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How to tackle the big flocks in winter


malkiserow
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We all know how big the flocks can get in winter...... you see them sat in the trees and you set up with high expectations but a few bangs and they are gone for the day......game over, ego plummets and the farmer thinks you are a muppet.

 

So what are the PW massive tips on how to deal with these large flocks?

 

What are the tips?

 

 

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I've often found flags near trees or kites .... puts some of them off , some land some break away and go else where ...once the group has broken up they sometimes return in smaller groups and at least give you sport for a few hours ...

 

Or on second thought shoot two pack up and go home turn the heating up and put kettle on ... Lol

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Flocked pigeons can be the most frustrating trait of our sport. I'm not sure if there is one method that can help you . What you need to decide is the pattern of you particular flock. So you walk them off and they go to a specific area of safety , is that the place you set up, when the flock returns you only shoot the tail end birds as to not spook the whole flock. You can not keep hitting the same flock as they will just dissipate and use ares of safety that you can not shoot such as sitty trees not on the crop.

Migrating birds will join flocks as they see them as a safety in numbers exercise , these are the birds you can shoot as they have not seen your decoys before. If the local flocks are being hit continually they are so spooky that they can not be attracted to decoys but will sit in trees and play " Follow the Leader" we've all seen it one bird drops in and they all follow. One shot and they are off to another safe area. You need to find another flock and leave the spooked flock to gain confidence in the specific field.

As the food source diminishes and they are forced to feed on the rape you are shooting so it should improve but you need to use as much fieldcraft as you can muster to outwit our foe.

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My advice is to get there early, just after sunrise, or better still before sunrise and get set up with the aid of a head torch. On my permission, at this time of year, I find that most of the pigeon action occurs for about 1 to 2 hours after sunrise, and then it goes very quiet. I think they come in small groups from the woods at sunrise, to meet up with their mates and feed for the rest of the day as a flock. It's in these small groups when I manage to connect with them. I got 6 this weekend and 12 the weekend before, employing these tactics. They respond very well to a magnet with dead birds on. Well, Milton Keynes pigeons appear to, anyway.

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My advice is to get there early, just after sunrise, or better still before sunrise and get set up with the aid of a head torch. On my permission, at this time of year, I find that most of the pigeon action occurs for about 1 to 2 hours after sunrise, and then it goes very quiet. I think they come in small groups from the woods at sunrise, to meet up with their mates and feed for the rest of the day as a flock. It's in these small groups when I manage to connect with them. I got 6 this weekend and 12 the weekend before, employing these tactics. They respond very well to a magnet with dead birds on. Well, Milton Keynes pigeons appear to, anyway.

I my experience if you set up at pre dawn you will get approx one hours shooting you then move them off to other fields, which will be good for the farmer as you have spooked them off the field for the day. You then need to move and find them or go out a little later let them have a feed then find them digesting in the trees ready to drop in for another feed.

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My experience are the same as PC , on rape I always set up for first light during the winter and if I'd chosen the right spot I would get maybe a couple of hours of shooting then the birds would move off . On average I've had much better bags by setting up at mid morning and walking the birds off , you will still have things go wrong but that's pigeon shooting . If you can chose a day with some wind and another thing that works well is if the line of flight is coming over wheat or even plough work set some decoys on there , the birds often decoy very well to these when they won't look at decoys on the rape. After a couple of visits you will often find the birds will push back to a particular spinney or belt of trees and at times your better of leaving the rape and shooting these , I use a air rifle for this it often catches them out . Shooting rape in the winter is frustrating especially now farmers block farm

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