motty Posted December 11, 2014 Report Share Posted December 11, 2014 I was driving around yesterday, when I spotted a load of pigeons flying in to roost. I quickly decided (with my mate, Sam) to see if I could bag a few. It was flight line shooting, really, and what great sport it was. We only had steel loads to use on them, but they did a good enough job. It was interesting in a few ways, not least to see some of the pigeons had clearly not long been off the nest. The crop contents of the birds was also interesting. Most of the pigeons shot were jam-packed with ivy berries. Some had cherries in, others maize, and to a lesser extent, rape. I have been seeing pigeons on the ivy pretty much every day and many pigeons are tucking into rape all over the region. By far the most pigeons I have seen in one location, lately, was on a freshly cut maize field, today. There was easily a couple of thousand pigeons on there. I hope this little post has been of use/interest to someone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon controller Posted December 11, 2014 Report Share Posted December 11, 2014 We shot a few with ivy berries in them last week over the rape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aga man Posted December 11, 2014 Report Share Posted December 11, 2014 A useful post indeed motty, we will be out looking on sunday and i suspect we will end roosting in a wood somewhere. There not hitting the rape real hard here yet, it would be interesting to bag a few at roost and see what there feeding on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la bala Posted December 11, 2014 Report Share Posted December 11, 2014 Informative post motty I bet those cherry flavoured ones were nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted December 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2014 Forgot to mention, the bag was 24 pigeons for an hour or so of shooting. My dog worked well for a change, which was a bonus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted December 11, 2014 Report Share Posted December 11, 2014 Identifying Ivy berries in the crop contents is fine but decoying them on the same is very nearly impossible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloudwalker Posted December 11, 2014 Report Share Posted December 11, 2014 I think you will find they were Hawthorn berries and not Cherries. Cherries are an early summer crop and get stripped in days you would not find them this time of the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_79 Posted December 11, 2014 Report Share Posted December 11, 2014 I went devoting on some rape today, 9 out of the 14 I shot, were packed full of beech mast and Ivey berries, the other 5 had a very small about of rape in them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted December 11, 2014 Report Share Posted December 11, 2014 I think you will find they were Hawthorn berries and not Cherries. Cherries are an early summer crop and get stripped in days you would not find them this time of the year. You are a braver man than me. However I do agree with you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted December 11, 2014 Report Share Posted December 11, 2014 Those I have shot over the last few weeks have been full of hawthorn (mainly) and ivy berries. Even those shot from the trees around rape fields have had very little rape in their crops, I know they digest it quickly, but I would still have expected to find some.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted December 11, 2014 Report Share Posted December 11, 2014 Identifying Ivy berries in the crop contents is fine but decoying them on the same is very nearly impossible. i have had some quick sessions with decoying on ivy berries using the "flapper"..........take a 1/2" auger and drill a hole in the tree a couple of inches deep and run the cord back to the hide........you can also attatch the flapper using 2 electrical ties to the top of a hedge where the birds are feeding......... i have set up like this on several occasions with the flapper only 10 feet away...........also scatter 1/2 dozen deeks about and a couple on the hedge dont use the usual flapper movements, pull the cord to make it look as if the bird is off balanced and have it at an angle......i usually put them in 90 deg's to the tree trunk..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted December 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2014 I think you will find they were Hawthorn berries and not Cherries. Cherries are an early summer crop and get stripped in days you would not find them this time of the year. You have now made me doubt myself. However, i'm fairly certain they were cherries. Where they came from I do not know. I will try to shoot some more and see if any pigeons contain the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shotgun57 Posted December 12, 2014 Report Share Posted December 12, 2014 they might have been rowan berries ,shot a few last week their crops were full, even had the stalks on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catamong Posted December 12, 2014 Report Share Posted December 12, 2014 Yes, I've seen them on Rowan berries a few weeks back, right outside my office window, I can't imagine they would be cherries at this time of year..? Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael170874 Posted December 14, 2014 Report Share Posted December 14, 2014 The pigeons must have been to Asda cos cherries finished a long time ago lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdsallpl Posted December 14, 2014 Report Share Posted December 14, 2014 Thanks for the post motto because it tells us they are currently on the berries still. There's not that many haw left in my area so that means when the berries are gone they will be on the rape big time. I have seen the numbers building up on rape lately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted December 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2014 The pigeons must have been to Asda cos cherries finished a long time ago lol As I've already stated, i'm not sure where the cherries came from, but that is exactly what I found in a pigeons crop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 As I've already stated, i'm not sure where the cherries came from, but that is exactly what I found in a pigeons crop. Were they Marachino Crystalized In babycham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kippylawkid Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 I think you will find they were Hawthorn berries and not Cherries. Cherries are an early summer crop and get stripped in days you would not find them this time of the year.+1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yickdaz Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 Were they Marachino Crystalized In babycham oh you cynic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJO Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 The birds i've had recently when roost shooting have had very green berries in their crop that look as green as peas - are these ivy berries? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 The birds i've had recently when roost shooting have had very green berries in their crop that look as green as peas - are these ivy berries? Yes almost certainly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJO Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 Yes almost certainly. Cheers - they be greedy *******! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxie Posted December 23, 2014 Report Share Posted December 23, 2014 The birds i've had recently when roost shooting have had very green berries in their crop that look as green as peas - are these ivy berries?Green cherries? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanjipete Posted December 24, 2014 Report Share Posted December 24, 2014 shot 78 on monday over rape most had hawthorn berries in the crop plus barley not many had rape in the crops ,mind you they was dead before they landed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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