Harnser Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 Its started to snow here in norfolk this evening .Will be going out to have a look round the rape fields tomorrow .Some of the best pigeon shooting i have had is after it has been snowing .If the rape is coverd for a couple of days with snow ,and then starts to thaw so that the rape is just poking through then the birds will start to flight in for a feed . The hard weather is tough for them and heavy snow can cover up their natural foods .Also keep your eye on on holly berries and ivy berries .If you have access to any wood shooting watch out under any beech trees as they will be after beech nuts and acorns .Surprisingly there is still lots of this food available in my woodlands that i shoot . Good hunting . Harnser . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 Any green showing above the snow will be like a beacon to the pigeons. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosd Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 (edited) Will they only be feeding on rape this time of year? What else will they go for in these conditions, I'll be out on Sunday.... I mean ground food! I got the tree/bush bit Edited February 1, 2008 by Cosd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmer Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 Will they only be feeding on rape this time of year?What else will they go for in these conditions, I'll be out on Sunday.... I mean ground food! I got the tree/bush bit Brussels Sprouts is a really good crop to shoot on if the snow is deep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted February 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 (edited) Will they only be feeding on rape this time of year?What else will they go for in these conditions, I'll be out on Sunday.... I mean ground food! I got the tree/bush bit Sugarbeet tops are good this time of the year ,also barley and wheat stubble if they havent gleened it all off . Pigeons like to go on to freshly mucked barley and wheat stubble .Iam not sure what they are after but suspect it may be minerals from the cow or pig muck . wood shooting can be very good in very hard weather ,berries ,acorns ,chestnuts and any thing else that they see as a dinner .Have often seen them on muck heaps ,again proberbly for minerals .Any thing green and edible . They will also go on to young cereals at this time of the year if the weather is hard . And of course kale ,and now the game season is over ,the cover crops .Knocked down maize cover crop ,proberbly one of the best shooting crops for pigeon you will get to shoot over .A friend of mine and me once shot in exess of 400 pigeons on about 50 acres of knocked down maize .We left it for 4 days before shooting .It was terrible watching all those pigeons queing up to get onto the field ,we estimated that there must have been 2000 pigeons working that field .On the fourth day a first light start and what a cracking days shooting .we shot over 500 shells between us and were both shell shocked .A day that a will never forget . Harnser . Edited February 2, 2008 by Harnser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonnyR Posted February 6, 2008 Report Share Posted February 6, 2008 A mate of mine told me a story about someone who covered a patch of rape before it started snowing then uncovered it once it had stopped - what he was left with was a big patch of green in a sea of white. 400+ woodies later and he had run out of cartridges! Only a story but it makes sense. cheers, Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teal Posted February 6, 2008 Report Share Posted February 6, 2008 I bet the farmer was happy - maybe he was the farmer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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