kitchrat Posted August 25, 2013 Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 Near me I have a nice rectangular field of wheat stubble, maybe 300yds x 900yds (approx 55 acres) Along one long edge is a quiet, unfenced, unhedged road. There are perhaps 100 pigeons building up on it. If you drive or cycle past, they look up and get on with eating. Today I cycled to the 1st corner and stopped, quite still, to watch. Within 5 minutes all birds had moved to the diagonally opposite corner. I cycled up to the other end of the road side (still 300yds from "their" corner,) and watched again. Inside 5 minutes all birds had gone and none returned within the next 15 minutes. To the best of my knowledge there is little shooting done round here, the major landowner is anti and the others all have game shoots, so no go there either. I had a shower this morning, made no sudden noise or movement. What's going on??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jame Posted August 25, 2013 Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 Funny things wild birds! Pigeon behavior is a science or just very random. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbo33 Posted August 25, 2013 Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 Like it round here. Impossible to decoy and feeding./behaving like winter rape birds As with some posters on here, come the stubble and the world and his friend come out and shoot at them. Hardly surprising they are jumpy. I've resorted to picking them off in the stubble with the rifle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted August 25, 2013 Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 Thos birds are probably feeding over an area of quite a few square miles, I can guarantee you that someone is shooting on their feeding grounds. Harvest stubble time is probably the busiest shooting time of the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxy bingo Posted August 25, 2013 Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 they must be related to the pigeons around me if you stand in a field with a gun the pigeon veer off before they get any where near you, stand in the same place without a gun and they fly right over your head Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootnfish Posted August 25, 2013 Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 Perhaps its because you act different when you have agun to when you don't, and they can see it in your body language.(i have had afew jack Daniels by the way)half cut thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazbev Posted August 26, 2013 Report Share Posted August 26, 2013 they must be related to the pigeons around me if you stand in a field with a gun the pigeon veer off before they get any where near you, stand in the same place without a gun and they fly right over your head It seems that way to me but I do a lot more walking without a gun.Its been a funny year for me this one,the magnet I put out as a rule but have put out then took back in because birds have been veering off,floaters with Hyperflaps put out then taken in,different patterns and distances,the only thing that has worked for me this year is a horseshoe pattern within lay ten flocked half shells planted high with the nearest decoy 35 yards,I have young birds decoy in but older ones mostly do a fly by at speed.I have a shocking cartridge to bird ratio and tree isn't much in the freezer. Got great flightlines but they are feeding somewhere else,the only thing Is I am only shooting 10am till 4 pm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Mike Posted August 29, 2013 Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 At the end of the day they are a wild bird at the bottom of their food chain...anything bigger than them is a potential predator. They are also surprisingly intelligent and can recognise over time potential dangerous situations. I had quite flock of ornamental pigeons when I was younger..I used to feed them in the same place every day... Once or twice a couple were rushed by next doors old moggie...they weren't harmed as such but they wouldn't feed in that place again and I had to move the feed tray to a different position Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Mike Posted August 29, 2013 Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 It seems that way to me but I do a lot more walking without a gun.Its been a funny year for me this one,the magnet I put out as a rule but have put out then took back in because birds have been veering off,floaters with Hyperflaps put out then taken in,different patterns and distances,the only thing that has worked for me this year is a horseshoe pattern within lay ten flocked half shells planted high with the nearest decoy 35 yards,I have young birds decoy in but older ones mostly do a fly by at speed. I have a shocking cartridge to bird ratio and tree isn't much in the freezer. Got great flightlines but they are feeding somewhere else,the only thing Is I am only shooting 10am till 4 pm If you are in a field where the birds are feeding a traditional decoy pattern without artificial movement still gives the best results in my experience. I use flocked decoys on spring sticks which gives gentle rocking in the breeze and it works ok for me...I haven't had the magnet or flapper out in the last 25 trips and have had 3 100+ bags and several 50's .The pigeon numbers have been more or less constant around here for the last 15 years and the region is regularly shot. Saying that Pigeons seem to be more wary now than when I started 45 years ago ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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