Wandering birds

[markm]

Just over the border of our shoot there is about 1/4 acre standing corn which was not cut due to the wet summer. On saturday a dog ran over (accidently on purpose) and flushed 50+ pheasants from it which all flew over to the woods (not on our land). Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get them back into our woods which are less than 30 meters away.

 

I have had a look at the corn, it is thick and dry and the majority of the crop still has heads on which fall when knocked, with a small wood right beside it for them to roost in and a bunker for grit.

 

The land is on a golf course and the owners are anti shooting (the field is on a tennant farm and the farmer does not have shooting rights even for vermin). I know for a fact if I approach the hotel I will be told NO for reasons previously mentioned.

 

Any suggestions on getting the birds back across?

[cubix]

That's a toughie - we get birds from a neighbouring shoot, but don't shoot them from a good neighbourly point of view (we stalk). We shoo them back.

 

Pheasants are daft! They may make their own way back if they can figure out that's where they get fed, but they may be happy to just eat the corn and stay put.

 

If so, and they feed during the day on the corn, can you walk a dog through early evening to encourage them back to yours?

 

I hope you shift them, otherwise they'll just wander around till the foxes get them. Perhaps you could tell your neighbours that and they might be a bit more sympathetic?

[Browning]

As long as they are happy with food, water and shelter, and not being harrased, they will be extremely difficult, if not impossible,

to get back.

 

If nothing changes over the boundary then it looks like these birds are gone for the season.

 

I would look forward to next year and look at changing things on your shoot to try and stop it

happening again.

[ciltalgarth]

Try a bit of hold-em-drive mixed with your wheat and if possible try and get permission to dog them back.

[mossy835]

As long as they are happy with food, water and shelter, and not being harrased, they will be extremely difficult, if not impossible,

to get back.

 

If nothing changes over the boundary then it looks like these birds are gone for the season.

 

I would look forward to next year and look at changing things on your shoot to try and stop it

happening again.

 

 

[al4x]

sounds like you're doing the best thing, about your only option is to have an unruly dog wander through it, just make sure you keep a low profile and don't have a gun on you at the time. I also find dressing like a rambler in bright red coat etc helps. After all you won't be upsetting someones shoot.

[Pete The Poacher]

put some red diesel around it, that will keep em on your place

[jasons gold]

put some red diesel around it, that will keep em on your place

[Magus69]

Mix Gamestay aniseed Spice oil with your corn/pellets, it is the strongest on the market and 1 litre will treat 1 tonne of feed.

They'll smell the stuff a mile away but just to make sure get a couple of bags of raisins and mix with a teaspoon of the stuff and scatter them your side of the standing corn they'll switch straight onto em.

Spraying the standing stuff with diesel as mentioned earlier would switch them off from it as a food source and a cover source but at the end of the day you would be poisoning/contaminating someone elses land and it would do you no favours at all.

Mike...