A minor miracle.

[JDog]

The migrant birds are still here but in huge flocks, three of a thousand or so and one of three thousand. Whilst it is uplifting just to watch these amalgamations it has been frustrating not to get a shot at them due to the complete lack of wind and foggy conditions. This morning promised something a bit different. My early morning walk confirmed some breeze and Jacko texted from sixty miles away to tell me that he had wind. Andrews Liver Salts normally cures that sort of thing.

In hope rather than in expectation I went to the nearest flock which were actually feeding on a green manure crop. When I put them off they landed in a very sheltered corner of a direct drilled rape field and happily munched away until I approached them laden with kit. This had better be good for all of that effort. It was a long walk.

I had no hide poles so dug myself into a hawthorn and elder hedge and constructed a front to the hide with elder stems and draped two nets over that. The new lightweight rotary is a treat and I loaded it with two pigeons which have been festering in my fridge since the last time I shot some which seems like months ago. The first lot of 400 pigeons flew over uninterested but odd singles came to the rotary and were duly shot. My aim of ten birds if possible was achieved in half an hour and those were set out and for the next hour and a half I had pretty regular sport until a phone call from home saw me packing up in a hurry. With Barney's help I picked 32 pigeons, all of which were in good condition though very few of them had anything in their crops.

A picture showing my hide position and another showing some of the bag from an outing on Saturday.

[aga man]

Well done J, great little session👍

[clangerman]

nice to see someone getting a few you might get a bigger day  out of them with a good blow 

[JTaylor91]

A good day spent outdoors.

[old'un]

Its possible you are the only person in the country shooting pigeons over rape at the moment, well done for making the effort in testing times and not a bad bag.

[ditchman]

did you shoot them from your hide...........

[Jacko3275]

Tried charcoal biscuits and all sorts of things but my wind is still here hope it stays about till next week when I finish work ... I  hope like most pigeon shooters that your birds feeding on rape is a sign that they are moving from berries and corns to the green stuff

[motty]

Very nice!

[marsh man]

From the lack of reports of late on PW your bag of 30 odd pigeons would put you on top of the leader board , we had two shoots last week that were around 20 miles apart and in between drives my eyes are scanning the area to see what the pigeon population is like and I very much doubt the local Rape crop haven't got to worry about crop damage caused by Pigeons this side of the old year , and possibly on some fields not at all .

Good luck and I hope they hang about for another session , the rest of this week should be , mild , windy and wet at times .

[old'un]

35 minutes ago, marsh man said:

From the lack of reports of late on PW your bag of 30 odd pigeons would put you on top of the leader board , we had two shoots last week that were around 20 miles apart and in between drives my eyes are scanning the area to see what the pigeon population is like and I very much doubt the local Rape crop haven't got to worry about crop damage caused by Pigeons this side of the old year , and possibly on some fields not at all .

Good luck and I hope they hang about for another session , the rest of this week should be , mild , windy and wet at times .

talking about it being mild, there’s an Ash tree abut 50 yards from our garden, there's been a few pigeons sitting there in the sun coo cooing and I saw one take a twig into one of next doors conifer trees, is winter over?

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Just now, old'un said:

talking about it being mild, there’s an Ash tree abut 50 yards from our garden, there's been a few pigeons sitting there in the sun coo cooing and I saw one take a twig into one of next doors conifer trees, is winter over?

No but the flood might be!

[marsh man]

16 minutes ago, old'un said:

talking about it being mild, there’s an Ash tree abut 50 yards from our garden, there's been a few pigeons sitting there in the sun coo cooing and I saw one take a twig into one of next doors conifer trees, is winter over?

If all the rain we have had lately had been snow then we might as well hibernate as we couldn't had gone anywhere , it is still raining as I am writing this reply , my marshes where I do my duck shooting are nigh on flooded from one side to the other side , it would be brilliant if they were the only ones , but they run on for around five miles over my side of the river and double that on the other side , still for the moment we can still shoot which is a godsend  even though the bags are often light .

[Balotelli]

5 hours ago, marsh man said:

From the lack of reports of late on PW your bag of 30 odd pigeons would put you on top of the leader board , we had two shoots last week that were around 20 miles apart and in between drives my eyes are scanning the area to see what the pigeon population is like and I very much doubt the local Rape crop haven't got to worry about crop damage caused by Pigeons this side of the old year , and possibly on some fields not at all .

Good luck and I hope they hang about for another session , the rest of this week should be , mild , windy and wet at times .

Spot on. A couple of roost shoots that I did yielded a couple of squirrelys. There were reasonable sized flocks of pigeons which was encouraging but not heading in my direction.  In response to old'un's post,  pigeons will breed any time of year if the conditions are right. I literally  haven't nailed a pigeon for months. And well done JDog, I've seen no pigeons on either drillings or rape.

[old'un]

13 hours ago, Balotelli said:

Spot on. A couple of roost shoots that I did yielded a couple of squirrelys. There were reasonable sized flocks of pigeons which was encouraging but not heading in my direction.  In response to old'un's post,  pigeons will breed any time of year if the conditions are right. I literally  haven't nailed a pigeon for months. And well done JDog, I've seen no pigeons on either drillings or rape.

In all the years I have been shooting and walking the woods and fields I have yet to find a wood pigeon sitting on eggs or young during the winter months, some late broods in autumn yes.

[GingerCat]

Good stuff. Glad you got a few.