old'un Posted January 14, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2023 Just a quick update, been out again this week for a drive round and still very few pigeons about, in fact most fields had not got a pigeon on them. An old mate from Burntwood Staffs phoned me yesterday (Fri 13) he’s also a keen pigeon shooter, he said the same, he is seeing very little on his drive rounds, he commented that he had never known it so bad in all the years he has shot the area. Just wish someone will prove me wrong and post a write-up of good day on the rape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy835 Posted January 14, 2023 Report Share Posted January 14, 2023 well nothing on rape at all here, been out today in the woods, not seen one pigeon, went to another farm. nothing there so thats it home buy 2 oclock, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilts#Dave Posted January 14, 2023 Report Share Posted January 14, 2023 Rape totally devoid of pigeons that I’ve access to ( or seen any on rape I haven’t access to either). A couple of fields are in good locations that would shoot well if the pigeons were on it so a little disappointing…..keep checking every week or so. Strangely a flight line i shoot that pigeons use every winter on their way to roost has started getting as busy as it ever is, shot 35 on Wednesday in an hour and a half. Several landed and their crops split open and were full of berries so they’re not going hungry, but not hungry enough to eat rape perhaps!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted January 14, 2023 Report Share Posted January 14, 2023 5 hours ago, old'un said: Just a quick update, been out again this week for a drive round and still very few pigeons about, in fact most fields had not got a pigeon on them. An old mate from Burntwood Staffs phoned me yesterday (Fri 13) he’s also a keen pigeon shooter, he said the same, he is seeing very little on his drive rounds, he commented that he had never known it so bad in all the years he has shot the area. Just wish someone will prove me wrong and post a write-up of good day on the rape. Can't help you out on a good bag from the rape , unless they ring me I am not over bothered until the wildfowl and game season finish , one glimer of hope , I went down the marsh about 3.30 today for a flight and bumped into a past P W member ( Answer 2 ) and although it was getting dark and spitting of rain we must had seem getting towards 200 going into one of the marsh carr's ( wood ) so with the ones already setteled in for the night then they could have had about 300 in a fairly small wood , Robert shot 20 odd standing behind a bush about two weeks ago in the same spot where we were yarning and not one of them had rape in the crop . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manymissedpigeon Posted January 15, 2023 Report Share Posted January 15, 2023 Quick update, on Wed last week (January 11) found loads of pigeons dropping into a field of o/s/r from trees surrounding a retail park so set up and had a few hours banging away for a total of 11 birds due to the gusting wind ( my excuse anyway) so it looks like the birds are returning to the rape leaves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted January 15, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2023 3 minutes ago, Manymissedpigeon said: Quick update, on Wed last week (January 11) found loads of pigeons dropping into a field of o/s/r from trees surrounding a retail park so set up and had a few hours banging away for a total of 11 birds due to the gusting wind ( my excuse anyway) so it looks like the birds are returning to the rape leaves. What part of the country? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good shot? Posted January 16, 2023 Report Share Posted January 16, 2023 The couple of thousand pigeon that have been passing over my perm for the last few weeks have been missing this last week, just a couple of dozen knocking about now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manymissedpigeon Posted January 18, 2023 Report Share Posted January 18, 2023 For attention ‘old ‘un’ Yorkshire. Then out again yesterday (Tuesday) and hundreds sat around osr field facing the sun but little interest in dropping onto the rape. moved to an acorn wood around lunch time ( said wood had dried up for pigeons two weeks ago) and lo and behold, hundreds broke out, so set up and did 21 returning to the wood in next two hours. First three were stupid and easy to pick with the later birds mostly overshooting into the trees when hit. I opened the crops and found one had only ivy berries, next was a mixture of ivy and rotten acorns ( all black) and the third just rotten acorns even though the rape fields are all around. I’m sure they get high on the acorns as they ferment ‘ cause they are proper stupid compared with birds feeding on osr! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted January 18, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2023 1 hour ago, Manymissedpigeon said: For attention ‘old ‘un’ Yorkshire. Then out again yesterday (Tuesday) and hundreds sat around osr field facing the sun but little interest in dropping onto the rape. moved to an acorn wood around lunch time ( said wood had dried up for pigeons two weeks ago) and lo and behold, hundreds broke out, so set up and did 21 returning to the wood in next two hours. First three were stupid and easy to pick with the later birds mostly overshooting into the trees when hit. I opened the crops and found one had only ivy berries, next was a mixture of ivy and rotten acorns ( all black) and the third just rotten acorns even though the rape fields are all around. I’m sure they get high on the acorns as they ferment ‘ cause they are proper stupid compared with birds feeding on osr! Yep, calm and sunny here Tuesday, not the best pigeon shooting weather, mind you, cant blame them getting a bit of warmth from that winter sun, I’m sure with the right conditions they will be hitting that rape, at least you have them in your area, still very little here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jall25 Posted January 18, 2023 Report Share Posted January 18, 2023 Still hundreds in the oak woods round us - a few in the game crops eating the birds seeds - but nothing on any of my farm perms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy835 Posted January 19, 2023 Report Share Posted January 19, 2023 today i saw about 200, on rape but not for me to shoot on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stu nesling Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 (edited) just got back from a shoot on the rape. day went well. 2 of us shot from 2 different hides, but ended up with both of us in 1 when we worked where the birds wanted to be. 97 picked, 1 eaten by a kite and few we could not find. all good challenging birds in the fresh westerly blowing up to 30mph. shot well and enjoyed it. out on the hares at the weekend too. Edited February 1, 2023 by stu nesling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morkin Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 42 minutes ago, stu nesling said: just got back from a shoot on the rape. day went well. 2 of us shot from 2 different hides, but ended up with both of us in 1 when we worked where the birds wanted to be. 97 picked, 1 eaten by a kite and few we could not find. all good challenging birds in the fresh westerly blowing up to 30mph. shot well and enjoyed it. out on the hares at the weekend too. picture of some of the birds to follow. Well done tagether that's good going, you're got plenty pigeon that way then. 👏👏👏👏👏 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spr1985 Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 48 minutes ago, stu nesling said: just got back from a shoot on the rape. day went well. 2 of us shot from 2 different hides, but ended up with both of us in 1 when we worked where the birds wanted to be. 97 picked, 1 eaten by a kite and few we could not find. all good challenging birds in the fresh westerly blowing up to 30mph. shot well and enjoyed it. out on the hares at the weekend too. picture of some of the birds to follow. Great to see that someone’s getting on them, seem few and far between at the moment. Well done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stu nesling Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 tks, there was a lot moving early on with a couple of gangs of 4-500 floating around. and plenty of 5-20 groups too, hardest part was trying to find one flying straight and level in the wind !. a few doubles helped the bag, enjoyable morning out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted February 1, 2023 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 yep, it was a bit windy today so well done on 97, glad you have a few in your area, I managed to find a few and ended up with 24, will do a post of my day shortly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stu nesling Posted February 15, 2023 Report Share Posted February 15, 2023 the keeper reports the birds are still on the rape, 2000 on some days in the last week. its just getting the time to get on em as its hare shooting season and there are a lot!! nearly 540 shot in 2 days so far over 2 farms. 1 more shoot to go then its pigeon time...if they are still there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Neal Posted February 27, 2023 Report Share Posted February 27, 2023 Someone in Norfolk has got enough pigeons that he is advertising them for sale!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted February 27, 2023 Report Share Posted February 27, 2023 1 hour ago, Jim Neal said: Someone in Norfolk has got enough pigeons that he is advertising them for sale!! We have got more Pigeons now than we have had all through the Winter , Saturday was our last afternoon in the woods , normally the last one is pretty quiet but on Saturday afternoon there was steady shooting going on in the woods around the rape area , I only got nine but it was an improvement from the previous three weeks , the rape have just had a dressing on it and already looking fresh and have started to re grow , drilling have been going on in the very dry conditions and with the first of March this week we will soon be leaving the Winter behind us . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Neal Posted February 28, 2023 Report Share Posted February 28, 2023 I must have scared the last ones from here eastwards then, hardly any about in my stomping ground now! 9's enough for it not to have been a waste of time, I seldom leave without having shot anything but have had a couple of blanks! I'm going to call time after this coming Saturday. A little glimmer of hope is that the gas guns sound like they've been switched off in the fields adjacent to one wood which can shoot well. I'll pop in for a recce in the next couple of days, hopefully that wood might be the last hurrah before I clean the gun and give it a rest for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stu nesling Posted February 28, 2023 Report Share Posted February 28, 2023 On 15/02/2023 at 12:56, stu nesling said: the keeper reports the birds are still on the rape, 2000 on some days in the last week. its just getting the time to get on em as its hare shooting season and there are a lot!! nearly 540 shot in 2 days so far over 2 farms. 1 more shoot to go then its pigeon time...if they are still there. well, now the hare shooting is over (750 shot) a return to the pigeons is on..... pity they have all ******** off to another farm in the distance !! shot a massive 15 on saturday, while watching 1000's off in the distance on someones cut maize. just hoping that he ploughs it in quick as its all a bit quiet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted February 28, 2023 Report Share Posted February 28, 2023 55 minutes ago, Jim Neal said: I must have scared the last ones from here eastwards then, hardly any about in my stomping ground now! 9's enough for it not to have been a waste of time, I seldom leave without having shot anything but have had a couple of blanks! I'm going to call time after this coming Saturday. A little glimmer of hope is that the gas guns sound like they've been switched off in the fields adjacent to one wood which can shoot well. I'll pop in for a recce in the next couple of days, hopefully that wood might be the last hurrah before I clean the gun and give it a rest for a while. Overall it have still been one of the quietest four weeks roost shooting we have had , I say we but the ones who were shooting in the area where the rape was have done reasonably well , part of our problem was where we were roost shooting was totally rape free and some of the good roosting woods are no longer shot as it now an area for wild animals such as wild pigs and Water Buffalo , these are used to clean the woodland areas up and are left in peace , now the roost shooting is over I can now keep an eye on all the rape fields and can often find a bit of shooting on the thin bits of rape . MM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Neal Posted March 1, 2023 Report Share Posted March 1, 2023 22 hours ago, marsh man said: Overall it have still been one of the quietest four weeks roost shooting we have had , I say we but the ones who were shooting in the area where the rape was have done reasonably well , part of our problem was where we were roost shooting was totally rape free and some of the good roosting woods are no longer shot as it now an area for wild animals such as wild pigs and Water Buffalo , these are used to clean the woodland areas up and are left in peace , now the roost shooting is over I can now keep an eye on all the rape fields and can often find a bit of shooting on the thin bits of rape . MM Sometimes (a lot of the time) you just have to shrug your shoulders and put it down to experience! Onwards and upwards, hope you find a few on the rape 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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