SPORTING ANSWERS

Time to give peas a chance

PIGEON SHOOTING

Q When it comes to shooting over peas, would you shoot the drilling or wait until the pea crop begins to show signs of early growth?

A Peas are one of the best all-round crops for the pigeon shooter. Deciding when to shoot over them comes down to the damage or problem being caused by the birds. Your decision will also depend on how you can protect the crop going forward.

If pigeon are problematic over the drilling then definitely shoot, but if the birds are minimal let the crop move into the early stages of growth. Young pea shoots can draw a huge amount of attention, so pigeon will need to be controlled as the crop grows and moves into vulnerable phases. Peas generally need watching all the time and in many cases you will have to control pigeon numbers over every stage of growth. TP

Hoodies are on their own

BIRDS

Q I have always regarded hooded crows as simply a grey version of the carrion crow, but