JDog Posted January 24, 2018 Report Share Posted January 24, 2018 It has been a while since I put up a thread in Sporting pictures or even in Talk from the field. However I resisted the temptation to dive into 'Off Topic' that haunt of committed non shooters. When Aga Man says he has a few pigeons he usually does so in response to a phone call yesterday I headed over the Humber Bridge this morning. The wind and the rain were horrendous. We met at 10:50 drove to the field and sat chewing the fat until 11:50 when the rain miraculously stopped and we ventured out. We did see pigeons feeding in the rain on the rape field we intended to shoot. It was obvious where we would set up and we did so 40m apart with two rotaries out in front and a few birds on cradles. At the first shot the big lot of pigeons got up from behind us and dispersed into the four winds. We were not too distressed at that as we both felt that they would return. Indeed they did return, sometimes singularly, sometimes in small groups and sometimes in a big cloud. The wind picked up to over 20 mph which was good but it did mean that the acrobatic pigeons could just glide on past us and they did that a lot and they presented us with some difficult shots. Here I must bare my soul. I had a pigeon approaching from my left and it crossed me no more than 30m out. Three shots I fired at it without touching a feather. Aga Man killed it stone dead at his first attempt. Phew, got that over with! The first hour was the best in terms of pigeons coming into the field and after that it quietened off a bit but we stuck it out for three hours and picked 72 pigeons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon controller Posted January 24, 2018 Report Share Posted January 24, 2018 Good report and pictures, well done for being out in the conditions, honest as always with the three shots, we've all done it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7daysinaweek Posted January 24, 2018 Report Share Posted January 24, 2018 Cracking bag that jd and all power getting out in that weather. Can i ask what they were feeding on and were there any young birds in the bag? Also how soon did they return? As for the three shots, think i had a run of about ten on the run for no bird, the air was blue i can tell you Apologies for all the questions. I done a 120 mile round trip a couple of weeks ago to shoot a field for pigeons, it was wet as anything, was plenty there,with my shooting i finished with a small bag of around a dozen all told, and had a couple of young birds then. I struggled as they came in large flocks and tight together and struggled with some difficult and easy birds but all good. I went back again this week a lot drier and loads of birds again, this time with a companion and owners son. Shooting was good at start then went quiet around 13.00 and they never returned. I shot 10 birds and a black for 29 shots. I was using me mates 20 bore berretta to try it. Had a couple more young birds and checked one and full of what i think was ivy berries. atb 7diaw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MELLYBOY Posted January 24, 2018 Report Share Posted January 24, 2018 (edited) Great stuff - nice when effort is rewarded - hit the sprout early,only managed 8 before the rain came at 9.55am,holed up in motor for a good hr expecting a good stint when it calmed - how wrong was i ! They never returned,wind really dropped after the rain which seemed to put them elsewhere - always tomorrow and the sprouts are trimmed blanched and in the freezer ! Edited January 24, 2018 by MELLYBOY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitebridges Posted January 24, 2018 Report Share Posted January 24, 2018 Marvellous. Well done JD and Aga Man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted January 24, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2018 7diaw The pigeons were on rape, some returned as soon as we were set up and two birds were very young indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7daysinaweek Posted January 24, 2018 Report Share Posted January 24, 2018 9 minutes ago, JDog said: 7diaw The pigeons were on rape, some returned as soon as we were set up and two birds were very young indeed. Cheers for the reply, yes the few we had appeared to be really young. atb 7diaw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aga man Posted January 24, 2018 Report Share Posted January 24, 2018 It was a great afternoon and a pretty busy 3 hours, which if I am honest exceeded my expectations. Pigeons on winter rape can be a real pain to deal with but sometimes you can be on the field that they really want, which appeared to be the case today. A pattern of 50+ dead birds also helped. We both missed a few doddlers and it could be argued that we should have shot a ton. But no one can complain at 72 on winter rape. Farmer is well pleased. Good to see you JDog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted January 24, 2018 Report Share Posted January 24, 2018 Cracking write up, I looked out the window this morning and was thankful id gone out yesterday not today, you deserve a round of applause for not deciding to wait another day, and you were rewarded with some good shooting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel b3 Posted January 24, 2018 Report Share Posted January 24, 2018 well done on a cracking day gents , i hope aga man didnt take the mickey too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted January 24, 2018 Report Share Posted January 24, 2018 Excellent report , glad you were both well rewarded for sticking the conditions out , the patch of rape you were decoying on look like its been well used , or a poor crop. I had my first go on rape on Monday , there was a bale hide in the middle of the field , the bales had been there since the field was drilled and now weighed a ton so I took my thin net and poles and stuck around the outside to raise it up a bit and to save me trying to rearrange the bales. Started at 10 . 30 and for an hour they came in well , then the supply started to slow up and by 1pm it was all over , picked up 18 which was a start for this year, the condition of the birds varied from very good to a couple of very small ones , which could be very late hatched ones . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clodhopper Posted January 24, 2018 Report Share Posted January 24, 2018 Great read. Well done both of you.. Good result on the rape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aga man Posted January 24, 2018 Report Share Posted January 24, 2018 22 minutes ago, marsh man said: the patch of rape you were decoying on look like its been well used , or a poor crop. This field was direct drilled into Barley stubble and it has to be said has no established as well as other rape nearby. The photo is of rape that runs along side a train line and the crop there has suffered from rabbits and pigeons eating it. JDog and I both agreed the number of birds we saw there at the start of the session will very soon strip it. The gas gun at the other end of the field is doing very little to deter the birds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yickdaz Posted January 24, 2018 Report Share Posted January 24, 2018 sounds like a cracking session from Yorkshire's and lincolnshire - cotwolds finest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted January 24, 2018 Report Share Posted January 24, 2018 1 hour ago, aga man said: This field was direct drilled into Barley stubble and it has to be said has no established as well as other rape nearby. The photo is of rape that runs along side a train line and the crop there has suffered from rabbits and pigeons eating it. JDog and I both agreed the number of birds we saw there at the start of the session will very soon strip it. The gas gun at the other end of the field is doing very little to deter the birds. THANKS for the information aga man , the majority of our rape is looking good with very little ( if any ) pigeon damage , although with the Ivy berries getting less and less as the weeks goes by the pigeons are now turning there attention to the rape fields , our last game shoot is this Saturday and the roost shooting start the following Saturday , so as one door shut , another one is about to open Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbutd Posted January 25, 2018 Report Share Posted January 25, 2018 A pleasure to see a new pigeon shooting post,they have been thin on the ground just now. I am also certain that that one 'triple miss' was well diluted by some scorchers if previous posts are anything to go by? Single colour dark green hide was invisible but both hides blended in well, not that it seems to make much difference sometimes.Now turning to the rape in Herefordshire with a few prospects for Feb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted January 25, 2018 Report Share Posted January 25, 2018 Excellent report, as usual, and a very good result. If I thought I would have half as good an outing, I would make a swift return to pigeon shooting. Unfortunately, though I have plenty of birds in a couple of locations on rape, I fear I may not score very well. The wildfowling season is all but over, and I am looking forward to dusting off my decoying gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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