Contrasting days

[anser2]

Just had 3 days decoying pigeons on 3 rape fields.

 

Day one .

The weather was sunny with a brisk south wind. Set up 35 decoys and a whirly. The hide was well hidden , but the birds just did not want to know. several hundred groups passed during the day within a hundred yards and yet just one bird decoyed. Managed to knock down a couple of passing birds , but the birds just did not want to decoy , despite there being 600+ pigeon feeding on the field before i set up.

 

Day 2.

South west gale blowing and bright sunshine. Again 35 decoys ( set in shade to stop glare off the decoys ) and a whirly. To start with the pigeons did not like the hide so i moved it 10 feet into deep shade. A few birds decoyed , but most just did not want to know again. Ended with 7 in the bag.

 

Day 3.

Very light north west breeze with a sunny start , but clouding over later. Set up early before the birds started to move with the usual number of decoys and a whirly. I could not keep the birds out of the decoys and some broke away from small flocks that had been shot at and came back into the decoys. Packed up 3 hours later with 66 birds in the bag and a couple lost in the trees.

 

So success on the most unfavourable day weatherwise. On the first day there were 100s of pigeons moving all day , I set up in a spot where they had been feeding for the past week and yet the birds would not come into the decoys. There were none of the usual signs of the birds not liking the hide or decoy patten ( committed birds swerving off before comming into range) they just ignored the decoys.

 

Much the same on the second day , but I was set up under a flightline rather than a feeding field. There were far fewer birds about. The birds were very skitish jinking at the slightest movement and I did better when I switched the whirly off and used it as a bouncer. I should have had a few more birds , but many of the shots were taken at extream range at jinking birds.

 

On the last day I was pulling birds off a flightline ( no birds had been seen feeding on the field for the past week ). On several occasions I was caught out of the hide . I just froze against the hedge and they ignored me.

 

Pigeon are such unpredictable birds.

[Catamong]

Hmm, sounds like on days 1 & 2 they were gun shy..??

 

Had they been shot over those fields the day before?

 

I make a point of never shooting a field of rape that's been shot the previous day as they are so reluctant to decoy.

 

Cat.

[Cranfield]

I find bright sunshine seems to make birds flighty (even using flocked decoys and dead birds), combine that with no wind and I might as well go home.

 

I am not sure about "over shooting", I have shot large bags off a field on six consecutive days (a couple were part days due to torrential rain) and the birds just kept coming.

There have also been loads of two/three consecutive days on fields that have been very productive.

On occasions I have moved my hide placement, but often I was shooting out of fixed bale hides.

[anser2]

Quote "Had they been shot over those fields the day before?"

 

Nobody has shot the fields for at least 7 days , but there has been some pheasant shooting in the area a couple of days before.