Dressed peas.

[kitchrat]

Recently I posted an inquiry about the effects of pre-emergence spray,  incidentally most replies felt it would have no effect. Most had little hard evidence - only aga man's video showed good shooting after spraying but I would question if the later pigeon arrivals actually knew the field had been sprayed, they had been feeding there for days and expected to go there. If left alone to taste it that day, would they have returned the next day? They have to know these things, once, when my normally pigeon-full roost shooting wood was destroyed by a gas gun, the farmer said I could turn it off but 4 weeks of gas gun had sent them far away and none turned up. (they didn't know the gun was silenced!)

Anyway, I digress..

A local field (checked out via push bike) which pigeons usually love had peas drilled this week. The sudden change from Somme-style mud to concrete has meant they did not go in well and peas are all over the place. However, they are pink with some sort of seed dressing and as yet there are no pigeons. Will they like it when they find it? I recently (before the lockdown), shot a bird whose crop was full of peas. The peas were not pink, just looked as if they had come off a stubble field. Had the crop taken the colour off? Were they undressed?

Any comments to ease the boredom of lockdown appreciated.

By the way, Dad's post of today, in which a plea from the farmer is answered, hits the spot for me, protecting the country's food supply is essential.

[Clodhopper]

I have shot pigeons on peas that have been dressed and have also seen fields with dressed peas spilt all over the surface that have not attracted many pigeons at all. 
 

I think that factors such disturbance in the area and other available food sources play a big part. On my way to the dreaded supermarket this week I saw birds dropping into some rape when there were fresh drillings not half a mile away. This rape was next to a housing estate and is not shot at all. 
 

Just my thoughts, I doubt I will ever work the birds out but the fun is in trying.

 

As for the crop removing the dressing I am not sure. I have opened crops full of dressed seed but have no idea how long it has been in there. 
 

Incidentally I have spoken (by phone) to 3 farmers this week who have all asked me to shoot pigeons on drillings and 2 have asked me to clear rabbits which are grazing off significant areas of arable crops. On the news this morning there was an article on using furloughed workers in agriculture due to the labour shortage. All aspects of food production are important including the pest control.

[aga man]

5 hours ago, kitchrat said:

only aga man's video showed good shooting after spraying

You can also see at the start of that video that the peas there have dressing on Kitch. I suppose there is no given certainty in this game, just when you think you fully understand pigeons they go and prove us wrong. All part of the thrill of pigeon shooting I guess.

Atb aga man.

[kitchrat]

1 hour ago, aga man said:

You can also see at the start of that video that the peas there have dressing on Kitch. I suppose there is no given certainty in this game, just when you think you fully understand pigeons they go and prove us wrong. All part of the thrill of pigeon shooting I guess.

Atb aga man.

Didn't spot that but there again, I'm a bit colour blind so anything with red in is difficult and I need to be very close. Of course you are right, there is no certainty with pigeons, they always bend the rules - like coming in downwind when I've set things up for the "normal" unwind approach. They drive me mad!

Once, I spent all day trying to decoy a large flock on rape, they knew I was there and avoided me like I had Covid-19 and kept 75 yards away. Different locations, different hides, different kit, they just laughed at me. Then, at end of day, they are heading back to roost, so stuffed with rape you could see the bulging crop before you saw the body. I threw out some shells and they decoyed as if they were starving!! Gun got hot, then the keeper turned up to see what the noise was and  we stood in the open, shooting at the suicidal birds for 15 minutes until it was all over, with about 30 or 40 down. makes no sense!!