aga man Posted March 8, 2020 Report Share Posted March 8, 2020 (edited) February was very good to myself and tan regards pigeon shooting, We managed to shoot 110 pigeons over four Friday nights in our small 8 acre wood, smallest bag 13 and biggest 42. The storms and high winds made for some of the best shooting I have had in a long time. Following on from that I had a taste for shooting pigeons again, something which was starting to fade away for a time. The first time I had a good chance to look was Thursday of last week, not the best day to be looking but it was a lovely sunny spring day. I scouted most of my land and all of the land around the woods we had shot in February within a 15 mile radius and barely saw a pigeon. I remembered some land which I had been given permission on a while but had never got round to shooting up there. By chance I came across a field of winter rape and thought it might be worth a look. The top end of the field showed nothing much but when I drove round to the bottom of the field,, which went down into a valley I spotted a good line coming out of nearby woods to the field. It was quite some line in 20 mins I counted over 200 pigeons heading out to feed. The main problem I could see was that the birds were still flocked up and playing follow my leader, when one bird left the woods the others would start to follow. With a good wind forecast for Sunday and a free pass from the wife I made contact with the landowner and he said he love me to have a go at them. I was well prepared with a well loaded car 10 dead birds and my rotary, I invited tan along to help carry the kit and hopefully help workout a plan. We left the pigeons to have their early morning feed and arrived at 10.30am and started to watch. The best hedge to set up on would mean a strong sw wind in our face and I didn't fancy that so we set up on the opposite hedge with wind at our backs. The pigeons came as I expected in big bunches 60 or so strong and rather than decoy they skirted the pattern just having a shy look. This was frustrating and we let many go by and tried to pick off the tail end birds. Sometimes it worked and sometimes not. It was starting to feel like a waste of time but we sat it out and as our pattern grew and we had a blue patch on the ground smaller groups began to decoy and we killed a few. We saw a lot of pigeons in this area today and I feel that in a week or so when the flocks break up a very good bag could be had on this field. As it turned out we picked a total of 71, 68 of which are in the photo with yours truly. We had to start packing up at 3.30pm but the pigeons were still wanting the field. A very decent day on winter rape. Thanks for reading. . Edited March 8, 2020 by aga man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalkedUp Posted March 8, 2020 Report Share Posted March 8, 2020 Nice report and good pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuddster Posted March 8, 2020 Report Share Posted March 8, 2020 Good report Aga. If thats flint on the surface-I'd say you've wandered up on the wolds way? That rape looks well mullered-looked at field on my permission and its standing at a foot tall and not had a pigeon look at it. Keep at 'em. f. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dad Posted March 8, 2020 Report Share Posted March 8, 2020 Well done thats a good bag the rape looks very nocked back you should get some good bags off it. quite often i put a turbo flapper out when they wont commit and give a quick flap with the remote as they approach that usually entices some tail enders down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted March 9, 2020 Report Share Posted March 9, 2020 A good read and a well deserved bag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Boggy Posted March 9, 2020 Report Share Posted March 9, 2020 As already said, that rape looks well and truly mullered. The upside of course is that the decoys stand out well. Some of the rape around here is a good foot or so tall and has started to flower, not just the odd flower but giving a yellow tinge all over the field. Many thanks for sharing the good report and pictures of your day. An excellent bag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted March 9, 2020 Report Share Posted March 9, 2020 A good report showing how important it is to know your ground and do the reconnaissance. Well done and I hope it does produce the numbers you hope for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aga man Posted March 9, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2020 13 hours ago, Fuddster said: If thats flint on the surface-I'd say you've wandered up on the wolds way? Yes spot on fuds, I already shoot a fair bit of land up on the Wolds here but this land is nearer to Humber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dead eye alan Posted March 9, 2020 Report Share Posted March 9, 2020 Nice read agaman and very nice to see someone getting a few, our usual report from super tash has been missing of late, so it's nice to get a positive report. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted March 9, 2020 Report Share Posted March 9, 2020 Our good friend P C will have to soon come on with some good reports as there are people like yourself who are tapping on his door for the top reporters position , we know he had a record bad January and I don't think February was much better , but we are now into March and things are at long last drying out with the tractors now being heard , so come on P C before relegation comes into play Well done aga-man , a very good report and a superb bag , as already said your rape field look in a poor ole state , we have got the odd poorish field but nothing as bad as that , every day now more and more flowers are appearing and a field I looked at today had a bale hide in the middle and the rape was easily up to the first bale , this was around 2.30pm , I dare say there was a good 300 pigeons got off but for the hour I was walking about the farm I didn't see a single pigeon return , so weather permitting I will it a good morning on Wednesday as the afternoons don't seem very productive . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aga man Posted March 9, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, marsh man said: Our good friend P C will have to soon come on with some good reports as there are people like yourself who are tapping on his door for the top reporters position haha that will never happen, we simply don't have the sort of pigeon numbers that those boys do. I'm sure he will be back before too long. I think your Norfolk crops are always ahead of ours as you have a slightly better climate etc, but rape crops are struggling generally here this year and we have nothing near to flowering yet. Some fields have been badly affected by flea beetle and are to be ploughed up soon. The top end of this field is better at around 6 to 8" tall and quite dense but the damage in my pictures is all pigeons and the field has had two gas guns on it! Edited March 9, 2020 by aga man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted March 11, 2020 Report Share Posted March 11, 2020 A very nice result. A few of my rape fields are not in great shape, due to both flea beetle and pigeon damage. I am sure I will have a decent go at them soon. My best bag so far this year is a mere 37. This was a late afternoon, 2 hour session last Saturday on sugar beet. It was great sport. It was just nice to remember what decoying is, considering the last proper day I had was in October! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon controller Posted March 12, 2020 Report Share Posted March 12, 2020 On 9 March 2020 at 19:05, marsh man said: Our good friend P C will have to soon come on with some good reports as there are people like yourself who are tapping on his door for the top reporters position , we know he had a record bad January and I don't think February was much better , but we are now into March and things are at long last drying out with the tractors now being heard , so come on P C before relegation comes into play Well done aga-man , a very good report and a superb bag , as already said your rape field look in a poor ole state , we have got the odd poorish field but nothing as bad as that , every day now more and more flowers are appearing and a field I looked at today had a bale hide in the middle and the rape was easily up to the first bale , this was around 2.30pm , I dare say there was a good 300 pigeons got off but for the hour I was walking about the farm I didn't see a single pigeon return , so weather permitting I will it a good morning on Wednesday as the afternoons don't seem very productive . First of all well done Aga Man for a great report, well done. I have shot with DB for thirty plus years , at least once or twice a week. This year has been a disaster our normal banker farms have had the rape fail. All our other farms are under pressure from other shooters and subsequent flocks are spooky and difficult to decoy. We are managing to supply our customers with sufficient birds with the help of Bunny_Basher. My concern is that DBs business failed after twenty years and he has now changed from being self employed to working in a large organisation which has restricted his shooting to weekends only. Due to this fact I have restricted my own shooting to the same dates thus restricting our knowledge of the birds location. I started to publish our successes to educate and also to create a following as years ago DB could see his business reducing and wanted to supplement it with taking people out. This has not been the case. Last weekend we managed a bag of 107 and I suggested a photo but DB is adamant that the photos and reports are encouraging more shooters!!! I'm therefore respecting our longstanding friendship and not upsetting him by publishing current bags. I have a concern about his mental state as a friend as he tends to " churn" on the number of shooters around especially when he finds evidence of midweek shooters on the same farms. Oldun on here has reported the lack of birds in the area and we share some farms, but my concern is not to upset a friend of many years, talking with Bunny_Basher it is refreshing to have a positive conversation, unfortunately DB is very negative at present with every suggestion being met with a negative response. Last weeks bag of 107 in two and a half hours was a refreshing change and hopefully will be the start of better days. Sorry to hijack Aga Mans post but I have a great respect for my friend and may report further adventures in " Talk From the Field" but no pictures as not to upset DB. Rant over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted March 12, 2020 Report Share Posted March 12, 2020 Good to know you are still active in the art of pigeon shooting , sorry to hear your good friend DB is having a few issues , with this virus beginning to take effect we will soon be in uncharted waters , so as soon as we get over one problem like the G L we are then faced with another one , and unfortunately some people are facing there own personal problems . Hope your shooting buddie get sorted and you are both soon back to your old carefree ways . GOOD LUCK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Boggy Posted March 12, 2020 Report Share Posted March 12, 2020 Thank you PC for your heart felt message regarding DB. We of course fully understand and respect your decision not to publish photos in the future. I can sympathise with DB as I too have suffered a failed business and the financial and personal pressure that it brings. He obviously has a good friend in you and that is most important in such situations. Good luck to you both in the future and we look forward to some of your reports in ‘Talk from the field’ in due course. Very best wishes. OB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMsTV Posted March 12, 2020 Report Share Posted March 12, 2020 Well done aga , been a bit of strange one at this end of hull .Had a few good bags on the cut maize but the rape hasn't produced like years gone by and a few fields of rape has been ploughed into the ground .Thankfully the roost shooting has produced ,hopefully pick up here again in the next few weeks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aga man Posted March 12, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2020 15 hours ago, motty said: I am sure I will have a decent go at them soon I am sure you will. Look forward to reading about it, Thanks. 5 hours ago, pigeon controller said: may report further adventures in " Talk From the Field" but no pictures Please do keep posting PC. I sort of get where DB is coming from though, I left the pike fishing scene for similar reasons. 1 hour ago, JMsTV said: Well done aga , been a bit of strange one at this end of hull .Had a few good bags on the cut maize but the rape hasn't produced like years gone by and a few fields of rape has been ploughed into the ground .Thankfully the roost shooting has produced ,hopefully pick up here again in the next few weeks Cheers fella, yes certainly not been an average year for us so far. Not sure if Ellerby/ Withernwick area is your patch but plenty of birds round there yesterday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon controller Posted March 12, 2020 Report Share Posted March 12, 2020 (edited) Aga man, you mentioned the Pike fishing scene, we used to get followed by the Coventry Circus and Liecester specimen groups as we passed through the various cities when we used to cross the Old Bedford Drain in a metal bathtub with a plank and two five gallon cans as an outrigger so we could fish the virgin section of the river Delph. Also I moved on from the Eel fishing scene after being followed. I've just been asked to supply material for an article on eel fishing Cheddar reservoir from 1977, memories!!!!! Edited March 12, 2020 by pigeon controller Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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