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Wise, not lazy Crows


Centrepin
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Been ill this week but woke up feeling better today. Sat around the house and by 1030 the Long haired indoor general suggested I went shooting as she was sick of me pottering about driving her mad.😉

1130 arrived at my perm, parked near the grain store and 20 - 30 pigeon came flying out. I thought a shot would be impossible for safety but managed a direct overhead facing the fields, 1 down. As it hit the ground near a wood pile a huge rat ran across, bit of a waste of 32gram x 5s but they certainly tore it apart.

Decided to have a bino recce and spotted crows about half a mile away. Drove towards them but realised several horse riders were in the area so cut down a few Hazel boughs for sticks instead. My new car definitely needs mud tyres for the steepness and at just 8" ground clearance the tow bar is in danger of becoming a plough.

Decided to try decoying the crows that the horses were putting up by getting under the flight line in one of my permanent hides about a mile or so away. 

They started coming in but flared away at 70 yards or so or over flew me too high. I'm never that careful on pattern when decoying crows, I find a pigeon type pattern never works. Random or close grouped facing all directions usually works. Well not today. Hit another pigeon that came for a look and missed 2 magpies. 

Decided to adjust the pattern and in they came. Unfortunately I kept missing so they became bored of me and went away. 45 mins then of nothingness till I heard a crow calling from behind. Quick rummage found my acme caller and shot 8 crows in 20 shots. Not a good average🥴

Finished with 8 crow, 2 pigeons and 1 rat.

All in all a nice day out and home for tea.

My minimum gear to lug and one of my few friends. I think she would have preferred to stay in the car and sleep.

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My first pattern, poorly laid out.

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My next pattern, with a fresh shot crow on the right.

20211119_142314.jpg.b9d20130a802dcbe7ca19b149e9214aa.jpg

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Nice.  That is what this game is all about.  Anyone with the money can go stand on a peg but being out and about on a piece of ground shifting when needed etc etc is what it is all about.  I did very similar this afternoon. Didn't feel to sharp this morning but gave myself a kick up the backside and went to check and fill some squirrel feeders on the farm and have alook around for a couple of hours.  Breath of fresh air soon had me back to normal. Not a lot seen, but one tree rat will not be going home tonight.

Edited by Walker570
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I enjoy the field craft, recce's and hide building and just being outdoors as much as I do the shooting.  Whilst sat quiet some very young birds landed in the branches around me, chaffinches or the ones that end in "its" but the filter removes the word, just nice to be there. Earlier in the year I've had Deer as close as 50 yards. Last year sat with my son an inquisitive deer came within about 10 feet.

I've now several lengths of Hazel drying for stick making and have tied some hedgerow up so it grows straight (hopefully) for the future. 

Sometimes just being out is reward enough, shooting is the excuse that gets me there. 

Next time out I'm planning on a recce for a couple more permanent hides now I know what crops are in.

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46 minutes ago, Centrepin said:

I enjoy the field craft, recce's and hide building and just being outdoors as much as I do the shooting.  Whilst sat quiet some very young birds landed in the branches around me, chaffinches or the ones that end in "its" but the filter removes the word, just nice to be there. Earlier in the year I've had Deer as close as 50 yards. Last year sat with my son an inquisitive deer came within about 10 feet.

I've now several lengths of Hazel drying for stick making and have tied some hedgerow up so it grows straight (hopefully) for the future. 

Sometimes just being out is reward enough, shooting is the excuse that gets me there. 

Next time out I'm planning on a recce for a couple more permanent hides now I know what crops are in.

To get the best out of your sport you have got to enjoy and take an interest in every thing going on around you in the countryside , once you know where the various crops are going in you have an advantage if you have been going on the perm for a number of years and have had the same crop on the same field in the past , you will know the best place to site a hide and you can then take the basics when you are out that way and add to it when time allows , this is ideal when later in the year you can have a couple of hours shooting without having to lug the full kit , I either leave an old office revolving chair , or a five gallon oil drum , cradles I make myself so I leave a dozen in the hide and touch wood I have nothing touched by strangers .

GOOD LUCK     MM

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Last year I had a hide dismantled and stolen. Can't have been a good one if some trespasser saw it and took it.

Learnt from that and the next ones you can walk right past and not see. One has an old plastic office chair, but I need to level the ground more. I use a lot of pound shop bamboo skewers and wire coat hangers to set up dead birds so leave them behind. My decoys are now proplex and I carry about 20 or so in a small rucksack.

My latest hide:

 

20211025_110529.jpg

You need to be looking for it to see it - hopefully.

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On 20/11/2021 at 20:00, Centrepin said:

Last year I had a hide dismantled and stolen. Can't have been a good one if some trespasser saw it and took it.

Learnt from that and the next ones you can walk right past and not see. One has an old plastic office chair, but I need to level the ground more. I use a lot of pound shop bamboo skewers and wire coat hangers to set up dead birds so leave them behind. My decoys are now proplex and I carry about 20 or so in a small rucksack.

My latest hide:

 

20211025_110529.jpg

You need to be looking for it to see it - hopefully.

Very natural looking. I would walk straight past if I didn’t know it was there. 

Thought I was the only one eccentric enough to take photos of the hides I build…..?

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1 hour ago, Fellside said:

Very natural looking. I would walk straight past if I didn’t know it was there. 

Thought I was the only one eccentric enough to take photos of the hides I build…..?

Centrepins could be nominated for the Grand Design's program , far to good to shoot pigeons from :yes: , mind you , they used to say if a jobs worth doing then it's worth doing well and he have certainly made a good job of it . :good:

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