sweepy Posted March 4, 2007 Report Share Posted March 4, 2007 Has anybody else that decoying over rape has been a waste of time this year,around my way they grow so much now that unless you have 100's of shooter out you are just being a mobile scarecrow,Thank god the spring drill is going in the next couple of weeks I may acutally get some sport(flight line already noted and the hide has been built so am now just waiting) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweepy Posted March 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2007 Trouble is I have been told that if this bio fuel takes off there will be rape every where but thats life just have to attack it from a different angle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trevor Posted March 4, 2007 Report Share Posted March 4, 2007 rapr every where means more birds make it throught the winter. = more sport Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted March 4, 2007 Report Share Posted March 4, 2007 Its my experience that among all the rape fields, there are a few favoured mostly by pigeons, this can be due to good sitty trees, water nearby, sheltered from the wind, or other reasons. In my area there are other fields that no matter what crop is planted in them, the pigeons avoid them. I bet everyone's area is much the same. When I think back to the easier decoying days, I also remember that there were not as many pigeon shooters then, as there is now. Farmers relied more on scarecrows, fertilizer bags on sticks and gas guns. We all know how useless these methods are , once the pigeons get use to them. I have had lots of good days sitting in a hedge with a few shell decoys and a floater set up, but I have had equally as good days when I have needed a rotary and 50 decoys out to attract the birds. Thats pigeon shooting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Geordie Posted March 4, 2007 Report Share Posted March 4, 2007 There are Still a lot of Berries on the trees and bushes round here and some are still on the Acorns. I think it's stemmed from the Mild winter I have noticed there are a FEW landing in fields locally but not many yet. LG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbivvy Posted March 4, 2007 Report Share Posted March 4, 2007 Years ago you could make some decoys from gray guttering stand back in a hedge and have a good days sport now with all your hypa flappers , roters,peckers,winged decoys,flappers ,etc you are lucky to get them to commit toyour pattern, Has the humbel pigion wised up cottond on call it what you like i think it has ,or is the word evolved as has the methods used and equipment to decoy them. no doubt the sellers of such wears will come up with some thing or other for you-us to buy at massive cost pennies to make in some fareast sweat shop 1000% profit for the seller,The reason i say this is i went out the other day guilly sute on sat back in a hedge and had the best days sport so far this year NO DECOYS OUT (stelth field craft) BEING THE ORDER OF THE DAY any one got any feelings on this? totally agree mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danno2506 Posted March 4, 2007 Report Share Posted March 4, 2007 last w/end was one of the best days so far this winter i have had we had 7 guns out on our land and 5 guns on my mates side every one got shooting i think getting together with opposite farms and getting the guns out did the job my tally for the day was 101 the least was 42 so every one had a good days shooting regards danno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy835 Posted March 4, 2007 Report Share Posted March 4, 2007 not shot my rape fields at all this year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trevor Posted March 4, 2007 Report Share Posted March 4, 2007 not shot my rape fields at all this year same here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloudwalker Posted March 4, 2007 Report Share Posted March 4, 2007 Its my experience that among all the rape fields, there are a few favoured mostly by pigeons, this can be due to good sitty trees, water nearby, sheltered from the wind, or other reasons. In my area there are other fields that no matter what crop is planted in them, the pigeons avoid them. I bet everyone's area is much the same. When I think back to the easier decoying days, I also remember that there were not as many pigeon shooters then, as there is now. Farmers relied more on scarecrows, fertilizer bags on sticks and gas guns. We all know how useless these methods are , once the pigeons get use to them. I have had lots of good days sitting in a hedge with a few shell decoys and a floater set up, but I have had equally as good days when I have needed a rotary and 50 decoys out to attract the birds. Thats pigeon shooting. Absolutety right Cranfield. Last year we thought we had the perfect field, sown late so abit behind everyone else. Major flight line going over it. We tried everything to pull them in but they wouldn't have it Insted they flocked on to the next farm were the rape was really tall. They spent the whole winter on that. Yesterday shot another field which always has pigeon on it. We look forward to it being planted with rape every 3 years. Ended up with 56 No magnet just a flapper, floater and a dozen shells Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackbart Posted March 4, 2007 Report Share Posted March 4, 2007 Got loads n loads of pigeon on my patch same story though loads n loads of rape.Farmer happy for me to be scarecrow but cant get a descent bag with 600-700 acres of rape about the place.they just move on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topgunners Posted March 4, 2007 Report Share Posted March 4, 2007 Got loads n loads of pigeon on my patch same story though loads n loads of rape.Farmer happy for me to be scarecrow but cant get a descent bag with 600-700 acres of rape about the place.they just move on I have just put a post in" how many pigeons shot" thread with some ALARMING statistics already this year. and by March3rd last year we were shooting 100's on beans. The farmers ain't got no chance with the flooding we saw everywhere we went today. Rivers and streams not just bust the banks but 3,4 or even 5 FIELDS away from the banks. We sat in the jeep many times today just watching flight lines ;and they were all over the place, and the ones that landed were there for only a few minutes and once a couple took flight the flock followed. Been like that for weeks now. Roll on the drillings.!!!!!!!!!!! Dave K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmer Posted March 4, 2007 Report Share Posted March 4, 2007 2 of us out yesterday on Rape i packed my kit up after 45 minutes and went home my mate stuck it out all day for 12 woodies well that aint my scene but he was happy enough seeing as it wasn't raining cant do nothing about these crops the pigeon have changed with our farming methods and then we moan because we aint getting enough shooting Thats why I will always credit the pigeon for not only being the most sporting bird to shoot but one of the most adaptable birds as well :( All the best Phil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the hitman Posted March 4, 2007 Report Share Posted March 4, 2007 Looking back at my shooting diaries Jan/ Feb have always been unpredictable when shooting over rape. I have had some cracking days , but mostly very few birds in the bag . You have to remember as long as the farmer knows your protecting his crop , you are securing your shooting on that farm. As topgunners said " roll on drillings". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catamong Posted March 4, 2007 Report Share Posted March 4, 2007 Drillings....., what drillings...?? In my area absolutely everything has been Winter drilled, there's nothing to go in for Spring drilling. The rape will take off in the next couple of weeks and the birds will all then concentrate on the fields that have been chewn back, so don't give up on the rape just yet. Cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackbart Posted March 5, 2007 Report Share Posted March 5, 2007 There is one field of rape on my patch that is 3 feet high and yellow.It is between 2 woods and i wondered if the shelter has made it grow like crazy?I never saw a bird on it strangely enough before it flowered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the hitman Posted March 5, 2007 Report Share Posted March 5, 2007 Its not the rape in flower its a weed that is related to the rape plant and the farmer cannot spray it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catamong Posted March 5, 2007 Report Share Posted March 5, 2007 Its not the rape in flower its a weed that is related to the rape plant and the farmer cannot spray it out. The "weed" is called Charlock and is normally killed off by cold weather. Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROBLATCH Posted March 5, 2007 Report Share Posted March 5, 2007 Has anybody else that decoying over rape has been a waste of time this year,around my way they grow so much now that unless you have 100's of shooter out you are just being a mobile scarecrow,Thank god the spring drill is going in the next couple of weeks I may acutally get some sport(flight line already noted and the hide has been built so am now just waiting) yep i have been having the same problem mate.1 bang and the lots gone l for leather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suffolk shooter Posted March 5, 2007 Report Share Posted March 5, 2007 MC and myself were out on Saturday and whilst there were a good numbe of birds about first thing, they really didn't seem that interested in feeding. We spent a fair bit of time watching for birds and flight lines, when it became apparent that we weren't going to get any sport. We stood on top of the highest point on the farm with a very good view over I would say 5-10 miles of farmland, woodland, hedgerows etc, to see absolutley nothing except a few rooks. The Farmer had shown us the flight line and current favoured feeding areas, but to be honest this didn't even help us. As i have saidd elsewhere on here, we had large flocks flight over and circle two and three times, but not one of them seemed to want to commit to the pattern at all, and this was in an area where it was obvious pigeons had been feeding and sitting in the trees that bordered the field. Spring drilling wise, round our way, not much chance of that, most fileds have already had winter wheat and rape in them two weeks after the harvest. There'll be the odd field left for Beet, but those fields are few and far between. Coming back from Lakenheath on Friday, we noted quite a few birds, but we saw so many feeding on Ivy berries STILL. SS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highlander Posted March 5, 2007 Report Share Posted March 5, 2007 As Catamong says 'don't give up on the rape just yet' It's still Woody's main winter crop and with the spring drillings being so far behind what with all the wet we've had (and to come ) they're gonna have to eat something. Those poorly grown or hard hit areas will be where to find the birds especially if the weather (as it has a habit of doing) turns cold and frosty. And then the bright side...late spring drillings means more shooting in the coming weeks. Barley, spring wheat, spring rape, beans and then peas will all be on Woodys menu and we've got it all here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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