old'un Posted October 31 Report Share Posted October 31 Gets a call on Monday afternoon, 4 or 5 thousand pigeons on my rape, when can you get down there, I thought yeah, I have heard that one before, so I said I will have a look Wednesday. Now this is a biggish field of about 45 acres and most of it is tree lined with a couple of Oak trees in the middle, I put the binoculars around the field and not a bird moving but then looked along the tree line and it was full of pigeons, so I sat and watched it for 20 minutes and some of the birds started to brake from the trees and come to one of the single Oak trees. It was 9.30 and I needed to get these birds gone off the field so off I set with the gun, as I walked the field they started braking from the tree line and then the whole lot lifted up and went different directions (good sign) at rough guess a good couple of thousand birds, looking at the size of the field and potential landing places I plumed for the single Oak tree I had seen birds heading for, it was now 10.30 and my stall was setup and birds started coming back in flocks of 10-15 birds….but they were dropping in the trees at the far end of the field, I let a shot off and they all lifted and to my surprise they came straight to my tree and I managed to drop one, as the day went on there were lots of birds coming to the field but they were all over the place with the odd few birds spotting the magnet and heading to my tree, the day went on like this until about 3.0pm and then it just stopped, just over 4 hours on the field and managed to kill 41, considering the amount of birds on this field it was a bit frustrating there were no positive flight lines, perhaps next time. Just to say I have not seen this many pigeons on a rape field this early in the winter for a long time, anyone else seeing big numbers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted October 31 Report Share Posted October 31 are they migrants ...its about that time of year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oowee Posted October 31 Report Share Posted October 31 Looks like you need to buy some extra carts 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted October 31 Author Report Share Posted October 31 31 minutes ago, ditchman said: are they migrants ...its about that time of year Don't know but as I said I have not seen these numbers this early in the winter for a long time, could just be a roaming flock but they have been there in numbers for the last three days, maybe longer as the farm is about 2 miles from the field so might not have been noticed before. 5 minutes ago, oowee said: Looks like you need to buy some extra carts 😁 Just picked up a thousand from the clay shoot, 28g 7.5 felt wad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted October 31 Report Share Posted October 31 I haven't seen nothing out of the ordinary but I have seen them hitting the rape a lot earlier than we normally do , Christmas is around the time we would expect to see them hitting the rape , we used to say you had to wait for the hard weather but this is no longer the case , not sure how rape is in other places but the rape down the farm where I go is at least three times higher than the rape in your photo , at a guess ours is as high as the top of your wellies , I have only just got back and the trees were full of Pigeons but the fields had nothing on them , maybe they hit them a bit later , it should be easier for those looking for Pigeon shooting if they can find them hitting the rape hard before they go knocking on the door . MM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clangerman Posted October 31 Report Share Posted October 31 just back from the rape shot everything I seen all five of them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldypigeonpopper Posted October 31 Report Share Posted October 31 Hello, I am determined to get a shot or 2 with the new to me 20, Sunday looks promising weather wise but not sure on pigeons Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted October 31 Author Report Share Posted October 31 Just took the pigeons I shot up-to someone I know who lives on the edge of the village, I parked in the gateway of a field next to his cottage, the field was sown with barley Mon/Tue, there were 2 strong flight lines into the field and about 500/600 pigeons already on the field, I did have a bit of a walk up the field and there was not a lot of seed on the top, not seen pigeons hitting a sown field like this for a very long time, we do seem to have the numbers around here at the moment but it could be a case of here today gone tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted October 31 Author Report Share Posted October 31 1 hour ago, marsh man said: I haven't seen nothing out of the ordinary but I have seen them hitting the rape a lot earlier than we normally do , Christmas is around the time we would expect to see them hitting the rape , we used to say you had to wait for the hard weather but this is no longer the case , not sure how rape is in other places but the rape down the farm where I go is at least three times higher than the rape in your photo , at a guess ours is as high as the top of your wellies , I have only just got back and the trees were full of Pigeons but the fields had nothing on them , maybe they hit them a bit later , it should be easier for those looking for Pigeon shooting if they can find them hitting the rape hard before they go knocking on the door . MM Yep, perfect time of year for anyone looking for some shooting, but are there any really keen youngish pigeon shooters out there.? In my experience no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted October 31 Report Share Posted October 31 57 minutes ago, old'un said: Yep, perfect time of year for anyone looking for some shooting, but are there any really keen youngish pigeon shooters out there.? In my experience no. Trouble is we will soon in the peak of the game shooting season and although money is tight we never seem short of youngsters buying a day , a lot of them bring there girl friends , wife's or ( someone else's ) ☺️ on the day and very often stay in a hotel either the night before or the day of the shoot , these are not the sort of people looking for Pigeon shooting , then you get a lot like me who help out on a shooting day either beating or driving the various motors , most of them only get Saturdays off so again they don't look around for Pigeons , you then get the ones who have only just got there s g c and they don't have a lot of knowledge of looking around for Pigeons and if they did find some then they don't know how to go about getting a bag , not all I know and the ones who do know what they are doing have no doubt got there own farms and now the day light is getting short they are not really looking for any more . I cannot ever seeing it as popular as we did in the glory days when every dealer up and down the country were crying out for fresh or frozen Pigeons , this alone have made a big difference , then fuel cost , cartridge cost and the shrinking countryside with the never ending house building going on . MM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilts#Dave Posted October 31 Report Share Posted October 31 2 hours ago, marsh man said: Trouble is we will soon in the peak of the game shooting season and although money is tight we never seem short of youngsters buying a day , a lot of them bring there girl friends , wife's or ( someone else's ) ☺️ on the day and very often stay in a hotel either the night before or the day of the shoot , these are not the sort of people looking for Pigeon shooting , then you get a lot like me who help out on a shooting day either beating or driving the various motors , most of them only get Saturdays off so again they don't look around for Pigeons , you then get the ones who have only just got there s g c and they don't have a lot of knowledge of looking around for Pigeons and if they did find some then they don't know how to go about getting a bag , not all I know and the ones who do know what they are doing have no doubt got there own farms and now the day light is getting short they are not really looking for any more . I cannot ever seeing it as popular as we did in the glory days when every dealer up and down the country were crying out for fresh or frozen Pigeons , this alone have made a big difference , then fuel cost , cartridge cost and the shrinking countryside with the never ending house building going on . MM I think there are a lot of people who like the idea of sitting in a hide shooting at pigeons all day, but quickly realise it’s not quite as easy as that and don’t pursue it as such. I certainly come across plenty of butterfly shooters at times, but none consistently (on the ground I shoot). Which is good for me if I’m honest, as I’m as keen as ever and never tire of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted October 31 Report Share Posted October 31 48 minutes ago, Wilts#Dave said: I think there are a lot of people who like the idea of sitting in a hide shooting at pigeons all day, but quickly realise it’s not quite as easy as that and don’t pursue it as such. I certainly come across plenty of butterfly shooters at times, but none consistently (on the ground I shoot). Which is good for me if I’m honest, as I’m as keen as ever and never tire of it. Also not everywhere hold good numbers of Pigeons , you and B B get very good bags but you still have to do your homework , around this way we have got enough Pigeons for people like me to pass a few hours away and thankfully I have got access to a lot of land , but you would need to be very keen to have just one farm with only a few Pigeons sitting around the trees on the headlands and only hit the rape in short bursts , they then set up on a cold windy day and after a couple of early shots the Pigeons quickly move on , the shooter then feel compelled to stick it out and only get the odd shot throughout the day at passing Pigeons , after a few visits the novelty start to wear a bit thin and another one fall by the wayside . MM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poor Shot Posted November 1 Report Share Posted November 1 17 hours ago, old'un said: Yep, perfect time of year for anyone looking for some shooting, but are there any really keen youngish pigeon shooters out there.? In my experience no. Yes, plenty. In my neck of the woods we have real problems with individuals land banking many hundreds of acres of land which prevents anyone else from shooting. We don't have back to back rolling miles of arable fields so what arable there is, is in huge demand. It seems to be the done thing that anyone holding land becomes incredibly and very aggressively defensive over that land even if they only shoot it once or twice a year during the high season. Farmers have more to worry about than people squabbling over who gets to shoot the pigeons so they more often than not turn anyone else away to save the agro they'll get from the incumbent because someone else had a go at flighting pigeons in November. One of the best things the old timers could do to help sustain pigeon shooting is to start bringing younger people into their permissions and passing on the baton. While we still have 80 year old men holding many hundreds of acres of land to shoot a handful of times a year and preventing anyone else shooting then we'll still have a problem with pigeon shooting being the preserve of the old and retired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted November 1 Author Report Share Posted November 1 13 minutes ago, Poor Shot said: Yes, plenty. In my neck of the woods we have real problems with individuals land banking many hundreds of acres of land which prevents anyone else from shooting. We don't have back to back rolling miles of arable fields so what arable there is, is in huge demand. It seems to be the done thing that anyone holding land becomes incredibly and very aggressively defensive over that land even if they only shoot it once or twice a year during the high season. Farmers have more to worry about than people squabbling over who gets to shoot the pigeons so they more often than not turn anyone else away to save the agro they'll get from the incumbent because someone else had a go at flighting pigeons in November. One of the best things the old timers could do to help sustain pigeon shooting is to start bringing younger people into their permissions and passing on the baton. While we still have 80 year old men holding many hundreds of acres of land to shoot a handful of times a year and preventing anyone else shooting then we'll still have a problem with pigeon shooting being the preserve of the old and retired. What about non arable farms? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poor Shot Posted November 1 Report Share Posted November 1 14 minutes ago, old'un said: What about non arable farms? Much the same there but you've no reason to shoot pigeons which would be outside of the GL. Fox shooting is fiercely protected and we have much the same problem of individuals holding onto every farm in a particular area and not letting anyone else shoot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted November 1 Author Report Share Posted November 1 18 minutes ago, Poor Shot said: Much the same there but you've no reason to shoot pigeons which would be outside of the GL. Fox shooting is fiercely protected and we have much the same problem of individuals holding onto every farm in a particular area and not letting anyone else shoot. Don't know where you are in south Wales but in September we stopped at a farm cottage in Llantwit Major, its a small livestock farm surrounded by mostly arable farms, whilst there I had a couple of walks around the farm and came across 3 ponds in some woodland, there must have been close on a hundred ducks lift of the ponds, I also noticed the large numbers of blacks in the fields and plenty of signs of rabbit activity, whilst there I got talking to the owners and mentioned the amount of ducks on the ponds and blacks in the fields, then shooting came into the conversation and I asked if anyone shot on the farm...no, but I used to do a bit but my legs have gone now...they asked if I did any shooting, yes I replied...well if you want to come in the winter and do some shooting your more than welcome. I appreciate that Wales is a bit different to England but I don't believe everywhere is taken, there's more than one way to skin a cat (oops) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellors Posted November 1 Report Share Posted November 1 1 hour ago, Poor Shot said: Yes, plenty. In my neck of the woods we have real problems with individuals land banking many hundreds of acres of land which prevents anyone else from shooting. We don't have back to back rolling miles of arable fields so what arable there is, is in huge demand. It seems to be the done thing that anyone holding land becomes incredibly and very aggressively defensive over that land even if they only shoot it once or twice a year during the high season. Farmers have more to worry about than people squabbling over who gets to shoot the pigeons so they more often than not turn anyone else away to save the agro they'll get from the incumbent because someone else had a go at flighting pigeons in November. One of the best things the old timers could do to help sustain pigeon shooting is to start bringing younger people into their permissions and passing on the baton. While we still have 80 year old men holding many hundreds of acres of land to shoot a handful of times a year and preventing anyone else shooting then we'll still have a problem with pigeon shooting being the preserve of the old and retired. Its out there if you put the time and effort in and do your research before knocking on doors. It will take time but will be worth it in the end. Local knowledge is key. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poor Shot Posted November 1 Report Share Posted November 1 1 hour ago, old'un said: Don't know where you are in south Wales but in September we stopped at a farm cottage in Llantwit Major, its a small livestock farm surrounded by mostly arable farms, whilst there I had a couple of walks around the farm and came across 3 ponds in some woodland, there must have been close on a hundred ducks lift of the ponds, I also noticed the large numbers of blacks in the fields and plenty of signs of rabbit activity, whilst there I got talking to the owners and mentioned the amount of ducks on the ponds and blacks in the fields, then shooting came into the conversation and I asked if anyone shot on the farm...no, but I used to do a bit but my legs have gone now...they asked if I did any shooting, yes I replied...well if you want to come in the winter and do some shooting your more than welcome. I appreciate that Wales is a bit different to England but I don't believe everywhere is taken, there's more than one way to skin a cat (oops) It's not too far away but out of my 'area'. I'd say you got lucky and it really does tend to be a case of dead mans shoes around here. Whenever I'm around farmy people I always try to bring shooting into the conversation and at times it ends with a result like you outlined in your post and others it ends in an hour conversation about shooting but nothing more. I once had a not too nice lady give me a proper dressing down because I mentioned shooting in a conversation. The Schoffel gillet and le chameau wellies she was wearing while tending to her horses certainly hid her massive anti shooting opinions quite well. Shame because there looked to be a lot of rabbits tearing her paddocks to pieces and a lot of corvids helping themselves to the stables. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poor Shot Posted November 1 Report Share Posted November 1 1 hour ago, mellors said: Its out there if you put the time and effort in and do your research before knocking on doors. It will take time but will be worth it in the end. Local knowledge is key. Right you are but that doesn't mean that there is a lack of young people wanting to get into pigeon shooting which is the post I first responded to. More supports my argument that there are plenty of people out there but a lack of available land to shoot over. IME to date is you can knock 20-30 doors and be met with rejection and further digging will reveal that the same person shoots over every single one of them. When talking to other guns between drives it not uncommon for one to boast about having all the land they could ever wish for but very little time to actually shoot there but will also never give up the land or concede to others shooters who would. It's a very strange boast but a change from I once shot a pheasant at 450m with a 9 shot clay shell or whatever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted November 1 Author Report Share Posted November 1 1 minute ago, Poor Shot said: Right you are but that doesn't mean that there is a lack of young people wanting to get into pigeon shooting which is the post I first responded to. More supports my argument that there are plenty of people out there but a lack of available land to shoot over. IME to date is you can knock 20-30 doors and be met with rejection and further digging will reveal that the same person shoots over every single one of them. When talking to other guns between drives it not uncommon for one to boast about having all the land they could ever wish for but very little time to actually shoot there but will also never give up the land or concede to others shooters who would. It's a very strange boast but a change from I once shot a pheasant at 450m with a 9 shot clay shell or whatever. Again, Wales maybe a bit different to England but in my case I have tried many times to find someone to fill my shoes but failed, I have given up lots of farms as I just cant cover them all, I just cannot find anyone who will give the commitment, I do understand that it takes a lot for someone to commit the time, the expense and also have a very understanding and tolerant wife/partner. Having said the above there must be old boys in your area that are in the same position as me, my suggestion is seek them out and befriend them. Like I said, there's more than one way to skin a cat (oops, done it again) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poor Shot Posted November 1 Report Share Posted November 1 2 minutes ago, old'un said: Again, Wales maybe a bit different to England but in my case I have tried many times to find someone to fill my shoes but failed, I have given up lots of farms as I just cant cover them all, I just cannot find anyone who will give the commitment, I do understand that it takes a lot for someone to commit the time, the expense and also have a very understanding and tolerant wife/partner. Having said the above there must be old boys in your area that are in the same position as me, my suggestion is seek them out and befriend them. Like I said, there's more than one way to skin a cat (oops, done it again) How far is West Midlands, west of the M5 away from CF44? 😅 I have a very understanding wife who knows shooting will always come first. You are right in what you are saying. Right place, right time and you could walk into hundreds of acres of permissions from an old boy looking for an out. I make an effort to speak to anyone and everyone on a shoot, clay shoot etc. Not only because You never know who you may be speaking to and that old boy in the beating line with the ancient spaniel just may be the one but I quite often find the beaters more interesting than a gun ******* off about his new range rover or whatever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted November 1 Author Report Share Posted November 1 if there's not to much traffic you could be here in 2-1/2 hours Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellors Posted November 1 Report Share Posted November 1 Not the best area for you unfortunately. Maybe look towards the border with Hereford. I was on shoot there for many years also had some awesome pigeon shooting through the summer. Definitely plenty of pigeons round there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clangerman Posted November 1 Report Share Posted November 1 I’m beginning to suspect some are knocking on farmers doors without phone footage of birds eating his profits! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted November 1 Report Share Posted November 1 When they say they go knocking on doors , is it in the hope of gaining permission to shoot vermin on there land , or have they seen a likely field and that is what they are inquiring about ? , it was also mentioned about Rabbit shooting and vermin control around horse paddocks , I have never seeked permission for either but I would imagine he it very hard for someone who love Horses to let a complete stranger let loose with a firearm where that person have got Horses stabled up , this is where trained pest control workers earn there money . they really should find the birds doing the damage first and only try and get on that one field , if you then do a good job then more land is sure to follow . MM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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