I called the AA to get the wheels put back on...

[kitchrat]

But they couldn't come until next week! I asked the Met office for some wind to clear yesterday's murk and drizzle, they sent gale force winds! I was going back to the block of rape that I got 70+ off, 10 days ago. Rick said they were back, so did the farmer. Very windy so I get into a nasty little ditch where I only need a little screen of a hide, back to a big willow tree to keep the wind off and to give me a great back stop. 

Magnet and decoys out. A few pigeons show up and try to get near my pattern but seem unable to handle the wind - they don't try very hard. One tries to land in an adjacent sitty tree, really struggles but 32 gms of No 6 shot make it irrelevant.

A few manage to land in a dip in the field behind me, this soon becomes a good sized flock. About this time I figure out that a magnet in this wind is not realistic, no pigeon would turn downwind as it lands. So I get up, walk the flock off and go back to the truck for a floater. I make one arm of the magnet into a floater, the other bird on the real one.

Soon, the flock come back for a look but are not impressed. I manage to down a high bird.

Then, NOTHING HAPPENS, except the wind gets stronger. My hide suffers, the decoys get blown away, my hat gets blown off and the willow tree starts to sway. I start to think it may not be a good idea to have my back to a tree.

I don't see a pigeon for an hour so I pack up and move on to Plan B. This is to go roost shooting in the wind tonight. I know this is not normal practise in December but the farmer wants action, so action he will get. We never get enough help in February anyway, shooters don't have the spine to sit out evenings when it doesn't work and they don't show up.

Cheers!

[JKD]

Lost a £50 note and found a fiver again I see 🤦‍♂️ I've said it before,,,, you expect too much. Good luck with the roost shooting though 👍

[TIGHTCHOKE]

At least with early roost shooting there is far less to carry both ways and as you'll not be out for too long you shouldn't get too cold or bored.

 

Good luck.

[mellors]

😳. 

Not sure about the AA i be more concerned about the men in white coats arriving. 

I bet rick was impressed that you woke him early on your return. 

10 out 10 for effort i hardly ever use a magnet and definitely not in high wind maybe invest in a flapper. 

Nothing wrong roosting or getting on a flightline this time of year your presence will still be noticed. 

Edited Wednesday at 14:20 by mellors

[kitchrat]

1 hour ago, JKD said:

Lost a £50 note and found a fiver again I see 🤦‍♂️ I've said it before,,,, you expect too much. Good luck with the roost shooting though 👍

Nothing wrong with being hopeful! If you don't want me to report honestly when it doesn't work, please tell me, just don't put me down as being negative. We all have days when it don't happen.

12 minutes ago, mellors said:

😳. 

Not sure about the AA i be more concerned about the men in white coats arriving. 

I bet rick was impressed that you woke him early on your return. 

10 out 10 for effort i hardly ever use a magnet and definitely not in high wind maybe invest in a flapper. 

Nothing wrong roosting or getting on a flightline this time of year your presence will still be noticed. 

I have a couple of flappers but have never got good results from them. More often or not the flapper has kicked in as a bird is coming in and spooks it. Or do you leave it running full time?

 

You could be right about the men in white coats!!

Edited Wednesday at 14:33 by kitchrat

[mellors]

Work well for me. 

A couple of these with pigeon on and short fibre glass rods 2ft or so off the ground set back behind a couple of foot either side of the flapper 30 yds out. 

Try it. 

[clangerman]

3 hours ago, kitchrat said:

 

A few manage to land in a dip in the field behind me, this soon becomes a good sized flock. 

that should have told Rick as they only wanted nothing but real birds today a dozen in front of you would have given them exactly what they expected to see maybe your over feeding him! lol 

[kitchrat]

1 hour ago, clangerman said:

that should have told Rick as they only wanted nothing but real birds today a dozen in front of you would have given them exactly what they expected to see maybe your over feeding him! lol 

Ha Ha, no beer for Rick tonight! I think the dip in the field was a bit more sheltered, but real birds are always best, of course. You will notice the wind dropped before my roost shoot, so they were high above tall trees but I guessed right a few times and got lucky. Shot 5, which improves the day's bag!!

1 hour ago, mellors said:

Work well for me. 

A couple of these with pigeon on and short fibre glass rods 2ft or so off the ground set back behind a couple of foot either side of the flapper 30 yds out. 

Try it. 

Sort of a cross between a static flapper and a floater? Could be good, cheers

[mellors]

1 hour ago, kitchrat said:

Ha Ha, no beer for Rick tonight! I think the dip in the field was a bit more sheltered, but real birds are always best, of course. You will notice the wind dropped before my roost shoot, so they were high above tall trees but I guessed right a few times and got lucky. Shot 5, which improves the day's bag!!

Sort of a cross between a static flapper and a floater? Could be good, cheers

Yes but still on the timer it seems to stop them flaring if it flaps as they come in. 

 

[kitchrat]

23 minutes ago, mellors said:

Yes but still on the timer it seems to stop them flaring if it flaps as they come in. 

 

Hmmmm, getting a bit complicated for a simple Kitchrat..

[JKD]

4 hours ago, kitchrat said:

Nothing wrong with being hopeful! If you don't want me to report honestly when it doesn't work, please tell me, just don't put me down as being negative. We all have days when it don't happen.

Stop being so melodramatic, please ! 🤭😂

[clangerman]

2 hours ago, kitchrat said:

Ha Ha, no beer for Rick tonight! I think the dip in the field was a bit more sheltered, but real birds are always best, of course. 

can hardly claim expertise myself as it took years of the same mistakes until they sunk in been weeks since I got out of the landie beginning to suspect real expert on board is the dog! 

[Old Boggy]

18 hours ago, kitchrat said:

Nothing wrong with being hopeful! If you don't want me to report honestly when it doesn't work, please tell me, just don't put me down as being negative. We all have days when it don't happen.

 

I for one greatly enjoy your posts which I find refreshingly honest.

Please continue keeping us fully informed of your exploits in the field.

OB

[dead eye alan]

5 minutes ago, Old Boggy said:

I for one greatly enjoy your posts which I find refreshingly honest.

Please continue keeping us fully informed of your exploits in the field.

OB

Please do as its the only excitement for me at the moment.

[marsh man]

38 minutes ago, dead eye alan said:

Please do as its the only excitement for me at the moment.

Now come on Alan,  What with Christmas only around the corner and plenty of time off work you certainly live an exciting life , your next big bag of Pigeons could be the next report we read and will put all us ole armchair shooters on a high 

MERRY CHRISTMAS 

 

[kitchrat]

On 19/12/2024 at 08:54, dead eye alan said:

Please do as its the only excitement for me at the moment.

A hard day's beating, a day of rest and now high winds and rain have led to a ceasefire this weekend. I hope for a brief bit of excitement in the woods this evening.

Next. when cleaning my gun, I found the foresight had gone. That explains how I missed the odd sitter?                                                                                                                  Finally, 

Does this sort of excitement happen at any of the game shoots you go to? Happily, none of mine! 

[Wilts#Dave]

6 hours ago, kitchrat said:

A hard day's beating, a day of rest and now high winds and rain have led to a ceasefire this weekend. I hope for a brief bit of excitement in the woods this evening.

Next. when cleaning my gun, I found the foresight had gone. That explains how I missed the odd sitter?                                                                                                                  Finally, 

Does this sort of excitement happen at any of the game shoots you go to? Happily, none of mine! 

I had a cracking hour or so in a small wood this afternoon at last knockings and brought down 22 cracking pigeons on the wind. I hope you had similar fortune if you ventured out! 

[kitchrat]

7 minutes ago, Wilts#Dave said:

I had a cracking hour or so in a small wood this afternoon at last knockings and brought down 22 cracking pigeons on the wind. I hope you had similar fortune if you ventured out! 

Yes, I had a little go, challenging stuff in a very tall wood - 40 acres so I'm usually in the wrong place (and I'm a bit slow and wooden really) but interrupted for a while by a downpour at prime pigeon bed time. Managed 10, which I'm happy enough with. Cheers, Drowned-rat

[marsh man]

1 hour ago, Wilts#Dave said:

I had a cracking hour or so in a small wood this afternoon at last knockings and brought down 22 cracking pigeons on the wind. I hope you had similar fortune if you ventured out! 

 

1 hour ago, kitchrat said:

Yes, I had a little go, challenging stuff in a very tall wood - 40 acres so I'm usually in the wrong place (and I'm a bit slow and wooden really) but interrupted for a while by a downpour at prime pigeon bed time. Managed 10, which I'm happy enough with. Cheers, Drowned-rat

Two very good afternoons sport , totally different from decoying , you know you are not going to be there to long and you can normally find some shelter from the wind , we very rarely hear about anyone roost shooting this time of the year , maybe most of our woods are tied up with game shooting along with most of the people who go in them , once we get over the Christmas period then the end of the season is in sight and before you know we will be all heading towards the woods once again .     MM

[kitchrat]

1 hour ago, marsh man said:

 

Two very good afternoons sport , totally different from decoying , you know you are not going to be there to long and you can normally find some shelter from the wind , we very rarely hear about anyone roost shooting this time of the year , maybe most of our woods are tied up with game shooting along with most of the people who go in them , once we get over the Christmas period then the end of the season is in sight and before you know we will be all heading towards the woods once again .     MM

Yes, by "tradition" roosting round here is every Saturday in February, after the game season. (6 Nations rugby has messed that up - I say that is why Sony made VCRs!) This particular farm has no shoot and is keen to get the pigeons off his land at any opportunity. Happy to oblige! 

[marsh man]

10 minutes ago, kitchrat said:

Yes, by "tradition" roosting round here is every Saturday in February, after the game season. (6 Nations rugby has messed that up - I say that is why Sony made VCRs!) This particular farm has no shoot and is keen to get the pigeons off his land at any opportunity. Happy to oblige! 

For many , many years I had a lovely little wood down the marsh , the wood itself wasn't that big and with the right wind you could get a lot of sport in a very short time , I would normally have a go around mid November when a lot of the leaves are off the trees , then I would leave it alone until the Christmas holiday , this was ideal if Boxing day was on a Sunday as we couldn't shoot wildfowl in our county on a Sunday , Pigeons would be feeding in the parks and the town gardens and then start coming back to this wood from about 2.30 onwards , a strong Westerly wind was ideal and they would come till just before dark , two of us went one Boxing day and shot over 60 between us , like everywhere some years were better than others but the big house was sold along with the wood and the roost shooting came to a end but that ole wood hold many happy memories .   MM

[Wilts#Dave]

On 21/12/2024 at 18:39, marsh man said:

 

Two very good afternoons sport , totally different from decoying , you know you are not going to be there to long and you can normally find some shelter from the wind , we very rarely hear about anyone roost shooting this time of the year , maybe most of our woods are tied up with game shooting along with most of the people who go in them , once we get over the Christmas period then the end of the season is in sight and before you know we will be all heading towards the woods once again .     MM

The small wood I shot is on a flightline to a much larger block of woodland I can’t shoot, and always shoots best in December/January then tails off by February. Some years are better than others, and the line they use varies slightly year on year too.
Last year I shot 55 in just over an hour on the first night which was the best I’ve done by some margin! 
My favourite sport of all, wait until the wind direction is right and gun/cartridges is all that’s needed (averages usually take a hit)! 

[matone]

Another good thread ,thanks Kitchrat .Sounds like you`re getting some good sport for the time of year,!!!! Your experiences will resonate with most people I think.

ATB.