Caught out in the cold and rain, but still managed 38

[lakeside1000]

Yesterday, despite the forecast of rain I just had to get out of the house, after being stuck indoors for the last week with all the rain and high winds, the sky was blue and the wind southerly and light, so I loaded the car and headed off to the rape fields.

Conditions were perfect when I arrived, setting up under some trees with the wind at my back and a nice big bald patch of rape stretching 50 yards out into the field,

Just 12 dead birds , the magnet and 2 bouncers were enough to get the first birds interested, 4 down with just 4 shots the day had started well, from 2.00 pm they came straight into the decoys and kept me busy for a couple of hours.

I had taken the precaution of setting up the hide with my large fishing brolly as the main windbreak, something I was about to be very thankful for, the light began to go , the sky got darker by the minute, I checked behind me and there it was, a huge black storm cloud headed right at me, within seconds the sky around me lit up with an enormous flash of sheet lightening that struck the ground  about 300 yards away, the wind picked up throwing my nets and brolly around, I pulled all the gear into a heap and reset the brolly above me just in time to hear the torrent of water sweep across the field and over my head, everything was soaked within seconds.

I sat tight through the worst of it , watching pigeons fly into my pattern , land then take off again for the shelter of the trees, impossible to get a shot off as I was hanging on to my brolly and hide to avoid having to chase it all across the field, finally the wind dropped and the storm cloud moved off down the marsh leaving me a little bedraggled and somewhat damp.

Another 20 minutes to reset the hide , dry off all the decoys, my gun and various other bits of gear,  I decided as it was only 5.00 pm I would stay on for another hour just to add a few more to the bag, it turned into a beautiful evening, the sun came out again, the pigeons came back in small numbers , just enough to keep me busy and around 6.30 I finally called it as the damp had now gone right through 5 layers of clothing, my feet and legs were soaked and my boots weighed down with mud as I tried to clear up , the final tally was a decent 38 with one or two down but not found, no photos of the birds as everything was just too wet and muddy to bother but got one or two of the storm as it passed over.

The 4 x 4 came into its own as I slithered my way back to the road, the rain had turned the surface of the lanes into a greasy skid patch but no problem for the very dependable Vitara, then it was home for a hot meal and attempt to dry and clean everything, the things we do for a few pigeons.

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Well done, some cracking pictures too.

[Old Boggy]

Thanks for posting that great report of your day. I admire your determination which paid off in a very respectable bag, especially at this time of year. You are fortunate to have those grass headlands to enable access to your hide position without lugging all the necessary gear.

As Tightchoke says, some great photos too.

OB

[twenty]

Good report, well done for persevering.............it's not nice when you get caught out like that.

[7daysinaweek]

Very enjoyable read, something exciting about been out in a storm.

[clangerman]

good effort and recon easy to miss how many are using rape in flower well done 

[matone]

Good session despite the weather,good to read.

[dead eye alan]

Been caught in a few of them storms over the years and had similar results as you, still better than moping at home , nice read many thanks.

[Jim Neal]

A gutsy performance!  Well done, great to read your report 👍

[marsh man]

Another great report and a bag to match , if ever anyone deserve a good bag then Lakeside should be certainly high up on the list , having lightening hitting the ground 300 yds away , torrential rain , the wind blowing a gale and everything getting soaken wet , I wonder who would have carried on regardless after the first deluge , Alan is made of a lot sterner stuff than us fine weather mortals and I dare say if the dampness didn't penetrate all five layers instead of just four he would have gave it till the pigeons had all gone to bed , now you armchair Pigeon shooters , hands up who would have carried on ?  no my hand isn't up I am just counting the ones who have put their hands up , from where I am sitting I cannot see that many