Pigeons finaly onto rape.

[anser2]

For the first time since November I finaly have a good feed on rape . All winter they have been on beet tops , game strips and clover ( the few pigeons that were present last winter that is ). The last two weeks big numbers of birds have returned and this week just started to hit the rape. Got 70 today , but should have had a lot more as my shooting was poor. Mind they were not easy shots as I had to set a very low hide and cover it with dry grass in a beetle bank and every pigeon saw me first as i stood up to shoot.

 

My mate insisted in using a standing hide the other side of the field and got just one bird . They would not go near his hide despite me getting him to move under the flightline.

[Warlock]

Simple answer, shoot sitting down you will be amazed how much it will improve your shooting it WILL seem alien at first but trust me you will not look back.

[mikee]

For the first time since November I finaly have a good feed on rape . All winter they have been on beet tops , game strips and clover ( the few pigeons that were present last winter that is ). The last two weeks big numbers of birds have returned and this week just started to hit the rape. Got 70 today , but should have had a lot more as my shooting was poor. Mind they were not easy shots as I had to set a very low hide and cover it with dry grass in a beetle bank and every pigeon saw me first as i stood up to shoot.

 

My mate insisted in using a standing hide the other side of the field and got just one bird . They would not go near his hide despite me getting him to move under the flightline.

 

Anser2, great bag mate, i'm from the other end of the county and the pigeons have mowed every field of rape almost bald, i was talking to the farm manager yesterday on one of my permissions and he's going to broadcast mustard onto 2 fields of rape and plough them in as green manure as the rape wont come to anything, good to see you're getting some sport though

 

mikee

[M ROBSON]

The Pigeons were very late hitting Rape in my area this year, we didn't start getting any numbers hitting it till the start of Feb. They then drifted on and off going for clover, stubbles and old potato fields as well. We shot one last week that was stuffed full of stinging nettles?? First time I've seen that.

 

The last couple of weeks has seen them back on rape again in good numbers. We had 83 yesterday and 79 today for 2 guns, firing about 250 shots between them each day. We are still picking up the odd bird stuffed full with clover but I think the new growth on the rape is pulling them back onto it.

 

Cheers,

Mark.

 

ps,

Shot our first young bird of the year yesterday and another two today as well.

[anser2]

Warlock ,I go in for comfort when shooting and like a comfortable seat with a back when spending 8 hours on a rape field ( I get bad back ache shooting from a drum ). The only trouble is I have difficulty hitting the birds when shooting from it .

 

Had several young pigeons just getting white neck rings over the past couple of weeks. It takes 3 months for young pigeons to get their neck rings so these were hatched in December despite the cold weather.

Edited March 10, 2009 by anser2

[jonboy1]

Had several young pigeons just getting white neck rings over the past couple of weeks. It takes 3 months for young pigeons to get their neck rings so these were hatched in December despite the cold weather.

. I could be wrong (it has been known) but i'm pretty sure these young birds that are about will be from late broods at the end of last year (sept/oct time ). I have never known pigeons or any birds come to think of it, raising young in the dead of winter. The featherless young would not be able to survive the cold when parents are away from the nest. P.s well done mate, that is a good bag on rape, nice one Edited March 11, 2009 by jonboy1

[anser2]

Jonboy , pigeons will if good enough food is available will nest in any month of the year provided the weather is not too hard ( check Birds of the Western Paleartic ). Last year I had 2 broods in my garden in January. True most nest between April and October , but with a free hand out in many gardens some reach breeding body condition even in deep winter. If you look in the BTO nest records you will find a small propotion of many birds will nest duringthe winter such as robins and blackbirds and crossbills nest when the pine cones ripen ( the first 2 months of the year ).

 

The white neck ring on a young pigeon takes 3 months to moult in so its a simple matter of counting back the months to know when it hatched ( check Guide to ageing and sexing non passerine birds , K Baker , BTO ).

[Highlander]

This is just the sort of interesting info PW should be all about.

 

We’ve had huge flocks of pigeons on rape all winter in most areas I shoot over in Suffolk. Bloody difficult to decoy successfully and only had the odd good day. Tactics are all at such times. They’ve not really been interested in much else apart from the odd foray onto harvested beet fields and later in February on chopped maize. Now they are getting onto clover and early drillings (light land).

 

We’ve also shot a number of young birds during the last 3 months, many had no neck ring at all and still in first feather so I guess they’re breeding almost all year round now (if ever they didn’t!). This week we’ve shot probably 30/40 with no next rings and very brown wing coverlets. Probably only the coldest of weather puts them off or kills the chicks but then wild things will always find some cosy place to nest up in the dry and warm.

[Cranfield]

I have had steady shooting on rape most of this Winter.

There have been a lot of days when the birds wouldn't commit, one shot and they are gone, but that could have been due to the weather (quiet, sunny and still).

Some days I have also had to move to find the field they wanted, but I am prepared to do that and have the land available, so its not a problem.

 

It seems I am shooting young birds all year round now, I'm no longer surprised when I find a few in the bag.

I also think these birds parents are likely to be the ones that hang round the parks, school grounds, gardens, etc., as I have seen no evidence of nesting birds in the woods or farm hedgerows.

The general opinion among Farmers in my area is that there are more birds around this Winter than for a long time.

 

I have to set up in the open a lot and make low profile hides, so I shoot sitting down.

If you can master this its a great asset, as it reduces movement in the hide and generally makes you harder to spot.

[jonboy1]

Jonboy , pigeons will if good enough food is available will nest in any month of the year provided the weather is not too hard ( check Birds of the Western Paleartic ). Last year I had 2 broods in my garden in January. True most nest between April and October , but with a free hand out in many gardens some reach breeding body condition even in deep winter. If you look in the BTO nest records you will find a small propotion of many birds will nest duringthe winter such as robins and blackbirds and crossbills nest when the pine cones ripen ( the first 2 months of the year ).

 

The white neck ring on a young pigeon takes 3 months to moult in so its a simple matter of counting back the months to know when it hatched ( check Guide to ageing and sexing non passerine birds , K Baker , BTO ).

Well there you go, you learn something everyday, i'd better not let my mrs read this, (she lets me believe i'm never wrong ha ha) cheers for enlightening me, like highlander said, that's what these forums are all about, there's always something new to learn, cheers jon

[Cosd]

That's great news, though I haven't been for a while my shooting buddies have had no luck what so ever on rape so far. Lets hope they start to hit the fields in Cambridge soon; Just in time for when can get out again

 

Well done on a good bag there anser!!