Hot weather birds

[getthegat]

Hi all, I'm back off my hols in the Loire valley next week and hoping for a few hours on the pigeons and corvids before getting back to work. Where we are staying has lovely country walks with cut hay and near ripe barley. I've been watching said field's to get an Idea as to what the birds are doing in this hot weather, but the place is nearly devoid of our featherbed friends. So can any of you give me some tips on what the UK birds are doing. I guess corvids are as always, around at first light, but are pigeons feeding earlier to? Many thanks. All advice much appreciated. ( Strange concept doing recon in shorts and flipflops, and with no gun or pigeon bag)

[moor man]

I don't do a lot of pigeon shooting but been a couple of times with a mate in the last week. Down here in S.Devon the barley is a few weeks off harvesting, we had good sport shooting over the small laid patches, only problem not being able to pick all shot birds as I like to use what I shoot. Birds were pretty active all day, finishing around 7.30pm with a few lulls midday, didnt use anything fancy, 12 shell decoys and a bouncer....worked a treat in the light winds. It's was top sport and great fun.

[Old Boggy]

If you have any wheat fields, they should be worth a look, especially late afternoons.

The pigeons in this area have just started on the milky wheat with their trick of landing on top with outstretched wings which, with the shorter stemmed wheat sown these days, supports their weight.

Perhaps, Getthegat, the pigeons will be doing likewise in your area of Essex.

I'm hoping to get out later this afternoon for a few hours, travelling as light as possible as my spot of choice in the shade of a small copse involves a trek along quite a long run of tramlines. This particular spot has a convergence of tramlines leaving a fairly large open area into which I hope to drop a few pigeons for easy retrieval. My light load will consist of a flapper, two floaters and a couple of Denny's Dippas raised above the wheat, all of which should give a bit of movement. Other items of course will be gun, cartridges, lightweight seat, netting and plenty of water. Perhaps a rotary would help in this situation giving movement above the crop, but my ageing body tells me otherwise !

OB

 

[JDog]

OB, that's not travelling light and you forgot to mention the battery. If you can carry that lot you must be fitter than you think.

Pigeons here are still on peas but some are now tramlining barley.

[Old Boggy]

1 hour ago, JDog said:

OB, that's not travelling light and you forgot to mention the battery. If you can carry that lot you must be fitter than you think.

Pigeons here are still on peas but some are now tramlining barley.

Perhaps you`re right JDog, I did forget the battery, but it is one of the smallest possible needed for the flapper. I tend to carry all the bits in or strapped to a large lightweight rucksack with well padded straps which seems to spread the load pretty well. I`m not expecting to shoot and carry many pigeons back though, just good to get out after weeks of inactivity with the gun. Last reasonable session was when they were still on the rape. I will be most selective with my shots in an attempt to alleviate any lost birds.

The peas have all but been disregarded by the pigeons here for some reason and I`ve been looking at all times of the day, even well into the evenings. Up until they started on the wheat, they were feeding on clover, mainly in unshootable horse paddocks.

OB

Edited June 28, 2018 by Old Boggy

[getthegat]

Well that report from moor man has just made me regret starting this post; sounds great. Very jealous ? We have wheat coming on a treat at the workshop, with some big tram lines. Birds were just starting to take interest last week before we left for La France. Luckily there is reasonable shade around most of said field's and now the ground is hard, a bit of driving means a little less leg work. I'll be using 12 shells, couple bouncers, couple dippas, maybe a couple full flock crow deeks ( I always feel it gives confidence to the Pigeons) Only decision then is to use the Affinity 12, hit more but make more noise, or to persist with the moderated 20, miss more but make less noise. Of course with more targets around (hopefully) there is the possibility my percentage could improve ? Cheers guys.

[Geo]

I am planning to have a go for the first time this afternoon on a local farm in Essex where the crops are almost all peas and beans . I have had a couple of trips to observe bird movements this week but it all seems a bit random with birds flitting about in ones and twos with no real indication of flightlines.

I am planning to set up on the edge of a bean field with my back to a wood , there is a wide enough strip of bare earth between the wood and the beans to put some decoys out  and also should be able to pick up the shot birds if I can drop them accurately.

What do you think ? Does this sound like a plan for a first time foray on a new permission? Are the pigeons likely to be on fully grown beans or would I be better off trying to find a spot on one of the pea fields ? It would be nice to get a few as the pheasants are going to be in the wood as of Sunday so this patch will probably be off limits after the weekend.

Advice appreciated.

 

[Old Boggy]

Never known them to be interested in beans apart from when drilled, just sprouting or just before (when pods are splitting) and after harvest. I think that your best bet would be to look at the peas, particularly late afternoon, early evening and try to establish any flightlines to and from the field and see which part of the field that they prefer.

Good luck anyway,

OB

[Geo]

Thanks for that ,very helpful comments. I did have a plan B on a pea field which is not as easy to set up on or pick birds from  but I think I will do that instead and see how it goes.

[Medic1281]

I think I misunderstood the title! This isn’t what I was expecting! 

[Wooder]

On ‎28‎/‎06‎/‎2018 at 08:54, Old Boggy said:

If you have any wheat fields, they should be worth a look, especially late afternoons.

The pigeons in this area have just started on the milky wheat with their trick of landing on top with outstretched wings which, with the shorter stemmed wheat sown these days, supports their weight.

Perhaps, Getthegat, the pigeons will be doing likewise in your area of Essex.

I'm hoping to get out later this afternoon for a few hours, travelling as light as possible as my spot of choice in the shade of a small copse involves a trek along quite a long run of tramlines. This particular spot has a convergence of tramlines leaving a fairly large open area into which I hope to drop a few pigeons for easy retrieval. My light load will consist of a flapper, two floaters and a couple of Denny's Dippas raised above the wheat, all of which should give a bit of movement. Other items of course will be gun, cartridges, lightweight seat, netting and plenty of water. Perhaps a rotary would help in this situation giving movement above the crop, but my ageing body tells me otherwise !

OB

 

interested in how you got on ?

[getthegat]

This topic was mainly how the birds are reacting to this hot spell of weather, but hey if it wanders off a bit....... Any info is good Info. I have a wood at the top of a wheat field, up until now the wheat has been of no interest, but the wood is a draw every evening. No good for decoying yet and trying to span 500 yards of woodland edge can mean 3 or 4 birds down, is a good night. I'm hoping for a couple of dozen birds over cereal next week or possibly some corvids over some cut grass, hot weather or normal British summer weather.