My last two outings

[Spr1985]

11/08:- I spent the most of the day with the wife and our daughter celebrating my birthday and was then given free reign for the late afternoon early evening 😁, that means one thing….pigeon shooting! I was on my toes and away by 15:30 before Mrs R could change her mind or come up with something that needed doing. I made a phone call as I left home and got the go ahead to go out on the osr stubble next to where I work as I’d seen pigeons all over it during the start of the week. I arrived and found a nice shaded spot under a big tree with a steady stream of birds flighting back and forth, although out of range and restricted in direction of shooting due to neighbours.  I’d lifted approximately 100 birds off as I arrived and with the flighting birds I thought I’d give it a shot for a few hours. I’d set my pattern which drew a little bit of interest but nothing major.  I managed a couple in the first fifteen to twenty  minutes  and put the magnet out which resulted in far better levels of interest another 3 down over the next half an hour. unfortunately my fun was short lived as the neighbouring farmer had his lads on the two adjacent fields turning them over and nothing would come anywhere near so I called it a day happy to have had a few and a chilled out couple of hours in the sun. 
 

Friday and Saturday ticking things off the wife’s to do list and playing chauffeur to attend a 1st birthday party without being grumpy resulted in the Mrs telling me to go out on the pigeons today too 😁😁 twice in four days….living the dream.
so, 11am I set off for a twenty minute drive to a farm that I shoot through my wildfowling club and spent an hour driving about and lurking under trees just seeing what was about. I decided on a spot that I’d shot back in march, plenty of sitty trees around two edges of the field and an intermittent hedge on another side with a high flight line too. I set up in my preferred spot with my back to the hedge and a lovely convenient breeze coming From behind. Pattern out with a couple of floaters  bobbing in the breeze and the magnet out courtesy of the pigeons from Thursday. The interest took a while to appear, the birds on the flight line where just not playing ball. I heard a few shots in the distance and a few minutes later a steady stream of birds came my way, I took five singles from about 6/8 groups of two or three birds, the real birds on the deck seemed to draw a lot more interest and I managed my first left and right on pigeons swiftly followed by 3 singles and then out of nowhere an almighty raucous from over my left should, I couldn’t see but I knew from the noise it was crows and jackdaws. They appeared into view and there must have be hundreds of them! I Reached into my pouch and grabbed the primos power crow caller to see if I could pull some into range, it worked a treat, one crow down. The shot didn’t seem to bother them witch I thought was strange. I carried on using the call and a single jackdaw swooped over the top of the hedge and just hung in the air, safe to say not for long he was on the deck. Not even thirty seconds after the shot another three appeared, bang - miss 🤦‍♂️ the next two shots at the same group gave me my first right and left on corvids. And it all went quiet again. I managed another five pigeons over the next hour or so and decided I’d had enough of the heat and was happy with my best day out so far on the pigeons so  wrapped up and home for dinner I went.

 A four day weekend, my birthday, time with the family and two afternoons out on the pigeons my kind of long weekend 👌🏻.

Edited August 14, 2022 by Spr1985

[marsh man]

Excellent post , really glad you got out and not only had a few shots you also got your first right at left at both Pigeons and Corvids at the same time

You might have found it different ,but the last three times I have been in this bright sunny weather I have started off with the magnet and after a hour or so have taken it back in , when it was working the Pigeons were coming in and then started to flair away when 60 / 70 yards out , I walked out to have a look myself to is anything look amiss and sure enough the magnet arms were glinting in the sun so that had to come down and put it away , this just left the decoys out and a floater each end with a clean fresh pigeon going sideways to the wind ,as I find it move about a bit more than if it was head on in the light wind , this seem to do the trick , not perfect but at least more pigeons came in range to at least give you a shot , try it next time you go and if you are on rape stubble make sure your decoys are at a minimum  on top of the stalks , or better still showing slightly above by using long cradles .

All the best and GOOD LUCK when the time and your good lady allow you to go again , only joking 

 

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Well done, are you planning for your next birthday outing already?

[Spr1985]

10 hours ago, marsh man said:

All the best and GOOD LUCK when the time and your good lady allow you to go again , only joking 

 

🤣 to be fair she’s very good and soon as the game season and wildfowling seasons start she knows that I’m going irrelevant of what she may say about. 

 

2 hours ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

Well done, are you planning for your next birthday outing already?

Unfortunately not mate, my memory can be a bit patchy sometimes so I’d only forget I’d planned it anyway 😛

[marsh man]

3 hours ago, Spr1985 said:

🤣 to be fair she’s very good and soon as the game season and wildfowling seasons start she knows that I’m going irrelevant of what she may say about

Good man and it sound like the perfect solution , I always try to keep up with all the chores that crop up in the household , anything new and I try and deal with it in the mornings to leave me free for whatever I want to do in the afternoons , this works a treat and as they say , if it ain't broke then it is no need to mend it . 

GOOD LUCK with the new season that lie ahead , could be a strange one to say the least .

[Spr1985]

Thanks @marsh man it will only be my second season on the marshes. so I’ve not a lot of experience to put it up against but it will be what it will be and I’ll enjoy it whatever happens 😁. It’s  all about the experience and time with friends and learning from them for me no expectations and therefore non disappointments 👍🏻

[HIDENSEEK]

13 hours ago, Spr1985 said:

Thanks @marsh man it will only be my second season on the marshes. so I’ve not a lot of experience to put it up against but it will be what it will be and I’ll enjoy it whatever happens 😁. It’s  all about the experience and time with friends and learning from them for me no expectations and therefore non disappointments 👍🏻

Well said!    Good Luck.