It's Never Easy

[pigeon controller]

Its’ always the same when you shoot a field and within a few days you get the call “its covered over” yes it may be but one bang and they go so this is the time to use a gas gun after its been shot not before.

So Wednesday I was out on the field I shot the 149 last week, I would not normally shoot so soon but the farmer insisted that it had to be shot. When I shot it last week I was shooting into a bright sun so I shot at a lot more birds than i picked up. So I knew they would not want to play ball. 

So I arrived and it had about 100 in the trees, I watched and nothing was joining or feeding  so I chose a similar position to last week and put out two flappers, four flyers and six stand ups all real birds. While I was setting up they just stayed in the trees I did not want to shoot them off as they would not return.

I was all set up for 10.00 , the first bird in came from behind me from a large establish estate with bangers on its rape which I do not shoot. I took the shot and all the bird just lifted and left. Not to the estate behind me but off in the distance in front of me. Not to bore you further I had very little returning birds but the ones that came were challenging shots which I enjoyed. I packed up at 15.00 and picked up 34 pigeons.

 

So today I went to a farm which has not grown rape for a good number of years but decided to grow 65 acres this year. I arranged to meet the farmer and he took me round the farm in his “Buggy”to show me the rape and also the best way to drive to the fields. As we drove round I noticed a scarcity of birds and also two brand new gas guns on stilts. Now this farm never had gas guns before so I was a bit concerned that he had done the damage already. As we drove down the centre of the largest field towards the gas gun a good 150 birds lifted off the rape and went to the trees, so I was confident I would have some sport. I drove back to this end of the field and set up as the same as the day before and put a camo net over the gas gun . After an hour one bird returned which I shot .

I decided to drive the farm to look for birds ,as I drove up the other end of the field the flock lifted so I decided to move to this end which is difficult to shoot with public footpath on both sides and one crossing diagonally. So I built my hide in the field itself. It was now midday and one bird shot . I carried on and packed up at 15.00 and picked up 25 birds which JDog would have in an hour and go home for Luncheon.

It goes to show that it is never easy.

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Well done. PC.

[marsh man]

Like you say , it is never easy , but some parts of the year are harder than other parts and this time of the year can be one of , or possibly the hardest time of the year , rape is very frustrating and the more of the crop you have got the harder it become , plus the weather is not always on your side and access can also be difficult , still , you had more sport than most of us would have got and you turned up at very short notice for more brownie points .

Looking at your hide , it look well from the outside , but can you see through it if you are sitting down ?

[pigeon controller]

28 minutes ago, marsh man said:

Like you say , it is never easy , but some parts of the year are harder than other parts and this time of the year can be one of , or possibly the hardest time of the year , rape is very frustrating and the more of the crop you have got the harder it become , plus the weather is not always on your side and access can also be difficult , still , you had more sport than most of us would have got and you turned up at very short notice for more brownie points .

Looking at your hide , it look well from the outside , but can you see through it if you are sitting down ?

I stand all day and look over the top edge with the peek of my cap hiding my face, I use to kneel for the photo but the time lapse on my camera has reduced to Seven  second instead of ten so I find it difficult to get down in time. So I sit.

To answer your question when I make the nets I have less cover at the top edge so you can see birds from the side and front, this gives me plenty of time to miss them!!!

[JDog]

Cheeky.

Good to see you back in the swing of things.

[marsh man]

11 minutes ago, pigeon controller said:

I stand all day and look over the top edge with the peek of my cap hiding my face, I use to kneel for the photo but the time lapse on my camera has reduced to Seven  second instead of ten so I find it difficult to get down in time. So I sit.

To answer your question when I make the nets I have less cover at the top edge so you can see birds from the side and front, this gives me plenty of time to miss them!!!

To stand all day is no mean feat and you would put a lot of younger men to shame , it have been many , many years since I could stand for long periods in a hide , when I first started to sit I would stand up to take a shot then as time wore on I learnt how to shoot while sitting down , now I very rarely stand up and I can take most shots sitting down although I do sometimes leave a bird as my body can't turn like it once did , now I am past the old allocated time I am happy to be able to still take part even if it means leaving a few birds un shot at to fight another day .

I dare say you made your hide so you can see out but not been able to look in , and by the sheer numbers you shoot you have got your hide down to perfection and it certainly work to your advantage .

I use two three ply nets and leave one of them nine inches lower at the front than the other one so I can easily see through at eye level , very similar to the way Mr JDog shoot from his hides .

[maxwell]

You are right PC It’s never easy, that is what keeps us coming back.

[dead eye alan]

What you describe is my usual outings at this time of year, but you generally have better results than me, but we shall stick at it as long as the legs can take it. 

        I always sit in the hide and rise to the odd shot, my knees ache the next day as a rule due to the carrying of kit.

      Well done on 2 consecutive days, Merry Christmas and happy new year.

        PS, Looking forward to the Christmas jumper picture.

[pigeon controller]

2 hours ago, dead eye alan said:

What you describe is my usual outings at this time of year, but you generally have better results than me, but we shall stick at it as long as the legs can take it. 

        I always sit in the hide and rise to the odd shot, my knees ache the next day as a rule due to the carrying of kit.

      Well done on 2 consecutive days, Merry Christmas and happy new year.

        PS, Looking forward to the Christmas jumper picture.

Thanks for kind comments, following the house move which we did ourselves the normal procedure is before I go out in the morning is blood pressure tablet, acid reduction tablet, two cocodamol. The following day I have both hips and knees and bunions in pain , my right hand looses it’s grip due to lifting a washing machine and stretching three tendons. I’m no hero but I’m determined not to let pain defeat me enjoying like while I’m still “ Sucking Air”.