marsh man Posted February 25, 2021 Report Share Posted February 25, 2021 After what seems like a Winter of never ending rain and then to cap it off we had a mini Beast From The East only two weeks ago , this last week have been the reverse and what a difference to the countryside it have made , today I had a ride out to the rape fields and the first thing I saw was , no not Pigeons but fresh tractor wheel marks in the tram lines , then looking at the rape it had already turned to a deep Green and look like it is beginning to take off , two fields away was another tractor turning the field over, and the sprayer was giving a crop a dose of something on another field , with this mild weather forecasted for well into next week we will soon see the first signs of Yellow flowers on the Rape , one thing you cannot stop is time and Spring is just around the corner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted February 25, 2021 Report Share Posted February 25, 2021 One farm here on top of the Wolds has been drilling for two days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clangerman Posted February 25, 2021 Report Share Posted February 25, 2021 with a wilts perm loading the seed trailer up today things can only improve hopefully numbers will now appear with the drill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted February 25, 2021 Report Share Posted February 25, 2021 Yes, it is amazing how a good wind and a bit of sun soon gets the ground dried out. Hopefully, fingers crossed the 10 to 14 day dry period promised will continue. I know one of my farms is just screaming to get out and put some ferti on his grass fields and might even get out and kill a few foxes this next week. It has just been too wet here to venture of the hard road, even walking has been hazardous with large areas of surface water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dead eye alan Posted February 26, 2021 Report Share Posted February 26, 2021 12 hours ago, JDog said: One farm here on top of the Wolds has been drilling for two days. Any birds on it yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted February 26, 2021 Report Share Posted February 26, 2021 2 minutes ago, dead eye alan said: Any birds on it yet? It is one of the few farms in the area where I cannot shoot so I haven’t spent time looking. Pigeons are still on rape round here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgun Posted February 26, 2021 Report Share Posted February 26, 2021 18 hours ago, marsh man said: After what seems like a Winter of never ending rain and then to cap it off we had a mini Beast From The East only two weeks ago , this last week have been the reverse and what a difference to the countryside it have made , today I had a ride out to the rape fields and the first thing I saw was , no not Pigeons but fresh tractor wheel marks in the tram lines , then looking at the rape it had already turned to a deep Green and look like it is beginning to take off , two fields away was another tractor turning the field over, and the sprayer was giving a crop a dose of something on another field , with this mild weather forecasted for well into next week we will soon see the first signs of Yellow flowers on the Rape , one thing you cannot stop is time and Spring is just around the corner Saw you were getting 18c ! thats a summer's day up here..😄 18 hours ago, JDog said: One farm here on top of the Wolds has been drilling for two days. Do you know what they are drilling ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted February 26, 2021 Report Share Posted February 26, 2021 1 hour ago, islandgun said: Saw you were getting 18c ! thats a summer's day up here..😄 Do you know what they are drilling ? Spring barley. They have done 300 acres so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted February 26, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2021 2 hours ago, islandgun said: Saw you were getting 18c ! thats a summer's day up here..😄 Do you know what they are drilling ? I don't think we reached the dizzy heights of 18 degrees here on the coast , might well had done inland around the Brecks , still nice though and you could leave one layer of clothing off without feeling the chill , nights are rapidly pulling out , the water logged fields are drying out and the temp is going in the right direction , mind you , we did have to de ice the windscreen this morning , something I doubt you have to contend with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
243deer Posted February 26, 2021 Report Share Posted February 26, 2021 minus 4 here overnight in the brecks, did not see the temp climb above 10 today. I do know of a field of beans going in next week, right next to a decent roost wood. Pigeons have still not started on the rape, still feeding on berries and spread out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgun Posted February 26, 2021 Report Share Posted February 26, 2021 2 hours ago, JDog said: Spring barley. They have done 300 acres so far. It used to be that that it was bad practice to sow SB too early [the farmers bum test] must be very free draining and warm in the wolds 1 hour ago, marsh man said: I don't think we reached the dizzy heights of 18 degrees here on the coast , might well had done inland around the Brecks , still nice though and you could leave one layer of clothing off without feeling the chill , nights are rapidly pulling out , the water logged fields are drying out and the temp is going in the right direction , mind you , we did have to de ice the windscreen this morning , something I doubt you have to contend with We have had plenty of ice this year👍. lovely to see the first stirrings of spring down in your county, Ive been cutting willows and there are leaf buds on them although the grass is still brown and no sign of new growth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pigeon addict Posted February 26, 2021 Report Share Posted February 26, 2021 23 hours ago, clangerman said: with a wilts perm loading the seed trailer up today things can only improve hopefully numbers will now appear with the drill Good news! So do u have perms in different counties? I’ve always wanted to have the luxury of choice but haven’t worked out how to do it whilst still delivering for the farmer. Plus if there aren’t that many pigeons in Dorset why not go further afield! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clangerman Posted February 26, 2021 Report Share Posted February 26, 2021 10 minutes ago, Pigeon addict said: Good news! So do u have perms in different counties? I’ve always wanted to have the luxury of choice but haven’t worked out how to do it whilst still delivering for the farmer. Plus if there aren’t that many pigeons in Dorset why not go further afield! yes perms in wilts avon and somerset but still very few birds despite the acreage today’s reccy biggest amount of birds feeding was only around 20 so tomorrow is a crow day unfortunately Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakeside1000 Posted February 27, 2021 Report Share Posted February 27, 2021 20 hours ago, marsh man said: I don't think we reached the dizzy heights of 18 degrees here on the coast , might well had done inland around the Brecks , still nice though and you could leave one layer of clothing off without feeling the chill , nights are rapidly pulling out , the water logged fields are drying out and the temp is going in the right direction , mind you , we did have to de ice the windscreen this morning , something I doubt you have to contend with Hi John, had a short session on the marsh rape by the river yesterday, still a bit soft on the headlands but got in ok with the 4 x 4, shot from 2 till 4.30 with 10 picked and quite a few in the air, just not decoying confidently. I have 2 brand new flappers from Nighthawk which worked a treat bringing in some nice birds from some distance out. lost a couple down in the river, otherwise a lovely sunny afternoon , as you say its starting to pick up , with the drying out and the rape starting to grow again it will be hopefully getting busier , funny thing was, there are normally around 2 to 3 hundred rooks and jackdaws on there but yesterday not one, I had a few black decoys out but I didn't see any in the sky, Good thing was I didn't even put the windbreak up as it was so warm in the afternoon sun, made a really welcome change, looking forward to a gradual improvement over the next few weeks.👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pigeon addict Posted February 27, 2021 Report Share Posted February 27, 2021 22 hours ago, clangerman said: yes perms in wilts avon and somerset but still very few birds despite the acreage today’s reccy biggest amount of birds feeding was only around 20 so tomorrow is a crow day unfortunately That’s interesting so how does it work exactly? I’m just curious....do you stay overnight at hotels or just a lot of travelling? Does anyone else here have any experience on managing pigeons on permissions in multiple different counties? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted February 27, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2021 5 hours ago, lakeside1000 said: Hi John, had a short session on the marsh rape by the river yesterday, still a bit soft on the headlands but got in ok with the 4 x 4, shot from 2 till 4.30 with 10 picked and quite a few in the air, just not decoying confidently. I have 2 brand new flappers from Nighthawk which worked a treat bringing in some nice birds from some distance out. lost a couple down in the river, otherwise a lovely sunny afternoon , as you say its starting to pick up , with the drying out and the rape starting to grow again it will be hopefully getting busier , funny thing was, there are normally around 2 to 3 hundred rooks and jackdaws on there but yesterday not one, I had a few black decoys out but I didn't see any in the sky, Good thing was I didn't even put the windbreak up as it was so warm in the afternoon sun, made a really welcome change, looking forward to a gradual improvement over the next few weeks.👍 Evening Alan ..... Glad you are back on the fields , I haven't been down there since the end of the season and at the time it was a job walking around the marshes with them being so wet , the rape bloke must cover a few hundred acres and when I was down there the pigeons were far and few in between , with dry weather forecasted over the next few days I will have a look to see if it is possible to drive down there , if you let me know when you are going during the week I will try and get down there at the same time . A T B MM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenholland Posted February 27, 2021 Report Share Posted February 27, 2021 11 yesterday ,young cabbages , seem to be on the move a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clangerman Posted February 27, 2021 Report Share Posted February 27, 2021 1 hour ago, Pigeon addict said: That’s interesting so how does it work exactly? I’m just curious....do you stay overnight at hotels or just a lot of travelling? Does anyone else here have any experience on managing pigeons on permissions in multiple different counties? have a shooting partner we reccy between us if one of us finds birds then we shoot in the next day or so it’s not a lot of mileage as we passed the furthest perms on and kept the closest ones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pigeon addict Posted February 28, 2021 Report Share Posted February 28, 2021 12 hours ago, clangerman said: have a shooting partner we reccy between us if one of us finds birds then we shoot in the next day or so it’s not a lot of mileage as we passed the furthest perms on and kept the closest ones Ah ok makes sense 12 hours ago, clangerman said: have a shooting partner we reccy between us if one of us finds birds then we shoot in the next day or so it’s not a lot of mileage as we passed the furthest perms on and kept the closest ones What’s the best performing county out of curiosity on a usual year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clangerman Posted February 28, 2021 Report Share Posted February 28, 2021 1 hour ago, Pigeon addict said: Ah ok makes sense What’s the best performing county out of curiosity on a usual year? probably a avon perm cut early to make whole crop birds pour out of the town to it need at least a slab to shoot but last year even that failed to produce sign of the numbers falling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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