dad Posted March 7, 2016 Report Share Posted March 7, 2016 i was phoned on monday by 2 farmers 1 had drilled 2 fields of beans the other had cut his pheasant maize cover things were looking really good for the weekend but thought i might be a bit late for the beans because we had hundreds of pigeons in the area so i decided to take thursday and friday off and with 3 days to shoot i had great expectations. thursday morning 9am on the beans not much about,we had very heavy rain wednesday night and pigeons dont like getting their feet muddy so went to the cafe for a while to let it dry off a bitit was windy and sunny, came back 11.30 and saw about 100 up far end by horse paddock and 150 in trees down 1 side, just enough to persuade me to set up. i put a flag out up the horse end and set up the other end walking them all off in the process.i sat there for 3 hours for 1 shot and saw a continuos flight line over the flag end and on to rape on another farm. when i packed up i drove to the rape fields which are a perm and i swear there must have been at least 2000 pigeons on them,. 6 fields in a block about 300 acres.friday i went back to the beans first at 10.30 there was about 50 on each field with no traffic to or from so went to the rape, the bins showed a lot of birds down the far end in the trees and overnight rain again made it impossible to drive down there and its too far to walk at my age with all the gear so i phoned the other farmer who told me nothing was on the pheasant cover but i am welcome to sit it out if i want, i decided to sit on the rape for a while for no shots at all. saturday back on the beans with quite a few pigeon on each field probably 400 between them, so i put string banger on the small field and set up on the big one, by now i was worn out walking up the middle of the field for the banger and 2 trips to my chosen spot and i forgot to take my inhaler, i was also a nervous reck driving the 4x4 all round the cart tracks after more overnight rain again, anyway i shot 9 pigeons there were hundreds about more went to the banger field and just lifted up and sat in the trees for a while and went back down again. it wasnt worth 2 days off or was it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted March 7, 2016 Report Share Posted March 7, 2016 I enjoyed your story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la bala Posted March 7, 2016 Report Share Posted March 7, 2016 Good read I think everyone of us have been there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted March 7, 2016 Report Share Posted March 7, 2016 It's always good to get out, but I wouldn't be happy to 'waste' two days leave for 9 pigeons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel b3 Posted March 7, 2016 Report Share Posted March 7, 2016 Good read I think everyone of us have been there yep , if its any consolation , ive wasted far longer than that waiting for invisible pigeons over the years . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShropshireSam Posted March 8, 2016 Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 We don't hear so much of the "not so good days". I had my first blank on Saturday ..... I had watched pigeons hitting three rape fields (with no gas guns on) in large flocks but no flightlines ... just arriving on mass and departing on mass. Saturday was forecast dry and windy so thought flocks may get broken up a bit. Anyway, wind was not as strong as forecast (15 mph). Set-up twice after moving flocks off for them not to return. Two shots at a distant crow and a couple of shots to get birds moving for no kills. To cap it all my magnet broke. I packed up by lunchtime in a bad mood. Sometimes you learn the hard way .... no traffic then don't bother setting up. Looking forward to the flocks splitting up this month. I have several rape fields with thin patches on that will focus the pigeons now it has started growing and some pea and bean fields to be drilled. I have never seen such large flocks on my permissions so should be a good year once the flocks break up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootingmachine Posted March 8, 2016 Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 its gutting on times i thought id have a few today ended up with 5 on the rape im sure somone shot it recently found a few fresh empty cartridges under a tree when i went for a walk they will be splitting up soon as you say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dad Posted March 9, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 we have so many pigeons in a tight area that i have been chasing without much luck all winter on osr that i thought 2 fields of beans right in the middle was a sure thing,after 5 days there was still beans lying on top. it doesnt seem to bother them whether the eat osr or beans i watched 1 big flock fly over the beans and go down on the osr 1 field away even though there was feeding pigeons on the beans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitchrat Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 we have so many pigeons in a tight area that i have been chasing without much luck all winter on osr that i thought 2 fields of beans right in the middle was a sure thing,after 5 days there was still beans lying on top. it doesnt seem to bother them whether the eat osr or beans i watched 1 big flock fly over the beans and go down on the osr 1 field away even though there was feeding pigeons on the beans. The lure of several hundred feeding birds outweighs "common sense". But would you ignore a really busy pub, full of happy drinkers, to go into an empty one nearby on the hope of getting a better pint?? Bearing in mind too that some "pubs" have regular "fights", ie shooters waiting for you!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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