with for the foxes. Seven freezers in the garage, sorted. we know that pc with all the bag pics you post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
castletyne Posted July 20, 2013 Report Share Posted July 20, 2013 (edited) If they are decoying well, I stick with the decoys and keep collecting the real birds and they go in a fly proof bag made for me by Bluebarrels. For the ones that do get eggs on them, its usually around the beak and under the wings. Head off, pluck off any feathers that have eggs on, and they go in a separate bag, so I can take the breasts off. Ok, so next time out, leave a load of shot pigeons belly up and see the effect. Edited July 20, 2013 by castletyne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrispti Posted July 20, 2013 Report Share Posted July 20, 2013 If they are decoying well, I stick with the decoys and keep collecting the real birds and they go in a fly proof bag made for me by Bluebarrels. For the ones that do get eggs on them, its usually around the beak and under the wings. Head off, pluck off any feathers that have eggs on, and they go in a separate bag, so I can take the breasts off. Ok, so next time out, leave a load of shot pigeons belly up and see the effect. Iv tried all sorts, the only way around the dead birds not becoming maggot infested is to breast the birds as soon as I get home.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbo33 Posted July 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2013 (edited) all I was just wondering is they were in a clearing in the middle of the field Not knowing the layout only the op would know could they have been shot that far out from a hide That's a fair enough question . It is a cultivated area for a reason that I needn't go into, surrounded by self sown wheat. It was easily accessed down 40 yards of tramline and I expect the lads set a hide up on the edge of the wheat and decoyed directly onto the cultivated patch. No need to drop any in the wheat with that large an area to decoy over and easy to pick the birds. Ok I wasn't going to post them, but this makes the whole image clearer. In the background, you can see one of the sides of wheat backing onto the cultivate area.[/url] [/url] Sorry you'll have to turn the laptop 90 deg left for this one! Etc, etc,etc........ As an aside, I've just got in from a couple of hours. Couldn't decoy the field as they were way out in the field. I worked out which tree they were favouring to rally to and from on the edge of a field. Gun, carts, bottle of water, natural cover and dropped them as they flew into the tree, no need to go trampling into the crop. less than 10 mins to breast out 12 birds, so not hard. I have a use for them all, but I'm sure a few pensioners would appreciate free food to keep them/the pet bill down Edited July 20, 2013 by turbo33 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lg1 Posted July 20, 2013 Report Share Posted July 20, 2013 Pete1dart- There's a big difference here m8! The original post states that the guy found a load of dead birds just laying around! Therefor as he could see them you have to presume you could pick them. That's the annoying part..... Maybe in certain circumstances when a farmer needs your help on standing crop it can be tricky to pick the birds but lets not forget the machines they use these days are that good they could pick a kipper up. On that note there's no way a person would cause more damage than birds left to just feed! A lot of them birds could of and should of been picked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete1dart Posted July 20, 2013 Report Share Posted July 20, 2013 Lg1..... I understand where you are coming from with that. I have stated that when shooting on stubble, drill, spring crops when it's not so high you can't see the bird and roost shooting, I will pick the birds up and I have homes for them. My stomach is big enough to eat quite a few breasts at a time. But I have to respect my farmers wishes. If he says dont go trampling my crops down then I'm not going to do it. Over the peas I have found when putting the decoys out walking over the same track. The pods get pushed to the ground. Then trodden into the dirt. When going back the next time these pods are yellow and not growing like the rest. The combine will lift them I expect but the quality would not be as good? I don't know I'm not a farmer but this is maybe why he says try not to trample them down to much? No excuse for not picking birds you can see tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted July 20, 2013 Report Share Posted July 20, 2013 I'd never shoot a load of birds knowing i couldn't pick them. If people are so bothered about protecting the farmers crop and not picking the birds, simply fire a shot in the air every time some pigeons come towards the decoys. That keeps the crops protected for the day and a load of good meat hasn't gone to waste!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbo33 Posted July 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2013 I'd never shoot a load of birds knowing i couldn't pick them. If people are so bothered about protecting the farmers crop and not picking the birds, simply fire a shot in the air every time some pigeons come towards the decoys. That keeps the crops protected for the day and a load of good meat hasn't gone to waste!!! That's it nailed Motty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fabarm gamma boy Posted July 20, 2013 Report Share Posted July 20, 2013 It is wrong, i pick up what I can and make use of them. But.... its pest control. A dead rotting pigeon in a field is better than a live hungry pigeon chomping the wheat (in a farmers eyes) i agree but... Therse a happy medium here! Personaly i try not to waist any edible quarry but i have experienced times were iv shot a decent bag and not been abke to shift some of em,but thats only when the freezer is full and every bidy who takes them has enough! Then the only option i have is leave em in a dyke out of sight for mr fox ect! Now personaly i hate to waste food but sometimes it cant be helped! But leaving carcasses scattered around is a no no!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lg1 Posted July 21, 2013 Report Share Posted July 21, 2013 Another bad thing for us all is the bad light it can bring on the sport from non shooters, the average guy walking the dog seeing such a sight will be enough for them to make make noise about a so called barbaric sport Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloggs Posted July 22, 2013 Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 That's it nailed Motty I think that sums it up quite nicely TBH - good post :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyska Posted July 22, 2013 Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 what you driving to only cost £10 over a 2hr trip, it costs me £15 over a 1hr 30 mins , 70 mile round trip I was going to ask the same thing, I can only think a nuclear submarine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sitsinhedges Posted July 22, 2013 Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 I was going to ask the same thing, I can only think a nuclear submarine. My Berlingo van doing about 40 to the gallon. The 2hrs includes messing about for 1/2hr at the game dealers. Either way it's just not worth it generally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakerboy Posted July 22, 2013 Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 I'd never shoot a load of birds knowing i couldn't pick them. If people are so bothered about protecting the farmers crop and not picking the birds, simply fire a shot in the air every time some pigeons come towards the decoys. That keeps the crops protected for the day and a load of good meat hasn't gone to waste!!! Would you sit in a field and shoot in the air to scare off pigeons for a Farmer? Honest answer please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakerboy Posted July 22, 2013 Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 Did you not read this post? http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/topic/253609-what-a-difference-a-day-makes/ TEH This post brings me to this thread, so I suppose I should reply. Let me start by stating that when ever possible I collect all birds I have shot and pass them down through the food chain. I cannot say I have never thrown a bird into the hedgerow, but it is not the done thing and not to be recommended. Leaving piles of dead birds is a no no walkers etc.stop becoming our friends and become our enemies. Before anyone takes control of a permission, you must understand what the farmer wants you to do, the standards he sets. When you know where you stand you know what to do. If the farmer states that he would rather have the Dead birds left in the standing crop rather than the crop flattened by the shooter, the decision is then yours ! you either shoot the permission or you don't. When I openly l stated what I had done on my contribution, I could easily have left out that I could not pick the majority of what I had shot, but if you are reporting on what has happened the report should be honest and open. I am a reasonable shot, but cannot drop them into tram lines as was suggested, and I know enough about the countryside and crop protection to realise that shooting pigeons "after" the harvest (as was also suggested) would not go down well with the farmer. I have been onto shared permissions where I have spent more time tidying up after others than I have shooting, but that is another debate for another time. Motty suggested that "one" could sit in the field and shoot in the air to keep the birds off the Crop, I do this regularly, but generally because I am missing the target, in fact a shooting friend from this forum and myself often joke that we do the best ever job of deterring the flocks simply by deciding to go out shooting. In short the answer is, understand what your Farmer requires, and then the rest is up to you. Terry Ps Jdog, we may meet up at the Cotswold meet next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the crowman Posted July 22, 2013 Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 Well said Terry, I'm a bit like you I do a lot of bird scaring lol. Cheers Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted July 23, 2013 Report Share Posted July 23, 2013 Would you sit in a field and shoot in the air to scare off pigeons for a Farmer? Honest answer please. No, i wouldn't . I'd make it clear to any farmer that requested me to shoot birds that would be tricky to pick, that i'd have to look for the birds or pass on the opportunity. Knowing some of the farmers, they'd probably prefer i picked the birds, anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakerboy Posted July 23, 2013 Report Share Posted July 23, 2013 No, i wouldn't . I'd make it clear to any farmer that requested me to shoot birds that would be tricky to pick, that i'd have to look for the birds or pass on the opportunity. Knowing some of the farmers, they'd probably prefer i picked the birds, anyway. Thanks motty, I appreciate your honest answer, the sign of a gentleman and a professional Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Essex Hunter Posted July 23, 2013 Report Share Posted July 23, 2013 Thanks motty, I appreciate your honest answer, the sign of a gentleman and a professional Terry... You were are asking for honest answers...what are your views on the BASC codes of practice regarding pigeon shooting? TEH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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