Bigger bags this winter?

It is beginning to look as though the acorn and beech mast harvest this year will be poor because of the long, hot summer. Over the past few years, wet summers have led to bumper crops of these staple woodie diets, and have kept the birds in the woods for quite a time. This year, we may see the birds feeding on rape and stubbles well before Christmas, which, in turn, may lead to big bags. Is that true, in your experience?

Peter says: Once pigeons disappear into the woods looking for acorns, they will not reappear until every one is eaten. In an acorn year, this may not be until after Christmas, or even later. In a lean acorn year, I would expect pigeons to start hitting the rape by mid-november. However, this does not necessarily lead to big bags, as the longer birds are on rape, the harder they become to decoy; having learned where every field in the district is, they quickly move on at the first sign of disturbance. It is what makes shooting on rape so notoriously difficult.