Cold and Miserable Day

[pigeon controller]

Set out this morning after defrosting the Disco at 08.00 with the forcast for heavy rain. We had seen some birds on rape two weeks ago and decided to look there first , now we would not normally consider rape until the new year. As we drove out along the lanes we spooked birds from under the oaks  but no acorns visible other than dropped leaves due to the frost. We have not seen many acorns at all this year so I think it was more speculative feeding. During the journey we saw no birds flighting at all.

When we arrived at the rape field it had twenty odd birds down and approx another twenty spooked out of the trees as we walked the edge of the field.we stayed thirty minutes and nothing returned so we left.

Three weeks earlier we had seen birds on a sheep turnip field so we drove to it and it had a good number down , possibly a hundred birds in total . We walked across the field diagonally the birds would not leave the field and dropped back behind us. This field is walked at lot by dog walkers  so they are use to people. We contacted the farmer and set up , magnet and ten fresh birds. The first birds in were shot and the whole flock just lifted high in the air and left the district. We waited an hour and nothing returned so we pack up and started looking. 

We drove to a cut maize field we had seen last week and it had about sixty birds down but nothing joining, the rain was lashing down now and we set up under a brolly , after two hours we had shot two pigeons and four corvids and packed up. On our way back home we found found four possible fields to look at next week.

I'm looking forward to next week to perhaps shooting the dry.

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Well done for even going out!

I am on night shifts, so was happily asleep while you were hunting pigeon.

[JDog]

A rare failure.

Any pictures of the regrowth?

[marsh man]

You do seem to get plenty of the wet stuff when you go out on a Saturday , mind you, earlier on during the week they did forecast rain around our way , today they couldn't have been more wrong as it was unbroken sunshine .

I was waiting for the three figure bag at the end of your report , but no it was rain stop play and one of the rare occasions you decided it wasn't going to happen , at least you done your best and gave it a go , your luck will change before long .

[figgy]

Least you got some idea for next time.  I wouldn't have bothered going in the weather we've been having. Wildfowling weather not pigeon hide weather.

[mossy835]

iv not shot for 3 weeks each saturday has been rain,hope dry next saturday.

[dead eye alan]

Not like you boys to end up with a bag the same size as mine! but well done for posting.

[dad]

I think that is a first. I spent a month in your neck of the woods recently on the severn barbel fishing mid sept. To mid oct. It rained every day the river was 10 feet up i was up by the wyre forest there was plenty of pigeons mostly on grass paddocks acorns were everywhere the kept plopping into the river i spent most of my time pretend shooting like air guitar certainly no shortage of birds there my mate spent 3 weeks on a lake about 40 miles away and said it was the most pigeons he had seen for a long time a field of what looked like millet had just been flailed pigeon shooters were really getting stuck in.dont know if you get over that far.

[old'un]

The rain Saturday was not my idea of enjoyment but fair play to you for getting out, I went to have a look at three fields of rape today after a phone call from a farmer saying there were birds on it, there were about a hundred birds on it so will look again tomorrow if it does not rain.

I usually have plenty of rape to go at but this year is well down on the normal acreage, seems to have been a lot of failed rape this year but hopefully it will concentrate the birds onto the successful fields.

[Shotguneddy]

Yeah also been out today. Over some drilled wheat, which was poorly drilled and all ontop of soil not rolled in, rough job. Good for me I thought, had been a few hundred on it all week so went today the fields are boggy as hell so didn't bother with decs_ the wind went completely still as I got under and stood on the main flight line about 11.30. I  had 11 shots and ended up with 6 pigeons and a jackdaw,  also a massive roosting wood near to where I shoot has gone completely deserted they've been there in there thousands and thousands every Autumn/winter for the past 20 years I've shot near this wood which I thought was odd, they have been migrating recently to, but they've always been in this area, times are changing for the worst I think

[Wilts#Dave]

Nothing you can do about the weather (or lack of pigeons). You get 100% for effort 

[pigeon controller]

Thanks for your comments, there's always next week?

[Shotguneddy]

11 hours ago, pigeon controller said:

Thanks for your comments, there's always next week?

U said u would be looking at 3 at some point, which crops do u think they r on as I have nothing on rape, usually until January and not much on wheat drillings either, just curious thanks, and good licj if u do venture out look forward to your usual reports thanks

[pigeon controller]

1 hour ago, Shotguneddy said:

U said u would be looking at 3 at some point, which crops do u think they r on as I have nothing on rape, usually until January and not much on wheat drillings either, just curious thanks, and good licj if u do venture out look forward to your usual reports thanks

Not sure what you are asking?Next week we would be looking at Cut Maize, Rape, Clover, Hawthorns, Old Stubbles and the woods. 

Pigeons can be very unpredictable as they find any food source that is available , you can drive for miles and then find them on an old linseed field that is well past its sell by date. You can also shot a strong flightline to a standing Maize field where the crows and badgers have knocked down plants. I have shot flighting birds out of the city which have bird table seeds.

I hope this helps.

[Shotguneddy]

59 minutes ago, pigeon controller said:

Not sure what you are asking?Next week we would be looking at Cut Maize, Rape, Clover, Hawthorns, Old Stubbles and the woods. 

Pigeons can be very unpredictable as they find any food source that is available , you can drive for miles and then find them on an old linseed field that is well past its sell by date. You can also shot a strong flightline to a standing Maize field where the crows and badgers have knocked down plants. I have shot flighting birds out of the city which have bird table seeds.

I hope this helps

This answers my question thanks for your help