No Pigeons

[M2 Shooter]

Have quite a lot of land available to shoot covering a few miles but there are simply no pigeons around.  Hoping if the weather stays cold we may see some coming for the rape.

[Delwint]

I have none on any of my permissions, however there seems to be an abundance of crows at the minute. Driving to Northampton this morning there were hundreds of pigeons flighting near Leicester. 

Edited December 2, 2017 by Delwint

[old'un]

I personally don’t think it makes much difference if its cold or mild, it’s a good wind you need, but If you have no pigeons in your area then it doesn’t matter what the weathers like.

[pigeon controller]

They are still on the acorns, and you won't get them until they've eat the lot or they rot.

[Ultrastu]

They seem to be in big flocks round me .flitting about from stubble to wood .never really settling  anywhere I shoot .

[yickdaz]

44 minutes ago, old'un said:

I personally don’t think it makes much difference if its cold or mild, it’s a good wind you need, but If you have no pigeons in your area then it doesn’t matter what the weathers like.

and they need to be feeding on rape to start with

Edited December 2, 2017 by yickdaz

[Me matt]

25 minutes ago, pigeon controller said:

They are still on the acorns, and you won't get them until they've eat the lot or they rot.

This, they are going mad for acorns on my patch at the moment. 

[GingerCat]

Lots on stubble round this way. A few decoyed into rape today but that was under oak trees so could be the acorns they wanted.

 

Edited December 2, 2017 by GingerCat
Typo

[oldypigeonpopper]

hello, same around the Vale, forcast snow next sunday, maybe that will get some feeding? 

[yickdaz]

14 minutes ago, Me matt said:

This, they are going mad for acorns on my patch at the moment. 

it just shows you how things differ from region to region, the area I shot today is mainly oaks and out of 34 not 1 bird had an acorn in it

[pbutd]

Shot eleven coming in to roost tonight/this afternoon & all except two had acorns in their crops.The other two had barley + awns which suggests there must be a barley stubble in the area but I have no idea where it is.I think there's enough acorns in our part of the world to keep them happy until the end of December.I don't expect rape shooting until well into January?

[marsh man]

25 minutes ago, yickdaz said:

and they need to be feeding on rape to start with

Correct , and while alternative food is still available like acorns , stubbles and berries ect , I think it will take a bit more than cold weather to get them serious about rape , and if and when they do make a start on the rape you have then got the large acreage  grown nowadays to contend with .

[Walker570]

Acorns, yep. I drive about two miles down narrow lanes to a farm I am thinning barn pigeons ..93 to date..and the lanes are lined with oak trees. Hundreds of woodpigeons under the hedgerows on both sides of the lane. 

[mossy835]

iv been on 3 farms today.and shot 1 pigeon just not about and none on rape.

[lakeside1000]

I took 13 this morning from the corner of a rape field under a large hawthorn hedge, in the last few weeks they have been picking off the berries but today they were decoying out onto the rape, there was also a large number moving around lower down on another rape field, they were there most of the day and when they moved or were disturbed they would stick tightly together , around 100 or so, which is the largest concentration I have seen so far on any rape around my permission's.This cold wet weather will not help but if we get a few more frosty sessions I think they will be in the rape without hesitation.

Just up the road from my house is one single rape field in an area where there are no oaks or other berry laden bushes for them to feed on, around 3 acres of the rape at one end of the field has been cut down to soil, every time I drive past its blue with birds busy ripping it to shreds, just shows that when there is little else for them they will move onto the rape, I did ask for permission to have a go at them but its a game shoot and the keeper wont consider having pigeon shooters on until February, even then its normally his mates or beaters.not that I need it but thought I might be able to do some good.

[ant.mass]

 the pigeons are hitting some of the rape round my way but i cant shoot on them fields until feb 1st

[P.Shuter]

Well I’ll tell you what ( as per usual )  I’m not finding it so easy making a good pigeon ‘bag’ over oilseed rape so far this winter. 

Its all very well for the Shooting Press giving us big bag pictures and stories by the likes of the Chosen Few who can get access to some of the more remote areas of privately managed driven game shoots, where there are wonderful ‘oasis like’ game crops strategically placed on the outer perimeters of nicely wooded fir plantations. That’s not real is it ??

They say that in winter when trying to decoy over rape, at best we are mere live versions of pretty poor scarecrows and I very much doubt any of us are out there every damn day, so what’s the bloody point, maybe if we could all be co-ordinated at the key times each year (drilling’s and harvest) we might begin to make an impact on pigeon numbers ?   Pigs might fly I hear you saying !!

[motty]

8 minutes ago, P.Shuter said:

Well I’ll tell you what ( as per usual )  I’m not finding it so easy making a good pigeon ‘bag’ over oilseed rape so far this winter. 

Its all very well for the Shooting Press giving us big bag pictures and stories by the likes of the Chosen Few who can get access to some of the more remote areas of privately managed driven game shoots, where there are wonderful ‘oasis like’ game crops strategically placed on the outer perimeters of nicely wooded fir plantations. That’s not real is it ??

They say that in winter when trying to decoy over rape, at best we are mere live versions of pretty poor scarecrows and I very much doubt any of us are out there every damn day, so what’s the bloody point, maybe if we could all be co-ordinated at the key times each year (drilling’s and harvest) we might begin to make an impact on pigeon numbers ?   Pigs might fly I hear you saying !!

I personally don't want to reduce overall pigeon numbers.

Who are the "chosen few" you speak of?

Edited December 5, 2017 by motty

[P.Shuter]

Digeeed & Co

[MELLYBOY]

Quite alot turning to the sprouts our way ?

[kenholland]

got a call over Leominster way in the morning crows and pigeons on winter wheat sown two weeks ago , there are a strip of oaks but there are a lot pheasants about Saturday shoots so will wait till the season is over.

[motty]

5 hours ago, P.Shuter said:

Digeeed & Co

I wouldn't have thought that Mr Digweed has the time to shoot that many pigeons.

[old'un]

44 minutes ago, kenholland said:

got a call over Leominster way in the morning crows and pigeons on winter wheat sown two weeks ago , there are a strip of oaks but there are a lot pheasants about Saturday shoots so will wait till the season is over.

They will be gone by then.

[mossy835]

17 minutes ago, old'un said:

They will be gone by then.

+1

[Ultrastu]

Personally I enjoy  all my pige decoying .even the days of just a couple .

The big day days of late summer are a lot of fun .but one of my most memorable sessions was last winter in the frost of early morning at first light and I made a bag of 22 birds,i shot like a hero and dropped some beauties. 

To be fair some times processing 50 plus birds is a pain .a morning of 10 - 15 birds is just nice and its a pleasure to feel ive out witted a few on the osr . 

I also don't want to shoot all the birds .

As while they are feeding on the fields I have sport and can be some use to the farmer ..

I often wonder why some people are happy to shoot 200 pigeon and then moan  later there aren't any birds