Nice and hot on the peas

[Mightymariner]

Finally managed to get out again after a while, and despite the hot weather I wanted to find some pigeons....somewhere.

One of the places I shoot has ten fields of peas spread out, so I was pretty confident of some action. I delayed going till late morning, thinking the best action would be mid to late afternoon.

Spending a couple of hours checking fields, I found small pockets of birds on edges and headlands, before returning to a pair of fields, separated by a hedge, but close to a road, and with no tracks, it meant a long walk - always the way, the best spots are the longest walk and hardest to shoot.

Anyway, I watched this field and there were probably three flightlines, coming from two main woods either side of the fields, but a good quarter mile away, every so often a few birds would flit across, buffeted by a good wind and drop in to the peas 20 yards from the hedge. The peas are probably six inches high so I could make out heads of birds but wanted to make sure, so I walked up to put them off, putting up 30 or so. Not massive numbers but I wasn't concerned, given the amount of pigeon traffic in the area I thought I stood a good chance.

After hauling my gear up the hedge, I set up with the wind at my back but unfortunately facing the sun, not ideal but the wind was too strong to face the other way. Few decoys either side and I was in business.

Birds was on the move but they started bypassing the part of the field I was in, until I moved the decoys to my left over to the right side, leaving a large gap to my left and facing the wind. That did the trick and they started to come in confidently, unfortunately the main road to my right meant I couldn't take some shots, so had to pick birds to my front and left.

With the wind strengthening I shot a couple of really nice high crossers, and some easier ones into the decoys, but from 2.30pm to 5.30pm it was pretty slow, but with enough action to keep me from getting bored.

But, later on it really got going and once I had about 12 birds in the pattern the pigeons really started to decoy in confidently, I had a few left and rights, and as always, the more you shoot the better your shooting gets. From 6.30pm-7.30pm it was really busy with some birds coming in, and then others heading my way on the bang, some came in so close they were nearly on top of me.

Once it had died off I picked a couple of long ones that had towered in the field, and made the long walk back to the truck, 33 woodies in the bag.

Not a massive bag but my biggest since roosting in February, but good to be out again and now hopefully sign of things to come on the peas.

[steveyg]

good write up and well worth setting up for,the late feed sounded productive.

[Maddaftspaniel]

well done good day out

[Berettacocker]

Well done,nice to get out

[cocknee]

A good read thank you.

[JDog]

All good stuff.

 

It's amazing that in the east pigeons are on the peas but they do not appear to be elsewhere. I have three fields on one farm and there has not been a bird on them since drilling.

[Mightymariner]

They are scattered about on the peas, and some on the rape too. But, we have never had a shortage of birds here, all year they are there, we never seem to have those times when they disappear as others report.

[bobby dazzler]

Went and checked on some peas last nite good few hitting them now some are getting harvested this weekend and next weekend

[pigeon controller]

Great result and well worth the effort of walking. You get out of it what you put into it.

[Catamong]

All good stuff.

 

It's amazing that in the east pigeons are on the peas but they do not appear to be elsewhere. I have three fields on one farm and there has not been a bird on them since drilling.

I think you will find that most of the peas in East Anglia are grown for freezing by Birds Eye and others, in my area they are a different strain of pea, (marrowfat), grown for use as tinned peas, the birds prefer the ones for freezing, having said that, they are showing a bit more interest this year, on one field in particular, but two other fields have remained untouched.