Blackpowder Posted March 26, 2014 Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 I am fortunate in having a south facing bedroom where the morning sun provides free light and heat. Its strange that being retired I still have the thought I should be out and about , up and away on such a bright but cold morning. By 8 am I could bear it no longer, with the thought of high pigeon dropping down to decoys eliminating any chance of a further snooze. Well no hurry could not think of anywhere to go, all the usual stuff having been cleaned up, later it became apparent that somewhere I had a mental blind spot. Fed and coffeed , the Ignis loaded with a moderate amount of gear some of the local venues were examined to no avail. Meandering ever further from home then Eureka, what about the farm where I am a syndicate member of the shoot. Only one set field and it was blue, alongside a mixed wood which had the wind at its back, but the sun in its face. I did not think the Ignis would make it up the track, so loaded with gear and guns and cartridges and food it was a half mile yomp before setting up. A modest 6 FUDS and a hide, beside a gate through the wood, made with a few branches from a fallen softwood. Slow to start, and as always when desperate to get some more dead birds for decoys, gradually the Pape proved its worth, more dead birds down equals more being drawn in. Still shooting pretty badly with half the birds shot needing to be pursued and despatched, and about half wich flew on leaving a string of feathers. There was scarcely time to consume a modest lunch, birds coming from all directions, frequently getting single birds or one from a small group but poking and wavering at the flocks. Ammunition run out at 2 :30 pm when I picked up 119 shells and after a rake through the wood counted 50 pigeons in the bag. By far the best since April 2007, I like the FUDS they seemed to work without the assistance of flappers, magnets or bouncers. But the main thing was being set up in a place where the pigeons wanted to be. Pigeon a speck in the distance set their wings and headed straight in, pure magic. Its like trout dry fly fishing with one of you home tied flies, catching is not the main thing its the deception which counts- well for me it does anyway. Blackpowder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayano3 Posted March 26, 2014 Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 Well done a great bag and not a bad shot per bird ratio, Strangely not to many minutes ago I posted about success and being where the pigeons wanted to be rather than getting the pigeons to flight to where you are! I like FUDS too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkfanz Posted March 26, 2014 Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 well done nice shootin bp,i too am in same position,south facin retired sun wakes me up,have to get up an go cant ever waste one day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kippylawkid Posted March 26, 2014 Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 Well done BP. Loads of drillings in on my permissions but little or no spill for the birds to build up. One farm has 7 fields of beans set together and they have hardly been touched by pigeon. I had 27 last week but had to work hard for them on clover. Keep on getting up with the sun - make every day count! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted March 26, 2014 Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 Nice one B P ........They say the chase is better than the kill......meaning the enjoyment is watching a wild bird coming in to your decoys from a distance that you have used your skill to outwit it....also on our shoot last season we had two chaps sharing a peg both using black powder mussel loaders and ill tell you what they were a privllege to watch both shot well and they more than got there share of the bag. I can smell the smoke now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dead eye alan Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 Well done BP the pape and you performed very well, but to run out of cartridges so soon was a school boy era. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackpowder Posted March 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 Only run out once before Alan, usually over a hundred is enough shells for a good day in this part of the world. Fifty in reserve in the car a half mile round trip, the aged bones were protesting after five days perched on a shooting stick and leaping barbed wire fences to retrieve the fallen into the decoy pattern. A different day at the same venue today. The wind now blowing right into the face of the wood, no other place to set up due to public roads. Whereas yesterday the birds were setting their wings and confidently, today they sensed things were not right and mainly settled at the far end of the field in the shelter of a stone wall. Fifteen and a grey squirrel for far to many shots. It was very uncomfortable facing the strong SE wind with hail and occasional showers, again blame the aged bones for an early finish. Blackpowder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitchrat Posted March 28, 2014 Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 Only run out once before Alan, usually over a hundred is enough shells for a good day in this part of the world. Fifty in reserve in the car a half mile round trip, the aged bones were protesting after five days perched on a shooting stick and leaping barbed wire fences to retrieve the fallen into the decoy pattern. A different day at the same venue today. The wind now blowing right into the face of the wood, no other place to set up due to public roads. Whereas yesterday the birds were setting their wings and confidently, today they sensed things were not right and mainly settled at the far end of the field in the shelter of a stone wall. Fifteen and a grey squirrel for far to many shots. It was very uncomfortable facing the strong SE wind with hail and occasional showers, again blame the aged bones for an early finish. Blackpowder I know about the aged bones (just going through a hip replacement) but if there's 50 cartridges (only 50??) in the car and pigeons to be shot, drag yourself there and back!! It's so hard to get the shooting working that you can't waste the chance!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted March 28, 2014 Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 Old bones come to all of us, if we live long enough that is, earlier on this week I shot 40 odd and luckily I got my car fairly close to where I had set up but it still took 3 trips backwards and forwards when I had called it a day. Just about every bit of my body was stiff , the only small bit that wasn't was really down to old age and possibly worn out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HIDENSEEK Posted March 28, 2014 Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 + 1 !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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