It’s been quite a long time since I’ve seen laid barley like the ‘good ol’ days’. New shorter-stemmed strains, growth regulators and accurate nitrogen application have made shooting vast laid patches a thing of the past — or so I thought. After weeks without shooting, as pigeons held on the buds, suddenly everything changed. It was like somebody had turned on the pigeon tap; great for a pigeon shooter but not for a farmer.
It’s been quite a sombre summer so far, with temperatures fluctuating and sporadic conditions. I’ve known the birds were starting to hang around the winter barley for a while. The telephone lines running through the middle of fields are a great indicator as
