JDog Posted March 23, 2019 Report Share Posted March 23, 2019 We are down in the Cotswolds for the weekend. On Wednesday my old pigeon shooting buddy down here called me to say that the second phase of drillings had started on our favourite flight line. How exciting. Alas the farmer has a new drill and in perfect conditions he has drilled three fields and there is not a grain to be seen. No feed means no pigeons. We looked at two rape fields with a few on and set up in one and shot 9 pigeons in an hour. We agreed we should move and we found more pigeons buzzing around so we set up there. In the next two hours pigeons returned very nicely and we shot and picked 64. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clodhopper Posted March 23, 2019 Report Share Posted March 23, 2019 Well done, you found them on the end. Did those 64 pigeons cost you an expensive shopping trip? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenholland Posted March 23, 2019 Report Share Posted March 23, 2019 you must have read that book j dog move mount shoot, well done . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted March 23, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2019 6 minutes ago, Clodhopper said: Well done, you found them on the end. Did those 64 pigeons cost you an expensive shopping trip? Yes. If you knew Daylesford you would know just how much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dead eye alan Posted March 24, 2019 Report Share Posted March 24, 2019 Cor you are in the pigeon zone at the moment you will be catching PC up soon! 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted March 24, 2019 Report Share Posted March 24, 2019 Setting up on the wrong field is a pain, and something I have done several times. You managed to get a good score in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted March 24, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2019 I thought it might be useful to explain what we did with the pigeons we shot yesterday. My companion is always up for a pint or six so we headed to this particular pub at 5 once we had packed up. We both know the Landlord well and luckily he was there to greet us. We have dealt with him in the past and exchanged pigeons for beer or meals. He wanted 30 for that pub and 30 for another pub of his ten miles away which was a result. We had four drinks over the bar and the deal agreed was that my companion would go to the pub sometime with his wife and have a meal plus drinks in settlement of our deal. As it is a 'posh pub' the likely cost of a meal for two plus drinks would have been in excess of £50. On the way passed the kitchens the chef came out and thanked us for the birds. He then blurted out that he had been paying £1:50/pigeon crowned out. My companion agreed a deal for crowned pigeons at less than that and both sides were happy with the arrangement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted March 24, 2019 Report Share Posted March 24, 2019 That is the way forward to off load your shot pigeons , most pubs now make most of there living by selling meals and are happy to sell local produce like game and pigeons , I could sell at least 30 a week now and after Easter possibly more , mine are in the feather and they are happy if a small bag go in the freezer and then taken out a couple of days before I take them , this way I get a decent price ( 40p each ) and don't waste any , if I get more than required then the surplus stay in the freezer and I only then need to take to the dealer once a year . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinj Posted March 25, 2019 Report Share Posted March 25, 2019 she thinks there's something in the hedge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted March 25, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2019 23 minutes ago, martinj said: she thinks there's something in the hedge It was a pigeon which had been shot too closely by my companion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Boggy Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 On 24 March 2019 at 18:20, JDog said: I thought it might be useful to explain what we did with the pigeons we shot yesterday. My companion is always up for a pint or six so we headed to this particular pub at 5 once we had packed up. We both know the Landlord well and luckily he was there to greet us. We have dealt with him in the past and exchanged pigeons for beer or meals. He wanted 30 for that pub and 30 for another pub of his ten miles away which was a result. We had four drinks over the bar and the deal agreed was that my companion would go to the pub sometime with his wife and have a meal plus drinks in settlement of our deal. As it is a 'posh pub' the likely cost of a meal for two plus drinks would have been in excess of £50. On the way passed the kitchens the chef came out and thanked us for the birds. He then blurted out that he had been paying £1:50/pigeon crowned out. My companion agreed a deal for crowned pigeons at less than that and both sides were happy with the arrangement. I do like the idea of bartering with shot pigeons and in exchange for drinks and a meal seems a good idea. Not shooting large numbers myself, I normally build up a 'tab' with my gamedealer and then either have the amount owed in pheasants, ducks or venison to fill the freezer or the money for a slab of cartridges. Crowning pigeons using the 'Greenhill' method is a quick and easy way of providing prepared meat and increases the sale value over those in the feather. Up until recently, I was getting 50p per bird fresh, which was really good but was based on numbers between 20 & 30, not large amounts. However, my local gamedealer currently is not taking any so any surplus now go to a pal who supplies a farm shop/gastro restaurant place. Not quite the same return, but knowing that all surplus go into the food chain (over and above those eaten at home, at least once or twice a week) allows me a free conscience to shoot as many as I can. I know that Marshman sells to local pubs and that's a great way to sell and subsidise the cartridge costs, as us poor old retirees need all the financial help that we can get OB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kippylawkid Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 Nice return to one of your old stomping grounds. I have built up a decent list of local pubs and restaurants that take my pigeons. Some ask for them to be filleted, others want them in feather but all are happy with the arrangement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 7 hours ago, Old Boggy said: I do like the idea of bartering with shot pigeons and in exchange for drinks and a meal seems a good idea. Not shooting large numbers myself, I normally build up a 'tab' with my gamedealer and then either have the amount owed in pheasants, ducks or venison to fill the freezer or the money for a slab of cartridges. Crowning pigeons using the 'Greenhill' method is a quick and easy way of providing prepared meat and increases the sale value over those in the feather. Up until recently, I was getting 50p per bird fresh, which was really good but was based on numbers between 20 & 30, not large amounts. However, my local gamedealer currently is not taking any so any surplus now go to a pal who supplies a farm shop/gastro restaurant place. Not quite the same return, but knowing that all surplus go into the food chain (over and above those eaten at home, at least once or twice a week) allows me a free conscience to shoot as many as I can. I know that Marshman sells to local pubs and that's a great way to sell and subsidise the cartridge costs, as us poor old retirees need all the financial help that we can get OB Up and till two or three years ago, like many pigeon shooters most of my pigeons ended up at the dealers , for a number of years the price stayed fairly stable at 30p for fresh and 25p for frozen , you were never going to make enough money to give up your day job but it covered , or helped to cover the price of the cartridges , I could normally keep frozen up to 300 and any fresh ones I shot leading up to the day I took them , very rare would they reject any and if they did it would be the odd one that was to small , this worked out fine as we would make it a day out and sometimes I took them when we intended going to one of the local game fairs. Moving on to the present time , around three years ago we got a new manager in the pub on the estate and he asked the keeper if he could supply him with 40 pigeons as they were requested from a group who had booked a meal , the keeper got in touch with me and I supplied him with what he wanted , at the time they were making 30p fresh and that was what I charged him , he thought they were a bargain and asked if I could get him some each week throughout the Summer , for the last two years they have been taking around 6 / 700 a year plus any surplus game I get during the season , I now charge 40p bird and take them to the door , this suit me a treat as I go past the pub when I am looking around and they are happy with the arrangement . We have also got a hotel that serve posh meals and at times they take 30 /40 but they don't get through nowhere near as many as the pub do , last year I gave Lakeside my spare magnet as his one had packed up and he gave me a freezer full of pigeons so I emptied mine and took up around 300 just to clear them up , these made about £30 , so our fish and chips in Cromer and the fuel was more than covered ........... or should I say just about covered Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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