The barley stubble is beginning to pay dividends

[lakeside1000]

After my first visit to the freshly cut barley last Tuesday, I had been disappointed by the small number of birds finding it, but not to be deterred I decided to try the same place again, after setting up in the shadows of a large thorn hedge, I put out 8 dead birds and 6 full bodied decoys with two of the dead birds on flappers, I placed 4 flock crow decoys about 20 yards further out but still just in range.

I started getting interest straight away with dozens of crows coming in for a look, within the first 30 minutes I had 7 crows and 2 pigeons on the ground, so I set them all up as decoys and brought in the plastics, from then on it was just a steady trickle all afternoon, 

I had set up at 11.00 and some time later had checked my watch, 12.30 wow with over 15 on the ground I thought I was doing really well, 30ish minutes later  I poured a coffee and checked my watch, strange still 12.30, realising the day was not going ultra slowly but my watch had stopped I pulled out my phone, 2.45 dam I thought I was going to get a bumper day with so much time left but no chance, so now with a little more urgency I rearranged the decoys and persevered, crows kept coming but most noticeable was a much larger gathering of pigeons were moving around the field, decoying well at about 30 yards and making good speed over the decoys on the fresh breeze.

My tally was mounting , not a red letter day but not too shabby, finishing at 6.00 I collected all I could find, lost a few in the wood behind me and up in the high thorn hedge , no chance of me trying to get them down , I hate thorn hedges as I always end up removing thorns hours later from my hands and arms. 

15 crows, 1 magpie, 32 pigeons picked, so 48 plus 4 or 5 not retrievable, but even better was just 65 cartridges fired, with several double taps to drop some birds meant my 'miss' tally was very small, the day had been a real pick me up after quite a long spell of only getting small numbers, there were still a lot of pigeons settling in the stubble all over the field but I was expected home for a family gathering so I had to call it a day, now looking forward to the next outing on the stubble and with the combines out and the next few days forecast as sunny and dry I think there will be a lot of stubble to try later in the week. cant wait.👍😁

[dead eye alan]

Nice report thanks for posting.

[Jim Neal]

What I'd have done is left my phone on so the battery died and gone home when the shooting stopped... "But it's only 12:30!" 😝

Thanks for the report, great to read

 

[marsh man]

Great report and a very good average cartridge wise , I normally take a small battery operated radio to listen to the sport and anything of interest so you do get regular time checks if needed , now a days I find about four hours is the maximum I can sit it out and my body will often dictate when it have had enough , if my body have had enough then so have I , where at one time I would convince myself it was worth staying when things went quite , now I convince myself it would be a waste of time sitting it out much longer just to get a extra pigeon so my minds made up , the gun is emptied and it go back in the sleeve , yes it's nice to be out in the countryside but you can only spend so much time sitting in a chair and looking at set up of decoys and watching two pigeons going around in circles trying to catch each other .

[lakeside1000]

I totally get the point MM but how I look at it, which would I rather do, pack up early to go and sit watching Coronation street or Emmerdale and listen to the wife tell me about her day, or stay longer in the peace and quiet even if I only get one or two more, no contest. to be honest I think she prefers me staying out until the light goes !!!👍