Mightymariner Posted August 17, 2017 Report Share Posted August 17, 2017 After being away for three weeks I missed all of the rape harvest and most of the stubbles had gone by the time I returned. Apart from a few, one of which JDog and I shot last week, and another couple on my patch. I drove past one many times and didn't bother to look, assuming it wouldn't hold any interest now. On Sunday I had some spare time so decided to have a look. There are two fields, separated by a road and both bordered by a busy A road on one side. The first field had approx 150 on it, skitting across the stubble here and there. Looks good, I thought, let's have a look at the second field. On pulling into the field, I was greeted with one of those sights which makes your heart gladden......dotted about the large, dogleg field were approx 250-300 pigeons, happily feeding on large amounts of uncut rape plants and seed. Though the field was large, they were mainly down one side and it looked clear that the best place for a hide was a telegraph pole in the middle, which would allow me to shoot up or down the field safely. So far so good, of course I now feared the worst as it all looked so good. A text to the farms manager came back with confirmation they would be cultivating the fields tomorrow, though they would be doing the other field first, giving me six hours from 8am to shoot the better field. Better than nothing, I thought and made plans to go around 10am the next day. On arrival, cultivation was on in the other field, but slowly......giving me hope I might get longer in the field. I set up at the pole and pretty quickly had birds coming back to the field, coming over my right shoulder from the road....four misses in a row and then things improved. I started to hit a few. The wind was left to right but it was tricky with birds appearing from all angles, and if I wasn't quick they were away or out of my safe range to shoot. I had an errand to run at 3pm so left the field for an hour, but had about 30 birds down. On leaving the field I had a word with the tractor driver doing the other field, and he confirmed he wouldn't be finishing that field let alone move into mine.... I returned around 4pm and the birds seemed to have moved to a new line, heading across the field to another field further away.....given its size there wasn't much I could do. I still managed some more birds and called it a day at 6pm, picking 45 pigeons. A pleasing day and it just shows you shouldn't always write off a field in more ways than one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted August 17, 2017 Report Share Posted August 17, 2017 Nice one mm , well deserved and a goods days sport . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted August 17, 2017 Report Share Posted August 17, 2017 Very good. I had a feeling that those fields would produce the goods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted August 17, 2017 Report Share Posted August 17, 2017 the day i shot my good bag a few weeks ago was on a rape field that had been cultivated 2 days previous...........so dont write off fields that have been cultivated...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted August 17, 2017 Report Share Posted August 17, 2017 (edited) Good report and result. I would never write off cultivated fields. I have shot over 100 on cultivated rape on the past. I would say you must always be very aware of what is happening on your ground to make the most of it. I once shot over 100 on a completely bare field. I could find no logical reason why the pigeons were there. Edited August 17, 2017 by motty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mightymariner Posted August 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2017 You are all spot on. My fault entirely. At present harvesting has exploded so there are so many fields to check, however the only fields I have found any numbers have been rape stubble or disced fields. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yickdaz Posted August 17, 2017 Report Share Posted August 17, 2017 Good report and result. I would never write off cultivated fields. I have shot over 100 on cultivated rape on the past. I would say you must always be very aware of what is happening on your ground to make the most of it. I once shot over 100 on a completely bare field. I could find no logical reason why the pigeons were there. quite right some years ago I shot a flightline at the corner of a wood over disced rape only had 3 hrs for 62, 2 of us went back the next day and decoyed them in the same spot and shot 110 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted August 17, 2017 Report Share Posted August 17, 2017 Good report and result. I would never write off cultivated fields. I have shot over 100 on cultivated rape on the past. I would say you must always be very aware of what is happening on your ground to make the most of it. I once shot over 100 on a completely bare field. I could find no logical reason why the pigeons were there. Other than your magnetic personality of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted August 17, 2017 Report Share Posted August 17, 2017 Other than your magnetic personality of course. you slimey piece of work...............................you are taking grovelling to a totally new level..........i think im going to throw up...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitchrat Posted August 17, 2017 Report Share Posted August 17, 2017 you slimey piece of work...............................you are taking grovelling to a totally new level..........i think im going to throw up...... Not slimey, but a nice piece of sarcasm, however I suspect your posting was sarcasm too. More seriously, rough-cultivated stubble can be better than "Virgin Stubble". My theory, which has nothing to do with scouts, is that the chaff cutter on most combines actually covers any loose seed left behind. (seed falls faster than chaff). Pigeons cannot/do not scratch like chickens do, so the field is effectively devoid of food to them. Rough cultivation turns things over again and seed can be revealed. Try crawling about on you hands and knees like I do and blow the chaff away - Lo and Behold, loose seed may be revealed...... Here comes another theory you can ridicule.... The modern short-straw cereals don't get laid by the wind much, so the combine operator can set his header 4-6 inches from the ground, to reduce the volume of straw going into the machine and increase the acreage he can cut each hour. The UK crops grow fairly densely so this leaves the field covered with 4-6 inch-long stubble spikes. I know that I wouldn't like to land on that if I were a pigeon. My careful observation have shown that the majority of pigeons will land in the combine wheel marks (flattened) or tractor turning areas and forage from there. Cultivation makes landing easier as the spikes are turned over. What about that?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yickdaz Posted August 17, 2017 Report Share Posted August 17, 2017 Not slimey, but a nice piece of sarcasm, however I suspect your posting was sarcasm too. More seriously, rough-cultivated stubble can be better than "Virgin Stubble". My theory, which has nothing to do with scouts, is that the chaff cutter on most combines actually covers any loose seed left behind. (seed falls faster than chaff). Pigeons cannot/do not scratch like chickens do, so the field is effectively devoid of food to them. Rough cultivation turns things over again and seed can be revealed. Try crawling about on you hands and knees like I do and blow the chaff away - Lo and Behold, loose seed may be revealed...... Here comes another theory you can ridicule.... The modern short-straw cereals don't get laid by the wind much, so the combine operator can set his header 4-6 inches from the ground, to reduce the volume of straw going into the machine and increase the acreage he can cut each hour. The UK crops grow fairly densely so this leaves the field covered with 4-6 inch-long stubble spikes. I know that I wouldn't like to land on that if I were a pigeon. My careful observation have shown that the majority of pigeons will land in the combine wheel marks (flattened) or tractor turning areas and forage from there. Cultivation makes landing easier as the spikes are turned over. What about that?? I bet your a conspiracy theorist as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted August 17, 2017 Report Share Posted August 17, 2017 I think i am going to join the scouts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted August 17, 2017 Report Share Posted August 17, 2017 Pigeons land in tramlines because the heads of the crop are flattened there more than in any other part of the field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitchrat Posted August 17, 2017 Report Share Posted August 17, 2017 I bet your a conspiracy theorist as well I know a lot about 9/11 and the King's Cross fire but dare not tell you............ I think i am going to join the scouts Girl Guides might be more fun? (Scouts don't exist except in my mind!) Pigeons land in tramlines because the heads of the crop are flattened there more than in any other part of the field. Good theory, probably better than mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted August 20, 2017 Report Share Posted August 20, 2017 Kitchrat, you shoot on different kinds of fields to me. I easily find spilled grain on the stubbles. The only thing I struggle to find is rape seed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wymberley Posted August 21, 2017 Report Share Posted August 21, 2017 Kitchrat, you shoot on different kinds of fields to me. I easily find spilled grain on the stubbles. The only thing I struggle to find is rape seed. I could live with that. The only thing I can't find at the moment is the damned pigeon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitchrat Posted August 21, 2017 Report Share Posted August 21, 2017 Kitchrat, you shoot on different kinds of fields to me. I easily find spilled grain on the stubbles. The only thing I struggle to find is rape seed. John Deere is the combine of choice in my area and too dammed good a machine it is! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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