rifleman56 Posted January 30, 2005 Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 i am still waiting to shoot pigeons on rape i have 450 acres i went out yesterday and shot 2 its still mild here in taunton somerset they dont want to know yet lets have cold weather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted January 30, 2005 Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 They certainly don't seem that committed to the rape anywhere, at the moment. From observations in the last few years, I think the best crop for Winter pigeon shooting is ivy. All you have to do now, is persuade your Farmers to cultivate a few acres of the stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rifleman56 Posted January 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 why do you think this is other years they eat the field out i had 300 acres 2 years ago and they went though the lot i could not keep them off.it did come back again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdubya Posted January 30, 2005 Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 They certainly don't seem that committed to the rape anywhere, at the moment been hitting rape hard up here for a few weeks had a number of very good bags recently and of course the odd poor day lots of pigeon around! cheers keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M ROBSON Posted January 30, 2005 Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 I was out for a drive today looking for an end of season field of Greylags for me and my mate to shoot tomorrow and I spotted two nice flocks of Pigeons on OSR. The first lot was about 200-300 strong on a 20 acre field and the second lot was well over 1000 on two 30 acre fields back to back. They have only really started hitting the rape hard up here for a week or so now. Mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marco you missed another one Posted January 31, 2005 Report Share Posted January 31, 2005 I can sat that here in the West Midlands Pigeons they not even consider (yet) OSR, yesterday I went into this wonderfull fiel made up for Pigeons 400 acres of rape and at the side, a row of threes covered with ivy guess where they were landind, on the bloody ivy and that means I could shoot them because I was on the field in the hide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mallinson Posted January 31, 2005 Report Share Posted January 31, 2005 roll on the peas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old rooster Posted January 31, 2005 Report Share Posted January 31, 2005 I'm seriously wondering if we are going to see much activity on the rape this year. Just been out all day looking, picked up 2 new farms to shoot if they do start to get on but I'm not holding my breath Mind you I also found a new ferreting venue which has the biggest rabbit population I've seen in 20 years !!!, Having a preliminary go at them tomorrow and will report back on results later in the week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason13 Posted February 1, 2005 Report Share Posted February 1, 2005 I'm seriously wondering if we are going to see much activity on the rape this year. Just been out all day looking, picked up 2 new farms to shoot if they do start to get on but I'm not holding my breath Mind you I also found a new ferreting venue which has the biggest rabbit population I've seen in 20 years !!!, Having a preliminary go at them tomorrow and will report back on results later in the week. The pigeons are flocking up now in yorkshire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul in North Lincs. Posted February 2, 2005 Report Share Posted February 2, 2005 Plenty hitting the fields in my area for the last couple of weeks Paul in North Lincs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisNicholls Posted February 2, 2005 Report Share Posted February 2, 2005 I've not seen a flock of pigeons all winter in my area this year, just small groups, and not many of them. Not quite so much rape grown this year though, that could be why. My area is usually quite good for woodies (Kent/Surrey borders) and in previous winters the flocks have been hundreds strong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ernyha Posted February 2, 2005 Report Share Posted February 2, 2005 :< Haven't seen a large flock of pigeons round here for months and we have plenty of rape. I think as many have said previously, this winter has seen an abnormally large amount of berries about and being "Wood pigeons", they have done exactly that------------------stayed in the woods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbivvy Posted February 2, 2005 Report Share Posted February 2, 2005 can any of the elder pigeon shooters say that mass pigeons feeding on rape was a sign of a bad winter. or is the lack of pigeons on rape the sign of a mild winter. do they stuff themselfs with osr ready to fight the cold months?. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted February 2, 2005 Report Share Posted February 2, 2005 Not wishing to claim the title, "elder pigeon shooter", but my experience is that when the Winters were much harder, with snow falls in the South and much heavier prolonged periods of frost, the pigeons fed more voraciously on anything green. In the 60's, 70's and early 80's , this was usually kale, brussel sprouts and other barassicas. The coming of oil seed rape and subsidies, meant less of the former vegetables were grown and the pigeons were obliged to go for the rape. The milder Winters see the acorns, beechmast and berries lasting almost right through the season. There were massive crops of berries this year, the hawthorns and the ivy have been smothered. The big bags of pigeons seem to be shot over drilled fields and stubbles (both rape and wheat). I believe that big Winter bags are a thing of the past, in the parts of the Country where the weather remains mild. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ernyha Posted February 2, 2005 Report Share Posted February 2, 2005 Not wishing to claim the title, "elder pigeon shooter" Now now Cranfield there is no need for the modesty. You know full well that we all look up to you as a fatherly figure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Mike Posted February 3, 2005 Report Share Posted February 3, 2005 The milder Winters see the acorns, beechmast and berries lasting almost right through the season.There were massive crops of berries this year, the hawthorns and the ivy have been smothered. The big bags of pigeons seem to be shot over drilled fields and stubbles (both rape and wheat). I believe that big Winter bags are a thing of the past, in the parts of the Country where the weather remains mild. 100 % spot on Cranfield. There are thousands of Pigeons in the woods on the cotswold escarpents where I live and they are still preoccupied with Mast and Ivy. The Climate is without doubt a major factor in the Birds feeding habits and we should also remember that they will eat rape and other Brassicas only when natures larder is depleted. As I have said before Rape is pretty disgusting and has little nutritional value compared to high protein content of nuts berries and grain. Most of my shooting has been done recently on setaside on the edge of large beech woods where I have managed to lure birds out of the canopy or from off their flightlines. I would normally expect to get off about 30 to 40 shots and perhaps kill 20 to 30 birds this way. This just as good as I have shot on rape in recent years. I think too that 100 plus bags in some areas are few and far between. FM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugene molloy Posted February 3, 2005 Report Share Posted February 3, 2005 (edited) Cranners analysis is exactly my take as well. Bang on. I've got three ginormous rape fields opposite my house with hardly a bird on them all winter; but the Wyre Forest on the other three sides is stuffed with birds. I don't have a measured view of the relative numbers this year, but my gut feeling is that we've got higher numbers than ever with a lot of late season youngsters amongst them. The few woodies I've shot roosting are full of natural grub, beech mast in particular. I'll probably have a pop tonight and check a few crops out; if owt's changed I'll let you know. It's now early Feb. The weatherman says we are in for a cold snap, so the birds might switch their feeding grounds if the natural stuff runs out, and move to the OSR. Once again it's only a gut feel, but I think we won't have a rape shooting season at all round here. Having said all that me Ern, FM, and Ole Man Cranners are all south of the Trent; it might be different oop t'North..I think MRobson in Scotland said he'd got good numbers on the rape. Regards Eug Edited February 3, 2005 by eugene molloy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted February 3, 2005 Report Share Posted February 3, 2005 Now now Cranfield there is no need for the modesty. You know full well that we all look up to you as a fatherly figure B) :( Ern, I thought long and hard before responding to Mark's question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Country Boy Posted February 3, 2005 Report Share Posted February 3, 2005 Club Captains take note: Up 'ere in't North of England the pigeons have been showing an interest in the rape for over three weeks now whilst still continuing to eat their natural food supply of which there are barrow loads left. But given the climate change now being experienced over the winter months, the only way for anyone to make a respectable 'bag' is to deploy all available troops on the day to all known rape fields, within a sizeable area, easier said than done! Methinks it would be far more effective than all the roost shooting efforts which appear to yield very low scores. (York Round Table Charity Roost Shoots last year in Feb/March when overall best individual 'bag' was about 7 birds !! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pointer Posted February 3, 2005 Report Share Posted February 3, 2005 The pigeons have been hitting the OSR quite hard for the last few weeks around the Sleaford Lincs area, but are still difficult to shoot as they are just as happy to bu@@er off back to the woods for the mast & Ivy if they get a few shots across the bows. However I got a call from one of my local farmers asking me to call round and take a look at one of his large Maize cover strips today, so I met up with him and we took a walk to the said strip, I couldn't believe my eyes the birds were pouring in using a defined flight line, I sent one of my dogs into the strip and put up 1000s of em ! The farmer was going to ley it but asked if i fancied shooting it first (what a top bloke) I've booked a day off work tommorow and the gear is packed, I will try and deek em on the flight line well before the maize, but if things get desperate then into the maize I go. Rgds Pointer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axel Posted February 4, 2005 Report Share Posted February 4, 2005 Been going round OSR fields for some weeks and apart from one goodish day (25), very little around. Pigeons shot when roosting lately have been stuffed full of ivy berries, so I guess they're still in the woods. Is it me, or are there fewer pigeons around this year? Clipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted February 4, 2005 Report Share Posted February 4, 2005 Perthshire it`s just beechmast beechmast beechmast :< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdubya Posted February 4, 2005 Report Share Posted February 4, 2005 hmm seems I am bucking the trend a little have been having a few weeks of very good shooting over rape set up weds had 40 odd and again yesterday no wind VERY warm in fact I could feel the sun on the old moy kept taking my hat off as I was "sweating" pigeon started off slow, had 2 floaters a flapper and about a doz flock coated shells set up, birds interested but only a few committing? put 2 fresh birds on a magnet moved my full set up 40 yards to the left of me then bingo! came in steady for about 4 hours dropped 70 odd, see photo section in amongst the bag were a few VERY young birds and 1 WHITE feral never notived it was white in the sunshine or I would have left it was a bonny bird, oh and 5 red grouse flew in? never seen one in the area before? no heather for them? cheers Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camogun Posted February 4, 2005 Report Share Posted February 4, 2005 Still no activity on rape between Chippenham and Bath,but I did see 500+ on a field to the south of the M4 between J15 andJ16.Too far away for me but somebody should have a go at them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norfolk.enchance Posted February 6, 2005 Report Share Posted February 6, 2005 Hey folks, What are your pigeons eating at this time of year? I only ask as I was out shooting a roosting area in the midlands the other evening. All the birds had their crops full of "Ivy" berries. Has anyone else found this or is this just a regional thing?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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