skid512 Posted September 11, 2009 Report Share Posted September 11, 2009 Just thought i'd share an expereince i had while out pigeon shooting on rape stubble and wonder if this has happened to anyone else. A field that i visit regular when looking for pigeons appeared to be of interest to a flock of around 60 birds with more joining the flock. What i noticed was that they were feeding about the margins of the field, approximately 10' or so from the hedges. Having read all the books and so on i understood that pigeons don't generally do this but feed more out in the open for security reasons. The following morning i set up some decoys at about 25' out into the field hoping for some good shooting. I had 4 in in the bag after half an hour and a few missed shots. The rest of the morning was quiet untill around 11am when a steady stream of birds came zooming in low over the opposite hedge line that was facing me, only for them to turn away when they saw the decoys. Went and checked the pattern........nothing wrong there!!!! ...checked the hide......seemed okay!!!!! I brought in some of the decoys and replaced them with dead birds but no real affect on the incoming birds. After about an hour i decided to to bring in the remaining decoys which left just the dead birds out, but still didn't manage to pull them in close enough for a shot. This carried on for the rest of the day, turning away when they saw the decoys. I decided to call it a day!!! I put the gun in the slip and went out to bring in the shot birds that i'd being using for decoys. I got back into the hide to place them in the bag, turned around facing where the decoys had been and pigeons were streaming in and feeding amongest the rape stubble!!!!!!!!!! Due to my suprise and swearing, the pigeons were on their toes and gone. As soon as they left in came a young buzzard, looking for an easy meal i guess....had it seen the dead birds i'd put out early??? I wonder if the pigeons were shy of the decoys due to the field be used by at least two other pigeon shooters, maybe that would explain why they were feeding in the margins around the field the previous day. However, i still had a great time studying them and trying to bring them in closer. Has this happend to anyone else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerseaDavid Posted September 11, 2009 Report Share Posted September 11, 2009 I have had it before where pigeons wont come into the decoys until I take them all in Some days where I have been shooting a field and did not get round to putting decoys out the pigeons were coming in well until we put the decoys out and then they stopped coming in, so we took the decoys in again and the birds came back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skid512 Posted September 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2009 I wondered if the decoys had put them off that they assumed that decoys ment they would be shot at. wondered if the buzzard had anything to do with it? but saying that, there are always buzzards around this area whatching the pigeons on fields but their pressence doesn't seem to bother them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerseaDavid Posted September 11, 2009 Report Share Posted September 11, 2009 It could well be done to light shyning off the decoys or something not to do with them, it is always a job to tell with pigeons they are stranges bird lol One time a few weeks ago after I had finnsihed shooting I had put all the birds into piles of 20 and the pigeons decoyed better with the birds like that than when they were set up in a proper decoy pattern I have found that pigeons generally ignore the buzzards round my area unless it gets too close lol, but the buzzards are normally more interested in the rabbits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skid512 Posted September 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2009 thanks for that mate will try something different next time, like leaving the decoys at home. I agree whta you say about pigeons being strange birds.......wonder if they are all female!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerseaDavid Posted September 11, 2009 Report Share Posted September 11, 2009 ^_^ :o You never know mate they could be lol I tend not to use plastic decoys during the summer but I do during the winter. This time of year I have got so many dead birds I use them for decoys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anser2 Posted September 11, 2009 Report Share Posted September 11, 2009 (edited) I was out yesterday and had periods when the pigeons came into the decoys , only for them to switch off for a while and then turn back on to them later. This often happens during the summer I find when the birds are not really hungry. I think a lot of this behavious could be due to changing weather or position of the sun and the angle the birds come in at. Some times I have pigeons decoying well to the pattern from the east while all those comming in from the north shy off. Its probably the angle the sun is hitting the decoys. David is right dead birds are better decoys and you do not usualy get this problem when using them. As for buzzards I had two hanging over the decoys at about 20 feet and the pigeons ignored them and kept coming into the decoys. A couple landed before I had a shot at a pair ( of pigeons ) and scared the buzzards off. Edited September 11, 2009 by anser2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skid512 Posted September 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2009 Thanks for the advise fellas, i guess i need to build up a stock of dead ones. What i found intersting though was the buzzard and the fact that although we do our best to stay hidden and blend in with the surrounds as not to give cause for concearn to the pigeons, the buzzard/buzzards as there were 6 of them gliding around, had perhaps being watching me all along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted September 11, 2009 Report Share Posted September 11, 2009 Birds often feed near the hedged margins of fields, to get shelter from the wind. The birds don't like being blown about when they are feeding. Thats why shooting a hedgerow/tree line with the wind at your back, is often a favoured setup. I have had pigeons appear to spook at my decoys and when I have got out the hide and checked around, I have found everything from a group of walkers in the distance, horse riders, a tractor working a couple of fields away, frisky cows, etc. It may not have been the decoys, but a move or a change has to be made when it happens. When the birds came over the opposite hedgerow and appeared to turn away from the decoys, I would have moved over to that hedgerow, set some decoys about 40 yards into the field and taken the shot as the birds passed over me. I would guess that they were coming over that hedgerow with the wind behind them. I also haven't noticed pigeons being bothered about the presence of buzzards or hawks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerseaDavid Posted September 11, 2009 Report Share Posted September 11, 2009 (edited) The other reason why birds are feeding close to a hedge is because when harvesting or drilling you tend to loose more seed on the headland than you do anywhere else. Edited September 11, 2009 by MerseaDavid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thinxs Posted September 11, 2009 Report Share Posted September 11, 2009 I geuss it could be possible that some berries, nuts or other seeds have fallen from the hedges as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerseaDavid Posted September 11, 2009 Report Share Posted September 11, 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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