Pigeons galore all weekend

[Topgunners]

Saturday

 

 

We drove round on saturday morning looking for pigeons and farmer actiivity. There were a few farmers who had cut crops right up till the early hours of saturday morning. Quite a few fields of rape had been cut and after a number of phone calls we decided to drop on one farm that had a couple of hundred flitting about.

 

I arrived first and as I swung in off the road through a gap in the hedge I almost hit the white jeep parked right across the gap. I got out of my jeep and walked into the field and there was another shooter just setting up his hide. He walked over to me and said he had been there 10 minutes . There had been a lot of birds all over the 4 fields he informed me.

 

He was a professional pest controller and he was into all forms of eradication but loved Pigeons the best.

 

I said that we would move on and not step on his toes, but he said that there were a number of birds dropping in the back fields and if we wanted to set up there he had no objections. " it might bounce the birds around" he said.

We introduced him to Pigeon Watch and he said he would have a look-see.

 

We drove round to the other fields and there were a few birds milling about, so we set up 2 hides, a field apart.

 

Myself and Alan in one and the 2 lads in the other. We had a very slow, HOT, but steady day but the boys had a field day, directly under the flight line. The pigeons were just not decoying well and most of the birds were high flyers. We ended up with 48 shot, the boys 95 and the pest man had 55.

 

He rang me to say that he had seen the boys shooting and was well impressed. He also said he had left me something by the gate and to have a look on the way out.

 

We packed up and when we reached the gate there were 4 ice-cold cans of pepsi and his business card. What a star and a cracking gesture.

 

TOPMAN!!!!!!

 

Sunday

 

Late on saturday night I had a phone call from a farmer saying he had finished cuttting the rape and we might get some sport there. We met up a bit later than usual 07.45am and drove to our favoured Cafe for a full-monty brekkie first.

 

After that we had a look at the fields but no birds there; so we drove on. After a number of farms had been visited we decided to go back to the 3rd one, where more birds were flitting about. I set up in 1 hide and Alan and the England Squaddie chap in the other. 2 england team boys together.

 

After a short while I had bagged a couple and I could hear the guns going off in the distance - Big Time. I sat there thinking that they were bagging up but after an hour and half Alan rang me to say the birds were not decoying properly as per yesterday but Neil was shooting some excellent very far and hgh birds. The steam of birds was constant but only a few were dropping in with any desire. It was HOT and no wind hardly at all. I had to move hide shortly after I started as I had unknowingly pitched on top of a red ants nest. I was getting bitten all over and so was the dog. Little **** - don't half sting.

 

We shot till 7.00pm and picked up a total of 172 birds.

 

 

Total for the weekend 315 for us (+ the 55 the other guy got)

 

Very enjoyable weekend , and both farmers very happy.

 

Dave K

[Cosd]

As always, great write up!!

 

Sounds like a cracking weekend shooting.

[Cranfield]

Great write-up as usual, always a good read.

 

Red ants and wasps nests is about as bad as it gets.

[MerseaDavid]

Great shooting

[mossy835]

had a few there then.

[Tis1979]

Well done mate, Good write up.

[Pigeon-Detective]

Nice darts