anser2 Posted February 5, 2017 Report Share Posted February 5, 2017 (edited) Over the last three years I have found the pigeons have almost abandoned the rape in my part of Norfolk. While numbers have been well down for some years I now shoot very few pigeons on rape on the 3,000 acres I can shoot over. In the mild winter we had last winter I never saw any flocks on the rape , just a handful of odd birds and until recently none at all until a month ago when a few dozen started to feed on one field , but the other 20 odd fields remain untouched. I shoot most of my winter pigeons on clover these days , or just stand in the woods for a few shots. I see some on here are still finding pigeons on their rape so what is the situation in your area. Edited February 6, 2017 by anser2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted February 5, 2017 Report Share Posted February 5, 2017 Some of the pigeons I shot yesterday had been eating rape. Most had been eating ivy berries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted February 5, 2017 Report Share Posted February 5, 2017 pigeons still go for the rape...but they are very twitchy......i think they go for it as a snack................................i think the only way we are going to see rape as "the golden crop" is when we start to have hard winters again............if we dont there is so much other stuff about when the weather is mild........... lets face it....there isnt (i think) a lot of sustaince in rape but when everything else is locked in the ground under light snow or bitter frost...the rape is easy to get at..... my thoughts anyway.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aga man Posted February 5, 2017 Report Share Posted February 5, 2017 Mostly on rape here with exception of a few birds shot a roost stuffed full of ivy berries, seeing a few in the pony paddocks also now presumably on clover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilksy II Posted February 5, 2017 Report Share Posted February 5, 2017 A farmer was telling me last night that there is different strains of osr human consumption and bio fuel varieties, the fuel is becoming the most popular one to grow but has a higher acidity content that the pigeons aren't as keen on, he said he'd seen this first hand when they grew both varieties next to each other in the same field and the pigeons hammered the table oil side of the field,he also said that he'd seen hares with messy back sides due to this acidic osr, the pigeons I shot Friday night were all full of osr, of the three I shot Saturday night two were empty and one full of ivy berrys, I thought it very strange that a roosting pigeon be going up empty but the trees I was stood in were covered in ivy so maybe that's what they were after! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted February 5, 2017 Report Share Posted February 5, 2017 We have got pigeons on the rape but only on estate land , apart from being moved about with the odd gas gun throughout the winter, they have had very little disturbance due to game shooting taking priority , there are now several hundred but at the moment there is no routine as they are going at it hard on one field one day and the next day they are somewhere else . our roost shooting don't start till the 18th this year due to stalking and a hunt going on so hopefully we will get a few when all the woods are occupied in a couple of weeks time . We have also got a few hundred acres of rape on the marshes that have been totally untouched by pigeons , although having said that , if you had been travelling down the A47 between Acle and Yarmouth today you would had seen more than 200 Swans on a big rape field beside the main road, all munching away without a care in the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooooper1 Posted February 5, 2017 Report Share Posted February 5, 2017 got 6 fields full of rape with no to very little sign of pigeons feeding on them but just across the valley from them a farmer been calling me about number on his kale fields, so saturday morning out i went, farmer was right got there 200/300 sat in the trees and diving into the kale,set up 3 hours and 5 carts later i picked up 4 pigeons no more for me this time of year don`t know why i went always **** this time of year, at least i save on carts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davyo Posted February 6, 2017 Report Share Posted February 6, 2017 A lot of farmers are using 'pigeon tolerant rape' that is designed to taste bitter or something down those lines.We has acres of it and the pigeons from the roost wood (hundreds of birds) used to fly straight over ours and into neighboring fields. I went over and had a nibble on some and it was less bitter than ours, I think its something that's going to get more popular, but i think its more expensive but cost effective in the long run from whats I've witnessed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted February 6, 2017 Report Share Posted February 6, 2017 On my travels this last week I have seen pigeons on rape every where I have been. I have also seen them on ivy berries, game covers and clover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon controller Posted February 6, 2017 Report Share Posted February 6, 2017 On my travels this last week I have seen pigeons on rape every where I have been. I have also seen them on ivy berries, game covers and clover. +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anser2 Posted February 6, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2017 (edited) 10 years ago I used to expect at least 20 pigeons when i went decoying , with 50 bird bags common and 100+ bags 3-6 times a season with my best bag being 225. These days anything over 6 pigeons is pretty good going. Out roost shooting in a wood on Saterday which has yielded in the past over 50 pigeons a night . Saterdays bag ? 7 shots, 4 retrieved and 1 hung up in the holly . Edited February 6, 2017 by anser2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortune Posted February 6, 2017 Report Share Posted February 6, 2017 There were 5 pigeons on the lawn under the bird feeder, picking up the wheat that the starlings had scattered out of the tray and the other day there were 13 that were on a 15 yard stretch of ivy covered hedge over the road the other day. They were on it at all angles, even upside down. There is a footpath and then the road. with the cars going by only about 6 feet away the pigeons took no notice at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitchrat Posted February 6, 2017 Report Share Posted February 6, 2017 (edited) Over the last three years I have found the pigeons have almost abandoned the rape in my part of Norfolk. While numbers have been well down for some years I now shoot very few pigeons on rape on the 3,000 acres I can shoot over. In the mild winter we had last winter I never saw any flocks on the rape , just a handful of odd birds and until recently none at all until a month ago when a few dozen started to feed on one field , but the other 20 odd fields remain untouched. I shoot most of my winter pigeons on clover these days , or just stand in the woods for a few shots. I see some on here are still finding pigeons on their rape so what is the situation in your area. Yes, I shot 61 on rape on Friday, they decoyed well. They are also on berries where there is no rape, due to failed drillings. Now the keepers will have stopped feeding the game covers, I hope for more, some have had crops full of wheat or maize. Most maize covers are now devoid of cobs. Edited February 6, 2017 by kitchrat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortune Posted February 6, 2017 Report Share Posted February 6, 2017 some have had crops full of wheat or maize. Their the ones that are feeding on my lawn from under the bird feeder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilts#Dave Posted February 6, 2017 Report Share Posted February 6, 2017 I think it varies massively in different parts of the country, why that is though I really don't know as winter rape is grown in lots of areas that don't attract as many pigeons. We have lots of rape over a fairly large area to go at but this time round pigeons just haven't hit it in any significant numbers, although other years they have. Nearly every pigeon I've shot going to roost or flightlining this year has been full of ivy berries. I'd love a 50 bag right now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve w Posted February 7, 2017 Report Share Posted February 7, 2017 ivy berries in my garden .clover and rape 1000s on the rape still hope to get out Friday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yod dropper Posted February 7, 2017 Report Share Posted February 7, 2017 Over the last three years.... (edited) .....so what is the situation in your area. Broadly the same elsewhere in the county. I think we've plenty of other first-choice energy-rich food for them. We also haven't had any sustained cold spells. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lloydi73 Posted February 7, 2017 Report Share Posted February 7, 2017 J Dog and myself shot 60 odd in the Cotswolds on rape Saturday just gone...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shotguneddy Posted February 7, 2017 Report Share Posted February 7, 2017 Can't keep off it round here been massive numbers and flightlines on it for 2 months Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted February 7, 2017 Report Share Posted February 7, 2017 I'm not sure I'm convinced about 'bitter tasting' varieties of rape that pigeons won't eat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyska Posted February 7, 2017 Report Share Posted February 7, 2017 I've got masses of pigeon on rape, industrial and food grade. Impossible to get a decent bag though, my ineptness infuriates me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooooper1 Posted February 7, 2017 Report Share Posted February 7, 2017 on the way home from work yesterday seen few birds flying on to a turnips field of mine so quick detour to see whats going on couldn`t believe my eyes hundreds feeding on TURNIPS?? anybody see or heard of bags over turnips seems like a odd crop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted February 7, 2017 Report Share Posted February 7, 2017 I'm not sure I'm convinced about 'bitter tasting' varieties of rape that pigeons won't eat. As you know Motty your experiences in the pigeon shooting field are highly valued. However you may not be correct on this one. I have seen fields drilled with certain varieties of rape that pigeons just cannot palate and they remain untouched whilst adjoining fields are hammered. From memory the untouched fields contained rape with strong dark green leaves not at all similar to what might be called the 'normal'varieties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy835 Posted February 7, 2017 Report Share Posted February 7, 2017 as said loads on rape, big bag no.one bang and there gone, back in 1/2 hour, one bang gone again, for 1/2 hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anser2 Posted February 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2017 on the way home from work yesterday seen few birds flying on to a turnips field of mine so quick detour to see whats going on couldn`t believe my eyes hundreds feeding on TURNIPS?? anybody see or heard of bags over turnips seems like a odd crop The will be eating the turnip leaves or maybe frosted soft turnips themselves. Years ago when turnips were widely grown as cattle food pigeons would often feed on them in cold weather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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