Shooting In This Heat ??

[marsh man]

Looking at some of the recent threads I noticed one or two members don't like shooting in certain weather conditions , I believe it was Motty who didn't like a to stronger wind and another was saying about heavy rain , I agree with both as I don't like getting myself and everything else wet while out to shoot pigeons and a gale force wind is far to strong while decoying , roost shooting might be o k but you still need to be a very good and agile shot to get the most out of it .

Another one I will add to the list is this currant spell of really sultry heat , I hate it , the last time I went decoying was last Saturday afternoon , I found a shaded spot under a tree and it was bearable , my dog come with me all the while and he is not keen on the heat as well , during this week I have only been looking and I start off going down to the lake to give him a swim so he walk around with a damp coat and this seem to do the trick .

Yesterday when I left mine it was 31% and the grain stubbles were shimmering in the heat , a few Pigeons were about but once disturbed there was no sign of movement and I would have thought it would have been a waste of time setting up with the heat and just about every field in the area attracting a few pigeons .

So this have been one of the longest spells since early lockdown where I haven't took my gun out and with it getting slightly cooler by the weekend it wont be in my cabinet for much longer.

So do the heat stop you ?

[oldypigeonpopper]

Hello, in one word YES 👎

Edited August 13, 2020 by oldypigeonpopper

[flyeruk]

Cant stand it.Went out on Tuesday,set up on the rape stumbles,sat in my hide,it was sweltering.I had done my reconnacence,but when I set up,they all ******** off up the other end.

Had another look around yesterday,but gave up,I just can't stand the heat,I wasn't designed for these temperatures. 

Will see what tomorrow brings,hopefully a bit cooler.

[7daysinaweek]

Yesterday scorching here, already showing 25 degrees on the thermometer outside at present, not  wisper of wind and will not be venturing today.

[mgsontour]

Way toooooooooooooooo hot for our dogs so been getting out for 5.30am and we have a comfortable short walk, since the winds have been nothing/slight there is no sporting birds to shoot at and fishing is poor so been resting with a cold cider in the afternoons but guess everyone's different

[Old Boggy]

I have previously packed up after an hour or so in scorching heat despite the pigeons coming well to the decoys.

On Monday I ventured out to a small wood which I knew would be in the shade, alongside a disced wheat stubble. Whilst it was quite comfortable with a slight crossing breeze, the pigeons just did not co-operate, so after eating my lunch (late at 2.30) I decided to up stumps after two hours having shot just three pigeons. I still enjoyed my short session, but in answer to John`s original question, I would not purposely suffer a long period in this heat if there was no shade whatsoever. I just cannot stand the heat these days.

Once the mercury drops significantly, I hope to have another few hours out.

OB

[old'un]

When I was a lot younger I could not wait for the first rape fields to be combined, it did not matter how hot it was, I was out.

killed some big numbers on days where it was so hot it was melting the tarmac on the roads, but this heat just lately is just to much for my age and level of keenness, been there and done that.

There is another problem for the pigeon shooter when its been so hot and still and that’s birds not cooling fast enough and slowly turning blue.

[Walker570]

I have some worked stubbles attracting pigeons and crows but the only good place to set up is against an electricity post in the middle of the field and in full view of the sun, so I have made excuses.

[old'un]

46 minutes ago, Walker570 said:

I have some worked stubbles attracting pigeons and crows but the only good place to set up is against an electricity post in the middle of the field and in full view of the sun, so I have made excuses.

Well it’s a lot cooler today, get yourself out there, wimp.

[pigeon controller]

I can stand the heat due to my exertions climbing small mountains in Greece due to my normal two month holidays. 

My concern with the heat is the condition of shot birds, due to the numbers I have been lucky to shoot over the years I have a good reputation for delivering good guality frozen birds. It is very easy to go out and shoot the stubbles and have a 200 bag and find that 50% have gone green by the time you get them back to the freezer. I've been lucky enough to be invited out with Bunny_Blaster and had two three hundred bird days and we found the best method to keep the birds fresh was to leave them in the standing crop until we finished shooting as they were in the shade and the heat kept the flies at bay. When returning home lay them out for a couple of hours under two fans which takes out a lot of the feather heat with the breasts on the 18" thick concrete floor then load them directly into the freezers in single layers. Frozen solid by the next morning and all loaded into one freezer.

[Walker570]

36 minutes ago, old'un said:

Well it’s a lot cooler today, get yourself out there, wimp.

Peeeessssing down here or I would.

[clangerman]

these days if i don’t have shade and can’t drive to my spot they can feed in peace 

[kenholland]

my camo umbrella comes in handy if I cannot find any shade, plus a perforated camo hat  from primark.

[marsh man]

4 hours ago, Walker570 said:

Peeeessssing down here or I would.

Looking at the weather on the box tonight, it seem incredible we are in the same country with the heavy rain the weat of the county and us in the East have had another very hot day with a slight breeze getting up this afternoon with no signs of rain , well not at the moment .

 

5 hours ago, pigeon controller said:

I can stand the heat due to my exertions climbing small mountains in Greece due to my normal two month holidays. 

My concern with the heat is the condition of shot birds, due to the numbers I have been lucky to shoot over the years I have a good reputation for delivering good guality frozen birds. It is very easy to go out and shoot the stubbles and have a 200 bag and find that 50% have gone green by the time you get them back to the freezer. I've been lucky enough to be invited out with Bunny_Blaster and had two three hundred bird days and we found the best method to keep the birds fresh was to leave them in the standing crop until we finished shooting as they were in the shade and the heat kept the flies at bay. When returning home lay them out for a couple of hours under two fans which takes out a lot of the feather heat with the breasts on the 18" thick concrete floor then load them directly into the freezers in single layers. Frozen solid by the next morning and all loaded into one freezer.

It bad enough copping with the bags we shoot in this heat let alone the bags you and Bunny Blaster have to contend with .

Saturday evening I had to look after the 42 we shot , ours were got in the afternoon so they wernt to bad , I was short of room in my garage so I put 12 in some cardboard veg boxes that stack on top of each other , then cover with a mesh sheet , this stop any flies go on and let air go through at the same time , then first thing in the morning after giving them a quick check over they go straight in the freezer and any feathers are cleared up . 

[Scully]

Mate and me have been out today, but tried to get under a hawthorn with our backs to a railway banking. 
Bad timing on our part meant it was around 1130 before we got set up, but we had plenty of water. 

Worst thing for me was the glare; quality sunglasses help but at times it prevented me from spotting birds til too late. 

[motty]

I don't enjoy the heat as such, but will ensure a scorching day if the barrels are also kept hot!

[NoBodyImportant]

[kippylawkid]

Like an earlier post, wind, hail, snow or rain wouldn't have stopped me in my younger days but now I am not keen to shoot in hot conditions. The dogs don't enjoy it (can be dangerous) the flies annoy me and the birds can easily go green if not attended to promptly.  I enjoy the later stubble shooting in Sep/Oct when it cools down. 

[Old Boggy]

On 20/08/2020 at 10:10, kippylawkid said:

Like an earlier post, wind, hail, snow or rain wouldn't have stopped me in my younger days but now I am not keen to shoot in hot conditions. The dogs don't enjoy it (can be dangerous) the flies annoy me and the birds can easily go green if not attended to promptly.  I enjoy the later stubble shooting in Sep/Oct when it cools down. 

If only the stubbles were left as long as Sept/Oct. There will be no stubbles left around here by then. Most have already been disced or ploughed, although disced wheat fields still attracting pigeons.

Only the maize to be cut for biofuel now.

OB

[kippylawkid]

On 21/08/2020 at 12:54, Old Boggy said:

If only the stubbles were left as long as Sept/Oct. There will be no stubbles left around here by then. Most have already been disced or ploughed, although disced wheat fields still attracting pigeons.

Only the maize to be cut for biofuel now.

OB

You Southern lads live in a different climate to us Northern lads! Still loads of peas, rape and wheat to be cut up here. I reckon we're 5 or 6 weeks behind the South for harvest. The autumn stubbles have replaced the Spring srillings as my favorite/most productive time of the year for pigeon shooting.