Bean And Gone

Andy finally gets a crack at a local stubble – but can he keep those pigeons within reach?

- Andy Crow

If you notice a recurring theme in our features with our old friend Andy Crow – apart from a giant pile of pigeons, of course – it is his diligence in reconnaissance. “Time spent watching the birds is never wasted and you are always building your understanding of flight lines and behaviour,” he says. “It is, quite simply, the most important single factor in successful pigeon shooting.”

While I offer up ‘pigeons’ and ‘a gun’ as equally important elements, much to Crow’s annoyance, I bow to the master’s judgement. Andy has been watching a small bean stubble on and off since it was harvested 10 days ago, but his work schedule has precluded any opportunity to shoot it until now.

“I have had some absolutely massive days over beans in the past, so there is always a bit of excitement when you see a few birds building up and you wonder whether today might be one of those days.”

As with acorns, lupins and other large ‘high-value’ foods, pigeons won’t hit a bean field for hours at a time. The overall numbers of birds tend to be lower than on a rape stubble or a wheat stubble, but there is regular traffic throughout the day, and that is what allows for big bag potential.

We arrive after lunch once Andy has finished his spraying and recce the area. There are maybe three dozen birds feeding on the field and another 50 or so in the trees. Andy claps them off but the birds don’t seem to want to go far – a good sign.

We drive to the other end of the ground, a large wheat stubble that has a lot more birds on it – plenty of crows and ferals but a hundred or more wood pigeon, too. It’s enough to make Andy consider a change of plan but in the end we decide to stick with the beans.