Weekly Report

[pigeon controller]

On Monday we had a text , loads of birds around do you want to shoot. Now this is the farm that called me out two weeks ago with all the birds going to the muck heap and I finished up with thirtyeight. So I contacted DB and we met at the farm, we had three fields to choose from and to be honest not much showing in the way of birds or flightlines. It was going to be hot and the wind was very strong so we saw some birds coming across the corner of one of the fields and DB had to be away at 13.00 so we set up with the rotary low to the stubble and a flapper to the one side of it, with a further nine birds on cradles just level with the stubble. it was now 11.00 and another farmer had arriverd to collect the rape stubble bales so we rolled the closest to our decoys away and started shooting. We were trying  some Express 28 gram 7s steel, which I believe are a clay load and had some impressive shooting. I remembered some years ago we only use to shoot 1 ounce loads in lead, that was our standard shell.

As the 13.00 deadline for DB approached we had a good onefifty in the carp sacks and he had a call that his meeting had been cancelled so we carried on and stopped shooting at 17.30 and started to clear away the gear and bagged up the pigeon. We picked up Two hundred and eightyone birds and lost a few in the borders of the field. As we left the field the farmer stopped us to see how we had got on and we told him 281 and he informed us that a shooter on Friday had a two hundred plus bag and another on Sunday had over two hundred  now if he had told us that before we would not have shot it on the belief that the birds would have been spooked.

On Thursday evening I received a Text picture of about twenty pigeons hovering over a pea field from the farmer, I told him I would be ther tomorrow. So arriving at the field I spooked about twenty birds again but I had committed to shoot so I would. Now this is the field we have had problems with the locals complianing about the noise so I decided to walk to the far end of the field. I counted my strides and it was in excess of fourhundred, the temp in my disco was in excess of thirty degrees and I was knackered. Et up the rotary level with the pea tops and put out a flapper on an extention pole so that it was about a foot above the peas and nine other birds on cradles amongst the peas. I was all set up and shooting at 11.00 the first bird in came straight in and was processed this lifted approx thirty birds up out of the far end and surrounding trees. which also were processed as they kept returning to the decoy pattern. It then went quiet. After about half an hour I was contemplating packing up as nothing was coming to the field. Then a crossing line started, very high as if they were on a mission to another field and as thet crossed and saw my decoys some would commit and come in , the spooked birds would break off the line and fly round in a wide arc and come again, so I was getting plenty of shooting. It all stopped at approx 16.00 with no birds on the line or any others so I packed up at 17.00 and picked up one hundred and twenty birds. It was now 35 degrees and I had to make three trips back to the Disco with the gear and two bags of sixty pigeons which I through in the back and put the air con on full. My garman informed me that I had completed 13,800 steps that day. When I got home I laid them out in the garage with two fans on them, two hours later I sorted them and put them in the freezer I had to throw eight that had turned green.

281 Pigeons

120 pigeons

[twenty]

Great stuff, well done, and a good read.

[marsh man]

Another very detailed report of your excellent bags , one thing I noticed was you putting two bags of sixty pigeons in the back of your motor , I was never a weakling and I found 50 was more than enough , this was reduced to 40 when I became 60 and now being over 70 I find 30 is my limit .

I knew the Cod liver oil capsules I use from the pound shop wern't a lot of good  

[pigeon controller]

1 hour ago, marsh man said:

Another very detailed report of your excellent bags , one thing I noticed was you putting two bags of sixty pigeons in the back of your motor , I was never a weakling and I found 50 was more than enough , this was reduced to 40 when I became 60 and now being over 70 I find 30 is my limit .

I knew the Cod liver oil capsules I use from the pound shop wern't a lot of good  

Recently on my trips out with Bunny_Blaster we had to carry 70 plus bags of pigeon back to the trucks and I was amazed that I could keep up with him considering he is more than half my age of 72. In my hay day DB and I have carried 90 plus bags using German ex army double strap canvas bags. What I do find now is my recovery time is longer the knees feel the pain for at least three days after. Especially if I have a 600/700 bird delivery to the dealer

[Catamong]

I can feel your pain PC, I reckon 55 birds is about the maximum for a comfortable "over the shoulder" carry.

I remember a Guy on here a good few years back, he was adamant that he could carry 100 pigeons in a black bin liner..!

Good luck to him..!!

Cat.😎

[marsh man]

33 minutes ago, pigeon controller said:

Recently on my trips out with Bunny_Blaster we had to carry 70 plus bags of pigeon back to the trucks and I was amazed that I could keep up with him considering he is more than half my age of 72. In my hay day DB and I have carried 90 plus bags using German ex army double strap canvas bags. What I do find now is my recovery time is longer the knees feel the pain for at least three days after. Especially if I have a 600/700 bird delivery to the dealer

You certainly do well for your age P C , I am afraid my recovery time would be a lot longer than three days if I had to lift a bag containing 70 pigeons  , everything is now done at a slower pace , if I have got more than I normally lift then it would involve another trip , laying bricks for most of my working life have taken it's toll on my back , they say hard work never hurt you , maybe it don't but it do wear the body out over a period of time .

[kippylawkid]

Another 2 excellent reports. You have done very well to only lose 8 birds with such temperatures. I'm curious what type of bags you use to carry 60? Hessian sacks or do you have bags you can properly shoulder?

[pigeon controller]

1 hour ago, kippylawkid said:

Another 2 excellent reports. You have done very well to only lose 8 birds with such temperatures. I'm curious what type of bags you use to carry 60? Hessian sacks or do you have bags you can properly shoulder?

I use ex German army double strap kit bags , these carry the load pretty high up on your shoulders/back , you need to lean forward and get your balance and keep walking. It helps if you have a shooting mate to help lift the bag so you can get the straps on. If on my own I can swing fifty odd up onto one shoulder and then engage the other strap. In the past I have had bigger bags and engaged the straps while on the ground rolled over to get the bag on my back and then get up on my hands and knees. I recently replaced two bags off the Internet from a surplus store.

[kippylawkid]

On 03/08/2020 at 10:35, pigeon controller said:

I use ex German army double strap kit bags , these carry the load pretty high up on your shoulders/back , you need to lean forward and get your balance and keep walking. It helps if you have a shooting mate to help lift the bag so you can get the straps on. If on my own I can swing fifty odd up onto one shoulder and then engage the other strap. In the past I have had bigger bags and engaged the straps while on the ground rolled over to get the bag on my back and then get up on my hands and knees. I recently replaced two bags off the Internet from a surplus store.

Thank you, I use conventional game bags and fill 25 in each. I find this manageable but would prefer the weight higher up on my shoulders.

[motty]

More top bags, ST.

I find 50 in a hessian sack is not easy when laden down with all the other kit.

[pigeon controller]

On 6 August 2020 at 13:32, motty said:

More top bags, ST.

I find 50 in a hessian sack is not easy when laden down with all the other kit.

I find kit back first then return for the bags of pigeons.

[Old Boggy]

On 3 August 2020 at 10:35, pigeon controller said:

I use ex German army double strap kit bags , these carry the load pretty high up on your shoulders/back , you need to lean forward and get your balance and keep walking. It helps if you have a shooting mate to help lift the bag so you can get the straps on. If on my own I can swing fifty odd up onto one shoulder and then engage the other strap. In the past I have had bigger bags and engaged the straps while on the ground rolled over to get the bag on my back and then get up on my hands and knees. I recently replaced two bags off the Internet from a surplus store.

Great write up yet again PC. Thanks for posting.

I use a Jack Pyke 120L decoy bag for all my gear plus the few pigeons that I shoot and also find it helps if my pal lifts it up to engage the other strap. If on my own, I stand all other equipment (gun, hide poles, rotary etc) up against a tree or bushes, such that when I finally get the bag on, I don't then have to bend down to pick anything up. If I did, I think that I would just topple over and not be able to get up again .

Like MM and of a similar age to both of you, I now take things at a slower pace. I do therefore greatly admire your stamina and dedication in your long periods in the field. Little and often suits me.

OB