Straddle a Dyke

[pigeon controller]

The title is not another tick off my bucket list !! but the way we had to shoot this rape field. During the week I had been doing the bottle run and on the one farm he insisted that the birds were hitting his rape either side of a stream which runs through the center of the field. He had contacted DB and he had booked a day off the shoot it, when we arrived at 09.00 on Friday morning we found the field to be empty with a gas gun by the stream. We watched it for twenty minutes and five birds came and dropped by the edge of the stream so we walked across the field and set up in the hollow of the stream with the net strung across to both banks of the dyke with me on one side and DB on the other. The flightline was above us but very high approx eighty yards some would fold the wings and drop in and others would pass over and come from the back of us wrong way to wind. Some would flare and go . We had set up at approx 10.15 with twelve birds two on the magnet as normal, at one point we took the magnet down to see if they would commit but it did not make any difference. The birds were sitting in a small wood at the far edge of the field and would not lift with shots so I went for a walk to spook them . When I arrived at the wood I found two wounded birds on the floor which I shot , this made us think that the field had recently been shot and thats why the birds were spooky. We shot till 15.30 and picked up seventy birds assisted by George, DB's fourteen month old Springer who did very well on his first outing real pigeon shooting.

 

Today we set out at 08.30 in to the misty countryside and looked at various rape fields all had birds in the sitty trees but nothing flying. We drove round and round not happy with the situation as we watched field after field with no birds joining, it was getting approx 12.00 and we decided to shoot one field and put rope banger on the two closest fields to keep the birds moving. We were set up for 13.00 and the fuses lit. We had used twelve fresh birds from the day before and had a hectic ten minutes of sport which produced ten more decoys then it went dead, we then heard the double bang of the bangers go off and this sent us a couple more birds to shoot but the incoming birds did not like the decoys and flared wide but not wide enough. At 15.00 DB and George went for a mooch and returned at approx 15.45 in which time I had another seven birds. DB had found a hide position with fresh feathers in it so we knew the reason they were spooky. We finished the day with sixtysix pigeons and George found another one after we had packed up and were walking the mud off our boots in the long grass.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ollieollie]

Quality shooting as per PC, nice to see a dog return to the pics too mate

[pigeon controller]

Quality shooting as per PC, nice to see a dog return to the pics too mate

Thanks, he is still young and full of beans but he loves find the birds in the tall rape.

[JDog]

Rather you than me....... straddling a Dyke that is.

 

Good results considering the attention the fields had prior to your visits.

[yickdaz]

you cant argue with 3 bags over 60 on rape last few weekends good stuff

[Royboy]

I really enjoy reading your posts with the different way you go about things 👍

I wish there was more rape around my end

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Well done PC, just love your opening line!

[aga man]

Great results. George looks a little cracker!

[Cranfield]

Two good results for this time of year, well done.

Its always a bit irritating when the Farmer doesn't mention that someone has shot the field recently, I have Farmers that would like you there 24/7 just bird scaring.

 

PS. I am also pleased to see a dog back in the photos.

[mel b3]

amazing as always pc

[GREENGRASS]

Great write up PC and a grand bit off shooting.. ( again )

As for the title. I have now added it to my bucket list

As for DB and George mooching

GG

[shootingmachine]

Great shootiing once again over the winter period.

[pigeon controller]

Great write up PC and a grand bit off shooting.. ( again )

As for the title. I have now added it to my bucket list

As for DB and George mooching

GG

As for George Mooching, it's part of his training to stop him on a wrong scent.

[marsh man]

I love the title P C , Straddle a dyke is putting all different pictures in my warped mind , some of our fleet dykes are like small rivers with the old winter and summer banks still showing , in the days when drainage relied on wind power the main fleet dyke would often over flow the summer bank and creep up to the winter bank which would then make it 40 to 50 feet wide , so to straddle that you would need very long legs , or you would be shooting with a pair of stilts on , now that would bring a smile to our face.

 

THANKS for keeping us up to date with your days out in the Midlands and I would like to wish you , DB and now George a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR.

[pigeon controller]

I love the title P C , Straddle a dyke is putting all different pictures in my warped mind , some of our fleet dykes are like small rivers with the old winter and summer banks still showing , in the days when drainage relied on wind power the main fleet dyke would often over flow the summer bank and creep up to the winter bank which would then make it 40 to 50 feet wide , so to straddle that you would need very long legs , or you would be shooting with a pair of stilts on , now that would bring a smile to our face.

 

THANKS for keeping us up to date with your days out in the Midlands and I would like to wish you , DB and now George a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Thanks for your nice comments and seasons greeting.