If you think your hard enough ,come and have a go

[Harnser]

Went out in the snow last week to have a look around the farms . All the rape was covered in snow so decoying was out of the question . My plan was to go and stand in a small 10 acre plantation of scotch pine and spruce .

 Over the years I have shot many hundreds of pigeons in this copse and it is a super day time roost for pigeons . It is located in the middle of one of the fams and about and about 1 mile from a large forestry woodland . The birds come out of the forestry woods all day long and drop into the copse to sit about and feed if there is a crop around the plantation .  

  The weather was very cold showing - 7 degrees on my truck dash . The wind was quite strong and was blowing from the east with a venom .i was well wrapped up and never fear getting cold out in the field . I got into the copse and went to one of the four hides that I have built over years . I decided to go to the hide on the west side of the wood to get on the lee side . I stood in the hide and within a couple of minutes the first bird came in and I killed it clean over the top of a fairly mature spruce and it landed within a few yards of my hide . Not long after two more birds came in and I killed one of them clean and missed the other on .  I now noticed how cold it was with the chill factor and I began to feel chilled . I had another bird come in and was an easy shot coming from left to right .  I had been in the hide for about 45 minutes and was now feeling very cold indeed . I thought that perhaps I should call it a day and get back to the truck and get warmed up .

  When I got back in the truck I was shivering quite severely and recognised the first symptoms of hypothermia,got the truck started and was soon warmed up . The moral to this story is ,no matter how hard you think you are the weather will always get to you in the end . This was the coldest I have ever been out in the field and I have all the gear .

 

harnser

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Well at least you got out there and were sensible enough to get back to the truck in good time.

[marsh man]

44 minutes ago, Harnser said:

Went out in the snow last week to have a look around the farms . All the rape was covered in snow so decoying was out of the question . My plan was to go and stand in a small 10 acre plantation of scotch pine and spruce .

 Over the years I have shot many hundreds of pigeons in this copse and it is a super day time roost for pigeons . It is located in the middle of one of the fams and about and about 1 mile from a large forestry woodland . The birds come out of the forestry woods all day long and drop into the copse to sit about and feed if there is a crop around the plantation .  

  The weather was very cold showing - 7 degrees on my truck dash . The wind was quite strong and was blowing from the east with a venom .i was well wrapped up and never fear getting cold out in the field . I got into the copse and went to one of the four hides that I have built over years . I decided to go to the hide on the west side of the wood to get on the lee side . I stood in the hide and within a couple of minutes the first bird came in and I killed it clean over the top of a fairly mature spruce and it landed within a few yards of my hide . Not long after two more birds came in and I killed one of them clean and missed the other on .  I now noticed how cold it was with the chill factor and I began to feel chilled . I had another bird come in and was an easy shot coming from left to right .  I had been in the hide for about 45 minutes and was now feeling very cold indeed . I thought that perhaps I should call it a day and get back to the truck and get warmed up .

  When I got back in the truck I was shivering quite severely and recognised the first symptoms of hypothermia,got the truck started and was soon warmed up . The moral to this story is ,no matter how hard you think you are the weather will always get to you in the end . This was the coldest I have ever been out in the field and I have all the gear .

 

harnser

I know exactly what you mean with getting cold , I done the same , I have got a wood on the edge of the marsh with some sugar beet fields that are only about 200yds away , a day before the beast came in they started to lift the beet , they carried on the next day before they had to stop due to the bad weather.

Somehow the pigeons soon found the bits of cut beet how ? I don't know as it was covered with the white stuff , on the Thursday I thought I would have a hour in the wood , to begin with I could stick the cold , but after been in there for just over a hour the cold started to get the better of me , I was getting a bit of sport and my dog was enjoying running about in the snow to pick up the odd pigeon , with seven in the bag  and the threat of more snow, plus the roads non to good I wasn't sorry to get back in my motor and head off home . like you say , the weather will always get you in the end

[washerboy]

I once had similar symptoms when I got in my car in shorts and a t shirt after been sat in my house with the heating on during a freezing cold night, within seconds I was sat shivering and unable to move never mind drive . My hands were so shaking I couldn’t open the door to get out again and had to sit for a good ten minutes with the car heater on until I could drive away. 

[matone]

I dug out and wore gear I havn`t needed for years last week ! That wind was a perisher without a doubt,top marks for braving it OP.

[JDog]

Good man Harnser.

I ventured out to shoot a flight wood in the middle of the storms last week. It was a long walk and before I even arrived at the wood I  was wheezing like Fag Ash Lil. I turned round and went back to the wood burner.

[pigeon controller]

I was called out last week and dutifully turned out . I knew the field and it on the edge of the Birmingham Plateau and with it being an easterly wind I knew it would be cold with a high wind chill. The first thing I set up was the brolly to prevent wind chill built the hide and then set out the decoys. I intended to shoot from 11.00 til 17.00 and had a litre of coffee to keep me warm . The sun was in my face and warm behind the brolly, my feet in  neoprene wellies were freezing with the wind chill. The birds responded to the decoys well and in two hours I had forty two birds . It then snowed and we had a total whiteout and I packed up back to the Disco which indicated minus five.

The moral of this story is respect the cold wind and take precautions to prevent wind chill, especially if you are shooting solo. I have previously reported fishing in the Fens and the respect that taught me in the way the east wind can affect people. We came upon a well known pike fisherman who had been on the drain for two nights and was delirious when we found him. After the Primus produce copious amounts of warm tea and three burger baps, his camping gas burner refused to vapourise in the cold weather. 

Remember Just Be Safe out There!!!!

[Fatcatsplat]

I started taking warfarin just before January - I've never been cold in my life until now. Thinning the blood has made so much difference - The cold hurts!!

[oowee]

Close call Harnser good job you recognised it. 

I had a similar situation waiting for deer fr an hour on the ground behind a tree. When I came to move i could not get my body to move in the right direction. I was fine until I moved. Took a huge effort to walk back up the hill to the truck

[Grandalf]

Wind chill is the killer.   That -7 temp is way out when it comes to what your body is feeling.   More like -12 to -15 and that is cold.

PC had his windbreak brolly and that would make an enormous difference.

He who runs away...  Harnser.   You did the right thing.   Have been caught out fowling before and didn't know how I got off the marsh.   Now I have a bit more sense.

[marsh man]

Trouble is , as you get older you mind overrule your body , because you have done it in the past your mind still think you can do it again .

Today I went to look at some rape fields , just as I got there the showers started and the temp dropped down to 3 1/2 degrees , in between the showers several pigeons left the wood and crossed some chopped up game cover where I intended to go , when a heavy shower blew past I got out of my warm motor and walked down the cover to see if the land was hard enough to drive down , as it turned out the ground was still to soft and with more showers looming up and a cold wind blowing my body is now in charge of my mind , and 20 minutes later I was back home in the warmth , tomorrow should be dry here till mid afternoon and a bit milder, so back again tomorrow .

[Grandalf]

You're right there my friend.   My minds thinks I am still 35.   Body says steady on boy - you are pushing 80 go home and sit by the fire.

[Mice!]

Talking to a fella that stalks and he said it's just been too cold to go out, let's be honest unless your getting a call saying there is a fox taking livestock its been so cold there is no reason to go out, maybe sit in your motor and see what's about, otherwise put the kettle on and give it a week.