A baker`s dozen

[Old Boggy]

After a period of very little activity pigeon wise and even less shooting, it was a joy to see a few pigeons feeding on a triticale stubble over the last few days and an opportunity not to be missed.

Having checked the weather, yesterday (Monday) looked like the best day, quite breezy but with the wind gaining force today and the rest of the week with rain forecast. Being on an open marsh, too much wind, normally an asset when decoying, can be a disadvantage keeping the net/s in place particularly with very little natural cover and no trees whatsoever. Also, it was a pleasure to be able to drive to the hide position, so the amount of equipment wasn`t an issue, so armed with nets, seat, gun, cartridges,batteries, two flappers (one of which packed up half way through), a couple of bouncers and about 15 mixed shell and full size flocked decoys I proceeded to set out my stall.

First one in decoyed confidently but was missed in classic style. However, the fact that it decoyed well, indicated that I`d got something reasonably correct. Much like Marshman, my trips out these days are no more than 3-4 hours so even the anticipation of a few shots was encouraging but I had to do my part if I was to return home with some pigeons. Recent trips out had either been 3 or 4 pigeons shot and certainly never reaching double figures, unlike some of the reports on PW recently where very large bags have been taken. We just do not seem to have the numbers around here, so I resigned myself with the fact that if there are only a few about, then even fewer are going to be shot, so expectations of a large bag was never on the cards.

Anyway, the temperature was in the mid twenties but the breeze across the marsh made for a very comfortable few hours with the odd bird offering the chance of a shot, or in quite a few instances, a miss ! The wind was from left to right so birds approached right to left which accorded with the setting out of the decoys slightly upwind and to my left. Many passed by behind me in range but overflying a wheat field with a large dyke in between so were left unshot at as there was no chance whatsoever of them being retrieved. 

My few pleasant hours out resulted in shooting and picking up just 13 pigeons. Not a great bag some may say, but I was well pleased at last to reach double figures after what seemed an eternity of little or no activity.

I mentioned that one of the flappers (an old UKShootwarehouse one) packed up after a short while, but the ever dependable and even older Flightline one (not sure which model, but not an FF6) never seems to let me down which is a good recommendation of the excellent products of Nick Tait who is always willing to replace any item should they prove to become faulty. In carrying out a bit of maintenance on the Flightline flapper, I mislaid/lost the cam arrangement and Nick was more than happy to send me a replacement in the post FOC. Cracking guy to deal with.

Many thanks for reading.

OB

[Shambam1962]

Well done Old Boggy, it’s nice you had a few pleasant hours outdoors and reaching your double figures.

As you know, yes it’s nice to have numbers , but it’s more about enjoying the day, which you clearly did.

Just look at it as more to shoot another day !

Onward and upward.

 

[JDog]

Glad you had an enjoyable time.

Thanks for posting.

[marsh man]

Excellent write up and a bag to match Chris , I don't think I would be alone in thinking that the period from the end of the shooting season when to us the shooting on the o s r start , this was a dead loss and so were the early stages of the Pea fields , things started to improve once the Peas were taking off , even so you really had to work hard for smallish bags , now the harvest have started and areas of Wheat are now down the Pigeon population have now come out to feed , yes I have seen more but we have now got more than enough to go round , the problem now will be , what field will they be on ? , the barley was started on two days ago and even though the forecast yesterday was for heavy showers the combine was still reduceing standing fields to stubble , same as today , clouds are now building up and showers could be on the way but I won't be sitting indoors waiting for it to rain if I catch a glimsp of the sun .

Lovely time of the year to just go and relax for a few hours , dead easy to drive where you want to go and as long as you get a few shots it then make it all worth while , if you don't get any shooting then who cares , always another day .  MM

[mossy835]

not about the size of bag its getting out after them, well done