squiffy58 Posted November 14, 2013 Report Share Posted November 14, 2013 Hi all I am having a bit of trouble with me pheasants. they seems to have pushed off, I am told its the mild weather and abundance of natural food available........... any one seeing the same? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activeviii Posted November 14, 2013 Report Share Posted November 14, 2013 yet, same problem. lost the lot. never had it like this before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pg123 Posted November 14, 2013 Report Share Posted November 14, 2013 Keep the feeders out. A few more frosty nights and hopefully they will be back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimfire4969 Posted November 15, 2013 Report Share Posted November 15, 2013 There is just so much natural food about at the moment. What is needed is cold weather, frost even better a bit of snow. No so bad up north but down here in Cornwall we might only have 6 frosts in a winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worthy130 Posted November 15, 2013 Report Share Posted November 15, 2013 Once the acorns fall a lot of shoots have big problems as the put their heads down and meander down a hedgerow and away! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rimotu66 Posted November 15, 2013 Report Share Posted November 15, 2013 We havnt suffered to badly on our shoot with wanderers but ours havnt grown as fast as most years, we put it down to them eating grubs etc and not the pellets ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIDES EDGE Posted November 15, 2013 Report Share Posted November 15, 2013 Same problem in Kent all over the place think we are going to struggle this year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackpowder Posted November 15, 2013 Report Share Posted November 15, 2013 Ditto on our club shoot , its what pheasants do wander and ramble and forget to come home Blackpowder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sodylt1 Posted November 17, 2013 Report Share Posted November 17, 2013 I hear its the same all over, we had our 3 rd shoot yeaterday, the birds were thin on the ground and scattered over areas that we dont usually see them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squiffy58 Posted November 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2013 Hi all We had a shoot yesterday, and managed to bag 65, thats after only 10 from the previous saturday, dont know if its going to be up and down like this. We had more beaters which certainly helped. Thanks to those of you that replied its nice to know that its a country wide problem, and not just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old rooster Posted November 18, 2013 Report Share Posted November 18, 2013 Keep feeding, they will come back to it if the weather hardens up although we do have a bumper year for natural food, at least around here. Good idea to scatter some feed on straw rides to give them something to scratch about at. Pity the chestnuts got blown off the trees so early as it looks as though they were forming up nicely until we had the gales. Plenty of acorns around, luckily one of the shoots has plenty of oaks within the boundaries so that might help to keep them local. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
castletyne Posted November 23, 2013 Report Share Posted November 23, 2013 often thought if everyones birds are wandering where do they go someone must end up with plenty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squiffy58 Posted January 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2014 Well its my final shoot this Saturday, and we are well down on bag return, not done the figures yet but its looking pants Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southern Posted January 29, 2014 Report Share Posted January 29, 2014 They're all in my garden! The shoot is across the road, I think they've figured out where is safe... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimfire4969 Posted January 29, 2014 Report Share Posted January 29, 2014 They're all in my garden! The shoot is across the road, I think they've figured out where is safe... You must be a bad shot then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rimotu66 Posted January 29, 2014 Report Share Posted January 29, 2014 I said on a previous post that we hadn't faired to badly, how wrong I was, not only have we got under weight birds (not all but enough) we also seem to have 'lost' the majority. Its our walk around on Saturday so hopefully we can add to the % shot over the season, last shoot I only had 5 shots all day, I still enjoyed been out though as for me anyway its the day and the banter I enjoy the most, if I get a few shots off and even manage to hit a few then I am a happy chappy Strangely though, the birds that have got up are the best flying birds I have ever seen on our shoot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southern Posted January 29, 2014 Report Share Posted January 29, 2014 You must be a bad shot then. I probably would be I'll never know, I'm clays only Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alycidon Posted February 3, 2014 Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 STOP releasing blueback crosses, jap greens and the black ones. I hear that Kansas pheasants also walk they they want to go back to the USA> If you want birds that dont wander far given a nice warm wood and plenty of good food then release Old English Blacknecks. Not quite the flying performance of Bluebacks but given some half decent hills hills they can be testing. Losses, most go to foxes, wandering is second, road deaths third, disease fourth, usually. Gapes in Sept after the birds are out and about is almost untreatable. All shoots should now be having work sessions creating a nice warm bottom in holding woods. Laying laurels will keep me occupied for several days. A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rimotu66 Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Losses, most go to foxes, wandering is second, road deaths third, disease fourth, usually. Gapes in Sept after the birds are out and about is almost untreatable. I would normally agree with you but, on our shoot foxes are well controlled, we are not close to public roads and we had no desease. Also, we have never had this problem on this scale before even with much harsher winters, this year has been very mild in comparison and the birds hardly touched the feeders, either pellets or corn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddaftspaniel Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 We changed to Blacknecks two years ago and they have transformed our returns. They wander less than other strains and really sit tight so you need beaters with good dogs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r1steele Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 I would normally agree with you but, on our shoot foxes are well controlled, we are not close to public roads and we had no desease. Also, we have never had this problem on this scale before even with much harsher winters, this year has been very mild in comparison and the birds hardly touched the feeders, either pellets or corn. The biggest problem a lot of people have had with the good summer and mild winter is that there is so much wild food (acorns, mast etc) the birds don't need to go to the feeders and tend to fill up quickly with wild pickings and wander off. When there isn't as much wild feeding available they come off the roost and head straight to the feeders and rides whereas this year it doesn't matter where they have roosted there is usually a good feed when they come down. It takes them a while to scratch around straw rides and feeders to get a full crop but three or four acorns takes them seconds to eat and fill there crops and then off they go. Each time they come off roost they could be getting further and further away from the shoot every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alycidon Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 I would normally agree with you but, on our shoot foxes are well controlled, we are not close to public roads and we had no desease. Also, we have never had this problem on this scale before even with much harsher winters, this year has been very mild in comparison and the birds hardly touched the feeders, either pellets or corn. Sounds like poachers. A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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