Big Al Posted November 18, 2014 Report Share Posted November 18, 2014 Hopefully that's the start of it Ollie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollie Posted November 18, 2014 Report Share Posted November 18, 2014 Good news ollie. I hope you are right. There is still alot of beech around and the mild weather isnt great. This time last year I was shooting now. But theres nothing doing at the minute. Any woodcock about in the antrim hills yet? The son is only 2 months old so I am not getting out as much as previous seasons, but some things are more important. However, I have only been out 1 day at woodcock so far & got 2, but there seems to be good reports of woodcock being shot elsewhere in NI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bud 20 Posted November 19, 2014 Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 hi lads, i would not like to hijack your thread, but just thinking, reading all other posts from across the water, they have some amount of pigeon compaired to us? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr D Posted November 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 Far more, without a doubt. Although I was on the train today and seen alot between drogheda and dublin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bud 20 Posted November 19, 2014 Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 Far more, without a doubt. Although I was on the train today and seen alot between drogheda and dublin. were they feeding or just flighting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr D Posted November 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 They were feeding on a old stubble also some rape in the same spot. Well worth a look if anyone is in the area. Too far for me and I don't have a licence anymore for the south Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkeyes Posted November 19, 2014 Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 Had some good numbers over rape down south ,duck are slow , yet to see a woodcock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bud 20 Posted November 20, 2014 Report Share Posted November 20, 2014 They were feeding on a old stubble also some rape in the same spot. Well worth a look if anyone is in the area. Too far for me and I don't have a licence anymore for the south i have no perms up that far, and wouldnt be up there to much , could be worth a bit of a look , none on the stubbles around here, seems very much confined to summer months Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr D Posted November 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2014 Had some good numbers over rape down south ,duck are slow , yet to see a woodcock When did you shoot over the rape? The last few weeks? I thought the mild weather would keep them off the rape. I drove 80 miles this morning and checked all the spots I would usually expect to see birds at this time. Grand total. 1 PIGEON!!! I seen a few hundred lifting above the trees in an estate, but the situation is seriously cr*p. I was looking through my records last night and it has been a very long time since I got to this stage in November and no birds. Three problems are combined. 1. Beechmast to excess 2. No migration from Scotland 3. They are not flocked up and spread out in the woods. If something doesnt change soon I fear a very bad so called winter. I might even be reduced to shooting rabbits. From the lack of ni posts I take it everyone is having the same experience? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strangford wildfowler Posted November 22, 2014 Report Share Posted November 22, 2014 Hit the nail on the head DR D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted November 22, 2014 Report Share Posted November 22, 2014 I went down to a roost for a go this afternoon. Saw 3, shot at 2, got 1. Poor, poor, poor. I wore the head cam to make a video clip but with 2 shots - one hit , one miss it would make very feeble viewing. The pigeon was stuffed full of ivy berries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lough Neagh Posted November 22, 2014 Report Share Posted November 22, 2014 Very quiet, I wud normally be shooting roosting pigeons now but nothing around and can't get near our hides on the lough, have shot a few ducks on floods but there's way too much water around to concentrate them into one area Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted November 22, 2014 Report Share Posted November 22, 2014 Very quiet, I wud normally be shooting roosting pigeons now but nothing around and can't get near our hides on the lough, have shot a few ducks on floods but there's way too much water around to concentrate them into one area Well said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr D Posted November 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2014 Wild birds guys. Its a game of patience. They will come right eventually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkeyes Posted November 24, 2014 Report Share Posted November 24, 2014 When did you shoot over the rape? The last few weeks? I thought the mild weather would keep them off the rape. I drove 80 miles this morning and checked all the spots I would usually expect to see birds at this time. Grand total. 1 PIGEON!!! I seen a few hundred lifting above the trees in an estate, but the situation is seriously cr*p. I was looking through my records last night and it has been a very long time since I got to this stage in November and no birds. Three problems are combined. 1. Beechmast to excess 2. No migration from Scotland 3. They are not flocked up and spread out in the woods. If something doesnt change soon I fear a very bad so called winter. I might even be reduced to shooting rabbits. From the lack of ni posts I take it everyone is having the same experience?would have been 4/5 weeks ago mate . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogwoppit Posted November 26, 2014 Report Share Posted November 26, 2014 I was out at the weekend in kildare, no pigeons and no snipe yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted November 26, 2014 Report Share Posted November 26, 2014 I was out at the weekend in kildare, no pigeons and no snipe yet. I was out with the dogs in the (wet) field behind the house a couple of nights ago and put up a dozen or so snipe. They are on the way Bogwoppit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogwoppit Posted November 27, 2014 Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 I was out with the dogs in the (wet) field behind the house a couple of nights ago and put up a dozen or so snipe. They are on the way Bogwoppit! Great! Where was that? I'm hoping this cold snap will put the pigeons on the rape and the snipe in the fields. I'll try get out this weekend for another look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted November 27, 2014 Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 Great! Where was that? I'm hoping this cold snap will put the pigeons on the rape and the snipe in the fields. I'll try get out this weekend for another look. South Antrim. And it's getting colder now too. It won't be long! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogwoppit Posted November 28, 2014 Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 South Antrim. And it's getting colder now too. It won't be long! That's great news, hopefully the weather over the last week will have them down this far. I'll be out on the bogs this weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr D Posted November 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2014 Out again yesterday. 80 miles. Not a sausage. There is the odd bird moving, but nothing worth setting up for. Rubbish. Ended up shooting a few crows. Really hope something changes soon. This is the worst year ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 Same here. Harder weather is coming in this week. Maybe that will help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogwoppit Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 No pigeons on any of the rape I shoot, not a sausage. Saw a few snipe yesterday but not many, only got one jack snipe. Not one woodcock despite some lovely ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lough Neagh Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 Seen a few flighting woodcock last week in the evenings and plenty of snipe but still no pigeons, the lough still high but can make it to a couple of hides Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr D Posted December 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2014 Headed out this morning to see if anything has changed. The answer is yes and no. I did see a few small bunches of birds on farmland but nothing worth talking about. Still it is an indication that things might be about to change. I then headed to a couple of woods that they have been in. Sen about 4-500 in the first playing in the wind and a couple of hundred in the second. They are still latched on the beech mast. Its dire guys. No flightline worth talking about. One shot in the woods and their off. Where is the snow to bring this to an end? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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