motty Posted July 15, 2017 Report Share Posted July 15, 2017 The first field of rape to be cut, that I can shoot, was combined on Monday. The second and third fields of this particular farmer's rape, was finished off yesterday. All three fields are in pretty close proximity. I had seen enough pigeon activity over the past few days to warrant giving it a go, with the knowledge that the farmer is very likely to cultivate on Monday. Ideally I would have liked to leave the field for a few more days. I invited Jules and his brother (Gerard) to come and shoot the fields with me. The first field had been partially worked in, and despite pigeons busily tucking in on there yesterday, early indications showed they were not so interested in it anymore. We eventually made the decision to all shoot the 'middle' field, with Jules and I sharing a hide, and Gerard in the ditch to the right of us, some thirty yards further on. This gave us the chance to cover everything that came near. The first bird down was a big crow; Gerard making no mistake as it flew over from behind. A few pigeons started coming in, but they seemed a little wary. We still managed to shoot a few. I had the feeling that we would not make any kind of bag. We persevered, and despite the action seeming really slow, we started to make inroads. The addition of the second rotary device (alongside two flappers) seemed to help bring them in. Some of the pigeons came from way up, and I certainly was surprised to see the height of some of them. Looking back, I think we all shot pretty well, though a few got away unscathed that shouldn't have. We finished with a half decent 83 pigeons and the fat crow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muncher Posted July 15, 2017 Report Share Posted July 15, 2017 (edited) https://ibb.co/hZuGvF Edited July 15, 2017 by muncher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted July 15, 2017 Report Share Posted July 15, 2017 Nice report on what I would call a decent bag rather than a half decent bag , as you say , a few more days would have made a difference with them getting used to the field . Trouble is with this changeable weather , they haven't been able to cut for more than a day or two before the rain hold things up , so then the farm can get on with cultivating what they had already cut , although , I have had some nice bags even after it has been pulled up , that is until the rape seed break into leaf then I find it is a waste of time keeping a eye on it. Today I went on some Spring Barley that had been knocked about with the wind and rain , found it hard picking the pigeons up out of the standing corn , never shot one young un and from about 4.30 it more or less came to a finish with the dark conditions , much prefer the stubbles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy835 Posted July 16, 2017 Report Share Posted July 16, 2017 still waiting for my rape fields, but when there cut i get 4 weeks shooting out of them each year, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7daysinaweek Posted July 16, 2017 Report Share Posted July 16, 2017 Enjoyed the read motty, great bag that. Did you add the crow to the pattern and if so at which distance did you put it in relation of the pigeons in the main pattern? atb 7diaw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted July 16, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2017 Don't think we added the crow. I could have put some crow decoys out, as there was a huge amount of them on the surrounding fields. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted July 16, 2017 Report Share Posted July 16, 2017 That sounds like some decent action, I envy you. I have no harvesting yet on "my" land, but things should pick up this week..............hopefully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted July 16, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2017 That sounds like some decent action, I envy you. I have no harvesting yet on "my" land, but things should pick up this week..............hopefully. It was good fun. Hope you have a good start to the harvest where you are, and hope your stubbles get left long enough to allow you to enjoy some sport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Passionforangling Posted July 16, 2017 Report Share Posted July 16, 2017 Sounds like a good day. Can't beat a threesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.