Will Beasley Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 This last week has seen a massive influx of birds here in Oxfordshire. Today I am about to leave to shoot a lone field of Rape which has been absoluteley devastated. Must have been at least 10,000 birds on it. Absoluteley incredible, Ive only ever seen this many birds on a field once in 11 years of doing this job professionally, and I get to see a lot of pigeons day in day out. This field was truly "ticket only"!!!! And after 10 weeks with very little work on I'm pleased as punch to see 'em back! I shall also be testing the new Hypa-Lite Pigeon Rotary today which is exclusiveley for the Hypa-Flap Decoys. Tested it yesterday with much less numbers of birds and it results seem promising. One thing we have noticed with the Hypa's is this...usually with a normal Rotor birds will come close to it and flare...not so with the Hypa's. They seem to aim and lock in on the rotor much better, but maybe cos they've not been shot over winter, who knows.... the jury is still out on that one. We tested this theory out by moving the rotor three times, once in front of the hide, then to the right and then to the left. Each time the birds went wherever we put the Hypas, so we learnt yesterday that using the Hypas you have to put it in MUCH closer to the hide or simply put them wherever you want the kill zone to be. I'll report back later hopefully with some nice piccies of the day and the bag, lets hope the field shoots as good as it looks and they dont all **** off on us. Still with as many birds there as there is I think we stand a good chance of seeing more than a little action today, just hope the wind picks up. Oh and one more thing. They've started drilling wheat and barley down here already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magman Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 as i said will , have a good day http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/ind...showtopic=28031 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 Today Oxfordshire.............tomorrow the rest of the country.........lets hope so. Good luck and it will be interesting to hear how things went. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hesky Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 I can't wait for the pics, Good lad Will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highlander Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 Brave man that...be interesting to hear the outcome. Anyone care to lay a little wager on the bag? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danger Mouse Posted February 3, 2007 Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 Come on Will, how did you get on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highlander Posted February 5, 2007 Report Share Posted February 5, 2007 C'mon Will tell us what happened. I thought your original post was a bit on the brave side, willing the outcome, but I'm dying to know if you're human (like the rest of us) or superhuman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Beasley Posted February 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2007 silence is golden per haps he drew a duck like most of us lately Sorry, had a bit of a mad weekend. OK scores were 98 for one client and 54 for the other. Not bad by any means especially on Rape. Lost a lot of big gangs of birds on some other Rape nearby which is not mine which if I could have fetched them back would have made the bag bigger, but even still everyone was smiling at the end of the day. So there you go. I AM superhuman. Well at least that day I was. "Taxidermy Dave" was up last week and shot 3..... So that day I wasnt superhuman!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highlander Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 silence is golden per haps he drew a duck like most of us lately Sorry, had a bit of a mad weekend. OK scores were 98 for one client and 54 for the other. Not bad by any means especially on Rape. Lost a lot of big gangs of birds on some other Rape nearby which is not mine which if I could have fetched them back would have made the bag bigger, but even still everyone was smiling at the end of the day. So there you go. I AM superhuman. Well at least that day I was. "Taxidermy Dave" was up last week and shot 3..... So that day I wasnt superhuman!! Thank the lord for that, just goes to show even the professionals can't always (if ever) outwit Woody wonder why Taxi Dave didn't mention his day out I had visions of pics with a 1000 dead birds laying around after your earlier post Still, a good day by the sound of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxidermy dave Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 wonder why Taxi Dave didn't mention his day out I had visions of pics with a 1000 dead birds laying around after your earlier post Still, a good day by the sound of it. i wonder ??!!!! seriously though there were birds everywhere but they were having none of it,i tried everything i could to get em to decoy but they all flipped me the finger!! i did have one that come into the decoys but i was answering the call of nature at the time .The ones i shot were just flighting over me and were more luck than anything.I got another day booked on the 19 of this month so ill let you know how it goes then. dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catamong Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 Dave, You've discovered what all good Pigeon shooters have found out......., when things are a bit quiet, either take a leak or pour yourself some soup, or grab a sandwich, or start rolling a ciggy, the next thing you know they'll be a bird hovering over the deeks, but you've got your hands full..!! It works every time..!! Cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Mike Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 This last week has seen a massive influx of birds here in Oxfordshire. Today I am about to leave to shoot a lone field of Rape which has been absoluteley devastated. Must have been at least 10,000 birds on it. Absoluteley incredible, Ive only ever seen this many birds on a field once in 11 years of doing this job professionally, and I get to see a lot of pigeons day in day out. This field was truly "ticket only"!!!! And after 10 weeks with very little work on I'm pleased as punch to see 'em back! Nice to see Will, Here in neighbouring Glos. Ive seen some very big flocks of Pigeons which have not really been hitting the rape as yet........ but now its getting cold sport will really pick up. Some of the farmers whose land I shoot over have reduced rape crops this year in favour of spring barley so the birds may be better concentrated in these next few weeks. I shot a field near Fairford a couple of days ago which had been mown flat by pigeon, on arrival there were no birds at all but at about 11 they started arriving in groups of 20 to 30... I ended the day at 4 with 87 by best bag for some considerable time.! I was out in North Glos on the Oxford border last week with a friend shooting woodland..... there didnt seem to be a single bird about until 3 Giant US Helicopters on a low level sortee game growling over the canopy. Watching them fly off to the horizon they were putting up pigeons left right and centre, 1000,s of them. Every tree and hedge was abandoned. While travelling over by Bicester a couple of weeks ago just off the B4011. I saw a flock of birds at altitude just as it was getting dusk. I thought it was a big flock of waders at first but when I stopped the car at had a look through the bins it was Pigeon... a really big flock some 3 -4,000 strong and flying at an unusually high altitude... Maybe they were heading your way I hope so ! FM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invector Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 Catamong, Don't say I've got to start smoking?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catamong Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 Invector, No Matey, I gave up years ago, the only smoking I do know is on them fast driven clays..!! How's the shooting up Northampton way, are you getting many birds..?? It's a bit quiet on the forum now that RRUK has disappeared..!! Cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apbuild Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 This last week has seen a massive influx of birds here in Oxfordshire. Today I am about to leave to shoot a lone field of Rape which has been absoluteley devastated. Must have been at least 10,000 birds on it. Absoluteley incredible, Ive only ever seen this many birds on a field once in 11 years of doing this job professionally, and I get to see a lot of pigeons day in day out. This field was truly "ticket only"!!!! And after 10 weeks with very little work on I'm pleased as punch to see 'em back! I shall also be testing the new Hypa-Lite Pigeon Rotary today which is exclusiveley for the Hypa-Flap Decoys. Tested it yesterday with much less numbers of birds and it results seem promising. One thing we have noticed with the Hypa's is this...usually with a normal Rotor birds will come close to it and flare...not so with the Hypa's. They seem to aim and lock in on the rotor much better, but maybe cos they've not been shot over winter, who knows.... the jury is still out on that one. We tested this theory out by moving the rotor three times, once in front of the hide, then to the right and then to the left. Each time the birds went wherever we put the Hypas, so we learnt yesterday that using the Hypas you have to put it in MUCH closer to the hide or simply put them wherever you want the kill zone to be. I'll report back later hopefully with some nice piccies of the day and the bag, lets hope the field shoots as good as it looks and they dont all **** off on us. Still with as many birds there as there is I think we stand a good chance of seeing more than a little action today, just hope the wind picks up. Oh and one more thing. They've started drilling wheat and barley down here already. Let me know if you need a hand Will!! LOL. Rob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invector Posted February 8, 2007 Report Share Posted February 8, 2007 Catamong, Never did smoke! Still playing pigeon ping-pong over OSR, after a long break due to the acorns and beechmast. Nice to see 'em back though. Poor little souls, in this snow eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catamong Posted February 8, 2007 Report Share Posted February 8, 2007 Invector, You're probably not old enough to remember the winter of 62/63..?? The Pigeons were really hungry then, they were literally dropping dead off the trees with hunger. There was snow cover from Boxing Day until Easter, and that was long before Oilseed Rape had been invented..!! Today's birds are still very plump in comparison, as we just don't get the prolonged hard Winter weather anymore. They're starting now on the rape in our area, as I predicted they would on this forum back in November, but the problem is there's so much about you would need about 10 guns to properly cover the area and keep them on the move. Nowaday's I've got better things to do with my time than sit in a hedgerow all day freezing my nuts off for a grand total of 5 birds, I will only go out if I'm confident of a reasonable bag, and that means putting the effort in on the days before to do a proper recce. Still, if the weather warms up, the farmers will be top dressing with nitrogen fert within a couple of weeks, and the rape will zip up then, that means the woodies will all concentrate on the fields that are cropped back or slow growing, that's the theory....!! Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy835 Posted February 8, 2007 Report Share Posted February 8, 2007 thats right cat, if the pigeon dont come in soon it will grow and no rape shooting this year for me.there still not on it here will go and have a look tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invector Posted February 9, 2007 Report Share Posted February 9, 2007 Catamong, I can well remember the winter of 62/3. I have photos of my bale hide, almost enveloped by a snow drift, on a field of kale. It froze for weeks and we stopped shooting to give the birds a rest. I soon stopped after feeling the razor breasts of ducks that came within shot of my hide. I remember when OSR started to take off. We couldn't believe the acreages they were growing. We shot loads of pigeons over stubble, and many more over clover. Spring barley and peas were the best draw early in the year, then they went over to elm florets. In those days we had elm trees. Happy days! I told you my first gun was an arquebus!!!!!!! To refer to the choke thing if I may. In those days I shot side by side English guns and the snob idea was that London Proof was superior to Birmingham. I would shoot improved cylinder and half for everything, and had my guns bored out, shot and regulated, by a gunmaker. I got over the choke thing many years ago, just shoot the bloody thing and be done with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted February 9, 2007 Report Share Posted February 9, 2007 I think the saddest thing about the Winter of 62/63 was walking through the woods and finding the ground littered with pigeons that had died in the night from the cold and under nourishment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invector Posted February 10, 2007 Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 For me, the saddest thing about 62/3 is that it was all those years ago.............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suffolk shooter Posted February 10, 2007 Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 The saddest thing for me is that I wasn't even born then (by some 12/13 years), to have even seen a really harsh winter. I vaguely recall when i was about five or so in the early eighties and the snow being four foot deep in the back garden, but this never lasted long (two week at the most). I have read many letters in the shooting mags about those winters and even periods since. Mostly of People complaining that the farmers want them to shoot pigeons which were so malnourished it was unfair. Whilst I totally agree with their view of it not being sporting, the sad thing about it all is that these birds are pests of the highest order in terms of Arable crops. And even if they do shoot these birds there's still 20 million plus to contend with. SS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invector Posted February 11, 2007 Report Share Posted February 11, 2007 You won't remember the time they dosed pigeons with alpha chloralose then? After eating treated grain, the pigeons just sat there and waited for some farmhand to wring their necks. It was going to be the end of the 'pigeon menace' for ever. When they realised that small songbirds had also eaten this narcotic poison, and were fair game to predators, the whole idea was thrown onto the back burner. Eventually they banned DDT, Aldrin, Dieldrin and Heptachlor. Makes you wonder what else the 'powers that be' are using to poison nature doesn't it? Maybe the old shotgun, in the hands of a person versed in the art of pigeon decoying, isn't such a bad idea after all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Beasley Posted February 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2007 This last week has seen a massive influx of birds here in Oxfordshire. Today I am about to leave to shoot a lone field of Rape which has been absoluteley devastated. Must have been at least 10,000 birds on it. Absoluteley incredible, Ive only ever seen this many birds on a field once in 11 years of doing this job professionally, and I get to see a lot of pigeons day in day out. This field was truly "ticket only"!!!! And after 10 weeks with very little work on I'm pleased as punch to see 'em back! Nice to see Will, Here in neighbouring Glos. Ive seen some very big flocks of Pigeons which have not really been hitting the rape as yet........ but now its getting cold sport will really pick up. Some of the farmers whose land I shoot over have reduced rape crops this year in favour of spring barley so the birds may be better concentrated in these next few weeks. I shot a field near Fairford a couple of days ago which had been mown flat by pigeon, on arrival there were no birds at all but at about 11 they started arriving in groups of 20 to 30... I ended the day at 4 with 87 by best bag for some considerable time.! I was out in North Glos on the Oxford border last week with a friend shooting woodland..... there didnt seem to be a single bird about until 3 Giant US Helicopters on a low level sortee game growling over the canopy. Watching them fly off to the horizon they were putting up pigeons left right and centre, 1000,s of them. Every tree and hedge was abandoned. While travelling over by Bicester a couple of weeks ago just off the B4011. I saw a flock of birds at altitude just as it was getting dusk. I thought it was a big flock of waders at first but when I stopped the car at had a look through the bins it was Pigeon... a really big flock some 3 -4,000 strong and flying at an unusually high altitude... Maybe they were heading your way I hope so ! FM My only concern now is that the drilling doesnt start too early. We need rain now to hold 'em back or they'll have grub available everywhere and it'll be a right pain in the ****! My only other concern is an invasion of pigeon shooters from Gloucestercestersostershire hoping over de border and pillaging all our Oxfordcestersostershoire pigeons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topgunners Posted February 12, 2007 Report Share Posted February 12, 2007 My only concern now is that the drilling doesnt start too early. We need rain now to hold 'em back or they'll have grub available everywhere and it'll be a right pain in the ****! My only other concern is an invasion of pigeon shooters from Gloucestercestersostershire hoping over de border and pillaging all our Oxfordcestersostershoire pigeons. Watch out for the PILLAGING from Warwickshircestershire MEN,hopping over the border. :o Dave K 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.