Possibly the last day on the stubbles

[Old Boggy]

As the title, my pal Stour Boy and myself had to make the most of shooting over wheat stubble yesterday before it is due to be cultivated in the next few days. Our chosen spot was on a well used flightline running parallel to a railway line, the wind on our backs and a small copse behind giving much welcomed shade.

We are both septuagenarians, with me having recently joined the ranks, so being able to drive to our hide position was an advantage, enabling us to take an assortment of `gizmos` i.e. whirly, flapper, floaters seats etc. We are certainly not `Butterfly` shooters and being retired, make the effort to go out, albeit for just a few hours at least once a week, every week throughout the year. In winter, when having to walk to our chosen spot, things are kept very much to a minimum.

Our shared hide was large enough to house both of us and also Stour Boy`s wonderful dog Decker, who is much sharper than either of us in spotting incoming pigeons. We often get a look from the dog which says `Well I saw it, why the hell didn`t you shoot ?` Either that, or we get a look of disdain with almost raised eyebrows when we miss.

On this occasion however, we did both manage to get a few in our short session, with a few unsuccessful attempts at eye wipes. We shoot alternatively with the proviso that should one have a double miss, then the other can have a go. 

Unlike our last session last week, where there were no young birds shot, almost half the birds this week were youngsters, which obviously explained why they decoyed so readily.

Decker marked every bird down and retrieved faultlessly even after we purposely waited a few minutes on occasions where we knew that the bird was stone dead before sending him out. On any bird that was a runner, he was sent out immediately but only on command and never has run in. Such is the mark of the dog and the good training by Stour Boy. 

We ended our short session from 1.30 to 4.30 pm with just 19 birds which kept us reasonably busy and still enabled the usual banter and time to consume great chunks of the delicious cake provided by Stour Boy`s wife.

With seeing the dog retrieve, a bit of good (and bad) shooting and a great deal of banter, it just does not get any better than that.

The photo shows the birds most carefully arranged in true Kentish style (someone`s bound to come up with a suitable name for such  an immaculate presentation). Not for us the haphazard Norfolk pile !!

Cheers Stour Boy and particularly Decker for saving our ageing legs with those great retrieves.

OB

[motty]

A very good read. I'm surprised that it might be your last go on the stubbles. I expect to be shooting stubbles for the next month or so.

[ditchman]

that dog is posing.........they are not stupid..

[Old Boggy]

12 minutes ago, motty said:

A very good read. I'm surprised that it might be your last go on the stubbles. I expect to be shooting stubbles for the next month or so.

Yep, the only stubble left shortly will be a wheat stubble that is going to be undersown with rape. You're lucky that you will still have stubble left for a few more weeks. Most around here has already been cultivated.

OB

 

[Clodhopper]

Sounds like a perfect afternoon, enjoyed by all. Despite a lot of birds in my area I am struggling to find anything worth setting up for on the stubble. There are no discernable flight lines, just birds scattered everywhere. Unlike you I am looking forward to the cultivations so it will concentrate the birds a bit.

[marsh man]

That sound like an ideal day to me O B , enough to keep you interested , good ole natter , good dog work and what sound like a very nice bit of home made cake .

By the way , to the outsider our Norfolk pile might well look haphazard , but if you study it closely they are laid in such a way where you can sack them up from one kneeling position , when you get to our age , there isn't any point in bending more than you have to  

[7daysinaweek]

Great post O.B

The dog looks very a very happy chap,.

I shot a few birds yesterday and they also had quite a few younger birds. Looks very sunny from the picture and as you say the shade must have been welcoming for both human and canine.

atb

7diaw

[ditchman]

1 hour ago, marsh man said:

That sound like an ideal day to me O B , enough to keep you interested , good ole natter , good dog work and what sound like a very nice bit of home made cake .

By the way , to the outsider our Norfolk pile might well look haphazard , but if you study it closely they are laid in such a way where you can sack them up from one kneeling position , when you get to our age , there isn't any point in bending more than you have to  

i might add "when you are our age and bend down....to pick something up...we tend to think "is there anything else i can do down here before straightening up"..

[marsh man]

1 hour ago, ditchman said:

i might add "when you are our age and bend down....to pick something up...we tend to think "is there anything else i can do down here before straightening up"..

If there is only one thing to pick up , I then drop two or three more things to make the bending more worthwhile  ☺️

I tell yer one thing I did buy which save a lot of bending is one of those grabs the litter pickers use , they are not quite strong enough for a dead pigeon but they will pick the decoys up with no trouble

The main reason I got it was when I walk up the rows where they had been taking spuds up and it is ideal to pick the odd ones that got left behind ,... and a few that might have got left behind   

[kenholland]

3 hours ago, marsh man said:

If there is only one thing to pick up , I then drop two or three more things to make the bending more worthwhile  ☺️

I tell yer one thing I did buy which save a lot of bending is one of those grabs the litter pickers use , they are not quite strong enough for a dead pigeon but they will pick the decoys up with no trouble

The main reason I got it was when I walk up the rows where they had been taking spuds up and it is ideal to pick the odd ones that got left behind ,... and a few that might have got left behind   

let me know when you get to that stage when you cannot walk , and I will build you a 4x4 mobility scooter , you poor old thing , saying that the pick up is a good idea.

[marsh man]

28 minutes ago, kenholland said:

let me know when you get to that stage when you cannot walk , and I will build you a 4x4 mobility scooter , you poor old thing , saying that the pick up is a good idea.

You might get to that stage before me Mr Holland and when you drop a ten bob note you will then realise what a good idea my little ole pick up was   , getting old is no problem , its the problems that come with getting old . mind you , I do like the idea of you building me a 4 x 4 mobility  scooter . hopefully with enough room to accommodate my dog ??  

[Old Boggy]

13 hours ago, marsh man said:

If there is only one thing to pick up , I then drop two or three more things to make the bending more worthwhile  ☺️

I tell yer one thing I did buy which save a lot of bending is one of those grabs the litter pickers use , they are not quite strong enough for a dead pigeon but they will pick the decoys up with no trouble

The main reason I got it was when I walk up the rows where they had been taking spuds up and it is ideal to pick the odd ones that got left behind ,... and a few that might have got left behind   

All this talk of ageing bones etc. and I do marvel at the sheer dedication, determination and stamina of PC on here, who I think is of a similar age, but still goes out for several hours on both Saturday and Sunday, returning with consistently large bags. No wonder he has to have a couple of months respite in Greece. He is still an inspiration to us all.

Yammas, PC if you are reading this.

OB

[marsh man]

3 hours ago, Old Boggy said:

All this talk of ageing bones etc. and I do marvel at the sheer dedication, determination and stamina of PC on here, who I think is of a similar age, but still goes out for several hours on both Saturday and Sunday, returning with consistently large bags. No wonder he has to have a couple of months respite in Greece. He is still an inspiration to us all.

Yammas, PC if you are reading this.

OB

I fully agree OB , something I have often remarked on in the past on what is involved on a hard days pigeon shooting from start to finish .

We know we are not all built the same and no doubt like you we are more than happy getting out as often as we do with only the odd aches and pains to contend with , we also know there are a lot of members who are unable to continue there sport for various reasons such as health issues , work and family commitments .

So although we have a little light hearted moan , we know we are the lucky ones who have very little to moan about .