Rain rain come again if this is the result.

[lakeside1000]

A phone call last week alerted me to the fact that rape on one of my permission's was being combined and birds were already in the stubble, I got out the next day and drove around the area checking for myself, sure enough, lots of stubble but few birds.

with most of the areas checked I headed out to a very remote single field of rape , right on the limit of my permission, it had produced good numbers in the spring when just young plants but the birds had been absent for months.

Arriving at the field I found the crop cut and surprisingly 'baled' , I have no idea what use old rape plants would be , dried up woody stems with very little nutritional value, but sure enough the field was littered with big round bale's and birds all over the field in good numbers.

It was late and not possible to shoot as I was expected elsewhere, so I made my way home planning a visit in the next day or two and hoping the bales would remain at least until I could get one day on the stubble.

Sadly the weather turned very wet and windy for several days and it was impossible to get out, but last Thursday the forecast was dry all day with cloud and light winds so car packed by 9.0am and on my way.

Very pleased to find the field untouched with bales still in place but a very muddy surface , no problem for my shogun pinin as I drove across the stubble to the centre of the field.

I set up around 10.30 after putting up around 100 birds from between the bales, using one bale as a backing for my hide and putting up my little used desert coloured camo net, several dead birds out on top of the bales and 25 shells between them in the stubble. I did put out one flapper on top of a bale and one magnet well upwind with the notion I might take them in if birds seemed nervous but they came in well and confidently, giving good target's in the light but blustery wind.

The first 2 hours were busy but my shooting was patchy, I have no idea why, not my usual confident shots having to use 2 and sometimes even 3 shots to bring down some of the birds, around 1.00 pm it slowed to just a trickle of birds but picked up again mid afternoon, I only managed two left and rights as many birds were coming in on their own, but the real frustration was a trio of birds that arrived unexpectedly right over the decoy's , I took one, then a second with ease, turning on the third as it moved away over my left shoulder it was a perfect shot , one I rarely miss but guess what, I missed it as the last cartridge ejected from my Beretta and I had to watch the bird fly off into the distance , after that birds became scarce then completely dried up around 4.00, so I decided to call it a day, after picking up a few long shots I had 45 and 1 carrion crow, which compared to my normal days out was a good result, unfortunately a used cartridge count revealed a very poor 50% hit rate, well down on my normal hit rate ,but a good day and a few more birds in the freezer,

Next outing is on freshly combined wheat stubble where I have been watching a very good number of birds attacking the standing crop, but could not shoot it as access was restricted and I didn't want to cause any crop damage, but the bush telegraph informs me the combine's are out , so fingers crossed.

Edited August 13, 2017 by lakeside1000

[HIDENSEEK]

A phone call last week alerted me to the fact that rape on one of my permission's was being combined and birds were already in the stubble, I got out the next day and drove around the area checking for myself, sure enough, lots of stubble but few birds.

with most of the areas checked I headed out to a very remote single field of rape , right on the limit of my permission, it had produced good numbers in the spring when just young plants but the birds had been absent for months.

Arriving at the field I found the crop cut and surprisingly 'baled' , I have no idea what use old rape plants would be , dried up woody stems with very little nutritional value, but sure enough the field was littered with big round bale's and birds all over the field in good numbers.

It was late and not possible to shoot as I was expected elsewhere, so I made my way home planning a visit in the next day or two and hoping the bales would remain at least until I could get one day on the stubble.

Sadly the weather turned very wet and windy for several days and it was impossible to get out, but last Thursday the forecast was dry all day with cloud and light winds so car packed by 9.0am and on my way.

Very pleased to find the field untouched with bales still in place but a very muddy surface , no problem for my shogun pinin as I drove across the stubble to the centre of the field.

I set up around 10.30 after putting up around 100 birds from between the bales, using one bale as a backing for my hide and putting up my little used desert coloured camo net, several dead birds out on top of the bales and 25 shells between them in the stubble. I did put out one flapper on top of a bale and one magnet well upwind with the notion I might take them in if birds seemed nervous but they came in well and confidently, giving good target's in the light but blustery wind.

The first 2 hours were busy but my shooting was patchy, I have no idea why, not my usual confident shots having to use 2 and sometimes even 3 shots to bring down some of the birds, around 1.00 pm it slowed to just a trickle of birds but picked up again mid afternoon, I only managed two left and rights as many birds were coming in on their own, but the real frustration was a trio of birds that arrived unexpectedly right over the decoy's , I took one, then a second with ease, turning on the third as it moved away over my left shoulder it was a perfect shot , one I rarely miss but guess what, I missed it as the last cartridge ejected from my Beretta and I had to watch the bird fly off into the distance , after that birds became scarce then completely dried up around 4.00, so I decided to call it a day, after picking up a few long shots I had 45 and 1 carrion crow, which compared to my normal days out was a good result, unfortunately a used cartridge count revealed a very poor 50% hit rate, well down on my normal hit rate ,but a good day and a few more birds in the freezer,

Next outing is on freshly combined wheat stubble where I have been watching a very good number of birds attacking the standing crop, but could not shoot it as access was restricted and I didn't want to cause any crop damage, but the bush telegraph informs me the combine's are out , so fingers crossed.

Sounds like a good day to me, well done on the reccy! I'd be happy with a 50% hit rate to birds picked!

[dead eye alan]

Sounds like a good day to me, well done on the reccy! I'd be happy with a 50% hit rate to birds picked!

 

So would i.

[motty]

Very good report and a good result.