It's Never Easy

[pigeon controller]

I went to pick up DB at 08.30 and on the way I picked up on a flightline out of the city via one of the parks. After picking DB Up I returned to the park and attempted to follow the strong line. We were soon out into the countryside and this line was continous. It was difficult to follow as it did not line up with the lanes and was a case of zig zagging and picking it up each time. After twenty minutes we found the fields they were after, which was four fields of standing maize. We could see in the trees around the fields approx two to three hundred birds and they were dropping in all over the standing crop. A quick drive down to the farm and see the Farmer. Yes you can shoot but do not walk or run the dog through the crop as I still want to harvest it and I need every cob I can get as the birds are eating it off the plants.

So that was the challenge, shoot the birds but protect the crop. So we drove back to the fields and parked in the gate and watched. The field was alive with birds but no area stood out as the area to set up. We were looking at setting up on the edge of the field and dropping the birds behind us on the grass but there was no area. The only other position was a pit which had been filled in. This was in the centre of one of the fields but covered with briars. We set up on this with the rotary set high and ten fresh birds on cradles on the edge of the maize. The real problem with this was hitting the birds so they fell within the boundry of the old dell, we allowed the dog to pick up all the shot birds from the dell but he was soon exhausted pushing through the briars. We shot from 10.00 till 15.30 and picked up eightyseven pigeons, three crows three magpies and one jackdaw.

It was frustrating shooting as you new if the field had been stubble we could have set up in the right place and decoyed .

 

87 Pigeons, 3 crows,3 magpies and 1 jackdaw.

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Well done both of you, another good result in less than perfect conditions.

[Clodhopper]

Thanks for posting PC. That was a good spot in the city and well done for managing to find the end of the line.

[pigeon controller]

12 hours ago, Clodhopper said:

Thanks for posting PC. That was a good spot in the city and well done for managing to find the end of the line.

Thanks, it's strange that the birds come right into the city to roost in the golf clubs and cemetery conifers. You imagine they would stay out in the wilds and roost close to the food. What you do find is that the city is 2/3 degrees warmer perhaps that is the reason also the city has established Beech and Oaks which also supply food.

Edited December 8, 2019 by pigeon controller

[muncher]

Well done PC, I've been busy chasing fowl. I have had to put some guns on rape fields to keep farmers happy and they are getting a few, come Feb I will be out at em again.

[marsh man]

You could well be right about the theory referring pigeons roosting in the woods in a built up area , our woods are very quiet in the countryside and yet first thing in the morning the pigeons come from the town and gardens in there droves to the nearest Rape fields , some of these fields are in a built up area so shooting is very restricted , not only that , it seem less and less people are that interested in shooting on rape fields this time of the year , in fact a few weeks back a farmer was asking on the local radio for reliable shooters to keep the pigeons off his rape, for anyone looking for perms to shoot on this is a perfect time of the year to keep an eye on your local rape fields , even if they are on game shooting land they might be on the boundary where shooting wont have any effect on the remaining game shoots , not only that the game season is now over half done and in a few weeks the end will be in sight and all the rape fields will then be open for pigeon shooters, so get out there and start putting your feelers out .

THANKS for posting. 

[old'un]

9 hours ago, marsh man said:

You could well be right about the theory referring pigeons roosting in the woods in a built up area , our woods are very quiet in the countryside and yet first thing in the morning the pigeons come from the town and gardens in there droves to the nearest Rape fields , some of these fields are in a built up area so shooting is very restricted , not only that , it seem less and less people are that interested in shooting on rape fields this time of the year , in fact a few weeks back a farmer was asking on the local radio for reliable shooters to keep the pigeons off his rape, for anyone looking for perms to shoot on this is a perfect time of the year to keep an eye on your local rape fields , even if they are on game shooting land they might be on the boundary where shooting wont have any effect on the remaining game shoots , not only that the game season is now over half done and in a few weeks the end will be in sight and all the rape fields will then be open for pigeon shooters, so get out there and start putting your feelers out .

THANKS for posting. 

Yep there is defiantly less people chasing pigeons on winter rape and the ones that do go looking for some pigeon shooting don’t last long after a few blank days.

 

Well done PC, that field will produce once the maize is off it and I bet a few blacks will also show some interest, good luck.

[marsh man]

30 minutes ago, old'un said:

Yep there is defiantly less people chasing pigeons on winter rape and the ones that do go looking for some pigeon shooting don’t last long after a few blank days.

 

 

Well done PC, that field will produce once the maize is off it and I bet a few blacks will also show some interest, good luck.

There was a lot of talk earlier on that there isn't going to be as much Rape grown this year as previous years , this is certainly not the case around our way , some of the reason you don't see many shooters are , the large amount grown , the dull and dismal weather , some of the pigeon shooters going on game shoots on the Saturdays and the ones that are left know the odds are stacked up against them from getting a sizeable bag , this is why I say to the ones that are looking for shooting to start making inquiries now while some of the regulars give it a miss .

[pigeon controller]

It seems that a lot of the farms around us have been hit hard by the flea beetle due to the dressing being banned, is this a EU directive or one that it is not selective and kills other insects. With the number of failed crops they are saying that they will not grow it next year.

This may have a dramatic effect on pigeon numbers as rape has been the staple diet for most birds over the winter. Thirty odd years ago we would head to the Severn  and Avon valleys to shoot due to the cabbage and sprout growers. Our local rape seems very poor at present and a hard winter and pigeons may see it off totally .

[old'un]

Yep, I would say its perhaps 50%-60% failure this year and as you say some farmers are saying they may not put rape in next year.

Well I’m off out to see what’s about, might end up shooting some blacks on some cut maize if there’s no pigeons on  the rape.

[NatureBoy]

9 hours ago, pigeon controller said:

It seems that a lot of the farms around us have been hit hard by the flea beetle due to the dressing being banned, is this a EU directive or one that it is not selective and kills other insects. With the number of failed crops they are saying that they will not grow it next year.

This may have a dramatic effect on pigeon numbers as rape has been the staple diet for most birds over the winter. Thirty odd years ago we would head to the Severn  and Avon valleys to shoot due to the cabbage and sprout growers. Our local rape seems very poor at present and a hard winter and pigeons may see it off totally .

It's the same here in Suffolk PC. And i have been thinking the same. Other years the rape has been nearly nee high until the first frosts. Yet again and for about the 3rd year we have very few pigeons tho or signs of movement. My theory of them getting in to and staying in the many maze covers that are on many shoots in the area now isn't holding up as seeing very few in them on shoot days on the shoots i go brushing on. Outings producing very few. !5-20 odd birds sometimes from 2 or 3 different locations. Not hearing any gas banger's or shooting. Plenty of jays about and seeing several woodcock. Still hammering several squirrels where poss and getting back on top of jackdaw numbers. Looked far and  wide today and saw very little activity. Saw something i had never seen before though. A white red legged partridge.    NB