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Herts, Bucks, Bedf and Essex no birds about at all?


blasterjudd
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I'm getting a bit fed up with your extrapolations of my belief that colder weather makes pigeons need to feed more!!! Most other posters agree with me........

 

Well, I don't mean to "rub it in", but how many other posters have the benefit of over 40 years pigeon shooting experience to draw on, like i have..?

 

As the Stealth Stalker and Beardo discovered at their roost shoot, the majority of pigeons in our area still prefer to eat acorns, (even the rotten ones), in preference to rape.

 

I don't doubt that any animal needs to take on more food in order to survive once the weather turns colder, but the fact is, if there is a more preferable food source available, which in our area comprises acorns, beech mast, ivy berries, and cut maize, then they will not touch the rape, it's that simple.

 

Colder weather will not drive the birds out onto the rape fields, fact, when you think about it, what self respecting pigeon would risk his rear end being peppered by some camo clad lunatic wielding a 12 bore out in the fields when he can take on all the nutrition he needs by staying in or around the roosting woods scoffing acorns....it's a bit of a no brainer surely, and has diddly squat to do with whether it's plus 5 or minus 5, ..it's all about the food supply??? :rolleyes:

 

Cat.

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This sounds a bit too good to be true.

One guy gets 50 for 300 shots, in about 4 hours, that's 1 shot every 50 seconds, The other guy kills 150, assume he missed some too, say 200 shots, that's another shot every 72 seconds or, overall, 1 shot every 30 seconds for 4 hours? ????

Are you sure this was near Hitchin, 15 miles from where I am, not in Argentina dove shooting? ??? I agree that birds are arriving in better numbers now, but decoying over rape is always a bit difficult..

If you need any more help, I have 1000 rounds in the safe, so should be able to assist for a whole day...........

It's possible I got the timing wrong (or the shooter did), but I believe the numbers, he was honest enough to admit he used 300 round for 50 birds, no need to lie about anything else.

It was at Hitchin and I now know where.

More annoyingly it was very close to a couple of my permissions, where I am not seeing any birds.

The birds where shot a recently over cut cover crop.

 

By the way, I am not convinced about the cold weather theory either.

It does sound like a lot but it is well possible. Back in 2007 I shot over a rape field in early March. I packed up just after 11am with 138 in the bag.

He/I may have got his timing wrong, But honest enough to say how many he had missed 50 for 300 is not good, and in general he is a very good shot.

Edited by bakerboy
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Well, I don't mean to "rub it in", but how many other posters have the benefit of over 40 years pigeon shooting experience to draw on, like i have..?

 

As the Stealth Stalker and Beardo discovered at their roost shoot, the majority of pigeons in our area still prefer to eat acorns, (even the rotten ones), in preference to rape.

 

I don't doubt that any animal needs to take on more food in order to survive once the weather turns colder, but the fact is, if there is a more preferable food source available, which in our area comprises acorns, beech mast, ivy berries, and cut maize, then they will not touch the rape, it's that simple.

 

Colder weather will not drive the birds out onto the rape fields, fact, when you think about it, what self respecting pigeon would risk his rear end being peppered by some camo clad lunatic wielding a 12 bore out in the fields when he can take on all the nutrition he needs by staying in or around the roosting woods scoffing acorns....it's a bit of a no brainer surely, and has diddly squat to do with whether it's plus 5 or minus 5, ..it's all about the food supply??? :rolleyes:

 

Cat.

Well, I'm nearly 61 and have been shooting pigeons since I was a teenager, but with a few years gap running a business, so maybe you have me on the experience front!!

Of course where there is a choice of food, pigeons can and will decide on what to do. In another month or so, they will move onto tree buds, the ash and beech trees will be busy and the rape fields quiet.

However, up here their main food source does seem to be rape in the winter, nearly all the birds I shoot have only rape in their crops. This year we are also short of numbers of birds, so what acorns, berries etc are availible will go further, should pigeons so choose.

My entire point, which you seems to want to blur under extrapolations like " Kitch says pigeons will only feed in sub-zero temperatures" is that colder weather will force pigeons to eat more and therefore spend less time "safe" sitting in the trees and more time eating. It's when they are feeding that they are vulnerable, be it decoying them under oak trees (I HAVE done that, in a heavy acorn year) or rape fields or old game covers. It's never easy in winter but at least when they are very hungry we have a chance to outwit some of them.........

As it is I have several perms with lots of rape and two of them have several hundred pigeons feeding on them on a regular basis. However, because they are not HUNGRY hungry, after a few shots they just go and sit in the trees and wait for another day. WHEN THEY ARE NOT HUNGRY HUNGRY THEY ALSO HAVE THE OPTION OF NOT COMING OUT TO PLAY!!!

Like today, it's foggy, it's a "sit in the trees" morning......but if we'd just had 2 or 3 weeks of snow and frost, that luxury might not be availible to them, feeding would be a much higher priority, eating becomes imperative (be it acorns, rape or whatever)

Edited by kitchrat
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This sounds a bit too good to be true.

One guy gets 50 for 300 shots, in about 4 hours, that's 1 shot every 50 seconds, The other guy kills 150, assume he missed some too, say 200 shots, that's another shot every 72 seconds or, overall, 1 shot every 30 seconds for 4 hours?????

Are you sure this was near Hitchin, 15 miles from where I am, not in Argentina dove shooting???? I agree that birds are arriving in better numbers now, but decoying over rape is always a bit difficult..

If you need any more help, I have 1000 rounds in the safe, so should be able to assist for a whole day...........

That was a funny post, firstly pretty much calling the poster a liar then asking for shooting on his permission.

 

Quality :)

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That was a funny post, firstly pretty much calling the poster a liar then asking for shooting on his permission.

 

Quality :)

Ever heard of "tounge in cheek"??? - and I don't mean French kissing, before Motty extrapolates!!!!! (Or did I mean Catamong?, I forget now)

Edited by kitchrat
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Well, I don't mean to "rub it in", but how many other posters have the benefit of over 40 years pigeon shooting experience to draw on, like i have..?

 

 

I've had brickies work for me that have been in the trade for 40 years + and are still rubbish at it.

My rape field has 100's on it every day and is right below Brickhill woods

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What are they on then?? Old game cover?? Acorns?? or what??

We were decoying on maize cover crops, as expected the weather mucked things up, the 7mph wind and broken cloud turned into glorious sun all day & not a breath of wind :/ we picked up 68 between the Peltman & myself. Not a great day, but good to get out on em again.

 

SS

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The pigeon or the brickies?

Yes!

We were decoying on maize cover crops, as expected the weather mucked things up, the 7mph wind and broken cloud turned into glorious sun all day & not a breath of wind :/ we picked up 68 between the Peltman & myself. Not a great day, but good to get out on em again.

 

SS

Brilliant, well done Chaps!!

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We were decoying on maize cover crops, as expected the weather mucked things up, the 7mph wind and broken cloud turned into glorious sun all day & not a breath of wind :/ we picked up 68 between the Peltman & myself. Not a great day, but good to get out on em again.

 

SS

had the same problems with the fog until 10am. Got out and set up

by 7.30 yesterday morning. Had a crow early doors. Then sat there for 3 hours in the cold.

Got my first pigeon at 10.30 then by 1pm it was all over. Picked up 20 on rape.

Shame could have been a good mornings shooting. More and more birds starting to

get on the rape in our area now and at the moment they are shoot able.

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