Paul in North Lincs. Posted August 18, 2004 Report Share Posted August 18, 2004 Whilst out and about in Lincolnshire this morning, I was reccying some of the farms I shoot, in order to determine where to go this weekend. The weather was dry warm with a good wind. Could not see a woodie anywhere! I know that we've has alot of rain of late, but yesturday one of my regular farms was alive with birds feeding on the cut weat and rape stubble; but today they were no where to be seen. I would understand if I was only reccying locally, but I covered about 50 mile, and it was the same everywhere!!....... I was left quite bemused Any ideas chaps???............. Paul in North Linclnshire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon master Posted August 18, 2004 Report Share Posted August 18, 2004 Hello Paul, I went out doing some recces the other day and it was the same in my area, these pigeons must all have radio links because at times you dont see a single woody even when scanning with the bino's, Then 10 minutes later and they're all in the air at once. We know they are there but sometimes there camo gear is better than ours, going out in a minute myself just to check a few fields. hope I see some too, The PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Mike Posted August 18, 2004 Report Share Posted August 18, 2004 I think these birds are flying further from their roosts to feeding areas than we imagine Only last week I watched a bird come over the Valley at 6.30 am and I followed it through the bins over the Vale of Berkeley and along the severn valley towards Bristol I rekon it must have flown over 12 miles until it dissapeared out of site. My mate who worked for the BTO in the 70,s reckons a 20 to 40 mile flight to feeding grounds is nothing to an adult bird. How do they spread the word around about good feeding grounds or do they just watch each others flight paths and follow suit. It would be brilliant if we could attach a tracking sytem to a woody for a year and learn more about it. Around here they have two distinctive feeding times early morning and mid afternoon during these periods they hold up in trees and bushes and you would think there was nothing about. Let off a couple of shots and the sky is suddenly heavy with them. I shot a pea field in Oxfordshire about 7 years ago and my friend and I followed the flocks of woodies leaving this field for nearly 20 miles to their roost in North Glos. One of the other shoots I have locally in Uley. I am convinced the birds are coming over the severn from their roosts in the Forest of Dean about 15 miles as the crow flies. ( or Pigeon ) Sometimes they are there but you just dont see them. FM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul in North Lincs. Posted August 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2004 Thanks for your views FM I suppose it quite feasible that they are travelling further a field, and rural lincolnsire does cover mile after mile. What baffles me is I know for a fact that food is plentyfull in the areas I covered this morning, so what would make em travel miles when there's no need???..... I wasnt aware of any other shooters which may of spooked them I suppose if we knew all the answers,...then it wouldn't be a s much fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Mike Posted August 18, 2004 Report Share Posted August 18, 2004 There is many things we dont know about Woodies Paul as you say this apart from the excellent sport we enjoy in keeping their numbers under control makes them fascinating birds. I would say they are amongst the most intelligent of the bird species and certainly the most wide widespread.. The sheer volume of numbers in this country and on the continent is testimony not just to the amount of arable crops grown but also to their superb adaptability. They are very quick on the up take as well... a woody shot at and missed over a magnet or deeks will quickly learn that something is not quite right. I am convinced of this from my own experiences recently where I have been shooting with a magnet in high winds and missing a few birds ( well more than a few actually) over the next few sorties the birds have become quite shy of the rotary to the point where I have turned it off or taken it in with markedly better results. This is just not the noise of the gun as the fields have had a banger on the laid wheat and they have even been landing on the damn thing when it is off. Who knows why they travel so far when there appears to be no need. I can now see pigeon everyday flying over acres of stubble to a particular field and last weekend I shot over expanses of barley stubble and killed 12 birds 8 of which were full of rape seed ? One had peanuts in its crop but I doubt if it had been flying to Georgia!!. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ernyha Posted August 18, 2004 Report Share Posted August 18, 2004 Iam sure this is what makes pigeon shooting so interesting.Many a time i have driven for miles around the county without seeing more than a couple of birds and have often remarked to my mate that someone has thrown the "off" switch again. This past Saturday i set off at 12.30 for a drive round the area and covered miles looking at the stubbles and chatting to farmers etc without hardly seeing a bird. Giving it up as a bad job i set off for home. When i got to the last field of rape stubble on my way back, which was the first one i had checked on my way out.it was alive with pigeons. They were flitting all over it when only an hour or so earlier there were none. I spent a few minutes watching their movements and deciding the best place to set up but the weather beat me to it and the heavens opened up.As there was no break in the clouds anywhere in sight i got back in the motor and came home. It just proves to me that even if you think there are no birds about, there are, it's just a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted August 18, 2004 Report Share Posted August 18, 2004 Due to the wealth of food available for them at the moment (in most areas), their feeding spells seem to be much shorter. I also believe they need a bit more time to digest seed and grain. They will be spending a lot of time sitting unseen, in the leafy trees. I don't subscribe to the idea that pigeons will travel a long way from their roosting points, for food. They may relocate their roosting points to be nearer food, but I think journeys over 6- 10 miles would be very unuaual. I'm sure there was a report/study on this subject some years ago. I can't remember their conclusion. Where is Gary when you need him, he will know ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turk101 Posted August 18, 2004 Report Share Posted August 18, 2004 Same hear in essex guys went out on friday loads about even with the torrential rain in between there was loads.Went out today only shot three the weather was just right i thought for a nice bag(good strength wind,no rain except for one 10 minute burst)I DON'T GET IT! turk101(mem) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul in North Lincs. Posted August 19, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2004 Thanks for all your sugestions chaps!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GARY (G.I. countrysports U.K.) Posted August 20, 2004 Report Share Posted August 20, 2004 WE ARE NOW GOING THROUGH ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT PERIODS OF THE WHOLE YEAR FOR PIGEON SHOOTING... IT IS TRUE THAT GREAT BAGS ARE SHOT AT THIS TIME ON RAPE STUBBLE , BUT WE NEED ALL THE ODDS STACKED IN OUR FAVOR TO GET THEM. IN GENERAL, AT THIS TIME OF YEAR: THE BIRDS DECOY TO PATTERNS QUITE BADLY. THEY DON'T SHOW UP ON FIELDS IN THE NUMBERS THAT WERE SEEN PREVIOUSLY. THEIR TIME KEEPING IS ALL TO COCK. MAGNETS AND FLAPPERS WORK POORLY. ONE DAY THEY ARE THERE, THE NEXT THEY ARE NOT. THE ANSWER TO ALL OF THIS IS DOWN TO A FEW THINGS. 1. THEY ARE JUST NOT HUNGRY... The birds decoy badly when they are not hungry. If you do get a few coming in the mornings, they are very fickle, afternoons are better, but only slightly. Just about every field has some food value on it, even ploughing, the birds are widely dispersed resulting in us only seeing small concentrations on our best fields. A full crop of grain takes over 24 hours to process, the birds only need to feed every other day. They will take grit twice a day to assist this process. 2. AS MANY AS 50% OF THE ENTIRE WOODPIGEON POPULATION HAS SQUABS ON THE NEST AT THIS TIME. Don't believe me! post how many young birds you shoot in the second week of September. All nesting adults will be moulting then. Wet/cold weather will see parents brooding youngsters for best part of the day. 3. CHANGING WEATHER AND INTENSIVE WORKING IN THE FIELDS PLAYS HAVOC WITH THE BIRDS DAILY ROUTINES. Consistent weather of any sort, produces predictable Woodpigeon movement, hardly the picture over the last few weeks. 4. WE ARE EXPERIENCING A VERY LATE HARVEST. In a normal year just about every rape stubble has been ploughed by now. In my area we still have swathed and standing Rape. The birds will definately prefer rape over any other crop. Once the majority of the rape fields have been ploughed the birds will concentrate on the ones remaining. That is when you will shoot bigger numbers. The middle of September normally sees the largest bags of the year, it may be a few weeks late this year, all depends on how the harvest goes. My clients bags at this time are very up and down, normally by now things start to come on song, but this won't happen for a week or two yet. TOP TIP FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS... LOOK FOR REALLY WELL ROTTED MANURE HILLS WITH SEVERAL BIRDS SEEN ON OR AROUND THEM. GET SET UP ON THE MANURE HILL. THE BIRDS VISIT THESE PLACES FOR A FEW MINUTES ONLY (THEY EAT THE MANURE, ONLY A LITTLE, I THINK IT EITHER HELPS THEIR DIGESTIVE SYSTEM OR THEY GET ESSENTIAL MINERALS FROM IT) YOU WILL SHOOT A REALLY DECENT BAG FROM THE RIGHT MANURE HILL... A CLIENT OF MINE HAD 175 SHOTS TODAY ON SUCH A PLACE. THE MOST BIRDS I HAD EVER SEEN ON THIS MANURE HILL WAS ABOUT 20. THIS BACK END WILL SEE SOME GREAT SPORT AND BIGGER THAN AVERAGE BAGS SHOT. THE BIRDS HAVE HAD ANOTHER GOOD BREEDING YEAR AND THEY HAVE HAD ACCESS TO GRAIN SINCE THE LAID BARLEY WHICH STARTED IN JUNE. THEY ARE IN SUPERB CONDITION AND THIS RESULTS IN BREEDING SUCCESS. ONCE THEY CONCENTRATE ON FEWER FIELDS GET READY TO FILL YOUR BOOTS. ALL THE VERY BEST GARY P.S. I DON'T AGREE WITH THE FLYING LARGE DISTANCE TO FEED THEORY. THEY REALLY HAVEN'T ANY NEED TO FLY THAT FAR TO FEED AT THIS TIME OF YEAR. NATURE NORMALLY WORKS IN: ENERGY EXPENDITURE VERSUS ENERGY INPUT. WOODIES ARE QUITE LAZY REALLY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ernyha Posted August 20, 2004 Report Share Posted August 20, 2004 A very informative post Gary and certainly bears out out my experiences this summer. Was looking forward to tomorrow afternoon as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted August 21, 2004 Report Share Posted August 21, 2004 Thanks for the response Gary, that answers a few questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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