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Best time?


Lloyd90
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4 minutes ago, Lloyd90 said:

What’s the best time of day at the moment to setup for pigeon? 

Looking to setup on some rape on the weekend ... 

As with Corvids, I've found that first light is the best. If you can set up before it get's light, then all the better. Birds come off the roost and are looking for breakfast (as my mate says!)

 

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17 minutes ago, steve_b_wales said:

As with Corvids, I've found that first light is the best. If you can set up before it get's light, then all the better. Birds come off the roost and are looking for breakfast (as my mate says!)

 

Hi Steve,

I’ve not shot these fields before though so not 100% on where to setup unfortunately. 

Still advised to go first light? 

 

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To shoot pigeons at first light on a large field is not easy unless you know the field well and are fairly sure where the birds will go, I would spend some time just watching the fields first.

How big are the/is the field/s, if more than one are they all together? If it was me I would first sit and watch the field/s, see where they want, let them settle then walk/clap them off, get back in your car and wait, if they start to return do the same again, if after this they start to return you may have a chance but until the gun speaks you will not really know.

Edited by old'un
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11 minutes ago, old'un said:

To shoot pigeons at first light on a large field is not easy unless you know the field well and are fairly sure where the birds will go, I would spend some time just watching the fields first.

I fully agree , but there might be some focal points on the field like a tree in the middle or a L shaped hedge where it might be worth setting up first thing in the morning , as for timing , better to be to early than to be to late .

Mined you , It's still better if Loyd found out a bit about the field of rape before he attempted to shoot it .

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2 minutes ago, steve_b_wales said:

As with Corvids, I've found that first light is the best. If you can set up before it get's light, then all the better. Birds come off the roost and are looking for breakfast (as my mate says!)

 

So at this time of year i wouldnt agree with first light .let me explain.

Your a pigeon all fluffed up to keep warm on your branch .the sun comes up but the temp is still dropping after a clear freezing night .. (temp doesnt start to rise till 1 hour past sun rise .... physics) 

The air is cold and your local field of osr is frozen solid .which if you try to eat it will cool you further .better to wait till about 9:00-  9: 30 till every thing warms up and then  you eat as much as poss in the warmest part of the day .then back to bed before the temp drops again .at 3.30 -4:00 .

 

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30 minutes ago, Ultrastu said:

So at this time of year i wouldnt agree with first light .let me explain.

Your a pigeon all fluffed up to keep warm on your branch .the sun comes up but the temp is still dropping after a clear freezing night .. (temp doesnt start to rise till 1 hour past sun rise .... physics) 

The air is cold and your local field of osr is frozen solid .which if you try to eat it will cool you further .better to wait till about 9:00-  9: 30 till every thing warms up and then  you eat as much as poss in the warmest part of the day .then back to bed before the temp drops again .at 3.30 -4:00 .

 

The pigeons around the Midlands must be hardy as I have seen them piling into a field of rape at 8:30am and it was covered in frost.

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Recon first mate, even if it means doing the shooting on a sunday. Spend a hour there at either 10am or 3pm. I had to travel 45mins each way last weekend just to have a look, learning where they come from, sitting ect ect. I had a good mornings shoot but still could of done things better. 

Dont think the weathers gonna be to cleaver for us this weekend (im about 30mile below you) so im gonna ****** off to back to emlyn and do some lamping (164 mile each way) 😂

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17 hours ago, stumfelter said:

The trouble with being there at first light is if they come out of roost and all pile in you have two shots and if there's unshot rape nearby they'll go there never to be seen again. Best to wait till they're moving in dribs and drabs after the first feed.

Very true. However, you could turn up at 10am and put the birds off the field, only for them not to return that day.

I have had some very good results by being ready to shoot at first light.

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OP,

Go watch the field day or 2 before hand....what the pigeons doing/where are they flying to/from..Rape in Feb is v hit/miss but best chance is being a)where they are feeding (are they actually hitting the rape where you are)?b)near main flightline..

Pigeons when weather cold like to feed a generalisation is early then later afternoon with lull in middle of day...but if weather getting worse they like to fuel up..around here they are still on old acorns/ivy berries with only sporadic visits to the fields so it is v tough and I just stand in trees under flightline and don't bother with decoying at the mo......once they are regularly on the ground in numbers will think about hide/decoys etc.

If you cant get to look beforehand I would go early and almost treat it as a recce day....atb.

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On 09/02/2019 at 14:30, Lloyd90 said:

I spoke to a friend I was going with and forecast torrential rain all of today and tomorrow so afraid not! 

I did however head up to Gloucester and have a dog training 1:1 lesson so today has been a good day  

Bloody fair weather weekend shooters!:rolleyes::whistling:

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Locally I have noticed pigeons starting the day on one field then moving on to another in the afternoon.

Earlier this week I was set up at 9am ( conditions were good bright and sunny) by 1pm I was packed up and heading home with 43 pigeons, most of which I shot in the first 2 hours.

If had gone out at 1pm would I have shot more? Possibly as it all depends on the weather conditions and how they react to being disturbed.

local reconnaissance is so important, as you need to know what pigeons on your patch are doing.

 

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