The first feathers
Shooting Times & Country|February 10, 2021
Shooting in snow doesn’t always work, but Tom Payne enjoys a terrific afternoon on pigeon
Tom Payne
The first feathers

I’ve managed a few outings and a bit of roost shooting but otherwise it has been a quiet winter. Thanks to Mother Nature, there’s been wild food everywhere, which has kept the destructive rural pest off the crops and out of harm’s way. There was a good beech mast this year which kept the pigeon occupied for a bit. Then the acorns dragged on and lately I’ve been seeing pigeon devouring ivy berries, but the numbers have been sparse and I do wonder if we may have lost a population of birds to France. Perhaps they are down there in those vast oak forests. It’s speculation but I think there might be truth in the theory that due to a lack of winter rape as a holding crop and major food source through the tough months, they start to cross the Channel.

The lack of rape has been compounded by reduced game cover — due to severely wet weather rotting any goodness in the maize. Since the snow in early to mid-January in the bottom half of the UK, I have seen the few birds that are around switch on to what little rape there is.

There is another theory that you can kill hundreds of pigeon in the snow, and every year I hear people say things like “clear a patch on a rape crop and birds pile in”. Sadly this is not the case. In thick snow birds will not move. They become snow blind, with all of their land features disappearing, making navigation to a food source very difficult. In a light dusting of snow, or when it melts to reveal the landscape again, their normal behaviour returns.

Surprising bag

Bu hikaye Shooting Times & Country dergisinin February 10, 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye Shooting Times & Country dergisinin February 10, 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
United we stand
Shooting Times & Country

United we stand

Following United Utilities' decision to end grouse shooting on its land, Lindsay Waddell asks what will happen if we ignore our vital moors

time-read
5 dak  |
August 02, 2023
Serious matters
Shooting Times & Country

Serious matters

An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning

time-read
3 dak  |
August 02, 2023
They're not always as easy as they seem
Shooting Times & Country

They're not always as easy as they seem

While coneys of the furry variety don't pose a problem for Blue Zulu, he's left frustrated once again by bolting bunnies of the clay sort

time-read
5 dak  |
August 02, 2023
Debutant gundogs
Shooting Times & Country

Debutant gundogs

There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting

time-read
4 dak  |
August 02, 2023
When the going gets rough
Shooting Times & Country

When the going gets rough

Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique

time-read
5 dak  |
August 02, 2023
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
Shooting Times & Country

The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition

In this excerpt from the 60th anniversary edition of the BDS's Field Guide To British Deer, Charles Smith-Jones considers the noise they make

time-read
4 dak  |
August 02, 2023
A step too far?
Shooting Times & Country

A step too far?

Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work

time-read
6 dak  |
August 02, 2023
Two bucks before breakfast
Shooting Times & Country

Two bucks before breakfast

A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem

time-read
6 dak  |
August 02, 2023
Stalking Diary
Shooting Times & Country

Stalking Diary

Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill

time-read
2 dak  |
August 02, 2023
Gamekeeper
Shooting Times & Country

Gamekeeper

Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside

time-read
3 dak  |
August 02, 2023