So far this Week

[pigeon controller]

Monday I had a repeat call from one of my farmers who wants you to shoot 24/7 which I have tried to tell him its good to give them a rest and sacrifice two days feeding to shoot more in the  end.

I agreed to go on Tuesday, so while I’m driving to the farm I have a look at other farms to see what’s about and I get a phone call “ are you here yet “ . The farmer had just seen a large flock of birds pass over the farm to the furthest rape field. So I arrived and scanned the fields, about fifty on the one field so I decided to walk the length of the far to the field he had seen the large flock which is down wind with the intention to position a rope banger to send them up to me on the other field.

I just reached the far field and had a call from the farmer “ Ive got you another shooter to help you out”. So I arrange to meet this guy in the field I was going to put the rope  banger. We have a quick chat and he agrees to shoot this field as he shot the other field on Sunday and had seven birds.

I walked back to the top field and set up with twelve fresh birds as normal two on the magnet ,four flyers and six on cradles above the rape. The wind was very strong and the few birds that returned were challenging but enjoyable.  Shot from 11.00 and packed up at 15.00 and picked up 34 pigeons. The other shooter decided not to set up decoys and walked about and shot 7.

I await the farmers call!!!!

On Wednesday I went back to the farm that Bunny_Blaster asked me to keep an eye on, he had seen it on Sunday with a few birds flighting. I arrived at 09.00 and scanned the fields and nothing was down on the rape but I could see a flightline that I shot before leading to a far rape field , so I decided to set up under the line and decoy the rape. I was set up for 10.00 with the normal twelve fresh birds. The first hour was manic with the birds passing over my head and turning for the decoys, I did not pick up any birds until 11.00 and completed the pattern with magnet .flyers and 20 cradles . this is my standard set up and usually bring in the shot birds. I decided to experiment so shot birds were collected and put on spikes ten feet from the main pattern to see if they preferred movement or static birds. As the day went on I had   twentysix birds in the standard pattern and eighty with spikes and the bird still came to the movement pattern first.

I packed up at 15.00 and picked up 106 birds so my average from two visits of this farm is 118.5  so I might leave it at that!!!!

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Well done!  

Edited February 10, 2022 by TIGHTCHOKE

[Walker570]

Nice!!!

[yates]

Excellent report 

[pigeon controller]

One of the problems with all this crop protection is getting rid of the shot birds, today I delivered 400 and still have 800+ in the freezers and farmers calling. Dont get me wrong I love what I do but the shot bird market seems to be at an all time low.

Go back thirty years and the continental demand was huge, is it that all the post war babies only eat Fast Food.

[marsh man]

1 hour ago, pigeon controller said:

One of the problems with all this crop protection is getting rid of the shot birds, today I delivered 400 and still have 800+ in the freezers and farmers calling. Dont get me wrong I love what I do but the shot bird market seems to be at an all time low.

Go back thirty years and the continental demand was huge, is it that all the post war babies only eat Fast Food.

Sadly I believe the problem in off loading the dead pigeons is going to be very limited with the continental restaurants only slowly getting back to normal and very little demand in the U K .

Like you I can well remember the very high demand in the mid 70s , I have still got a Shooting Times from 1976 where there are two adverts for 1,000,000 ( One Million ) wanted by two different game dealers , George Hull of Boston and Frost Game from Brockdish in Norfolk .

Sadly both of these dealers are now in the history books .

[oldypigeonpopper]

Hello, well done TC, you must get through a lot of cartridges, 

[oldypigeonpopper]

11 hours ago, marsh man said:

Sadly I believe the problem in off loading the dead pigeons is going to be very limited with the continental restaurants only slowly getting back to normal and very little demand in the U K .

Like you I can well remember the very high demand in the mid 70s , I have still got a Shooting Times from 1976 where there are two adverts for 1,000,000 ( One Million ) wanted by two different game dealers , George Hull of Boston and Frost Game from Brockdish in Norfolk .

Sadly both of these dealers are now in the history books .

Hello, ah those were the good old days MM, I remember the adverts, 

[dead eye alan]

You are very busy as normal if you need a hand just give me a call I will be there in a flash! The last 4 of my outings have produced just 4, 12, 13, 7. 

[the hitman]

Another excellent informative write up - thank you for posting.

I do not shoot anything like the numbers that you do but I do have a game dealer who takes everything I can get- but it’s a 40 mile round trip.

I haven’t been out shooting for such a long time - and your reports are a welcome substitute.

[Wilts#Dave]

On 10/02/2022 at 19:33, pigeon controller said:

One of the problems with all this crop protection is getting rid of the shot birds, today I delivered 400 and still have 800+ in the freezers and farmers calling. Dont get me wrong I love what I do but the shot bird market seems to be at an all time low.

Go back thirty years and the continental demand was huge, is it that all the post war babies only eat Fast Food.

I’m not in the same situation numbers wise as you, but also have a freezer full of pigeons with no outlet for them currently where before I could get rid of whatever we shot regularly/easily. Really puts a dampener on shooting bigger numbers at the moment not knowing whether I’ll be able to get rid of them / go out again until I have etc! 
If I got the opportunity to shoot the pigeons you do through the winter I’d be in a quandary that’s for sure. 
The demand for large numbers of frozen birds in the feather just doesn’t seem to be there now, not sure it will ever return and what the best course of action might be in the long term? 

[Spr1985]

Another great report pc, I am a post war baby 🤣 and I absolutely love pigeon, as does my wife and two children, unfortunately I only ever manage low numbers and wouldn’t mind a  seemingly unlimited suply in the freezer! I must try harder 😁

[pigeon controller]

45 minutes ago, Wilts#Dave said:

I’m not in the same situation numbers wise as you, but also have a freezer full of pigeons with no outlet for them currently where before I could get rid of whatever we shot regularly/easily. Really puts a dampener on shooting bigger numbers at the moment not knowing whether I’ll be able to get rid of them / go out again until I have etc! 
If I got the opportunity to shoot the pigeons you do through the winter I’d be in a quandary that’s for sure. 
The demand for large numbers of frozen birds in the feather just doesn’t seem to be there now, not sure it will ever return and what the best course of action might be in the long term? 

I’ve been in communication with one outlet that is looking at a specialist pet food outlet that may require birds in the future. As one door closes another may open??

[dead eye alan]

9 hours ago, pigeon controller said:

I’ve been in communication with one outlet that is looking at a specialist pet food outlet that may require birds in the future. As one door closes another may open??

If this goes ahead will the pigeons need to be steel shot?

[Wilts#Dave]

11 hours ago, pigeon controller said:

I’ve been in communication with one outlet that is looking at a specialist pet food outlet that may require birds in the future. As one door closes another may open??

I hope so! I’ve got an outlet now where I get rid of good numbers through spring/summer to someone for ferrets, I’m sure others would welcome them it’s just being put in contact. 
Another outlet opened up also last year where he were processing them for bulk sale, but having been keen as mustard initially the lad doesn’t seem so interested now. 
 

[pbutd]

Due to covid related staff shortages this last game season ,my game dealer stopped taking pigeons from last September as he was too busy with game birds; (No warning of course)! I managed to place 200 in the feather to a local pub/restaurant but then had to hunt round all the local butchers ,restaurants & pubs to get rid of the rest that I was shooting. Most places would take crowns or breasts but at a better price. So the for the rest of the game season I spent a lot of time breasting out pigeons each week... something I don't think I could have done if I wasn't retired. Thankfully the dealer is taking them again.

  The annoying thing is that I stopped to have a word with a lad who was poaching on of our permissions one Saturday, got a negative response & went back later by which time he & his mate had gone leaving a pile of dead pigeons in the hedge behind his hide. ****** me off no end & it reflects badly on us as the farmer may well think it was us.

  Bring back the 'cat'.

[pigeon controller]

10 hours ago, dead eye alan said:

If this goes ahead will the pigeons need to be steel shot?

Yes I believe so.

[NatureBoy]

If folk are stuck for outlet for surplus birds etc try Give Up The Game on face book. It works and great for contacts. Same with local village sites. Can't get enough to keep all folk happy at times. It gets folk eating local wild food/ game or just a chance to try it cheaply, bartered or free. The more peps that try it, know how good it is and know of a local outlet/supplier the better. A win win for shooting! Different times call for different ways of doing things. Promote it ourselves. So many doing their own thing now.   NB 

[pigeon controller]

10 hours ago, NatureBoy said:

If folk are stuck for outlet for surplus birds etc try Give Up The Game on face book. It works and great for contacts. Same with local village sites. Can't get enough to keep all folk happy at times. It gets folk eating local wild food/ game or just a chance to try it cheaply, bartered or free. The more peps that try it, know how good it is and know of a local outlet/supplier the better. A win win for shooting! Different times call for different ways of doing things. Promote it ourselves. So many doing their own thing now.   NB 

My other half has been in the W.I. For forty years and I often get requests for rabbits from the older member but never pigeons, will try your suggestion if I get stuck, thanks.