Keep your eyes open.

[JDog]

This morning it was just on freezing here and this afternoon it was 9 degrees. Whether this sudden rise in temperature has anything to do with it I don't know but I saw a flock of 300 pigeons on a grass field at 4:30. When I stopped to have a look the field had a high clover content. I do usually shoot on clover from the end of the month. This is just a little bit early.

 

[rbrowning2]

ha ha when I looked at the photo without reading the text I thought what a decoy pattern, no wonder JDog shoots so many pigeons and it was time I went out and brought some more decoys ............ then I read the post.

[steveyg]

You have the eyes of an eagle (however from the pics of your summer shooting attire ..legs of a sparrow.. ),well spotted

[dougall]

not exactly a v though is it...!..funny enough had good numbers on poor wheat field on closer inspection clover coming through strongly...

[roostshooter1]

I shot 5 pigeons on sat nyt at roost and they were all stuffed with clover

[pigeon controller]

We found two flocks on clover last week while we were looking for shooting, put them in the memory banks for future reference. Well done for spotting yours they say that it will be very mild at the weekend which will help the clover .

[turbo33]

All the migratory nutters ( one shot and they're off) are still on the rape round here. But the " you stand a good chance of a half reasonable bag" local birds are on grass fields/paddocks/clover. I've seen some good settled groups feeding over the last few days.

Never the twain shall meet!!

Edited March 4, 2015 by turbo33

[JDog]

All the migratory nutters ( one shot and they're off) are still on the rape round here. But the " you stand a good chance of a half reasonable bag" local birds are on grass fields/paddocks/clover. I've seen some good settled groups feeding over the last few days.

Never the twain shall meet!!

 

An interesting, and probably accurate take on matters at this time of year.

[Konnie]

seen them a week ago on winter wheat fields, a sign weeds are growing

[JDog]

seen them a week ago on winter wheat fields, a sign weeds are growing

 

I agree, but the weeds will soon be sprayed off. The clover will not.

[craigpigeonshooter]

I saw the same on a field in bedfordshire. About 200 on grass and I wondered what they would be feeding on and now I have the answer. Are they easily decoyed on grass fields or do they just graze and clear off in a short amount of time?

[yickdaz]

if you could shoot on grassed roundabouts you would do well at the min, everyone I go round there is pigeons on them at the min

[motty]

All the migratory nutters ( one shot and they're off) are still on the rape round here. But the " you stand a good chance of a half reasonable bag" local birds are on grass fields/paddocks/clover. I've seen some good settled groups feeding over the last few days.

Never the twain shall meet!!

But how do you possibly know which are which?

I have seen a hell of a lot of pigeons on local rape (they are difficult to decoy at the moment, but expect to shoot good bags, soon) Would you say they are migratory? Are the birds PC shoots all local birds? I'm not convinced by your theory.

Another question. Why would the 'migratory' pigeons choose to feed on different food than the 'local' ones?

Edited March 4, 2015 by motty

[turbo33]

But how do you possibly know which are which?

I have seen a hell of a lot of pigeons on local rape (they are difficult to decoy at the moment, but expect to shoot good bags, soon) Would you say they are migratory? Are the birds PC shoots all local birds? I'm not convinced by your theory.

Another question. Why would the 'migratory' pigeons choose to feed on different food than the 'local' ones?

Assuming Jdog isn't using a lens that's 3 feet long, his picture will tell you how to spot the difference!

 

The ones on the rape round here are so nervous, they will swarm like starlings at the slightest movement of anything 200 yards away. One particular farm I go to, hasn't been shot all winter. The birds have almost become resident and yet their behaviour has been un changed. No chance of the thawed 12 birds doing anything. By contrast, 50 feet, the opposite direction and you can have a good go with the air rifle. These two groups do not mix with each other. PC said in a previous thread that a there are a lot of birds living in the forest of Arden. It may well be that his shooting is in the bulk, made up from this local population. Local birds, it seems, are decoyable. I'm pretty sure, that round here anyway, the good days we have on wheat and then the stubble, are the local birds and their off spring. I believe its also part of the reason, that people say the pigeon shooting is no where near as good as it used to be. I remain convinced that whilst we see these huge flocks, our local/resident population has fallen in number. Shooting will be partly responsible. The reservoir is running dry! Its also my belief, that in the main, the flocks don't break up, they move, maybe back to where they came from, save but a few. The birds we think come from the broken flocks are our local population. Which is why its seems, they seem to suddenly have a complete character metamorphosis, and respond to the decoys.

 

Re the food choice. I have pondered that one. Maybe its that the nervous demeanour of these birds lends them to feeling more secure on a huge field. It just happens that its rape, purely as there are no other crops for them to feed on......until the maize gets smashed. Then the same thing. Reports of them being difficult to impossible to decoy. There are other food sources out there, which the local birds capitalise on. But I've yet to see a flock of 600 birds hang off ivy!

Edited March 5, 2015 by turbo33

[motty]

Assuming Jdog isn't using a lens that's 3 feet long, his picture will tell you how to spot the difference!

 

The ones on the rape round here are so nervous, they will swarm like starlings at the slightest movement of anything 200 yards away. One particular farm I go to, hasn't been shot all winter. The birds have almost become resident and yet their behaviour has been un changed. No chance of the thawed 12 birds doing anything. By contrast, 50 feet, the opposite direction and you can have a good go with the air rifle. These two groups do not mix with each other. PC said in a previous thread that a there are a lot of birds living in the forest of Arden. It may well be that his shooting is in the bulk, made up from this local population. Local birds, it seems, are decoyable. I'm pretty sure, that round here anyway, the good days we have on wheat and then the stubble, are the local birds and their off spring. I believe its also part of the reason, that people say the pigeon shooting is no where near as good as it used to be. I remain convinced that whilst we see these huge flocks, our local/resident population has fallen in number. Shooting will be partly responsible. The reservoir is running dry! Its also my belief, that in the main, the flocks don't break up, they move, maybe back to where they came from, save but a few. The birds we think come from the broken flocks are our local population. Which is why its seems, they seem to suddenly have a complete character metamorphosis, and respond to the decoys.

 

Re the food choice. I have pondered that one. Maybe its that the nervous demeanour of these birds lends them to feeling more secure on a huge field. It just happens that its rape, purely as there are no other crops for them to feed on......until the maize gets smashed. Then the same thing. Reports of them being difficult to impossible to decoy. There are other food sources out there, which the local birds capitalise on. But I've yet to see a flock of 600 birds hang off ivy!

A good reply. Thanks. But I disagree with your theory that the flocks don't break up, and it's only the local birds that remain in the area that will decoy well. The reason (I wholeheartedly believe) that the pigeons decoy so well, is because the pigeons are all nesting and can no longer rely on a flock movement for safety in numbers. They fly to the feeding fields in small groups or own their own. I also believe that I will soon be getting stuck into some of the huge amounts of pigeons on the rape fields, but only when the flocks split up.

[turbo33]

Good discussion Motty

I'll throw this one into the mix as I hear it a lot, but can't rationalise it.

The theory behind these huge flocks, is, as you point out too, safety in numbers. Now why is it again, there is seemingly a fundamental character change a few weeks later, and the birds that were terrified of their own shadow one day, are completely cured the next? And what predator is it they are afraid of?

 

I am in agreement with you in that you will get, as your signature shows, some really great pigeon shooting in the foreseeable future. Down here in the south, we won't share the same bumper harvest, as when the flocks leave, we are reliant on, by comparison, a very poor reservoir of local birds

[pigeon controller]

In my opinion we have flocks in the Forest of Arden, which in my mind stretches from Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire,Warwickshire and Worcestershire. The clue is in the birds name WOOD Pigeon, the normal acorn crop would sustain birds for a long time. I would ask our shooters in the Fens, Plains of Hampshire, and the Northern Moors what would the birds feed on without man made food I.e. Rape, Beet and brassicas . In the summer months we a a bigger distribution of food via clover and stubbles and these devoid areas in the winter come into there own with these foods. I will not comment on the Tame Pigeon debate as I'm sure that many shooters in the Midlands would not agree. I've stated this before that we have summer and winter farms, I can visit these Farms and would not see more than a dozen birds all day and yet in the summer they have constant flight lines .

I've previously stated my theory on roosts causing flight lines and hot spots on certain crops ,fields etc.

 

When I worked for a living travelling all over the country I would see birds in all locations from the north to the south.

 

I will end by saying " you can only shoot what you see available to be shot" if you set up on a field of grass in the winter with ten birds on it you will probably only shoot ten if you are lucky over the day.