First Go On The Barley Stubble

[marsh man]

Saturday I looked at the barley fields where I had been shooting pigeons these last three or four weeks and as expected not a rook , pigeon or anything else come to that , the barley was still standing and by the look of it was due for combining within a day or two.

 

Still a few pigeons on the move with most of them going towards where the bulk of the wheat is grown , didn't take to long to find them as most were going in the trees and on the edge of the game cover which border the wheat fields , rather than lugging my gear to far I took the easy option and drove up to where the pens are and put a magnet out between two trees and had a nice bit of sport with the pigeons being drawn to the magnet and then coming to either the tree on my right or the one on the left which were both in range , nice gentle afternoon with very little work involved .

 

Having been confined to barracks Monday and Tuesday because of the heavy rain I was getting ready to go and have a look Wednesday when the phone rang from the tractor driver telling me he had just seen a nice lot of pigeons and corvids going on the barley stubble , what barley stubble are you talking about ? , the ones where you have been going on the laid bits , well I looked Saturday and it was still there , well if you had looked Sunday night you would had seen it all gone and the contractor who have the straw bailed it up the same day , lovely job , I will be there just after dinner .

 

Arriving about 1.30pm the first birds I saw were 100s of Rooks ect with a few pigeons going down on the stubble , after watching them for 20 minutes and walking across the field to see how wet it was I could drive along the tram lines instead of trying to cross the field to the bail where I was going to use as the bulk of my hide , the beauty of a bail in the middle of the field is you can decoy in any wind direction. and by raising the coys up just above the stubble you stand a good chance in drawing a few in and getting a bit of shooting.

 

How nice to be able to drive up to the spot you picked , offload and going park your motor up in the pleasant summer sunshine , a perfect way to spend a lazy afternoon . Anyway , it didn't take long to set up and wait for the first customer which as it turned out was soon laid to rest. I wouldn't say sport was fast and furious but nice and steady .

 

By around 5 o clock they had more or less had enough and so had I as I had a few scattered about and I was due home 6 to 6.30. after walking around the hedge and getting a couple that went up to the trees at the end of the field I finally picked up 41 , one more than I sold to the pub today.

 

P S..... What I cant work out is , they leave the field a week to ten days before they cut it , and as soon as it cut they are back again within a day eating the same grain as they had just recently left behind . there must be a logical reason ?

[JDog]

A nice report MM. Good to see you getting a few.

 

As for your PS, there is no logic to pigeon behaviour most of the time. Why pigeons fly miles to a field travelling over identical crops is beyond me.

[aga man]

Good report marsh man. Very nice to able to drive on the stubble and work the dogs.

Looking forward to it myself.

[muncher]

Nice session that MM ,some times they are the most enjoyable,you have time to just enjoy being out there watching the countryside and getting a several in the bag as well.

Edited July 14, 2017 by muncher

[Cranfield]

A good report and result.

Harvest seems to be a week away around here, but I am also looking forward to reduced walking and carrying gear.

[marsh man]

A nice report MM. Good to see you getting a few.

 

As for your PS, there is no logic to pigeon behaviour most of the time. Why pigeons fly miles to a field travelling over identical crops is beyond me.

Thanks Mr JDog , You are right , we will never fully understand the Wood Pigeons behaviour , we can only speculate on what would be there next actions , sometimes we get it right but most of the times we get it wrong , and that's why we enjoy as much as we do . pitting our wits against theres . Good Luck over the next few weeks

 

Good report marsh man. Very nice to able to drive on the stubble and work the dogs.

Looking forward to it myself.

What a difference , one day you are shooting over laid bits and being carful where you drop the pigeons , and the next you can drive anywhere on the field and set up where you want . if the cultivators don't beat you to it , that is . Good luck on your forthcoming stubbles .

 

Nice session that MM ,some times they are the most enjoyable,you have time to just enjoy being out there watching the countryside and getting a several in the bag as well.

There is just something about shooting stubbles in the sunshine on a Summers day , a bit like wildfowling in the snow .

 

I don't think it will be to long before we hear of another big bag form up your way now the harvest is getting well underway , so good luck and hope it stay dry for you .

 

A good report and result.

Harvest seems to be a week away around here, but I am also looking forward to reduced walking and carrying gear.

Thanks Cranfield ..... This must be one of the earliest years I have shot stubble , in over 40 years I have been on the estate the earliest I have known for the harvest to start was on the 12th of July , and on a normal year it is around the 20th , give a day or two.

 

At the moment we have only got scattered fields that have been cut but if it stay dry next week there will be 100s of acres cut.

 

On our marshes , I have seen six combines all cutting wheat at the same time that are trying to get it in the grain stores before it get to wet .

 

Good luck when your stubbles start and let us know what the shooting is like in your area of Kent.