Dont like Rape stubbles

[Alexbb]

Hi Guys,

I went out on Friday very excited as had seen the farmer on a permission my father has cutting the rape the day before. I arrived about 7:30 am, set up decoys 6 shells, 6 full bodied and a floater and made a reasonable I hide, at least I think it was. This was the only rape around for many a mile as far as I could as most of the area is used for grazing sheep and cows so you would think that freshly cut rape would be a magnet in itself. Anyway to cut a long story.... Sat from 7:30 to 1:30 saw approx. 30 birds in the area in that time one of which flew foolishly within about 40 yds so paid the price but apart from that zero interest. The birds that flew past at high altitude didn't even give the set up a second look let alone be scared off. I thought pigeons loved rape stubbles??/

 

A

[Cosd]

Just how it goes sometimes.

 

Last year birds hammered both the rape and barley stubbles on our permisions, this year there have been hardly any birds on them. Done a few full days to get up to 30 birds and sometimes less!

 

I think so much was harvested at the same time this year that the birds have been spread out more.

[Penelope]

According to Farming this morning on Radio 4, 1.7 million acres, approx. 1/2 the UK's wheat production was harvested in 7 days during August.

 

Just how it goes sometimes.

 

Last year birds hammered both the rape and barley stubbles on our permisions, this year there have been hardly any birds on them. Done a few full days to get up to 30 birds and sometimes less!

 

I think so much was harvested at the same time this year that the birds have been spread out more.

[JDog]

The rape you refer to may have been spring rape if it was harvested this late. Rape seeds may all seem the same to us, but I have never found pigeons to be greatly attracted to spring rape stubbles. It may be as Cosd says that there is so much choice for them at this time rather than the taste and food value in the seed itself but rape stubble is not always the 'bees knees'.

[Cosd]

According to Farming this morning on Radio 4, 1.7 million acres, approx. 1/2 the UK's wheat production was harvested in 7 days during August.

 

 

So there is some logic to my madness

 

This makes sense. Usually with the British weather the farmers (I'm guessing) will harvest whenever the weather breaks, so they could cut two fields one day then may not get a chance to do other fields until there is another dry spell (days or weeks later). This year because we had that long dry spell it meant the farmers could go at it without breaks in between; So where as the birds would normally concentrate from one area to another following the harvest, they have had the luxury of choice everywhere being cut the same time.

[Alexbb]

Sorry, forgot to mention that I am based in S.East Wales at the moment which does seem to have far fewer pigeons compared to North of London. All the more reason I was thinking that Rape would be really attractive. Jdog, you may be right about the Spring rape theory but what is the difference? It had turned very dark brown/blackish before it was cut.

[JDog]

If you are in Wales the Spring Rape theory might not work. I saw your profile and I thought that you lived near London. The answer is there are a loss less pigeons where you are now in addition to being plenty of other food sources.

[Cranfield]

Like JDog, I have found that spring rape doesn't seem so attractive to the pigeons, but I have no idea why.

The same goes for the "volunteer" crop that grows before the Farmers discs or ploughs it in.

 

Alexbb, keep an eye on the field, sometimes pigeons are dropping in as its being harvested, but other times they may leave it a week , or so.

[Alexbb]

Its true about other food sources as well. On another occasion walking the field I had shot quite a young bird which was filled with Elder berries and nothing else. It did however taste very nice...

[Mightymariner]

Sorry you were disappointed but to be honest you were always on a hiding to nothing, you turned up the day after harvest without any recent or evidence that the birds were feeding on it hoping by some kind of magic they would turn up that morning.....if you think about it the chances of you getting a shot were remote and if you had made a bag it would have been pure chance. Just because pigeons love rape seed/clover/barley/maize/peas/beans it doesn't follow that they will lover your particular field containing that crop, even if it is the only one for miles around. At the moment round here there are stumbles of barley, wheat and rape all over, not to mention some beans and whatever else pigeons can eat in the woods, so there is simply too much choice. I think the only way to increase the odds in your favour is to recce and recce again, and then recce again.....and then shoot when you have built up the best picture of the field and the birds using it (oh and I wish I had the time to do it too).