When will they get HUNGRY??

[old'un]

birds feeding all over osr today 2 fields my mate set up on one me the other,tryed whirly flapper full bodied,kept moving decoys etc not one bird decoyed but they landed anywhere apart from where i was both of us blanked nightmare it was peaing down first 3 hours never botherd them they still wanted to feed only thing that botherd them was our decoys didnt come near us.

Not wishing to doubt your ability but did you walk them of and sit and watch which part of the field they wanted and did this more than once?

 

You say the birds did not want to know you, were they decoying and flaring off or did they not come anywhere near you but dropped in the field some distance away?

 

Were there plenty of birds coming and going, birds in the air?

[motty]

Well, I haven't really been looking for pigeons, but I have seen plenty tucking into rape, maize covers and various berries whilst on my travels. I have witnessed what I would consider normal pigeon behaviour.

[shootingmachine]

There's was no particular place they preferred watched them for hour or so decided where to set up they landed all

Not wishing to doubt your ability but did you walk them of and sit and watch which part of the field they wanted and did this more than once?You say the birds did not want to know you, were they decoying and flaring off or did they not come anywhere near you but dropped in the field some distance away?Were there plenty of birds coming and going, birds in the air?

Not wishing to doubt your ability but did you walk them of and sit and watch which part of the field they wanted and did this more than once?You say the birds did not want to know you, were they decoying and flaring off or did they not come anywhere near you but dropped in the field some distance away?Were there plenty of birds coming and going, birds in the air?

I watched a good hour or so no particular spot they just landed where ever different flocks soon as one hits the deck within in minutes a flock of fifty always found the rape hard going for years was another one of them days today not one decoyed in 5 hpours

[kitchrat]

Remind me never to come decoying with you.

Good thinking JD!!

in reply to kitchrat why don,t you walk the birds off and see if they come back

They did once yesterday, to a different field as described. Today I was sure they would be gone for good

Edited January 18, 2016 by kitchrat

[Whitetail]

The pigeons aren't living on fresh air if their sitting in trees around the rape fields they are normally digesting a crop full of rape . I've been roost shooting pigeons the last few weeks and the crops are stuffed full of rape. Jd commented last week I think that the birds were moving earlier in the day . Without a good wind your going to be lucky to shoot any amount on rape especially if they have more than one field to feed on , wait for the right conditions

[rjimmer]

Perhaps the frosts that some parts of the country are getting will mean that the bushes shed their berries. Pigeon living on leaves in Winter is akin to feeding poor quality, low energy, hay to cattle, controlled starvation. If pigeons can get enough energy from other things they might not be hungry enough to go for leafy things. Probably all down to the weather.

[ditchman]

On my daily travels down to the shop, i always take half an hour out and sit in the vehicle with the binos' and have a look see............yesterday i pulled up on the edge of the CMS and a 100 or so pigeons lifted up from the rape and settled in some trees half a mile away....i came back an hour later and they had not returned and could be clearly seen in the trees where they had settled....it was a sunny day and for the ammount of birds on the rape there was no damage..(i walked over and had a look)........if it wasnt for this cold lazy wind i would get the gun out.....but i think it would only be for a couple of shots..........but at any rate it is nice to see birds about in some quantity, after all these months of nothing................i look forward to those mild spring days when i can sit idly in the hide watching the world go by...........

[old'un]

Went for nice walk this morning about 9ish, no gun just walking stick and binoculars, plenty of pigeons sitting in the trees, feathers all puffed out sunning it,

drove past the woods about 12:30 stopped the car and guess what, yep still there.

At home now and the outside thermometer is reading 60f in the sun, no wind at all you could drop a feather at head height and it would land on your feet, on days like this leave your gun in the cabinet because you will be very lucky if you find any birds on the move.

[kenholland]

just had a call of one of my perms said they are just starting to hit the rape Worcester area so I will go look see on Thursday, as I have got to be the taxi for my missus has she as just had her car pinched off the drive defrosting it keys in the ignition, I now you have heard it before just a warning to everybody Vauxhall corsa spares no dought. b######s

[Shotguneddy]

Good luck also seeing some good numbers in separate flocks feeding and flighting over osr and cover crops waiting for a good wind then going out to have a go at them on the edge of a big wood between 2 fields they been hitting for the last week or so. Ps saw 2 pigeons still sat in the wood at 4-55 today so not long before roost shooting either

[Catamong]

Kitch, I'm sure we've had this debate before...? Cold weather and snow cover does not equal guaranteed pigeons hitting the rape, they will generally only start on it when they have exhausted other preferred food sources, which in this area is Ivy berries at present. Temperatures could plummet to minus 10, but the birds will still ignore the rape until they have scoffed every Ivy berry in sight... This is a common scenario at this time of year, nothing out if the ordinary..

 

Enjoy your shooting..!

 

Cat.

[old'un]

Kitch, I'm sure we've had this debate before...? Cold weather and snow cover does not equal guaranteed pigeons hitting the rape, they will generally only start on it when they have exhausted other preferred food sources, which in this area is Ivy berries at present. Temperatures could plummet to minus 10, but the birds will still ignore the rape until they have scoffed every Ivy berry in sight... This is a common scenario at this time of year, nothing out if the ordinary..

 

Enjoy your shooting..!

 

Cat.

 

From what others are saying and from what I have seen they are hitting the rape plus berries

[kitchrat]

Kitch, I'm sure we've had this debate before...? Cold weather and snow cover does not equal guaranteed pigeons hitting the rape, they will generally only start on it when they have exhausted other preferred food sources, which in this area is Ivy berries at present. Temperatures could plummet to minus 10, but the birds will still ignore the rape until they have scoffed every Ivy berry in sight... This is a common scenario at this time of year, nothing out if the ordinary..

 

Enjoy your shooting..!

 

Cat.

Hi Cat, glad you are still alive and well. My point is that they are not scoffing anything, just topping up here and there to keep ticking over. Of the 1000 or so I have been watching they are spending 90% of their time sitting in trees, with the odd snack thrown in, as and when they choose. I see very few on berries, some are topping up in the game covers but generally no real interest in food. Maybe they are on a health kick and are trying to slim down a bit!

I recall the postings about "You have to be where they want to be", well there is no one place they really want to be, anywhere for a quick snack will do. Little concentrated crop damage is being done so little support from farmers!