Getting harder

[Mike170874]

Pigeons in my area seem to avoid the rape like the plague this year I have over a thousand acres with some huge woodland and plenty of birds but they will not decoy at all I've shot maybe 100 since early December as theyv were passing by not even showing interest. Then I spotted a huge flock dropping into some big oaks and Ash I followed them and as I got closer the sky went black as over a thousand clattered out of these many trees then I saw why they were there ivy berries.They have been feeding on these all month .so next day I set up with my hushpower 410 right under an old Ash that had come down last year still covered in ivy perfect and a slab of subsonic shells best day so far they just kept coming ended up with 49 birds in 5 hours looks like the rape won't be getting hit until late Feb looking at how many ivy berries there are in this area.

[Sweet11-87]

i kind of had the same thing.   the last 4 or 5 years decoying results have declined and the last 2 have been very poor, but roost shooting results have been the best i ever had. maybe (at lease in my area in the north east)  the decent summers have made the availability of woodland food like ivy and acorns more abundant.  i was still in tshirts late october, maybe the pigeon calendar has shifted about. who knows its the fun thing about wild birds i suppose

[old'un]

its more likely the weather is keeping them off the rape.

[JDog]

Ivy berries are feeding every pigeon in this area. 

As old'un says the ground is too waterlogged for pigeons to be comfortable landing on it.

[pigeon controller]

I was invited out by Ben AKA Bunny_Blaster this morning. During the dark/ day break down the motorway all I could see was pigeons feeding on the roadside berries . On arrival to the fields of rape birds were sitting in the trees not attempting to feed on the rape, using my Carp Barrow across the field it was difficult to find any dry areas and the barrow was sinking into the wet areas. 
The birds wanted to feed but would hover over the field looking for a dry section which was difficult.  

[kitchrat]

They are on the rape round here but not with any conviction and not reliable. On one field today, another farm tomorrow. They are not really hungry, when the flock does hit a field, they often only stay for 10 minutes, then off, never to be seen again. Those I roost-shot, some were stuffed with rape, some a mix of rape/berries but most had empty crops, even though it was the end of the day.

Roll on cold weather?

[bunny_blaster]

2 minutes ago, kitchrat said:

They are on the rape round here but not with any conviction and not reliable. On one field today, another farm tomorrow. They are not really hungry, when the flock does hit a field, they often only stay for 10 minutes, then off, never to be seen again. Those I roost-shot, some were stuffed with rape, some a mix of rape/berries but most had empty crops, even though it was the end of the day.

Roll on cold weather?

I’ve never understood why people think that cold weather make pigeons turn to rape. 

[Shotguneddy]

16 minutes ago, bunny_blaster said:

I’ve never understood why people think that cold weather make pigeons turn to rape. 

Typically pigeons will need good fills in cold weather due to low energy most likely feeding on rape leaves ivy berrys or maize cover crops big easy food left over making them more active for longer spells around fields offering this and pigeons group up hopefully meaning more for us to stop destroying the crops,rape, But not meaning more shots that parts upto us to watch think and create , happy new year happy shooting all 

Edited January 1 by Shotguneddy

[old'un]

22 minutes ago, bunny_blaster said:

I’ve never understood why people think that cold weather make pigeons turn to rape. 

to a degree they are correct about cold weather but its not the cold making them hit the field but the fact that the ground is frozen solid (no mud) which makes walking and feeding much easier.

I have shot just as many pigeons during the winter on days that were dry, mild and overcast with a good breeze as I have when its been freezing cold, as you say cold as nothing to-do with pigeons hitting the rape, good example of this is spring rape.

[Mike170874]

I totally agree! The birds were not feeding on the rape several weeks ago when we had severe frosts and zero temperatures that lasted over a week or so.I shot several coming into roost with empty crops several had half empty crops with a few hawthorn berries and ivy berries. They hadn't touched the rape at all .I watched as they just flew over my hide and disappeared eventually finding them on ivy berries where they have been since start of December 

[marsh man]

1 hour ago, bunny_blaster said:

I’ve never understood why people think that cold weather make pigeons turn to rape. 

I have always said that depending what food supply is like in the area you shoot in that rape is normally the last resort , if you see Pigeons on rape that will tell you that very little else is available , one reason is why you see more Pigeons on the rape after Christmas than you do before and I think it is more down to food supply rather than the cold weather ,  on a normal year it just happen to be colder in January and February than it is in November and December , around here they are in full swing with lifting the Sugar beet and Pigeons are following the beet harvester like they did beyond the drill in the past , this might not be the same around your way so it still pay you to keep an eye on your various rape fields .     MM

[oldypigeonpopper]

hello, i watched 100s go over the river yesterday afternoon up to Culham woods, most i see for a long time, all those i have seen are on the ivy berries as the rape fields are to wet,  

[martinj]

What Marsh Man said, Oilseed rape is the last resort after all else has been cleared up, it keeps them alive until something more nutritious such as Ash buds kicks in.

Rape fed pigeons tend to be a bit thin 

[Mike170874]

I was watching pigeons feeding on beet top leaves right next to a rape field yesterday even though there is 8 or so feed hopers gone over and loads of wheat spread about .you would have thought the pigeons would have gone for the grain rather than bland leaves .just goes to show how pigeons have become unpredictable.