Well And Truly Raped

[silentshot1 206]

Harvest's here FREAKIN AWESONE!!!

 

Met up again with Andy_C on Friday afternoon to have a pop at some pigeons at my permission on the newly harvested rape fields. We both turned up armed with Andy's SFS 2 HW97 and my S10, both in .22. Annoyingly, the slightly better elevated, wooded side of the first field to be cut had been left with a 15 meter deep border of rape still to be cut, so we had to set up a hide on the opposite, thinly hedged side, using the missed rape stems from the edge and pressing in to the hedge,

 

First thing we noticed was that we could only see the decoys out to about 20 yards maximum, the long, dense rape stubble made visibility an arse, but as it was Andy's first time decoying and my favorite way to kill a few hours, we gave it a go.

 

To my surprise and the credit of good old DPM, we must have blended in, along with having picked a spot under a solid flight line. Pigeons came bowling in to the pattern in pretty 5's and 6's for the first hour or so. Frustratingly we couldn't see them all as they disappeared amongst the stubble and leaving only glimpses as they bowled through, hoovering up the rape.

 

 

Andy models this seasons squaddie cast offs in DPM with stunning hat and veil onsombble

 

Finally an opportunity presented itself with a three quarter facing boiler room shot. Pop, thud and at an amazing 18 yds (Add a 1 at the beginning if you want to) down Woody went! Bloody relieved not to have blanked in tough circumstances, I retrieved the pigeon and tidied hm up, popping him in to the pattern.

 

Andy's first came about 10 minutes after at a staggering 30yds (again add a 1 at the beginning if it helps!). Staggering, because we could only just make the top of it's head in the stubble, but Andy bagged it! Great shot!

 

Many holes shot in stubble later and I get a chance at a third, it drops in at 18 yds, I get the scope on it it and it flutters off to drop in the other side of the pattern at 15 yds, again I get him in the scope but he's up and drops again in at about 12 yards. With the fat fecker's arse filling most of the scope I quickly fire with a well aimed heart shot and straight down he goes and added to the pattern.

 

We hang around during a lulls interspersed with one's and two's dropping in but the stubble proves to thick and we start to get bored and call it a day. Andy had had another couple of cracking shots, one that had laid motionless for 5 minutes or so, only to fly 200 metes down the field and drop inside the MoD land, so irretrievable, but a great first of Harvest and a taster of things to come over the spring barley. We agreed to meet up again at 06.15 on Saturday for another bash.

 

.

 

The mighty Rancid Tom tuned S10.

 

Sunday was no better but still a really great morning, we found a patch along the same side with shorter stubble, built a kick ass hide out of the cut stalks, bagged one each relatively quickly at reasonable range, then proceeded to shoot like two beginners at tin can alley, it was horrible! Andy blamed his newly lubed pellets, I blamed anything I could think of and we both shot like morons! Ended up with another couple out of a good 15 + easy opportunities out to 40 yds. That said, it was another good crack but Lordy, neither of us was on form.

 

I returned on my own after a call from the farmer to say that a rambler had found my range finder (Lost a week ago) and would I like tea! Double bonus!

 

I invented a new hunting style called 'Drive by'. As the name suggests, drive through the rape stubble with your gun out the car window, scaring up pigeons, eventually they will let you within a certain distance, slow down to a crawl and you can get to about 35 meters of them feeding. Aim, breath, squeeze, pop, watch, thud, retrieve, debreast, dinner!

 

 

Hope you enjoyed the read. Brilliant way to spend an a day, better numbers on the stubble to follow soon!

 

 

[stealthy1 3,964]

At least you had sun, pi**ed down here all day

[silentshot1 206]

It was an awesome first weekend, mate, Role on the Barley harvest!

[The one 8,401]

Hope they start cutting here soon

[jandcguns 65]

or im geting exited now decoy bags all full with the gear giving my mate a call after dinner today and should be going to set up hide at about 21;00 tonight and out at 7.00am tommorow morning

Edited August 7, 2013 by jandcguns

[jandcguns 65]

It was an awesome first weekend, mate, Role on the Barley harvest!

all the barleys cut here just waiting on the rape will be another 2 weeks , i was driving the tractor the other day puting bales in 5's and i shot two pigeons by stoping opening the back window and taking the shot

[silentshot1 206]

 

It was an awesome first weekend, mate, Role on the Barley harvest!

all the barleys cut here just waiting on the rape will be another 2 weeks , i was driving the tractor the other day puting bales in 5's and i shot two pigeons by stoping opening the back window and taking the shot

 

 

Brilliant!! So much easier on shorter stubble and so addictive, have a great time tomorrow and let us know how you get on

[jandcguns 65]

 

 

It was an awesome first weekend, mate, Role on the Barley harvest!

all the barleys cut here just waiting on the rape will be another 2 weeks , i was driving the tractor the other day puting bales in 5's and i shot two pigeons by stoping opening the back window and taking the shot

 

 

Brilliant!! So much easier on shorter stubble and so addictive, have a great time tomorrow and let us know how you get on

 

i will lets hope the rain does not strike

[jandcguns 65]

this was my outing mate http://www.thehuntinglife.com/forums/topic/297766-hide-shooting-over-barley/