Add crows for luck

With maize stubbles attracting all kinds of avian pests and a shotgun ambush out of the question, Mat Manning opts for a subtle approach

- Mat Manning

I live in dairy country and, apart from being a big event in the farming calendar, the autumn maize harvest is always an exciting time for me. Smashed cobs left in the wake of the machinery create a veritable banquet for pigeon and corvids, and that usually means some good shooting.

The farmers on my patch are always eager to see the maize-gobbling pests dealt with before the gathering flocks have a chance to decimate the autumn drillings that promptly follow the harvest. It’s a task that I’m always happy to assist with and usually brings an opportunity to make some hefty bags.

One field on a local farm often gets overlooked because it is close to a row of cottages and the farmer doesn’t want his neighbours subjected to the constant bang of shotguns. Driving past one evening in late September, I noticed pigeon flighting to a prominent tree on one of the field’s hedgerows. While lamenting the fact that I wouldn’t be able to get beneath them with the 12-bore, I noticed the sitty tree was probably less than 50m from a large tree out in the field. Cogs started to turn and it struck me that it might just be a worthwhile scenario for an airgun ambush.

Stretch