george123456789 Posted January 27, 2007 Report Share Posted January 27, 2007 when in the year is it that pigeons start feeding on rape normally? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin.y Posted January 27, 2007 Report Share Posted January 27, 2007 Down here mate it is often january,but this year seams to be a good year for ivy berries .All the poggies we have shot have been full of them and looking at the hedge rows i think it will be well into feb before we see any movement.If it comes dry and fine the spring drillings will be about and then you won`t see much rape action atall .Not looking good for heavy grazing of rape this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy835 Posted January 27, 2007 Report Share Posted January 27, 2007 i was out today and they were on rape, but that was the first time one shot and gone,had 2. then went two another farm shot 5 in woods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmer Posted January 27, 2007 Report Share Posted January 27, 2007 I cant see there being any Rape shooting around here this year I noticed alot of the farms ploughing last week ready for spring drilling. I just hope we have a couple of days of decoying in that sometime soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highlander Posted January 29, 2007 Report Share Posted January 29, 2007 Round here they've been on the rape for sometime but not easy to decoy. We need some hard weather and I'll stick my neck out and say that we will get some of that, even if it's only cold winds and frosts, before the winter's over. Spring drilling (probably) won't start until late February or March so there's still time for some good bags on the rape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin.y Posted January 29, 2007 Report Share Posted January 29, 2007 Round here they've been on the rape for sometime but not easy to decoy. We need some hard weather and I'll stick my neck out and say that we will get some of that, even if it's only cold winds and frosts, before the winter's over. Spring drilling (probably) won't start until late February or March so there's still time for some good bags on the rape. agree with that high long way off but late febuary might produce something along the lines your thinking!! We will just have to keep our fingers crossed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Mike Posted January 29, 2007 Report Share Posted January 29, 2007 Acres and Acres of the stuff around me at the moment and thousands of birds also but they aint interested in winter greens at the moment. Plenty of birds still working the woods and hedgerows and standing stubble for chickweed. Managed to shoot 32 over standing stubble on Saturday decoying the birds in from woodland. Most were full of mast, ivy, chickweed, and clover with one having no less than 147 peanuts in its crop ( must have been a snooker player ) obviously had been raiding someones bird table. I was tempted to try Pigeon satay but didnt! I dont think they will hit the rape at all unless it gets really cold and I dont think that is going to happen this year. Nice to see though that the recent survey of British garden birds carried our by the BTO showed their sightings to gardens up a staggering 600+ percent. Went fishing on the Thames on Sunday afternoon (Hinton Waldrist ) and recorded a flock of Lapwings possibly 3 to 4 thousand birds strong and 750 plus Golden Plover. Plus 2 woodcock, 3 green sandpiper, 8 snipe and a pair of grey partridge which was most welcome of all.......Wonderful sight. FM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonno 357 Posted January 30, 2007 Report Share Posted January 30, 2007 Stick the decoys, flappers, magnets or whatever you use. The OSR isn't going to attract the wood pigeons this winter/spring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highlander Posted January 30, 2007 Report Share Posted January 30, 2007 Unfortunately without some hard weather (preferably prolonged) Woody isn't going to decoy well on rape BUT just try telling a farmer that! They want them off their crop and if you value your permission/s you'd better get out after them. Reconnaissance, Reconnaissance, Reconnaissance as AC would say is everything when pigeon shooting and that's even more so now when things are difficult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul in North Lincs. Posted January 30, 2007 Report Share Posted January 30, 2007 vast majortiy of birds are still wood hopping, with only small numbers hitting the OSR.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catamong Posted January 30, 2007 Report Share Posted January 30, 2007 vast majortiy of birds are still wood hopping, with only small numbers hitting the OSR.......... It's the same down my way, and unlike other posters, I don't believe air temperatures make any difference to whether or not Woodies feed on rape. They will start on the rape when other food supplies are close to exhaustion, they don't like eating rape, it's quite simply that there's nothing else available for them, and whether it's plus 10 or minus 10 makes no difference, they still have to fill their crops every day. Cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin.y Posted February 5, 2007 Report Share Posted February 5, 2007 well the woodies missed out on our rape this year the sheeep ate it!! deliberatlly i must say ,this is to thicken the crop and make it bush out!!! Pigeon grazing actually dosn`t effect the rape crop until early spring when the new growth is coming though then it is a must to keep the birds off othewr wise it will reduce the yield considerablyl and make for uneven fields. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george123456789 Posted February 6, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 do people think pigeons eat rape after cold weather as they need to eat more to survive the night? and so will eat the food from the woods and hedgerows more quickly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highlander Posted February 8, 2007 Report Share Posted February 8, 2007 do people think pigeons eat rape after cold weather as they need to eat more to survive the night? and so will eat the food from the woods and hedgerows more quickly? If you ask the average pigeon, who after all is a proper gourmet, they would say that rape tastes like **** so they really only eat the stuff when they have to and then only the small tender shoots (if rape can ever be described as having tender shoots) So far this year there’s been plenty of other food for Woody so they don’t have to gorge on the rape although many have been hitting it round here. Years before rape became such a widely grown crop pigeons had to rely mostly on clover to survive the winters (which were often much harder than now) and many didn’t (survive that is). Rape has (probably) been the main factor in the population explosion of Woody enabling many more to survive to breed. When most farms had only the odd clover leys left fallow over the winter Woody concentrated on them and it was easier decoying them than now with so much choice (rape everywhere) they can move around from field to field all day long. Personally I think and (my) bag returns would bear this out that Woody will feed better on rape when the weather is colder/harder, they tend to concentrate on an area rather than move around. A cold frosty day with a biting wind is IMO about as good as it gets but then again where Woody’s concerned who knows…it’s always a lottery, someone will win but most won’t! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.