NatureBoy Posted June 6, 2016 Report Share Posted June 6, 2016 After a wild windy wet soggy week it was good to get out in a bit of sun with every thing looking lush and green.. Checked a few farms Friday. Birds about but not in numbers. Saturday headed out late morning to the first farm with knocked back rape. very little about. Past a small pasture as i was leaving and saw a few birds down. Checked there no cattle about before entering as had a run in with some bulls here in the past when trying to retrieve a pigeon. Had to leave it and clear a five bar gate sharpish! Lol! About 80 birds lifted from the grass and surrounding trees and hedges. Would be tricky to shoot and as the farmer was working near by decided to leave it for another day. Headed to the farm and field with partly failed rape and old stubble and weeds. It had been sprayed since i was last there but a few birds pigeons and crows were down feeding there and on the surrounding paddocks. More birds were flighting across the field between the paddocks, woods and farm. 40+ birds lifted as i drove up the margin. Checked paddock behind. It was a sea of buttercups and had a small flock of sheep grazing. Set up against a high mature hedge just to the side of a tall ash sitty tree with the wind off my back. Breasted birds on magnet, flapper angel and bouncers to the right hoping to pull birds from the paddocks. dozen flocked shells in random patten. Five flocked and 5 real crows of to the left in random patten. In the hide and good to go at 2.30. First woodie come in after about 5 mins. I am to slow and it gets away. 2 more come over high and i down one. my shot causing the birds in the paddocks and hedges to lift and circle as before. None keen to commit but close enough to add a few more to the bag. Including a very high crossing bird that made my day! All goes quiet on the pigeon front. I tidy up and add the fallen to the patten. As i reach in to the grass margin to pick up a bird something moves an makes me jump back! it's a BIG grass snake! It was coiled up around/beside the pigeon. Maybe it detected heat or blood? No way it could eat it. It slithers off quickly. Lots of unsettled crows circling and crossing the field. Bit of calling brings odd birds in to have a look and are shot. Two pigeons land in the ash tree above. Try to line up both for one shot. I get one and bring down with it a big branch in full leaf.(old habits die hard)! Lol. I catchup with the other with the 3rd shot. About 5.30 more pigeons start moving and showing an interest again. in the next 1.30hrs i get another 9 birds before calling it a day and pack up about 7oc. As i squeeze thro the fence to go and pick up birds in the paddock behind i see a pair of ears poke up out of the buttercups. Wind in my favour i walk in a little closer and shoot. Another head pops up. bang! 2 down! Nice three quarter grown rabbits to. As i put my gun rabbits and birds over the fence i am suddenly joined by the small flock of 5 sheep. Then i realise they are big Suffolk rams and they mean business! They come in to butt me a try and help me through the fence. I end up having to pick up a stick to fend them off as i wrestle my 6ft+ self through the barbed wire. Had to laugh tho! I finished the day with 32 birds picked for 70 carts. 16 pigeons 7 crows 5 jacks, 4 rooks. Plus 2 rabbits. Sunday planed on thrashing my bike to the coast but it playing up. ( bloody harleys)! So i ended up on crow patrol again! Same farm as last week. Not so may crows about. But paddocks still being rested and no pigs in yet. Set up against thick mature hedge, wind off my back shooting down the paddock away from the buildings.. Crows from yesterday chined in random patten out to right close in. 10m. One out 70yrds towards buildings on floater. Five full bodied flocked on posts. 6 breasted woodies chined out to left and one on floater 70yrds out towards pond. In hide about 2.30. Half choke in maxus using ely pigeon select 30gm 6s in fiber for the first time. As i tried 2 shops in week and it only fibre cart they had. After 15mins and bit of calling the first jackdaw comes in and i get iot with 2nd shot. Crows and woodies lift and circle all around the farm. i get a crossing woodie and 3 crows before it goes quiet and i realise it's going to be slow going. As i am waiting i hear a noise down the hedge and realise it's young magpies. Can't see anything from where i am sitting as the hedge is very thick. But then a parent bird sneaks in and feeds them. I creep up the hedge and can see it sitting above the nest and manage to shoot it through a small gap. I quickly push into the hedge and can see the nest better and the about to fledge young sitting in and around it. The next 2 shots destroy the nest and 5 birds. I get odd woodies and a few more crows. But more go wide of the patten. They have wised up! I pack up at 6.30 picking 17 birds. A few lost in the hedge. 4 woodies, 1 feral, 5 jacks 6 crows and 1 rook for 34 carts. Breast pigeon and give to farmer. NB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dead eye alan Posted June 6, 2016 Report Share Posted June 6, 2016 Nice read that keep em coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon controller Posted June 6, 2016 Report Share Posted June 6, 2016 Busy weekend by all accounts, well done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NatureBoy Posted June 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2016 yeah. Just great to be out! Making the most of opportunities while i can. Usually walking the hedges and woods this time of year. Lot of corvids about my way at mo. Especially jackdaws. Having to fend off the tups was a great comedy moment! NB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7daysinaweek Posted June 6, 2016 Report Share Posted June 6, 2016 nice read, had a good chuckle about those pesky rams, just show how defensive they can be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E.w. Posted June 6, 2016 Report Share Posted June 6, 2016 Good read that was, thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WelshMike Posted June 8, 2016 Report Share Posted June 8, 2016 Well done mate, Rams are a pain in the bum when on a butting mission, I have visions of you and all your kit hurdling fences whilst being chased by farm animals should be the other way round but thats a different story Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NatureBoy Posted June 8, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2016 Well done mate, Rams are a pain in the bum when on a butting mission, I have visions of you and all your kit hurdling fences whilst being chased by farm animals should be the other way round but thats a different story Cheers mate! Must be a welsh thing. Lol! I was laughing at the time and glad no one was watching. But i did have vision of me tangled in barbed wire upside down in bottom of the ditch. NB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WelshMike Posted June 10, 2016 Report Share Posted June 10, 2016 Cheers mate! Must be a welsh thing. Lol! I was laughing at the time and glad no one was watching. But i did have vision of me tangled in barbed wire upside down in bottom of the ditch. NB Always something to laugh about after the event but not much fun at the time. I am not much of a fan of young cattle at night especially when they decide to charge madly all over the place, best to stay well clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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