merseapaul Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 Fully agree - I don't know if it's an "Essex thing" but they seem to love standing wheat, especially if there are power cables or trees they can use as a dropping-off point, also an indication that all is safe if there are 50+ birds on the wires. Then they "helicopter" down into the wheel marks, pulling a few stalks with them, eat the grain off the stalks, then helicopter down a few more. They are up and down like a yo-yo. Quite frustrating as you can't get many birds to come in if the wires/trees are empty. Then, of course, you can't drop the fallen into the crop, you'll not find them without damage, just mess up the combine or the straw with rotting corpses. If you can find a tree near the edge, with the wind in the right direction, a few lofted decoys can produce a useful bit of sport as you can ambush them on the way in but the conditions need to be right! My other theory is that many farmers use a chaff-cutter on the combine if they don't want the straw. The chaff floats down and covers what little grain (which falls faster) has been lost throught the machine or missed. Pigeons can't/won't scratch, so the field pretty much becomes barren to them. I also suggest that this could be why a field sometimes become MORE attractive if rough-cultivated, the partial turning-over may actually uncover some of the previously hidden grain. Any thoughts?? Funny you should say that, I thought I might have reasonable day today as wheat field was only cut a few rows around edge so had standing and stubble but only shot a dozen in three hours with very few about although I could not get as close to flightline as I wanted but hardly anything moving along it anyway. Last week I shot 36 in 2 1/2 hours on disced over stubble with fair amount of activity all over field, it had muck spread over it as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edward Imp Posted August 2, 2014 Report Share Posted August 2, 2014 I was out yesterday on about 1000 acres of Barley stubble, right in the middle..... 6 Hard Hours........ In the rain............. Soggy sandwiches........ Muddy Boots.......... Sad spaniel......... Saw two pigeons Shot at one Clear miss........ Drank beer...... Cried........ I thought my set up looked deadly........- here it is, oh and yes, thats Jodderel bank behind...!! perhaps the aliens put the pigeons off? http://youtu.be/223wLBLvKcQ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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