Couple of hours over ploughed in maize

[stevethefish 80]

Seeing as I had a couple of orders for some birds I thought I better get out and have a bash. I shot this same spot last week before the maize was chopped and ploughed in and had a decent couple of hours. When I got there this morning it had been ploughed in and I was in two minds if I should try somewhere else, but seeing as I was there I thought I would give it a couple of hours. I started off shooting steel in the old sbs, I have orders for these for feeding hawks but only had a few left as they are like rocking horse shit to get hold of around here at the moment. I hate using the ols sbs, its double trigger and if whallops the hell out of my finger on the trigger guard with these steel loads. It started of pretty slow and I hit the first 7 birds without a miss, thought I was on for a good day. The first hour saw the birds coming in pretty shy, still big flocks of 300 plus with just the odd one or two peeling off to the pattern. I was hitting the birds first time with the back trigger but it was a different story when it came to pulling the front one, I missed loads. I was that pre-occupied thinking of how much it was going to hurt on the already bruised swolen finger that my concentration wasn't there. This lasted for a couple of hours until the steel loads ran out, and 28 birds in the sack. I needed to keep these seperate so as not to mix them with the lead shot ones so I nipped back home and dropped them into the freezer, don't worry I only live one field away from where I was shooting and the bacon buttie was calling anyway.

When I got back I got the o/u out and some less hefty shells this would give the finger a rest, thank the f*ck for that. It was only 10 minutes before the birds started coming in steady, the flocks had split up somewhat and it made shooting them much easier. By this time the sun was breaking through the clouds and the problem of the japanese zeros coming out of the sun arose, it sure made spotting them much harder. All of a sudden the birds decided they were hungry and they were suicidal dropping in like an unwanted neighbor. I was hitting them much better knowing it wasn't going to smash my finger in, and I missed very few while they were like this, I could have hit them with a pea shooter.

The hunger must have passed by quickly as they soon decided to visit a nearby spinney where they felt safe and digest the dried maize they had gorged on. Unfortunately I forgot to put out some flags and they were feeding on all the other strips, schoolboy error..........

I gave it another hour and decided to call it a day, I had a treck into the spinney behind me where a dozed or so birds dropped, I knew a couple were walkers and would struggle to find these in the thick undergrowth. As it happened I picked 6 out of the 12 ish the brambles and wild roses won the day, I dont like leaving them but I was sore enough with the sbs so thought f*ck it.

I usually take my camera but was half asleep this morning and left it behind so took a picture of the lead shot ones when I got home, the steel shot ones were in the freezer so didnt bother getting them back out, I need these to be as fresh as a daizy for the hawks.

It was a great couple of hours, the sun was shining and the birds were falling what more could you want, I will have to go and sort a few on another farm though they are hammering the rape big style.

part of todays bag of 85, the steel shot birds are in the freezer, incase you are counting.

[look up 406]

nice bag well done

[predatorman 54]

well done steve, you lok knackered and look like you've caught a bit of sun since i last saw you!

[stevethefish 80]

  On 18/03/2011 at 23:44, predatorman said:

well done steve, you lok knackered and look like you've caught a bit of sun since i last saw you!

 

Yes mate it was warm in that hide, knackered through late nights and early mornings but the fereting is done now so should get a few lay ins. Going to have a bash on some rape soon if you fancy it, just let me know if you do.