To quote a phrase.............................

[Walker570]

...................... "It aint half hot mum"

Checked out a rape stubble field yesterday and about 200 pigeons lifted.  The sun was beating down and I needed a shaded spot but to get that and be under the strong flight line I had to walk through a crop of wheat still not combined and that would have made a mess, so had to make do with a 2nd choice 50yrds down the hedge under a big bramble bush. Trimmed this back and set my hide as much in the shade as I could get it. By the time I had that up and my decoys(real birds) out and moved Landie 200yrds under some trees in the shade I was pouring with sweat.

The time was 1pm and the first pigeon dropped in before I had the gun (my old 870 Wingmaster out for some fresh air)out of the sleave.  It was obvious that my first thoughts on hide position where correct and birds where flowing over that spot. I did take a three or four long ones but they dropped in the wheat.  I had a piece of sacking which I put on top as a roof for some shade but even the strong breeze was hot air.  A few birds pulled out of the flight line to have a look at the deeks and the pile of empty cartridges started to build. I took in the floater I had out and tidied up the shot birds. At 4pm I drew stumps, the heat had got to me but I picked 16 but had 7 in the wheat where I would have made a mess walking about trying to find them and one cracking shot, a high bird coming at pace straight towards me on a mission met the load of 4s and folded ..came down at 45 degrees and I ducked left as it came into the hide and crashed into the big bramble bush never to be retrieved. I felt the wind from it as it went by my right ear ..close one.  Another went unretrieved which dropped close to the hedge and I could not find it, probably went into the brambles as well.

All in all an enjoyable 3 hrs and I picked 51 empties for what I calculate as 25 birds.   I hope things cool a bit by the weeks end as this field will go again without doubt. Big problem is as soon as they combine that wheat the big machinery will be in with the cultivators unless it is destined for potatoes next year ..fingers crossed.

Nice view across some beautiful Warwickshire countryside.

Flight line was over that oak tree in the picture of the wheat strip.

Edited August 6, 2018 by Walker570

[old'un]

Sounds like you had a nice 3 hour shooting, apart from the heat, as you say even the wind was hot.

As I have got older I also find 3-4 hours shooting in this heat a bit much, bring on some cooler weather.

 

Well done for sticking it out  

[marsh man]

Excellent afternoons shooting , like old'un was saying , 3 to 4 hours in this heat is long enough and I would sooner have two half days rather than one long day , luckily we are in a position to do that .

One thing about getting a smallish bag is you can remember the good shots you do , the bad shots don't go in the memory bank  , a week or so ago I set up on the edge of a wood to get some shade from the heat , I was getting one or two but things were quite , I noticed a high one was coming to one side of me and was just about on , I gave it my left barrel with some 28 grm clay cartridges I was using and killed it stone dead , my dog done well in getting it out of the nettles and that one pigeon made it all worth while .

[Walker570]

4 hours ago, marsh man said:

Excellent afternoons shooting , like old'un was saying , 3 to 4 hours in this heat is long enough and I would sooner have two half days rather than one long day , luckily we are in a position to do that .

One thing about getting a smallish bag is you can remember the good shots you do , the bad shots don't go in the memory bank  , a week or so ago I set up on the edge of a wood to get some shade from the heat , I was getting one or two but things were quite , I noticed a high one was coming to one side of me and was just about on , I gave it my left barrel with some 28 grm clay cartridges I was using and killed it stone dead , my dog done well in getting it out of the nettles and that one pigeon made it all worth while .

Yes, for sure, I will rememember that 1lb of feathers, flesh and bone hurtling towards me for a while.

[ditchman]

christ that looks hot...... well done 

[Clodhopper]

Great afternoon Walker, just dont talk to me about Cultivators,  I have just been watching a rape stubble with a lot of birds on, just had to get the night shift out the way tonight I could be on for a decent day. Whilst watching, along comes the CAT and starts working the next field over. No doubt  by the time I can go tomorrow all 3 fields will be worked up.

[oowee]

Great afternoon. Well done for getting out in this heat. 

[marsh man]

52 minutes ago, Clodhopper said:

Great afternoon Walker, just dont talk to me about Cultivators,  I have just been watching a rape stubble with a lot of birds on, just had to get the night shift out the way tonight I could be on for a decent day. Whilst watching, along comes the CAT and starts working the next field over. No doubt  by the time I can go tomorrow all 3 fields will be worked up.

I wouldn't be to concerned if the rape stubble had been pulled up today , if the pigeons had been feeding on it for the last few days there is a good chance they will be back tomorrow , Good Luck and hope you have a good day .

[7daysinaweek]

As said would not like a face full of piggie at 30mph, close call that!

enjoyed the post

atb

7diaw

[Clodhopper]

6 hours ago, marsh man said:

I wouldn't be to concerned if the rape stubble had been pulled up today , if the pigeons had been feeding on it for the last few days there is a good chance they will be back tomorrow , Good Luck and hope you have a good day .

Thanks MM. I will look in the late morning and see what’s happening. If it’s no good then I will have a look somewhere else.

[motty]

8 hours ago, marsh man said:

I wouldn't be to concerned if the rape stubble had been pulled up today , if the pigeons had been feeding on it for the last few days there is a good chance they will be back tomorrow , Good Luck and hope you have a good day .

I agree. Chances are the pigeons will stay feeding for a bit longer.

[Old Boggy]

7 hours ago, 7daysinaweek said:

As said would not like a face full of piggie at 30mph, close call that!

enjoyed the post

atb

7diaw

I remember shooting a high incoming pigeon and then immediately going onto another when then first bird hit me square on the head. I was wearing a pair of ear defenders and the blow nearly ripped my ears off !! Didn't half hurt.

In future I learnt to take note of where any shot birds were heading. 

OB

[Clodhopper]

5 hours ago, motty said:

I agree. Chances are the pigeons will stay feeding for a bit longer.

I hope so. My frustration was the fact that I have not had time to do a proper reccy recently so I do not know how long they have been on this field. I will certainly check it out when I get up.

 

sorry to hijack your post Walker.

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Nev get yourself an umbrella, makes for portable shade!

[pigeon controller]

My thoughts use a brolly for shade. Great report well done . When DB and I shoot together I keep well down when it's his shot and visor versa he shot  a high bird then swung to the left for a second and the first hit me in the back I had a bruise for a week. 

Its not the length of the time your shooting that counts it's the enjoyment 

[Walker570]

Well I set off this afternoon with great expectations. I had seen the flight line still running the same course and birds still feeding. I chose to set up in the shade of a willow tree and sat back to enjoy.  Five minutes later I heard the unmistakeable hum of a combine reving up and next minute it is running down the field right behind me. It did a circuit and then two tractors and grain trailers arrived and the drivers got out and stood in the shade of the trailers chatting.  One shot of to load up and the combine continued it's way around the field, another tractor and a pick up then arrived, people everywhere. Pigeons still flighting but now moved a couple of hundred yards down the valley and making a big swing to avoid the commotion. Gave it an hour with no interest, so called it a day and began to pack my hide, when a solitary woodie dropped into the decoys from nowhere and departed just as quickly. Came home and I'm going to take it easy in our wood and see if I can take it out on the tree rat my wife saw this morning

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Perhaps it's time for a shot of something smooth to compensate Mate.

[kenholland]

there is enough bits and bobs for pigeon shooting ,but never see any camo umbrellas for sale , even at all the fairs I have visited , saying that I just have to throw some odd pieces I have got to cover my umby , but in this weather it does the trick .but there is nothing worse than planning your day , only to have the combine crew turn up , still it's got to be done , but at least you have the field to yourself afterwards .

[TIGHTCHOKE]

56 minutes ago, kenholland said:

there is enough bits and bobs for pigeon shooting ,but never see any camo umbrellas for sale , even at all the fairs I have visited , saying that I just have to throw some odd pieces I have got to cover my umby , but in this weather it does the trick .but there is nothing worse than planning your day , only to have the combine crew turn up , still it's got to be done , but at least you have the field to yourself afterwards .

They used to be available, not seen one for a while though. I just use a lightweight green version with an extension pole to get it up high. Blends in nicely with the leaves of the hedgerow.

This link   https://www.decathlon.co.uk/umbrella-island-camouflage-id_8368329.html?_cclid=v3_1b860c87-b8b7-58ec-bf3f-6b53103c9761&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpJLw5sLb3AIVzrztCh1g_AGgEAQYAiABEgJzovD_BwE    is to a camo umbrella from Decathlon, google is your friend!

[kenholland]

23 minutes ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

They used to be available, not seen one for a while though. I just use a lightweight green version with an extension pole to get it up high. Blends in nicely with the leaves of the hedgerow.

This link   https://www.decathlon.co.uk/umbrella-island-camouflage-id_8368329.html?_cclid=v3_1b860c87-b8b7-58ec-bf3f-6b53103c9761&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpJLw5sLb3AIVzrztCh1g_AGgEAQYAiABEgJzovD_BwE    is to a camo umbrella from Decathlon, google is your friend!

thanks mate just found local to me , impressive warehouse , give it a whirl , including the umbrella i'm singing in the rain.

[marsh man]

2 hours ago, Walker570 said:

Well I set off this afternoon with great expectations. I had seen the flight line still running the same course and birds still feeding. I chose to set up in the shade of a willow tree and sat back to enjoy.  Five minutes later I heard the unmistakeable hum of a combine reving up and next minute it is running down the field right behind me. It did a circuit and then two tractors and grain trailers arrived and the drivers got out and stood in the shade of the trailers chatting.  One shot of to load up and the combine continued it's way around the field, another tractor and a pick up then arrived, people everywhere. Pigeons still flighting but now moved a couple of hundred yards down the valley and making a big swing to avoid the commotion. Gave it an hour with no interest, so called it a day and began to pack my hide, when a solitary woodie dropped into the decoys from nowhere and departed just as quickly. Came home and I'm going to take it easy in our wood and see if I can take it out on the tree rat my wife saw this morning

That new combined field ( Wheat ? ) will be worth keeping an eye on  in a couple of days time , Wheat seem the flavor of the month at the moment until the Beans come into play.

I had enough pigeons for today's standing order and with yesterdays and today's heat it was a gentle tour around without the gun , I found some yesterday on some baled up barley stubble , not a lot but enough to keep you happy and with the added bonus that the field hadn't been shot , two fields over they were cutting wheat and had already done a couple of small fields , today I dropped my wife off at the garden center while I took the pigeons to the pub and to look round for tomorrow when it should be up to 10 degrees cooler , I walked around the headlands on the rape stubble first and that is more or less finished as far as pigeons go , next I went down to the baled barley field and yes there were a few on the ground but there were a lot more getting out of the trees , with the temp in my motor showing 31 degrees I recon they were using the leaves in the trees for a bit of shade , anyhow , I found a few for tomorrow then Thursday I will look at the cut wheat fields and hope to find some for Friday or Saturday .

I know not everyone has got the same amount of time or the land to go on , but try and work out what they will be feeding on and if you can , try and look before you go maybe the day before to save you running around for half a day on your only day you have for decoying .

[Walker570]

Unfortunately not my field.  Yep, some thunder coming in which they say is going to cool things down a bit in the south. Rain here on Sunday.

I have all the time in the world just a matter of getting the pigeons to fit in with my schedule.  Good fun though aint it?  The one plus from being pushed off the field today was I came home and sat down in my wood for an hour and shot that tree rat my wife had reported ...17HMR freehand at 50yrds, chopped it in half. Young buck.

[7daysinaweek]

15 hours ago, Old Boggy said:

I remember shooting a high incoming pigeon and then immediately going onto another when then first bird hit me square on the head. I was wearing a pair of ear defenders and the blow nearly ripped my ears off !! Didn't half hurt.

In future I learnt to take note of where any shot birds were heading. 

OB

I bet you have!

Sounded painful OB.

you would not think that something soft and feathery could hurt, just goes to show the energy that is imparted by a small feathery object travelling at 25-30 mph. Ouch!

atb

7diaw