anser2 Posted December 28, 2008 Report Share Posted December 28, 2008 (edited) All autumn the pigeon numbers seem to have been low in North Norfolk , but today I was working in North Suffolk and was struck by their scarcity. Driving down to the Bury ST Edmunds area at about 9.00 am and back at 2.00 pm I never saw any prigeons feeding on rape , indeed the only 2 small flocks I saw were on winter wheat ( perhaps feeding on chickweed ). I saw maybe 50 pigeons flying over in small groups. On arriving on the farm I have to survey I saw a total of 40 wood pigeons ( during the 3 hour survey period ) flying over despite a number of large rape fields none were feeding on them. I was in the South Broads over christmas and there apeared reasonable numbers there. Edited December 28, 2008 by anser2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imperfection Posted December 28, 2008 Report Share Posted December 28, 2008 I went out this morning too and was a bit sceptical to what i might get cos i saw large flocks of woodies just outside a nearby village...nowhere near my permission.When i got there,i set the deeks on a route i know they often use in a field of rape and for 30 minutes or so there was nothing so poured myself a cup of hot coffee as the wind was a tad sharp. Then all of a sudden the sky was filled with woodies! I knocked back the coffee and started shooting-one,two,three-reload-one,two,three-reload-one,two,three-reload.Then i noticed someone over my right shoulder about 100yds away walking towards me with a dog so i unloaded,put gun down and stood up-it was the gamekeeper.Had a quick chat,but he was the kiss of death cos i didnt see anything for next 45 minutes. Another wave of woodies came in when i was drinking more coffee (should use it as a decoy at this rate),but by 1.00pm my feet felt like blocks of ice so called it a day.Final bag was 18. Its mixed here at moment because last week i only got 6 pigeons & 1 crow and i was there for 6hrs! Theres an awful lot of rape grown round here so i guess when they're spooked by gunshot or perhaps (my!) decoys not set out quite right they move on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikee Posted December 28, 2008 Report Share Posted December 28, 2008 went out yesterday morning before dawn and soon realised that i wasnt going to get too many, i packed up about 11 am with 12, as i got back to the car another car pulled up and 2 guys with harris hawks got out after a brief chat tagged along with them for a couple of hours, so the day wasn't wasted after all, but the pigeon numbers in my part of norfolk have dropped dramatically in the last 2-3 weeks, where there were previously thousands now only hundreds and not even that on some farms i looked around, maybe its the cold north easterly we've had lately has driven them into more inland ares, who knows mikee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy835 Posted December 28, 2008 Report Share Posted December 28, 2008 on, 2 of my farms i have rape and no pigeons have been on it yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbivvy Posted December 28, 2008 Report Share Posted December 28, 2008 some very cold weather ready for setting in , so keep a eye for em next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weejase Posted December 28, 2008 Report Share Posted December 28, 2008 I was out today and the only pigeons about were on another farm adjoining my permission I took a drive up to the other farm and was astounded at the amount of birds that was there ther must have been thousands I spoke to the landowner and asked about helping him out with them and was told that someone already pays him for the shooting rights pi$$ed me right off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anser2 Posted December 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2008 (edited) I was out again today riding around my shoot looking for pigeons for tomorrow . After covering 3 farms the result was one field with 20 on it. The other 12 rape fields were empty. going to check out the north farms this afternoon , but it does not look good. Edited December 29, 2008 by anser2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenhunter Posted December 29, 2008 Report Share Posted December 29, 2008 Drove past a block of 4 or 5 fields of rape yesterday and there were 50+ birds on each one. Not mine unfortunately but whoever has the shooting there is NOT doing a very good job! Perhaps I should do some research! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerseaDavid Posted December 29, 2008 Report Share Posted December 29, 2008 Our farm has got a few rape fields on it and every day there is not one that does not have more than 200+ birds on it, but my boss or me go down to them and fire a shot and they move off not to be seen until the next day, our neighbours farm has nearly had to plough his rape in because it is on a nature reserve and no-one is aloud to shoot the pigeons. The main farm that I shoot has had great numbers of birds this year and has given us some great days, but they have really flocked up now and it is a job to get some good bags. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitebridges Posted December 30, 2008 Report Share Posted December 30, 2008 (edited) Had a spin round today (North Norfolk) and couldn't find any birds to make it worth unloading the motor. It's been like this before ofcourse then all of a sudden there's a plague. Keep watching. Edited December 30, 2008 by Whitebridges Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p-a-s Posted December 30, 2008 Report Share Posted December 30, 2008 i have just picked up some new land (rape),but due to the farmers son shooting it 1 day this week i cant get on just yet.when i 1st drove past it yesterday at 1.30 i could see easily a 1000 pigeons on it,i parked up to get the bino`s from behind my seat then just shut the car door as normal uuup they went,then landed about 100 yards further down the field.on my return about 2.30 ish i must have seen at least 3000+ birds on it,i got out to take a pic to post on here but only had my camera on the phone,its a blackberry.and im not very familiar with it and the pic turned out poor.on some other permision i have(again rape) thats less than half a mile away from this rape field i reckon i saw about 5/600 woodies on it,but so was about 40 swans,so thats put paid to that field.so they are about lads Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy835 Posted January 1, 2009 Report Share Posted January 1, 2009 `glad you have them up there,iv been out this afternoon and shot 1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topshot Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 had a look at my permission today and quite a few birds on the stubble very frosty.gamekeeper said they have been there all week so going out sat morning early to try and bag a few. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancashireunter Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 Why can you not shoot the field with the swans on? You dont have to shoot the swans!! Would of thought the farmer would want em moving on, forty is alot on one field of rape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p-a-s Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 lancashire hunter.originally i wasnt going to shoot the field with the swans on as the field has a bit of wilderness path that borders the rape field and a lot of people walk through it.it only takes 1 donkey that thinks i am shooting at the swans,result=old bill turn up,farmer gets the grief i lose a shoot.anyway that way of thinking changed today, because im still waiting for the farmers son on the other farm 3000+ he was meant to be shooting his today and he wants the 1st shoot on it. and i had been hoping to take richie76 out for the day.(i must admit i did feel sorry for richie as he ended up moving twice) so, i took the bull by the horns and decided to shoot this field with the swans on it,it turned out a good day except it started off very still,not even a breeze.then it got rather windy so i had to re arange my set up accordingly,then the cloud moved on leaving me to shoot directly into the sun.if i had changed my position i would of had the trail right behind me so i decided to stay put.it was hard but i stuck with it and ended up picking up 20 pigeons out of about 24 shot. it wasnt a very good conversion rate as i shot 150 carts. but i wasnt to concerned id rather have a day shooting at the pigeons and only converting a small amount than sitting all day for a handfull of shots. i had a nice flow of pigeons coming in untill about 2.30.will i be going again? to right i will.i just want to say to richie fair play to you mate for sticking to it i know it was hard for you and its no fun humping all your gear about but as you found out it can pay off as you had as many shots in the last couple of hours than you did all morning paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richie76 Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 `glad you have them up there,iv been out this afternoon and shot 1. That's 1 more than i got . I cant thank p-a-s enough for taking me out again today , It was a hard field to shoot, p-a-s dropped lucky in his spot, the woodies dropped out of a neighbouring wood close to where he was. me!!!! they tested me! all my shots were long range and quite high, but in the end it all started to come together when i moved for the 3rd time..lol, I need a trolley for all my gear, Man!! Its heavy!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.