Where Have All The Posters Gone ?

[marsh man]

45 minutes ago, Farma Geddon said:

Motty found a new mott

And won't be posting a lot

Until he has worn this one up.

Cheers Farmar Geddon for the update , Like a lot of Nofolk folk he is quite a colourful character at times but well worth reading his posts , he certainly know the game when it comes to Pigeon shooting and pointing the gun in the right direction , I have also seen a few of his fowling videos and one of Chris Greens where he is having a dream morning flight on the Ouse washes and by all accounts he is a tidy wild fowler 

Lets hope he do return to the fold and he have found the right woman , chances are finding the right one is on par with being under a vast skein of Pinks with an odd White front mixed in amongst them and he have got to pick this lone goose out , taking in account you are also in the right place at the right time , unless he got one last season, I do believe he is still waiting for his first W F 

[marsh man]

14 minutes ago, bunny_blaster said:

I must admit I’m very lucky in the fact I have a young family at home and my job allows me to start early and finish early allowing me to look for pigeons after work once I’ve picked my lad up. I’m generally looking for pigeon 3-4 afternoons a week which means i can go straight to a field on the weekends.  I finish at 10 on a Friday and shoot the afternoon, Saturday and Sunday. In the summer I quite often shoot after work and have had some great bags late afternoon/early evening

Sound like the ideal job Ben and with the clocks changing at the weekend it will soon be possible to get a few hours shooting in if you can leave off reasonably early .

I was in the fortunate position where I worked on the estate where I still do most of my Pigeon shooting , I looked after the building maintenance and had seven farms and over 60 houses to keep an eye on so I more or less knew where the Pigeons would be before they knew themselves , we could leave off at 3pm on a Friday and when the Peas were getting ripe or the first patches of barley were laid I would often set up during my dinner break and shot my first Pigeon a few minutes after 3pm , I would then be there till half past seven or so and come away with a very good bag , one of my holidays were at one time the last week in June , this was when the Peas were vined and went to Birds Eye in Yarmouth , I would shoot Monday and Tuesday , then have a day out with the good lady up the Norfolk Show on the Wednesday , then shoot on the Pea stubble's Thursday, Friday ,Saturday and then have another day out up the coast on the Sunday with the estate car loaded up with Pigeons , these had to be dropped off at the dealers first before we went and had a paddle in the sea while eating a ice cream , no points for guessing what I would be looking for on the way home

[Farma Geddon]

1 hour ago, marsh man said:

Cheers Farmar Geddon for the update , Like a lot of Nofolk folk he is quite a colourful character at times but well worth reading his posts , he certainly know the game when it comes to Pigeon shooting and pointing the gun in the right direction , I have also seen a few of his fowling videos and one of Chris Greens where he is having a dream morning flight on the Ouse washes and by all accounts he is a tidy wild fowler 

Lets hope he do return to the fold and he have found the right woman , chances are finding the right one is on par with being under a vast skein of Pinks with an odd White front mixed in amongst them and he have got to pick this lone goose out , taking in account you are also in the right place at the right time , unless he got one last season, I do believe he is still waiting for his first W F 

He hardly went out 'fowling but he will be back .

He is a speck virgin still and a good laugh

[pigeon controller]

On 24/03/2022 at 20:01, bunny_blaster said:

I must admit I’m very lucky in the fact I have a young family at home and my job allows me to start early and finish early allowing me to look for pigeons after work once I’ve picked my lad up. I’m generally looking for pigeon 3-4 afternoons a week which means i can go straight to a field on the weekends.  I finish at 10 on a Friday and shoot the afternoon, Saturday and Sunday. In the summer I quite often shoot after work and have had some great bags late afternoon/early evening

Ben has a hunger for shooting in many guises, including pigeons, game and stalking. He networks well in the farming community and is always willing to listen to any aspect of the sport. He allowed me the opportunity to two hundred plus bags this year in return for help in processing his bags in the past. Last year he shared a field with me I took the easy option and drove the edge of the field and set up in the shade for two hundred birds and Ben set up in the centre of the field where the birds wanted to be in the blazing sun for six hundred birds, which we then had to process. His job allows him to find birds flighting while going to work and leaving early and he tends not to overshoot an area. He communicates well with farmers and shooters to find patterns over a large area.He is prepared to put the effort in and gets the results.

[Wilts#Dave]

On 24/03/2022 at 20:01, bunny_blaster said:

I must admit I’m very lucky in the fact I have a young family at home and my job allows me to start early and finish early allowing me to look for pigeons after work once I’ve picked my lad up. I’m generally looking for pigeon 3-4 afternoons a week which means i can go straight to a field on the weekends.  I finish at 10 on a Friday and shoot the afternoon, Saturday and Sunday. In the summer I quite often shoot after work and have had some great bags late afternoon/early evening

You spend all your free time pigeon shooting with a young family at home? 
I’d not be able to allow myself the same freedom I did before having kids (or be allowed)….I find myself taking afternoons off in the week mostly and looking for pigeons after work as you do which is much easier during the summer when the pigeons feed later anyway! 
I’m self employed so can often manufacture afternoons off etc and as you say shot most of my bags last year setting up after 2 o clock and often as late as 4 and still getting good shooting. 
Marshman is 100% right though, time is key and I’ve missed out on so many good days through only being able to watch when I should be shooting! 

[Wilts#Dave]

52 minutes ago, pigeon controller said:

Ben has a hunger for shooting in many guises, including pigeons, game and stalking. He networks well in the farming community and is always willing to listen to any aspect of the sport. He allowed me the opportunity to two hundred plus bags this year in return for help in processing his bags in the past. Last year he shared a field with me I took the easy option and drove the edge of the field and set up in the shade for two hundred birds and Ben set up in the centre of the field where the birds wanted to be in the blazing sun for six hundred birds, which we then had to process. His job allows him to find birds flighting while going to work and leaving early and he tends not to overshoot an area. He communicates well with farmers and shooters to find patterns over a large area.He is prepared to put the effort in and gets the results.

This is 100% what it takes to be a successful pigeon shooter (and plenty of pigeons in an area too of course). 
It takes a serious amount of time and effort and sounds as though Ben is fully committed to which is where his great results come from! 
Lots of people think you just turn up and shoot good bags, until they try it themselves and realise it’s not always quite so easy. 

[old'un]

1 hour ago, Wilts#Dave said:

This is 100% what it takes to be a successful pigeon shooter (and plenty of pigeons in an area too of course). 
It takes a serious amount of time and effort and sounds as though Ben is fully committed to which is where his great results come from! 
Lots of people think you just turn up and shoot good bags, until they try it themselves and realise it’s not always quite so easy. 

Ive been shooting pigeons for more years than I care to remember, in that time I have lost count of the newcomers that during the winter months turn up at the gate and tell you they are the new kid/s on the block, they soon find out its not that easy and disappear into the mist after a year or two of chasing them on winter rape, as you say time and dedication is what fills bags.

[Centrepin]

In my case I'm still getting out but there's little or nothing to report. The rape fields, 2 of, are disappointing to say the least. Not seen a bird overflying or on at all. Good in a way for the farmer as I can't get the car near enough because of the mud and its just too much for me to walk. The other fields are mostly grass or ploughed and waterlogged.

Work begins again or planned anyway towards the back end of April. Till then it's just watch, wait and hope.

[Mice!]

On 23/03/2022 at 19:07, Lsto said:

I have to agree with this. I have a young family myself and the only farm I have is part of a syndicate. As such it is always pretty pressured. Going for a recce is just turning up and hoping for the best. I try to go a few afternoons a week if I can after work. In the winter it's hard because I'm only allowed to shoot during daylight and by the time I finish work it's dark and weekends are always full of odd jobs and chores and entertaining the little ones. This time of year I can get out but there is usually not much to see, only a couple of heavily shot rape fields and I don't think people want to hear about my mediocre 3 or 4 birds I manage in the dying hours of the evening if I'm lucky.

That said I have missed the reports from PC, yourself and JD etc and I hope normal business will resume shortly. I always enjoy having a read while I'm at work.

You might think it's not worth posting,  but I'm sure there are many people in the same position, better to read about someone getting out for an hour, than not read anything. 

Before you know it 7 or 8 folk are posting,  that's what happens on the squirrel threads, you might only shoot 1, but you'll have seen other things as well.

[pigeon controller]

Being away out of the country for three weeks I was hoping for my normal fix of pigeon pictures to keep me going until I return.

Ben managed a few and a few others. The forum name of Pigeon Watch tends to focus on the one species although I do enjoy reading of other exploits. 
This is an old chestnut, with the amount of mobile phones with cameras we should be inundated with pictures in Talk from the Field ??

I’m not the most literate of people and it takes some time to collate my thoughts and produce a post but I do to prove that if I can do it most other gun owners can. 
A picture and brief description will do and also any difficulties encountered , as we have all had most things happen to us in the past and we may have a solution. So go on have a go and post a picture of the ten birds and any problems encountered .

[the hitman]

I folks

I am currently enjoying half term in the picturesque Andalusian town of Nerja- where the waters warm and the drinks are cold and the only birds I am spotting are on the beach.

I have  peas to go at when I return so hopefully a few posts and pictures from me soon.

Hitman 

[marsh man]

25 minutes ago, the hitman said:

I folks

I am currently enjoying half term in the picturesque Andalusian town of Nerja- where the waters warm and the drinks are cold and the only birds I am spotting are on the beach.

I have  peas to go at when I return so hopefully a few posts and pictures from me soon.

Hitman 

All right for some , we have just had two days of really heavy showers and a bit on the cool side , although looking outside it is a lovely evening and should be good weather over the next two days.

Our Peas are now getting in flower and the Pigeons are beginning to find them , not big numbers but last Saturday afternoon I got 16 and hopefully I will get a few this Saturday afternoon as they really need a week to start getting back on them .

[the hitman]

29 minutes ago, marsh man said:

All right for some , we have just had two days of really heavy showers and a bit on the cool side , although looking outside it is a lovely evening and should be good weather over the next two days.

Our Peas are now getting in flower and the Pigeons are beginning to find them , not big numbers but last Saturday afternoon I got 16 and hopefully I will get a few this Saturday afternoon as they really need a week to start getting back on them .

Hi MM

Glad you got out with a respectable bag- I have  vining peas being drilled this week and some drilling 4 weeks ago so will keep me going- hopefully.

[pigeon controller]

28 minutes ago, marsh man said:

All right for some , we have just had two days of really heavy showers and a bit on the cool side , although looking outside it is a lovely evening and should be good weather over the next two days.

Our Peas are now getting in flower and the Pigeons are beginning to find them , not big numbers but last Saturday afternoon I got 16 and hopefully I will get a few this Saturday afternoon as they really need a week to start getting back on them .

Thanks for posting and well done.

[marsh man]

10 hours ago, pigeon controller said:

Thanks for posting and well done.

Cheers P C .. Hope you enjoyed your break in Grease and have not only charged your magnet batteries you have also charged your own 

The two days of heavy showers we have just had would had certainly knocked the Winter barley about if it would had been in about 2 / 3 weeks time , as it was it didn't do any damage in fact it done more good than harm with some of the crops grateful for a good drink .

You cannot stop time, and before you know it we will see the Pea viners making a start and the dust coming out of the back of the combines when they start cutting the early grain fields , on average around here this is between second and third week of July , bring it on I say .

 

[pigeon controller]

46 minutes ago, marsh man said:

Cheers P C .. Hope you enjoyed your break in Grease and have not only charged your magnet batteries you have also charged your own 

The two days of heavy showers we have just had would had certainly knocked the Winter barley about if it would had been in about 2 / 3 weeks time , as it was it didn't do any damage in fact it done more good than harm with some of the crops grateful for a good drink .

You cannot stop time, and before you know it we will see the Pea viners making a start and the dust coming out of the back of the combines when they start cutting the early grain fields , on average around here this is between second and third week of July , bring it on I say .

 

Thanks, I did manage to have a rest in Greece after nearly four years of being empty. I did a bit of painting etc , two days before returning I had a request for some birds on my return. The caretaker requested my help in the garden and I did my back in!!!!

On my return DB and and Topgunners managed 112 birds last week to fill the order so I’m rearing to go this week end, report to follow as normal