Lloyd90 Posted April 6, 2020 Report Share Posted April 6, 2020 Due to the current crisis and being unknown if we can go ahead next year we are looking at ways of improving our shoot this year (once we are allowed out of our houses again). We managed to do some shrub planting before the lock down, so one of our woods that was very bare on the ground will have 50 plants / shrubs of evergreen type hedges/shrub that will hopefully grow well... but we imagine that’ll be a few years before that cover is well established. If we are able to get birds we will most likely release ex-layers this year and not as many due to the plan to try and reduce cost for a smaller season. Most likely netted in at the start of the season to reduce predation from owls and BOP, and stop wandering so much. We also also looking at other things we could do to improve the habitat? One of the lads has loads of wooden pallets, which I have suggested we use to stack or lean on each other to create pockets of cover around the place etc. Another plan was to possibly have two auto feeders set to spin off about an hour before usual shooting time, hopefully to become a bit like whistle feeding, so the birds learn the sound of the spin and pull into the woods. Can anyone recommend any other additional things they greatly improved their woodlands on their shoot? Oh we also get a few woodcock in our woods and surrounding hedges, about 6-10 lift off normally, we don’t shoot at them usually, until late in the season and only if you want it to eat. Any tips to improve habitat for woodcock as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennett Posted April 6, 2020 Report Share Posted April 6, 2020 Lots of light in your woods if your allowed to fell/clear trees? Copping Hazle and similar plants. Hedge laying, Bramble stems can be pegged down and will re-shoot from to make another bush. Vermin trapping, make some nest boxes for smaller birds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted April 6, 2020 Report Share Posted April 6, 2020 kennett as just about covered it. If you lay thorn or nut or even elder down, make sure they are laid in line with how the beaters normally work the wood. Did this a few years ago with a wood which had a large number of elders growing as an understorey. We laid them in rows with about a yard and a half between the rows and even in the first year sufficent wild growth/nettles sprang up to creat hiding spots for birds but when pushed out they tended naturally to fly down the lines towards the guns. Only problem was it tended to tempt dogs to run on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalkedUp Posted April 6, 2020 Report Share Posted April 6, 2020 Creating some flush points too if cover is thick in a long wood and birds can run on. Doesn’t need to be high. Chicken wire 2ft, especially at the edges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nmb Posted April 6, 2020 Report Share Posted April 6, 2020 Sounds like some good ideas and will be interested to see how the shrubs take. We have planted some willow cuttings (literally cut thin branches from established trees) they seem to have taken well but will have to wait and see. We have tried auto feeders and if I’m honest I’m not convinced they are worth the outlay. We have ended up converting them to duck feeders and have found that a sprinkling of maize in a bucket of wheat spread along a feed ride keeps the birds interested but like anything else there’s only so much pressure birds will take before they find somewhere more peaceful. Riser fences are great and we tend to leave someone less able to watch a little back from it with a radio to let us now how the birds are building up ..... or not! Other things we have tried is strimming rides through thick areas of reeds then feeding it which seems to work as when left wild it’s sometimes too thick for the birds to venture in. Make sure you dog in ex layers pretty well as they can be trouble if you don’t get them used to home. Shouldn’t be an issue in a netted pen which are great. We release a dozen every couple of days once they are in the pens for a few weeks. We find that the released birds spend most of their time around the pen with their buddies and by the time they are all out they really feel at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted April 10, 2020 Report Share Posted April 10, 2020 We thinned out many of the thin spindly trees in our wood. They grow very tall to get to the light and then when they're in leaf, block out sunlight. We didn't remove any of the mature or well established trees, but once the thin spindly ones had gone, it made an amazing difference to the spaces below, and the flora that must have been laying dormant for years just waiting for sunlight! We now have brambles, foxglove, gooseberry and all manner of ground cover for our birds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jall25 Posted July 15, 2020 Report Share Posted July 15, 2020 On 06/04/2020 at 11:01, Lloyd90 said: Due to the current crisis and being unknown if we can go ahead next year we are looking at ways of improving our shoot this year (once we are allowed out of our houses again). We managed to do some shrub planting before the lock down, so one of our woods that was very bare on the ground will have 50 plants / shrubs of evergreen type hedges/shrub that will hopefully grow well... but we imagine that’ll be a few years before that cover is well established. If we are able to get birds we will most likely release ex-layers this year and not as many due to the plan to try and reduce cost for a smaller season. Most likely netted in at the start of the season to reduce predation from owls and BOP, and stop wandering so much. We also also looking at other things we could do to improve the habitat? One of the lads has loads of wooden pallets, which I have suggested we use to stack or lean on each other to create pockets of cover around the place etc. Another plan was to possibly have two auto feeders set to spin off about an hour before usual shooting time, hopefully to become a bit like whistle feeding, so the birds learn the sound of the spin and pull into the woods. Can anyone recommend any other additional things they greatly improved their woodlands on their shoot? Oh we also get a few woodcock in our woods and surrounding hedges, about 6-10 lift off normally, we don’t shoot at them usually, until late in the season and only if you want it to eat. Any tips to improve habitat for woodcock as well? Morning LLoyd The best thing i did on our shoot was create some little ponds and dykes The birds simply love them and the insects that come are great for everything I have made about 10 of varying sizes but 1 makes a huge difference ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted July 15, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2020 15 hours ago, jall25 said: Morning LLoyd The best thing i did on our shoot was create some little ponds and dykes The birds simply love them and the insects that come are great for everything I have made about 10 of varying sizes but 1 makes a huge difference ! Got any pics of what you mean mate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jall25 Posted July 16, 2020 Report Share Posted July 16, 2020 Morning Lloyd Pm me your number and i will send you a few Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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