Pigeon Chasers

[old'un]

 

I know this forum is called Pigeon Watch but I do wonder just how many of its members still go out on a regular bases looking for pigeons?

I do realise that for those at work it will only be the weekends, if you care to partake just put, yes, weekends or yes, weekends/midweek.

If you wish to add a little more feel free, but keep it short as I am just trying to find out how many people are still chasing pigeons on a regular basis.

Thanks.

 

I’ll start it off with.....Yes, midweek, without much success of late.

[Spr1985]

Yes midweek, my worked is based on a farm so my eyes are always peeled, not a lot about though. Yes weekends at other permissions when time allows 

[bone]

Check every other day, totally committed to find some but what I do find are on ivy berries or acorns.

Edited January 14, 2023 by bone
Spelling 😁

[Ultrastu]

Yes weekends 

Not had a crop to protect over the winter months in 3 years  so no winter decoying for me . Spring drillings will be my next go .

[muncher]

Nope, I’m out fowling 3 times a week until February 20th then I’ll move over to pigeons. 

[ditchman]

not pulled a trigger for 2 years now.....let me certificate and liecence go last september........just havnt the strength to traipse about anymore and i get very cold very quickly

1 minute ago, muncher said:

Nope, I’m out fowling 3 times a week until February 20th then I’ll move over to pigeons. 

how is Motty ?

[muncher]

1 minute ago, ditchman said:

not pulled a trigger for 2 years now.....let me certificate and liecence go last september........just havnt the strength to traipse about anymore and i get very cold very quickly

how is Motty ?

He has moved away to the dark lands of Mordor (Suffolk). I believe he is fighting goblins. We haven’t spoke for a week or two but he’s in good heart. 

[Centrepin]

Yes, mostly Monday, Wednesday & Fridays on own. Odd weekends with my son.

[mossy835]

with work i just go saturdays,in the summer nights 2 times in the week.after work.

[marsh man]

2 hours ago, muncher said:

Nope, I’m out fowling 3 times a week until February 20th then I’ll move over to pigeons. 

Same here although Pigeon mode start from the 2nd of February as we normally trim up a few Pheasants on the first and now I no longer get a permit to shoot the extra 20 days.

We shoot the four Saturday afternoons in the woods and then I am fully commited for at least five days a week , the time would mainly be spent looking rather than shooting , having the time I can wait for the right weather conditions and weigh the field(s) up for a few days before I go , to be honest I am not to bothered about seeing big numbers on the rape while the weather is cold , wet and dull , I can stick that sort of weather to shoot a few duck but for Pigeons I now prefer the warmer weather , still at nearly 76 I would say prevention is better than cure

[Old Boggy]

I get out for a few hours one day in the week every week having had a look round for a few days prior to my short session (4 hours maximum). Currently to a small wood where they are feeding on ivy berries and not having started in earnest on the rape. Consequently bags have been small.

OB

[marsh man]

4 hours ago, old'un said:

 

I know this forum is called Pigeon Watch but I do wonder just how many of its members still go out on a regular bases looking for pigeons?

I do realise that for those at work it will only be the weekends, if you care to partake just put, yes, weekends or yes, weekends/midweek.

If you wish to add a little more feel free, but keep it short as I am just trying to find out how many people are still chasing pigeons on a regular basis.

Thanks.

 

I’ll start it off with.....Yes, midweek, without much success of late.

The trouble is a lot of the members who shoot Pigeons have also got other interests connected to field sports at this time of the year , a lot do wild fowling , game shooting , beating and fishing , both fresh and salt water , this would leave little time for most of them to mess about chasing Pigeons and as you well know it still take time to find a field and you only have a limited amount of time in a day to shoot pigeons , even though the days are getting lighter you still won't get much shooting after 2.30 / 3.00 pm.

One question you could also ask the members is , how many pigeons have you  shot since the stubble shooting and how many do you expect to shoot till you go back on the stubbles , as there would be 100s if not 1000s more Pigeons shot in the height of the Summer rather than the height of the Winter 

[old'un]

12 hours ago, marsh man said:

The trouble is a lot of the members who shoot Pigeons have also got other interests connected to field sports at this time of the year , a lot do wild fowling , game shooting , beating and fishing , both fresh and salt water , this would leave little time for most of them to mess about chasing Pigeons and as you well know it still take time to find a field and you only have a limited amount of time in a day to shoot pigeons , even though the days are getting lighter you still won't get much shooting after 2.30 / 3.00 pm.

One question you could also ask the members is , how many pigeons have you  shot since the stubble shooting and how many do you expect to shoot till you go back on the stubbles , as there would be 100s if not 1000s more Pigeons shot in the height of the Summer rather than the height of the Winter 

I appreciate what you are saying but I asked...”how many of its members still go out on a regular bases looking for pigeons” not the odd days when they are not doing other types of field sports or the shooters who only appears when there are stubble fields.

Like I said I just wanted to keep any replies as short as possible, with perhaps a little note on how well or bad they are doing.

[clangerman]

recon three times a week so few about only one still keen is the dog 

[Clodhopper]

I try to get out every other weekend. More so in winter as I find it easier to get out. Managed roost shoot last night and dawn flight this morning so have used up all my brownie points! Pigeons are really hitting the Rape in my area now.

[pigeon controller]

Both myself and DB never stop looking for pigeons, diverting on flightlines when travelling to children's houses , taking the wife to WI. Going out on one route and returning another. Walking the dog along the canal and watching flightlines for further reference.

[the hitman]

As described by PC - always looking, and taking different routes to cover more fields to from work etc.

My time is divided into 4 category’s-

Work.

Spending time will wife and family including new first grandchild.

Visiting mum in care home.

Shooting pigeons.

Recently the days I have set a side for shooting have been flat calm or heavy rain.

So to answer the OP’s question- yes I still shoot when I can.

 

[dead eye alan]

Always looking except Sundays.

[bunny_blaster]

I generally look for pigeons every day, whether that’s whilst I’m at work on the way to site jobs or on the way home. I’m lucky that I start work early and finish early which gives me the time to pick my lad up and then check different ground every afternoon on the way home. When the days get longer and the game season is finished I tend to be out shooting Friday Saturday and Sunday. It also helps that I have a very understanding Mrs 😂

[Lsto]

Bit late to the party... I try to get out once a week but my perm is daylight shooting only so it's hard to find time during the week due to work as it's usually dark this time of year when I start and finish. Weekends I try to spend with the family but the last few months I find myself working more and more Saturdays as the cost of everything rises. I'd love to get out a few more evenings but I don't have anywhere to go...

 

 

[marsh man]

23 hours ago, Lsto said:

Bit late to the party... I try to get out once a week but my perm is daylight shooting only so it's hard to find time during the week due to work as it's usually dark this time of year when I start and finish. Weekends I try to spend with the family but the last few months I find myself working more and more Saturdays as the cost of everything rises. I'd love to get out a few more evenings but I don't have anywhere to go...

 

 

I think your situation would be very similar to a lot of members , we all know this is a hard time of the year to shoot Pigeons and the reality is that o s r is not the golden bullet that it is often made out to be in the Winter months , what is the point in taking time off from work , spending money on fuel for next to nothing and missing out on family commitments just to go out of your way to find a few Pigeons , if you were lucky enough you found some then you know deep down you haven't really got the time to go anyway .

I dare say the majority of regular lookers are retired , semi retired , live or work very close to there perms , or are happy sitting about in the cold weather for the odd shot at a Pigeon .

[kitchrat]

I'm doing £50-£100 of diesel each week looking for them. Spent 2 days in a hide this week, like trying to pick up mercury with a pair of chopsticks. Shot 7 pigeons.

[dead eye alan]

1 hour ago, kitchrat said:

I'm doing £50-£100 of diesel each week looking for them. Spent 2 days in a hide this week, like trying to pick up mercury with a pair of chopsticks. Shot 7 pigeons.

£40 on diesel 4 pigeons! --------------- But thy were tasty.

[old'un]

1 hour ago, kitchrat said:

I'm doing £50-£100 of diesel each week looking for them. Spent 2 days in a hide this week, like trying to pick up mercury with a pair of chopsticks. Shot 7 pigeons.

I’ve always said that if you can go 7 days a week in the winter you will be lucky to find and shoot a decent number on one of those days.

I used to know a farmer who was a full time pigeon shooter, he used tell me that he worked it out that he shot a pigeon for every mile he travelled looking for them, he used to shoot about 5k-6k a year, mind you you could fill your tank for £10-£15.

[marsh man]

It seem to me that most of the people searching for Pigeons are the older folk , this could be partly because they have got time on there hands and can remember the days when rape was the holy grail in the Winter months , the memories are still clear where a very bad day then would be a very good day now , those days are very unlikely to come back but for some of us we cannot accept the fact and we will still go out day after day just because they SHOULD be feeding on rape , this was fine when you only had the odd field in the area , now we have got half a dozen fields on our estate alone and many more on the surrounding farms , sometimes you will find a field where the land owner haven't got the time to go and check it out day after day and a few might well start building up , but how long will they put up with a bit of stick when a large field on the next farm is left alone during the game season , and this would be the same in most of that area .

So we have to face facts that the glory days on rape is over for the majority of us in the Winter months , from early March then things might be different when it is fed and begin to come back to life but if you haven't got the Pigeons in the first place then you could lay a five star meal out and it wouldn't make a lot of difference and it seem to me that for a great many of members that Pigeons are in short supply