motty Posted March 29, 2014 Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 Last Saturday I had my best bag of the year (66) on drillings. The pigeons have moved off of the drillings on that particular farm. On Thursday I had a good look around, covering several miles in the quest to find good bird numbers. I found a huge flock of pigeons gathered on what looked like a recently drilled field and the neighbouring rape. The trouble was I didn't have permission to shoot either field. I made a few enquiries and a few phone calls and was delighted to gain permission to shoot on the drilled field, which turned out to be beans. This is the third farm this year that I have gained permission to shoot - i'm on a bit of a roll in that department. I couldn't find out who owned the rape. That's a shame, but i'll work on it. I turned up to shoot this morning at a little after 8am. I took time to watch the first few birds whilst I waited for my Dad to arrive. The birds dropped on the rape. My intention was to set up between the beans and rape and hope that they were still interested in the beans. My hide was built in the ditch and was easily visible. I set up a pattern of decoys with 10 fuds and 5 dead birds. I added a magnet and 2 flappers. The pigeons seemed dead set on the rape and I realised fairly early on that it may be a frustrating day. For every pigeon that came to the decoys, another 50 bypassed to the rape. It was impossible to get near the main flight line and regularly a flock almost a thousand strong was put up from the rape, to go and land in surrounding woods. It wasn't all doom and gloom though, at times the pigeons decoyed really well, and came back to the beans with full crops of rape. The highlight of the day (over some nice high birds) was the double each that we had out of a bunch. I just couldn't believe how many birds were feeding on the rape. It was just a swarm. In the afternoon, about half past three, I decided to pack up, as we'd had a long lull. I started to take the hide down and one decoyed. Then another, and another. We shot another 15 in the next few minutes before finally calling it a day. Another nice bag, we shot 80. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yickdaz Posted March 29, 2014 Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 nicely done bud good bag did you have the magnet out today? they wouldn,t wear it today with us and you know I,m a fan of them like yourself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aga man Posted March 29, 2014 Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 Well done motty, a good write up and a worthwhile bag. Still finding the pigeons prefering rape to drillings here too at the minute even knee high rape. Gaining permisions is often a snowball effect the more you get in a certain area the easier it is to persuade the next farm etc we are on the same roll at the minute. dare say you will get another good bag or 2 off them beans before the years out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted March 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 nicely done bud good bag did you have the magnet out today? they wouldn,t wear it today with us and you know I,m a fan of them like yourself If you read the post properly, Daz, you'd have seen that I did. My Dad wanted to take it down after a few birds veered away. It was soon put back in the pattern and they decoyed as well as could be expected, considering they really wanted to be on the rape. Well done motty, a good write up and a worthwhile bag. Still finding the pigeons prefering rape to drillings here too at the minute even knee high rape. Gaining permisions is often a snowball effect the more you get in a certain area the easier it is to persuade the next farm etc we are on the same roll at the minute. dare say you will get another good bag or 2 off them beans before the years out I'd like to think so. Hopefully there's a good bag to be had soon if I can get permission on the rape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yickdaz Posted March 29, 2014 Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 If you read the post properly, Daz, you'd have seen that I did. My Dad wanted to take it down after a few birds veered away. It was soon put back in the pattern and they decoyed as well as could be expected, considering they really wanted to be on the rape. I'd like to think so. Hopefully there's a good bag to be had soon if I can get permission on the rape. yeah you did my mistake, as I said they were very very wary of it today for us dosn,t happen often but it was one of them rare days were they was Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted March 29, 2014 Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 nicely done........only a distant memory for me tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted March 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 I just found out how to make a photo file smaller on my phone. Here is the bag - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted March 29, 2014 Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 Well done Motty . Must have been a nice day for it today , its frustrating when you watch piles of them heading somewhere you cannot shoot but still a decent bag for you in the end. I will be having a poke around tomorrow to hopefully find something worthwhile for Monday , I have a feeling it may well be a fruitless exercise though . I am really hoping they get on the peas this year as I have more to go at than I can remember having before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Essex Hunter Posted March 29, 2014 Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 Nice going Wane....I was ahead of pt until he went and joined paul....lol I got 48 in 3+ hrs on rape TEH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon controller Posted March 29, 2014 Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 Well done , frustrating day but you had a good bag in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dbw1shrops Posted March 29, 2014 Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 Well done Motty hope you let the new farmer how you got on ? he would be chuffed to bits with you nailing all them ! I know mine would 👍 Atb Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitchrat Posted March 30, 2014 Report Share Posted March 30, 2014 Last Saturday I had my best bag of the year (66) on drillings. The pigeons have moved off of the drillings on that particular farm. On Thursday I had a good look around, covering several miles in the quest to find good bird numbers. I found a huge flock of pigeons gathered on what looked like a recently drilled field and the neighbouring rape. The trouble was I didn't have permission to shoot either field. I made a few enquiries and a few phone calls and was delighted to gain permission to shoot on the drilled field, which turned out to be beans. This is the third farm this year that I have gained permission to shoot - i'm on a bit of a roll in that department. I couldn't find out who owned the rape. That's a shame, but i'll work on it. I turned up to shoot this morning at a little after 8am. I took time to watch the first few birds whilst I waited for my Dad to arrive. The birds dropped on the rape. My intention was to set up between the beans and rape and hope that they were still interested in the beans. My hide was built in the ditch and was easily visible. I set up a pattern of decoys with 10 fuds and 5 dead birds. I added a magnet and 2 flappers. The pigeons seemed dead set on the rape and I realised fairly early on that it may be a frustrating day. For every pigeon that came to the decoys, another 50 bypassed to the rape. It was impossible to get near the main flight line and regularly a flock almost a thousand strong was put up from the rape, to go and land in surrounding woods. It wasn't all doom and gloom though, at times the pigeons decoyed really well, and came back to the beans with full crops of rape. The highlight of the day (over some nice high birds) was the double each that we had out of a bunch. I just couldn't believe how many birds were feeding on the rape. It was just a swarm. In the afternoon, about half past three, I decided to pack up, as we'd had a long lull. I started to take the hide down and one decoyed. Then another, and another. We shot another 15 in the next few minutes before finally calling it a day. Another nice bag, we shot 80. . Great report, good result! I still say my Essexi brds wouldn't go near your hide but clearly quite a few did for you. Well done!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootnfish Posted March 30, 2014 Report Share Posted March 30, 2014 (edited) The birds around my part of essex must be braver (or stupid) than the ones aaround your way because quite often i have hides that stand out much more than that one pictured and they haven't been bothered, i shot 71 a couple of weeks ago on a patch of drilled beans where the rape had failed not even an acre in size , and the only place to put a hide was about 10yds back from the field in an area of dead grass no trees or bushes around other than a large bramble bush the other side of the drilled area which would of been ideal only trouble was i would of showered the boreham based police interceptors base with lead so i don't think i would be too popular with that. Personally i thought my hide stuck out like a sore thumb looked like a green phone box in a hay field but didn't bother the pigeons. Edited March 30, 2014 by shootnfish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted March 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2014 Well done Motty hope you let the new farmer how you got on ? he would be chuffed to bits with you nailing all them ! I know mine would Atb Dave The farmer was happy and helped me get permission to shoot the rape. That's four more rape fields I have to shoot on. I'm well chuffed! I will be there within the next week. The birds around my part of essex must be braver (or stupid) than the ones aaround your way because quite often i have hides that stand out much more than that one pictured and they haven't been bothered, i shot 71 a couple of weeks ago on a patch of drilled beans where the rape had failed not even an acre in size , and the only place to put a hide was about 10yds back from the field in an area of dead grass no trees or bushes around other than a large bramble bush the other side of the drilled area which would of been ideal only trouble was i would of showered the boreham based police interceptors base with lead so i don't think i would be too popular with that. Personally i thought my hide stuck out like a sore thumb looked like a green phone box in a hay field but didn't bother the pigeons. I have always been comfortable putting hides out in the open. A few years back I put a big brown hide on a short and bright green grass track and killed over 80. Pigeons don't see a new bush (a hide) as a threat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Mat Posted March 30, 2014 Report Share Posted March 30, 2014 Good shooting motty. I was up checking on the daffodil fields near work the other day and they where drilling something a couple of fields over, need to pop back and see the farmer. I didnt see many pigeons in the area though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitchrat Posted March 30, 2014 Report Share Posted March 30, 2014 The birds around my part of essex must be braver (or stupid) than the ones aaround your way because quite often i have hides that stand out much more than that one pictured and they haven't been bothered, i shot 71 a couple of weeks ago on a patch of drilled beans where the rape had failed not even an acre in size , and the only place to put a hide was about 10yds back from the field in an area of dead grass no trees or bushes around other than a large bramble bush the other side of the drilled area which would of been ideal only trouble was i would of showered the boreham based police interceptors base with lead so i don't think i would be too popular with that. Personally i thought my hide stuck out like a sore thumb looked like a green phone box in a hay field but didn't bother the pigeons. Weird isn't it. Up my end of Essex, if they can see anything unusual, it's like the parting of the Red Sea, give it a wide berth, then rejoin. Maybe they are over shot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveyg Posted March 30, 2014 Report Share Posted March 30, 2014 nice one Motty.. I dream.... at least once a week for a bag like that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted March 30, 2014 Report Share Posted March 30, 2014 Nice bag Motty.........you were saying several came in just as you were packing up, well when I went during he week I don't go till about 1 o clock, a few came steady all afternoon but the best time was 3 30 till 4 30 they didn't pour in but there was a nice lot going backwards and forwards and several were drawn in despite having a fare bit in there crops. P C was saying on one of his posts he believed some might be migrating south, well if that's the case lets hope some of yours come 70 miles down the coast........they can enjoy the fresh air and we will give them a warm welcome, we have got some pigeons but we can always accommodate a few more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cocknee Posted March 30, 2014 Report Share Posted March 30, 2014 I shoot at least 50% of the time from the middle of the field and have found that it's normally something to do with the decoy pattern or one of my dogs making the pigeons veer off and not the hide I always keep the hide low with the front about the same height as my gun the back being slightly higher. This is a huge advantage as you can shoot a full 360 degrees from your swivel seat and nothing takes you by surprise like it does when you are tucked in a hedge with only a view to the front. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilts#Dave Posted March 30, 2014 Report Share Posted March 30, 2014 Cracking bag and read mate, bag of 80 can't be bad especially at the moment....nice one!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dead eye alan Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 Well done Motty more power to your trigger finger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitchrat Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 I shoot at least 50% of the time from the middle of the field and have found that it's normally something to do with the decoy pattern or one of my dogs making the pigeons veer off and not the hide I always keep the hide low with the front about the same height as my gun the back being slightly higher. This is a huge advantage as you can shoot a full 360 degrees from your swivel seat and nothing takes you by surprise like it does when you are tucked in a hedge with only a view to the front. WOW!! Another different world I know nothing about. I'm usually squeezed into a rabbit hole by comparison, makes shooting difficult but it's the only way I can get ANY shooting. All the other guys round here who like more comfortable hides have blanked time and again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 I do tend to agree with cocknee about hides in the middle of a field, with me doing a lot of shooting on marsh land we don't have the luxury of a hedge and trees to contend with. I must admit I do sometimes have some bales dropped down there for me mainly to reduce the amount of gear I have to carry and to act as a wind break against the easterly wind we get in the winter time .I think sometimes we worry about hides to much , I seem to remember John Humphries experimenting with red plastic road netting as a hide and pigeons still came to his decoys just the same. Two or three times I have had the farmer or the farm manager come and drive up to my hide to have a yarn and during that time I had odd pigeons come in as if no hide or motor was there. Like Kitchrat says they might be different pigeons in Norfolk but they still look the same to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anser2 Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 (edited) It could be a question of shooting pressure. Owing to game shooting interests much pigeon shooting in north Norfolk is restricted bettween the end of the game shooting season and April when the pheasants start to lay. Only on 2 of the 5 farms I shoot on is pigeon shooting allowed during the summer and shooting season. Even then there is no shooting a week before a pheasant shooting day on these two farms. The pigeon shooting is usualy restricted to one or two guns per farm. On my ground I am the only regular gun over 7,000 acres. When I asked one farmer if a mate who had shared a hide with me for 3 years on one farm could shoot alone- I was told No. He was happy as long as I was present too, but did not want anyone else on the farm shooting by them selves. So with low numbers of pigeon shooters and restricted periods for pigeon control the birds are likely to be a lot less wary than in places where they are constantly shot at. Last year I had a farmer drive up to me for a chat during a decoying session. And even with his tractor running the pgeons still flew overhead . Edited March 31, 2014 by anser2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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