A Day of Two Halves

[pigeon controller]

The weather forcast was ominous as we headed out with trepidation expecting to get soaking wet. We looked at a number of rape fields with nothing showing at all. We wanted to get set up before the wet and at least get the replacement decoys before the rain. We called in on the farmer and he told us of two fields that he had seen the birds building up on, so we had a look. The one was well off the road and had a number of birds in the trees, so we put a rope banger on that and decided to shoot the other field. We had watched it before we saw the farmer and the bird were dropping in behind a dell in the lee of the wind. Just as we were leaving they lifted off with the sound of a banger. So we went to another farm and found no birds, so we returned to the field we had watched and the birds were back. So we walked down the field and set up in front of the dell, fixing the brolly in place first just in case, The first hour was good with a regular supply of birds, then it just stopped and in the two hours we had three birds return. DB went off and drove around the local farms to try and find them, but we only had a trickle return. At approx 15.00 they started to return along a tree line on the edge of the field but with the very strong wind they would come off the line and approach the decoys only to flare off with the wind also the rape is tall and we were trying to drop them in the lower stuff so we could retreive them as the dog seemed to have a problem scenting them in the very strong wind. As the time went on we tended to get birds coming back towards the roost wood behind us which gave us a few more birds. We stopped shooting at 17.30 as the rain had started and we decided to pack up. We collected fiftyseven birds for the picture the dog found another three after so the total for the day was sixty birds which was a fair result for the conditions.  

57 Pigeons, the dog found three more after the picture so the total for the day was 60

[muncher]

You did well PC in those conditions,I decided that wind today was too much. We did have a go yesterday and that wind was challenging enough for a 58.

[kenholland]

they say the wind and rain will be less next week so you might get a better bash at them P C , another good score considering , picking the right spot is key as you found out , well done my son .

[Whitebridges]

Smart hide arrangement PC and a nice bag of birds. Brilliant !

[marsh man]

Another gallant effort from the Midlands pigeons worst enemy , come rain or shine we can always rely on P C and D B to deliver the good in the currant adverse conditions 

Yesterday I sat in my motor with a coffee while watching a Rape field , I could swear blind in the half an hour I was there the plants had grown a couple of inches  , joking aside , each time I look at the fields now the plants are getting bigger with more and more coming into flower and now apart from still being able to shoot a few eaten off places I think this years rape shooting is coming to a close , Thankfully . 

[JDog]

7 minutes ago, marsh man said:

Another gallant effort from the Midlands pigeons worst enemy , come rain or shine we can always rely on P C and D B to deliver the good in the currant adverse conditions 

Yesterday I sat in my motor with a coffee while watching a Rape field , I could swear blind in the half an hour I was there the plants had grown a couple of inches  , joking aside , each time I look at the fields now the plants are getting bigger with more and more coming into flower and now apart from still being able to shoot a few eaten off places I think this years rape shooting is coming to a close , Thankfully . 

MM, I don’t agree that rape shooting is coming to a close. I’ve seen lots of fields where the rape is no more than a few inches high and even fields with good growth have poor patches. Locally there are quite a few fields still to drill and until that seed goes in rape will feature heavily in pigeons diet.

[marsh man]

3 minutes ago, JDog said:

MM, I don’t agree that rape shooting is coming to a close. I’ve seen lots of fields where the rape is no more than a few inches high and even fields with good growth have poor patches. Locally there are quite a few fields still to drill and until that seed goes in rape will feature heavily in pigeons diet.

Mr JDog...   Apart from the Peas , ( which should go in around the end of the month ) all our Spring drilling is now done and already poking above ground level , all the fields that are still bare are for for the potato and beet contractors , the only pigeons I shot during the week were on thin patches of rape , the rest of the fields have now really taken off and well over three foot in places .

This weeks forecast is for better weather and I dare say before to long the pigeons will stay in the woods or drift out to grass fields where clover is now coming through the grass , so there will be some more shooting on the poor bits of rape but around here rape will only be a part of a pigeons diet .

[motty]

1 hour ago, JDog said:

MM, I don’t agree that rape shooting is coming to a close. I’ve seen lots of fields where the rape is no more than a few inches high and even fields with good growth have poor patches. Locally there are quite a few fields still to drill and until that seed goes in rape will feature heavily in pigeons diet.

In my part of the world, the rape shooting will hopefully continue for a few weeks. I have seen some areas that have been trimmed back sufficiently. I must give them a visit soon.

I will hopefully get some shooting on drillings, too. There are lots of fields that should be drilled within the next fortnight. I am quite pleased that there are still so many bare fields.

[Wilts#Dave]

I shot 51 on rape on Wednesday, on a field that hasn’t attracted much all through winter but is really short still so the pigeons have switched onto it. 

Lots of spring drilling to go in here too so hoping for a few decent days at last!