Bag off onions

[muncher]

The normal latter week conversation by phone on Friday, making arrangements to meet up on a bean drilling that looked ver promising. My brother asked to come along and we obviously said yes 🙄. We looked at the bean drill that had been covered the day before, only to find  a few down. This prompted us to look at other possible fields we had earmarked as back up ones. The first of which was only a couple off miles away. This was an old onion field that had been left all winter due to flooding in the middle , which has now dried up. We watched as a good line of pigeons came steadily to it and drop in from some height. After a few calls to check if it was still ok to shoot on this farm, we got the ok, it was going to be ripped up and potatoes planted in the next couple days. The strong wind was with the pigeons as they came and they curled back at the far end of the field, near houses. This wasn’t ideal so we looked to set up on the far side with a cross wind in a shallow dyke. I wasn’t happy with the proximity of another house to the rear of us, so we looked at the side the pigeons were coming from, but there was a house quite close with a husband and wife cutting a tall conifer hedge. My brother went to speak with them to see if it would be a problem. They didn’t mind at all just if any fly and die in our garden come and pick them up.  Motty and my brother set up in the open to my left and I set up under a large pear tree. I had 5 shells and two dead birds for the rotary, Motty and my brother 50 yards away set up similarly with more shells. We got going about 11.30. The pigeons came over from behind and some would curl around into the decoys, the others would fly around the field and some would then come back and decoy. I couldn’t see behind me but Motty could and he and my brother had some fantastic fast high birds coming with the wind. Later I had my phone on loudspeaker and Motty would let me know when birds were coming my way from behind so I didn’t miss out on some high fast birds. The time at 4 o'clock we packed up as the birds had stopped coming. We picked up 121, not bad for an old onion field. 

[clangerman]

great effort and report I don’t have enough birds for a one man dinner at present 

[motty]

A good write up, Jules.

I really enjoyed some of those birds zipping past from behind. It was great snap shooting. We all shot some good ones, and you still surprise me with how competent you are now as a lefty. 

I didn't think we had shot as many as that. Hopefully we will have some more drilling to go at during the week.

[marsh man]

Great report as per normal , nice to know the ole team are back in action and glad you all had some eye watering shots , just couldn't resist it with it being a Onion field 

[JDog]

Excellent stuff and a good read.

What were the pigeons finding in that field?

[muncher]

3 minutes ago, JDog said:

Excellent stuff and a good read.

What were the pigeons finding in that field?

I think it was probably chickweed or seedlings. 

[Wilts#Dave]

Cracker that, wouldn’t have expected to shoot that number over an old onion field would you…..but then that’s what it’s all about, finding unlikely fields where the pigeons have been left alone to build up. Sounds a great afternoons sport!
I’m yet to bag over 100 this year, looking forward to getting the opportunity to do so! 

[motty]

1 hour ago, Wilts#Dave said:

Cracker that, wouldn’t have expected to shoot that number over an old onion field would you…..but then that’s what it’s all about, finding unlikely fields where the pigeons have been left alone to build up. Sounds a great afternoons sport!
I’m yet to bag over 100 this year, looking forward to getting the opportunity to do so! 

I had passed that field several times over the past few months, and there was always plenty of pigeons on there. I didn't think we would shoot too many until we sat watching the lines coming in. 

I am lucky at the moment, as I am back in an old job which means I am round and about a lot of the farms I shoot.

[Penelope]

17 hours ago, Wilts#Dave said:

Cracker that, wouldn’t have expected to shoot that number over an old onion field would you…..but then that’s what it’s all about, finding unlikely fields where the pigeons have been left alone to build up. Sounds a great afternoons sport!
I’m yet to bag over 100 this year, looking forward to getting the opportunity to do so! 

Had my best day on a spring ploughed field that had been maize the autumn before. No idea what they wanted, as you couldn't see any maize kernels lying around, nor anything else come to that, but they sure wanted that field.

22 hours ago, muncher said:

The normal latter week conversation by phone on Friday, making arrangements to meet up on a bean drilling that looked ver promising. My brother asked to come along and we obviously said yes 🙄. We looked at the bean drill that had been covered the day before, only to find  a few down. This prompted us to look at other possible fields we had earmarked as back up ones. The first of which was only a couple off miles away. This was an old onion field that had been left all winter due to flooding in the middle , which has now dried up. We watched as a good line of pigeons came steadily to it and drop in from some height. After a few calls to check if it was still ok to shoot on this farm, we got the ok, it was going to be ripped up and potatoes planted in the next couple days. The strong wind was with the pigeons as they came and they curled back at the far end of the field, near houses. This wasn’t ideal so we looked to set up on the far side with a cross wind in a shallow dyke. I wasn’t happy with the proximity of another house to the rear of us, so we looked at the side the pigeons were coming from, but there was a house quite close with a husband and wife cutting a tall conifer hedge. My brother went to speak with them to see if it would be a problem. They didn’t mind at all just if any fly and die in our garden come and pick them up.  Motty and my brother set up in the open to my left and I set up under a large pear tree. I had 5 shells and two dead birds for the rotary, Motty and my brother 50 yards away set up similarly with more shells. We got going about 11.30. The pigeons came over from behind and some would curl around into the decoys, the others would fly around the field and some would then come back and decoy. I couldn’t see behind me but Motty could and he and my brother had some fantastic fast high birds coming with the wind. Later I had my phone on loudspeaker and Motty would let me know when birds were coming my way from behind so I didn’t miss out on some high fast birds. The time at 4 o'clock we packed up as the birds had stopped coming. We picked up 121, not bad for an old onion field. 

Well done all.

[Cranfield]

Great report and result.
Just shows how you have to follow the birds and ignore the crop.
 Looking at the cracks in the ground, that must be the driest field in the UK.🙂

[Old Boggy]

That’s a cracking bag and a great write up.

Just shows that reconnaissance is everything.

Well done and thanks for posting.

OB

[aga man]

Well done guys, sounds like some good shooting