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There's hope for me yet?


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Just spent an afternoon riding round some of the farms I can shoot. Field after field of rape stubble and now barley stubble too. Didn't see enough to even make a pie! A few on the roads, a few on a seemingly dead bit of ground that has been cultivated after being sprayed off but nothing to write home about. A few on sprayed off rape I can't shoot for fear of doing more damage than the birds and not being able to retrieve any I do shoot as it is really crispy and ready to cut.

Then I thought about a farm that's not in my "Empire", where there had been rape and I had noticed they were bailing the straw the other day. Very unusual round here. Drove by and saw a sort of haze of pigeons flitting about over the stubble. Well quite a lot anyway! Way more than I have seen of late. Luckily, I know the farmer's name, where he lives and have a sort of in because I beat with some of his family members. (who were builders!) Anyway, he's a really nice chap and had no hesitation in letting me have a go at them tomorrow! Decoy birds out of the freezer and I'm hot to trot!

Now, is it a coincidence that they were on a field where the straw has been bailed, rather than one buried by the chaff cutters? I know it's one of my pet theories but it could be right!! 

Cheers!!

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Finding the pigeons is definitely the biggest key to shooting them, sounds like you have found some and may get some good shooting…..fingers crossed! 
I’ve shot lots of good days where the straw has been chopped rather than baled though, so not key to success. 

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Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, JDog said:

I admire your perseverance. I hope you get a bag full.

A dozen or so will be OK! As mentioned elsewhere, big numbers are difficult to deal with but that would be a nice problem to have! I can always take them to a dealer. But he is 35 miles away and doesn't pay much so I need nearly 50 to cover the costs. My grey bin went out tonight, with the de-breasted remains of my last 2 weeks efforts. High is not the word, I may be pushing my luck a bit....

Farmers round here don't like anything left on their land (can't blame them) and they think it encourages foxes. 

Edited by kitchrat
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You need to go with low expectations ,  if it turn out a quite day then that was what you expected , if on the other hand they turn up in good numbers then you will be on a high , the problem you will be up against next will be the vast choice your Pigeons have got on the menu , remember that this time of the year the farm boys don't have weekends off and from Friday afternoon till Monday morning you will be surprised what these modern machines can do , they will be cutting non stop when the weather is on there side and use the damp days to cart the bails off or pull up the fields , if anyone deserve a good go then you are the man , problem is you can't always be in the right place at the right time .   MM

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2 minutes ago, marsh man said:

You need to go with low expectations ,  if it turn out a quite day then that was what you expected , if on the other hand they turn up in good numbers then you will be on a high , the problem you will be up against next will be the vast choice your Pigeons have got on the menu , remember that this time of the year the farm boys don't have weekends off and from Friday afternoon till Monday morning you will be surprised what these modern machines can do , they will be cutting non stop when the weather is on there side and use the damp days to cart the bails off or pull up the fields , if anyone deserve a good go then you are the man , problem is you can't always be in the right place at the right time .   MM

Very wise and true advice 👍👏

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