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Nice day on the Essex drillings


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The farm my uncle works on had drilled two fields of wheat on Wednesday and the pigeons had found it over the last day or so. 

We arrived about 9am to a still day with a few pigeons flighting around but no flight line to speak of. Made the decision to set up under a row of leylandi that a number lifted out of when we arrived. Out came the hide, whirly and 6 frozen birds on cradles. 

Everything was quiet for the first 45mins then groups of 6-10 start to float over the decoys from behind the trees. Shot 10 or so over the next hour, had a tidy up and made a slight adjustment to the pattern with a few more fresh birds added to it. Traffic then picked up with birds coming in from all directions committing to the pattern and whirly in small groups. It carried on like this until about 1.30pm when there was a noticeable slowing down in the traffic. A brief scout up and down the trees established that the pigeons had taken to feeding on the adjacent field and the far end of the field we were in.

we could have split up to keep them moving but this was a social occasion as much as anything. I have a young family and we haven't shared a hide for 10 years or more. It reminded me of being a kid again when we used to share one regularly, a great way to catch and up enjoy shooting in each other's company. Hide etiquette wasn't forgotten, safety is paramount, although more than one bird got a double dose from the 20s! 

Stuck it out until 2.30, we picked up 88 for 194 shots, really great way to spend a Saturday, a decent bag for the game dealer was a bonus. 

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, shalfordninja33 said:

The farm my uncle works on had drilled two fields of wheat on Wednesday and the pigeons had found it over the last day or so. 

We arrived about 9am to a still day with a few pigeons flighting around but no flight line to speak of. Made the decision to set up under a row of leylandi that a number lifted out of when we arrived. Out came the hide, whirly and 6 frozen birds on cradles. 

Everything was quiet for the first 45mins then groups of 6-10 start to float over the decoys from behind the trees. Shot 10 or so over the next hour, had a tidy up and made a slight adjustment to the pattern with a few more fresh birds added to it. Traffic then picked up with birds coming in from all directions committing to the pattern and whirly in small groups. It carried on like this until about 1.30pm when there was a noticeable slowing down in the traffic. A brief scout up and down the trees established that the pigeons had taken to feeding on the adjacent field and the far end of the field we were in.

we could have split up to keep them moving but this was a social occasion as much as anything. I have a young family and we haven't shared a hide for 10 years or more. It reminded me of being a kid again when we used to share one regularly, a great way to catch and up enjoy shooting in each other's company. Hide etiquette wasn't forgotten, safety is paramount, although more than one bird got a double dose from the 20s! 

Stuck it out until 2.30, we picked up 88 for 194 shots, really great way to spend a Saturday, a decent bag for the game dealer was a bonus. 

 

 

 

Sounds good! I had a similar day the other side of Dunmow,  (I'm from Jasper's Green) on a big similar field but shared with another team (Father & Son) down the other end. They had the best end (1st come, 1st served) and I had a lousy hide position, standing on the steep sides of a slippery, water-filled ditch. Shot well, I had 54 for 74 shots, the others had "about 40" for, I would guess, about 200 shots ("you have to put the lead in the air" brigade!)

The point is, that a big field needs more than 1 set-up. If you were on that drilling by Andrews Field, (the leylandi suggest it)  2 teams could have had a game of ping-pong, like I did.

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47 minutes ago, kitchrat said:

Sounds good! I had a similar day the other side of Dunmow,  (I'm from Jasper's Green) on a big similar field but shared with another team (Father & Son) down the other end. They had the best end (1st come, 1st served) and I had a lousy hide position, standing on the steep sides of a slippery, water-filled ditch. Shot well, I had 54 for 74 shots, the others had "about 40" for, I would guess, about 200 shots ("you have to put the lead in the air" brigade!)

The point is, that a big field needs more than 1 set-up. If you were on that drilling by Andrews Field, (the leylandi suggest it)  2 teams could have had a game of ping-pong, like I did.

Another local! Sounds like you had a good day too.   Yes we were at the top of the airfield. We considered splitting up but it was as much about the social aspect as the sport. 

1 hour ago, butchdickason said:

Perfect day, Shooting with family is good fun.

 

This👍

1 hour ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

Well done, sounds like you had some good sport.:good:

A great day! 

Edited by shalfordninja33
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On 31/03/2019 at 03:20, shalfordninja33 said:

The farm my uncle works on had drilled two fields of wheat on Wednesday and the pigeons had found it over the last day or so. 

We arrived about 9am to a still day with a few pigeons flighting around but no flight line to speak of. Made the decision to set up under a row of leylandi that a number lifted out of when we arrived. Out came the hide, whirly and 6 frozen birds on cradles. 

Everything was quiet for the first 45mins then groups of 6-10 start to float over the decoys from behind the trees. Shot 10 or so over the next hour, had a tidy up and made a slight adjustment to the pattern with a few more fresh birds added to it. Traffic then picked up with birds coming in from all directions committing to the pattern and whirly in small groups. It carried on like this until about 1.30pm when there was a noticeable slowing down in the traffic. A brief scout up and down the trees established that the pigeons had taken to feeding on the adjacent field and the far end of the field we were in.

we could have split up to keep them moving but this was a social occasion as much as anything. I have a young family and we haven't shared a hide for 10 years or more. It reminded me of being a kid again when we used to share one regularly, a great way to catch and up enjoy shooting in each other's company. Hide etiquette wasn't forgotten, safety is paramount, although more than one bird got a double dose from the 20s! 

Stuck it out until 2.30, we picked up 88 for 194 shots, really great way to spend a Saturday, a decent bag for the game dealer was a bonus. 

 

 

 

They were on that field again on Monday, as I headed for the airport. Maybe you have another chance??

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