pigeon on rape

biker1

Well-Known Member
This season has to be the poorest I have had shooting pigeon on rape. one shot and the pigeons are never to be seen again
 
I went out for a full day last week, and came home with a total of 3, but just assumed that this was because I'm a bit sh!t at shooting pigeons.
 
It's not just you, I gave up pigeon shooting last year after several hundred wasted hours sat in a hide, and for what?... A lousy bag of 5 or 6 birds. It's not like you can just nip out with a shotgun either, there's so much gear to carry and set up. Hide, nets, poles, decoys, flappers, seat, cartridges, gun, flask of coffee, something to read during the hours of just sitting there watching the sky.

It's not for me :zzz:
 
have to admit I've ditched the pigeons for few years now as well, rather a cold beer in the afternoon, lunch, and an evening stalk for roe!
 
It's not just you, I gave up pigeon shooting last year after several hundred wasted hours sat in a hide, and for what?... A lousy bag of 5 or 6 birds. It's not like you can just nip out with a shotgun either, there's so much gear to carry and set up. Hide, nets, poles, decoys, flappers, seat, cartridges, gun, flask of coffee, something to read during the hours of just sitting there watching the sky.

It's not for me :zzz:

If you like pigeon decoying, you'll LOVE wildfowling! Same sort of thing but in horrendous conditions at hours of which most of humanity is ignorant.
 
Too many folks doing it now. The pigeons have got wise! Good fun when it does go right though.
 
A farmer I was talking to lately has developed a new sport of shooting them down with the scaring rockets. Now that sounds like fun :D
 
It's not just you, I gave up pigeon shooting last year after several hundred wasted hours sat in a hide, and for what?... A lousy bag of 5 or 6 birds. It's not like you can just nip out with a shotgun either, there's so much gear to carry and set up. Hide, nets, poles, decoys, flappers, seat, cartridges, gun, flask of coffee, something to read during the hours of just sitting there watching the sky.

It's not for me :zzz:

Went out last friday, set up before daycrack on a smallish ( 20 acre ) rape field I`d been watching for a week or so, I used 6 dead birds to start with as decoys and just kept putting them out as I shot them untill I had about 30 out. I packed in at 11.30 ran out of cartridges 200 shots for 163 pigeons

Woody`s aren`t daft, unlike a lot of people who try to shoot them ( not directed at anybody inparticular ) , same as anything else you have to put quite a bit of time in doing your homework for flightlines, feeding times, wind etc.etc.etc. don`t expect to see a field of rape and expect pigeons to use it, then set up and expect to bag up

My mate went back to the same field ( opposite side ) yesterday and shot over 100


Bob
 
I can sit in a high seat for hours on end and not see a carrot but for the life of me can't spend more than hour in a hide for pigeon perhaps it's a shotgun thing .cropping is going into beans soon maybe that may change my mind and I may give it a try again with some of the beaters .
norma
 
a mate and i had 97 pigeon on rape 2 weeks ago , but we did set up in the dark and most of the bag was shot by 9am and be buggered off by 11.30am
 
Last year was the poorest. your right about one shot and the flee to all 4 corners best way ive found is to go out late afternoon and wait for the critters to go to roost shot a good few so far this year and your not out all day :D
 
Best to shoot them in the woods at this time of year there are thousand around here at the minute farmers going mad, were out fri - sat - sun every weekend
 
The beans have been in a week and the pigeons have found em today looks like I may have to dust down the old wirly gig thingy in the morning .
norma
 
Its been a difficult year, lots of the rape did not establish well and from what I have seen the woodies are a little skittish. They combined maize in somerset last week and the stubbles are alive with pigeon, also seen lots on clover at present. I note the rape is just starting to move, so keep your eyes out as they will clobber it as it sprouts. Also later on you may find stunted patches which the pigeon will hit really hard.

Must say wind helps and pigeon can get very wary of rotarys and alike. Must say i rarely shoot pigeon now but when I do take my boys out we normally get 50+, but it helps to live next to the ground and catch them at the right time.

Spring may be good as there could well be a lot of spring cereals being sown, thats if seed is available, good sport for a few days post drilling.

D
 
the secret to good bags this time of year is getting as many guns out as possible get the birds moving, and watching the field just because theres birds on the crop means nothing its the traffic in and out you should be watching for if all 500+ pigeons landed together chances are they will fly of together and proberly not come back its the odd birds dropping in and out you need to look for.
if your patterns not working get out and change it if you think the rotarys making birds flare of bring it in etc most bad days are self inflicted
 
the secret to good bags this time of year is getting as many guns out as possible get the birds moving, and watching the field just because theres birds on the crop means nothing its the traffic in and out you should be watching for if all 500+ pigeons landed together chances are they will fly of together and proberly not come back its the odd birds dropping in and out you need to look for.
if your patterns not working get out and change it if you think the rotarys making birds flare of bring it in etc most bad days are self inflicted


:thumb: Absolutely right! Get the birds moving. We all know, how easily they get attracted by one bird resting in a tree, especially at this time of the year. So get them flying again!
For me great fun and sport after our deer season closed at the end of January. We were out with 4 guns, plus the gamekeeper driving around and lifting them up and took about 400 something, so a good result for us here in Germany (not having this huge amount of woodies).
 
Iv seen a gradual decline in numbers in my bags over the past few years. Just dont really bother!! Spring beans is another matter though, they do go crazy for them. Few days after being drilled so they get a chance to find it, and then hammer them. They seem think they've found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!!
 
Went out last friday, set up before daycrack on a smallish ( 20 acre ) rape field I`d been watching for a week or so, I used 6 dead birds to start with as decoys and just kept putting them out as I shot them untill I had about 30 out. I packed in at 11.30 ran out of cartridges 200 shots for 163 pigeons

Woody`s aren`t daft, unlike a lot of people who try to shoot them ( not directed at anybody inparticular ) , same as anything else you have to put quite a bit of time in doing your homework for flightlines, feeding times, wind etc.etc.etc. don`t expect to see a field of rape and expect pigeons to use it, then set up and expect to bag up

My mate went back to the same field ( opposite side ) yesterday and shot over 100


Bob

​agreed
 
the secret to good bags this time of year is getting as many guns out as possible get the birds moving, and watching the field just because theres birds on the crop means nothing its the traffic in and out you should be watching for if all 500+ pigeons landed together chances are they will fly of together and proberly not come back its the odd birds dropping in and out you need to look for.
if your patterns not working get out and change it if you think the rotarys making birds flare of bring it in etc most bad days are self inflicted

​agreed
 
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