What crop?

[Old Boggy]

Just had a look round and discovered the most pigeons that I`ve seen in this area for a long time, but not sure what the crop is. It looks like rape, but I would have thought too late for spring rape,so perhaps it`s a nitrogen fixing crop of some sort. Any ideas?

It`s alongside a field of spuds, which when irrigated, should also be a draw as a water source in the furrows.

Whatever it is, the pigeons like it and it might give me a few hours out within the next day or so.

OB

[Spr1985]

According to my iPhone magic it’s field pumpkin, and white mustard. happy to be corrected though. 

[ditchman]

mangols........or turnips

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Well pack a picnic and get out there and shoot some!  

[marsh man]

Tell yer what Chris , if I could I would swap you with a field of Peas , you would not only get a few Pigeons you would soon get a feed of fresh Peas to go with your Sunday lunch 😋 , it look promising for a few shots on a nice warm afternoon , unlike yesterday and today's wet conditions .

I would go along with ( Simon ) the Queens next door neighbour and say it is some sort of Fodder Beet , or Radish .

GOOD LUCK when you give it a go .

P S    You might be wanting those shells for sale on the forum after all if thing progress to your advantage 

[Walker570]

Yep, looks like a beet or radish to me.   Have not seen mangols for 60yrs or more, do they still grow them?

[Old Boggy]

35 minutes ago, marsh man said:

Tell yer what Chris , if I could I would swap you with a field of Peas , you would not only get a few Pigeons you would soon get a feed of fresh Peas to go with your Sunday lunch 😋 , it look promising for a few shots on a nice warm afternoon , unlike yesterday and today's wet conditions .

I would go along with ( Simon ) the Queens next door neighbour and say it is some sort of Fodder Beet , or Radish .

GOOD LUCK when you give it a go .

P S    You might be wanting those shells for sale on the forum after all if thing progress to your advantage 

Not something that`s normally grown around here and as it`s only a relatively small field, I guess that fodder beet or radish is about right. Those 16 bore shells were quite tempting but a bit too far for me John. Unfortunately no peas grown at all on the farms that I shoot.

 

59 minutes ago, Spr1985 said:

According to my iPhone magic it’s field pumpkin, and white mustard. happy to be corrected though. 

I did try the app on my phone (Plantnet) and it came up with brassica.

I don`t really mind what the crop is but hopefully I might just get a few shots as there has been an absolute dearth of pigeons around here for the last few weeks. Seeing those down feeding has got me quite excited. 

54 minutes ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

Well pack a picnic and get out there and shoot some!  

I must have known something as I bought some pork and pickle pies just this morning. 

OB

[bottletopbill]

Happy shooting Chris

[ditchman]

17 minutes ago, Walker570 said:

Yep, looks like a beet or radish to me.   Have not seen mangols for 60yrs or more, do they still grow them?

still grow mangols as a catch crop for the sheep in and around cantley...thats the only place i have seen it..........everywhere else its turnips and such

[wisdom]

Looks a bit like fodder beet.

[Walker570]

1 hour ago, ditchman said:

still grow mangols as a catch crop for the sheep in and around cantley...thats the only place i have seen it..........everywhere else its turnips and such

Used to grow about ten acres of them back in the 50s and they would be cut and stored by hand then fed into a mangol slicer and the slices added to the pile of chaff, ground barley and other vitamins then have two five gallon buckets of mollases mealted into boiling hot water and hand mixed to feed to the large herd of milking cows (28 head). Carried to the cows in large buckets by hand.

Onotially the slicer was turned by hand but later we added a belt driven system which also ran the grinder for the grain and the pump for the milking machine circa 1955.

Watch a dairy farmer mixing feed for 200 head today, all done with a front end loader and a huge mixer which weighed everything and then dispensed it to the cows.  How things change after almost 70yrs.

[Spr1985]

2 hours ago, Old Boggy said:

did try the app on my phone (Plantnet) and it came up with brassica

The thing I use is called Siri knowledge, you swipe up on pictures and certain things (plants and animals) it allows you to “look up”  brassicas did also come up when I searched as there is a good mix of different leaves/foliage in your pictures. 
 

hopefully you get a good day or two out on it 👍🏻

[marsh man]

1 hour ago, Walker570 said:

Used to grow about ten acres of them back in the 50s and they would be cut and stored by hand then fed into a mangol slicer and the slices added to the pile of chaff, ground barley and other vitamins then have two five gallon buckets of mollases mealted into boiling hot water and hand mixed to feed to the large herd of milking cows (28 head). Carried to the cows in large buckets by hand.

Onotially the slicer was turned by hand but later we added a belt driven system which also ran the grinder for the grain and the pump for the milking machine circa 1955.

Watch a dairy farmer mixing feed for 200 head today, all done with a front end loader and a huge mixer which weighed everything and then dispensed it to the cows.  How things change after almost 70yrs.

Very interesting post Walker , You are right , things do change after 70 yrs and I dare say in a lot less time than that , I started on an estate in the mid seventies , they still had the last chap who looked after the horses and he came with us over on the building side , the last chap to run a duck decoy in the days when it was commercial , a head game keeper who looked very victorian , at least 6 / 8 farm workers on each farm and a combine on one of the farms that only had a 15ft cutting blade , like you say , how things change .

[Wilts#Dave]

Does look like some sort of fodder crop. Haven’t had any grown on any of our permissions for a good few years now but had some of my best shooting over it for some years on the trot when they did (for the sheep to graze). Pigeons went absolutely mad for it and as it’s grown at this time of year when pickings can be slim gave lots of 100 plus days. 
Good luck, hope it’s as productive as it always was for me 👍🏼

[Old Boggy]

7 hours ago, Wilts#Dave said:

Does look like some sort of fodder crop. Haven’t had any grown on any of our permissions for a good few years now but had some of my best shooting over it for some years on the trot when they did (for the sheep to graze). Pigeons went absolutely mad for it and as it’s grown at this time of year when pickings can be slim gave lots of 100 plus days. 
Good luck, hope it’s as productive as it always was for me 👍🏼

A 100 plus day would not be my choice as I don’t have the stamina or the inclination to endure such a day these days. It would be good just to reach double figures for a change. 
Hope to get out on Thursday when the forecast looks pretty good.

OB

[Wilts#Dave]

11 hours ago, Old Boggy said:

A 100 plus day would not be my choice as I don’t have the stamina or the inclination to endure such a day these days. It would be good just to reach double figures for a change. 
Hope to get out on Thursday when the forecast looks pretty good.

OB

You could always pack up once you’ve reached double figures. Wouldn’t have taken long when I’ve shot over it that’s for sure! 
Not been out since the beginning of April so getting itchy feet myself, hoping they’ll turn up in the next couple of weeks and work load allows me to take an afternoon or two off. 
Good luck for Thursday. 

[marsh man]

20 hours ago, Wilts#Dave said:

Does look like some sort of fodder crop. Haven’t had any grown on any of our permissions for a good few years now but had some of my best shooting over it for some years on the trot when they did (for the sheep to graze). Pigeons went absolutely mad for it and as it’s grown at this time of year when pickings can be slim gave lots of 100 plus days. 
Good luck, hope it’s as productive as it always was for me 👍🏼

Strangely enough we shoot very few Pigeons on the Fodder Beet fields , maybe it because there is so much more food available when it come up above ground , the farm normally direct drill it in the barley stubble as soon as the crop have been combined , the crop isn't touched until the Sheep are brought on the estate for Winter feeding and when the cattle are brought in early in the Winter when the marshes get wet and the grass have very little goodness in it . also , due to game shooting all the Pigeon shooting on the stubble's cease when the first shoot date approach . 

 

[Wilts#Dave]

32 minutes ago, marsh man said:

Strangely enough we shoot very few Pigeons on the Fodder Beet fields , maybe it because there is so much more food available when it come up above ground , the farm normally direct drill it in the barley stubble as soon as the crop have been combined , the crop isn't touched until the Sheep are brought on the estate for Winter feeding and when the cattle are brought in early in the Winter when the marshes get wet and the grass have very little goodness in it . also , due to game shooting all the Pigeon shooting on the stubble's cease when the first shoot date approach . 

 

The fodder beat I’ve shot all the pigeons over was a spring grown crop that would be 4-6 inches high by now. Hasn’t been grown for a few years now but never really seemed to have a bad day on it, pigeons loved it!
 Not sure exactly what it was a mix of but not beat as such, more mustard etc I think. 

[ditchman]

On 06/06/2022 at 19:46, marsh man said:

Very interesting post Walker , You are right , things do change after 70 yrs and I dare say in a lot less time than that , I started on an estate in the mid seventies , they still had the last chap who looked after the horses and he came with us over on the building side , the last chap to run a duck decoy in the days when it was commercial , a head game keeper who looked very victorian , at least 6 / 8 farm workers on each farm and a combine on one of the farms that only had a 15ft cutting blade , like you say , how things change .

which decoy was that ..Fritton or Flixton ?

[TIDES EDGE]

Is there a pheasant shoot there  it looks like a mixed seed cover crop or wild bird mix to me.

 

[marsh man]

9 hours ago, ditchman said:

which decoy was that ..Fritton or Flixton ?

Fritton  , PM on it's way shortly 

[Old Boggy]

37 minutes ago, TIDES EDGE said:

Is there a pheasant shoot there  it looks like a mixed seed cover crop or wild bird mix to me.

 

No pheasant shoot within 15 miles.

[TIDES EDGE]

12 minutes ago, Old Boggy said:

No pheasant shoot within 15 miles.

Then maybe its a wild bird crop which is part of the new steward ship scheme .

 

[ditchman]

On 06/06/2022 at 19:46, marsh man said:

Very interesting post Walker , You are right , things do change after 70 yrs and I dare say in a lot less time than that , I started on an estate in the mid seventies , they still had the last chap who looked after the horses and he came with us over on the building side , the last chap to run a duck decoy in the days when it was commercial , a head game keeper who looked very victorian , at least 6 / 8 farm workers on each farm and a combine on one of the farms that only had a 15ft cutting blade , like you say , how things change .

back to the decoy.......i remember talking to a decoy "boi"...a few years ago...either side of the decoy was willow blinds...leading down to the capture throat...when the duck were on the water 2 dogs were used...they were always brown or red coloured dogs and they were trained to pop out from the blinds and pop back in....the ole duck thought they was a fox and bit by bit they were driv down the water to the throat....once they were in the throat the dogs used to jump in the water and the ducks were frit and went further in the throat..the whole process use to take about 3/4's an hour....the control of the dogs was the most important thing..keeping them behind the blinds...

[Old Boggy]

19 hours ago, ditchman said:

back to the decoy.......i remember talking to a decoy "boi"...a few years ago...either side of the decoy was willow blinds...leading down to the capture throat...when the duck were on the water 2 dogs were used...they were always brown or red coloured dogs and they were trained to pop out from the blinds and pop back in....the ole duck thought they was a fox and bit by bit they were driv down the water to the throat....once they were in the throat the dogs used to jump in the water and the ducks were frit and went further in the throat..the whole process use to take about 3/4's an hour....the control of the dogs was the most important thing..keeping them behind the blinds...

That’s very interesting Ditchy. I did read that they always used fox coloured dogs, but it makes sense that they controlled them in that way.

There must also have been a decoy somewhere between Great Yarmouth and Potter Higham as I recall seeing a sign for ‘Decoy Road’ on the right somewhere near Repps with Bastwick,(that name sounds like a salesman with a serious disease 😂) or was this the Fritton decoy that you referred to?

OB