The Visitor.

[Cranfield]

Its a bit like Groundhog Day at the moment, setting up on a big rape field, large groups of pigeons, very jumpy, don't like any type of decoy, cold, windy, shoot between 10 and 30, mostly passing birds and then go home.

 

Today was slightly different, in one of the long lulls in the "action" and despite the loud chattering of my teeth, a fox crept out of the hedge about 10 yards away from me and started to stalk my flapper.

This has happened before, having a fox run into the decoys, but in the past its been obvious juveniles, this one was a full grown male.

A Gamebore Clear Pigeon 30 grms No6 shot dropped him stone dead at 20 yards.

 

Just about the most interesting thing that has happened for me in the shooting field this year, perhaps things are looking up.

 

[bud 20]

nice one

[Harnser]

Did you set him up on a stick and get his mate ? It's amazing what you will see from a hide . Had no end of deer walk through my decoys ,raptors diving at decoys ,hedge hog rooting through my hold-all outside the hide and a not so young couple stripping off in the laid barley for a bit of hanky panky . I have shot several deer from my pigeon hide over the years . A well made hide is as good as a high seat .

Harnser

Edited February 7, 2015 by Harnser

[oowee]

The wildlife you see whilst decoying is one of the great resons to shoot. I have had der wander through and often get a buzzard in to eat shot birds. Still waiting for that fox.

[retromlc]

the best thing I watched was two hares boxing through my decoys,it went on for 20 mins,lovely to watch

[fenboy]

Did you set him up on a stick and get his mate ? It's amazing what you will see from a hide . Had no end of deer walk through my decoys ,raptors diving at decoys ,hedge hog rooting through my hold-all outside the hide and a not so young couple stripping off in the laid barley for a bit of hanky panky . I have shot several deer from my pigeon hide over the years . A well made hide is as good as a high seat .

Harnser

 

I wouldn't fancy those arley awls getting in the wrong areas !

[Dannyboy220]

Did you set him up on a stick and get his mate ? It's amazing what you will see from a hide . Had no end of deer walk through my decoys ,raptors diving at decoys ,hedge hog rooting through my hold-all outside the hide and a not so young couple stripping off in the laid barley for a bit of hanky panky . I have shot several deer from my pigeon hide over the years . A well made hide is as good as a high seat .

Harnser

Brilliant, how long did you hang around for? It's a new way of dogging in for sure!

[mel b3]

ive seen many , strange , interesting , beautiful things whilst sitting in a hide ,i even once shot one of a pair of young foxes that were taking pigeons as i shot them and they dropped into the wood behind me , by far the funniest was an old lady taking a wee lol , a group of around twenty ramblers had walked past , two old ladies at the back waited until the others were out of sight , one kept a lookout while the other squatted and squirted lol , i was trying so hard to hold the laughter in that i reckon a bit of wee dribbled down my leg too , being the gentleman that i am i resisted the urge to stand up and wave as she was in mid flow lol.

[semi-auto]

I have often had kestrels swoop onto one of the decoys, even plastic, but many years ago whist decoying, I had a peregrine falcon swoop onto one of my dead birds. Now we don't, as a rule, get peregrine falcons here in North Essex. I sent the dog out to scare it away. The dog, I had a Flatcoat at the time, steamed out towards the falcon and came to a screaming stop a couples of yards away and you could almost hear the thinking, "This isn't a pigeon, and just look at that beak!". It was a stand-off for a minute or two before the falcon thought better of it and flew off. It was at this point that I saw the jesses - clearly a bird that had eluded its falconer. I thought that was it, it had gone but no. The blessed, (I could think of another word) bird kept coming back and there was absolutely no chance of any pigeons coming to the decoys while this was around, so I packed up and joined my mate at the top of the valley. An indifferent day as far as pigeons go, but definitely made more interesting by the peregrine.