Smash Race???

5987 Views 64 Replies 15 Participants Last post by Lovebirds, May 1, 2009

Lovebirds

Discussion Starter · Apr 19, 2009

Is it possible for a club in a combine to have a smash race while the other clubs do ok??

Here's what the members in my club had in returns today?

Shipped 8........1 home
Shipped 10......0 home
Shipped 22......7 home
Shipped 24......8 home

Two other members I have no idea how they did. They don't like to "tell"...

I actually don't know how the rest of the combine did. Maybe the whole darn thing was a smash......but I have no way of finding out until Monday or Tuesday..........

1 - 20 of 65 Posts

MaryOfExeter

· #2 · Apr 19, 2009

I shipped 4, got 2 home just before dark. Both were from the 'A' Race.
Another member sent 20 and is still missing 8. He got his in good time though.

So that's how our club did. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the combine did.

MaryOfExeter

· #3 · Apr 19, 2009

Also, I do think it's possible for just one club to have a smash, when you consider how spread out we all are. You guys are all the way up there in VA...and you know just about anything can happen in those extra miles

You never know. I would see it happening in YBs more than OBs though

How far was this race for you, Renee?

george simon

· #4 · Apr 19, 2009 (Edited)

RENEE, Was this a long distance race? I do think that a club witnin a combine could have a bad race, GEORGE

Lovebirds

Discussion Starter · #5 · Apr 19, 2009 (Edited)

george simon said:
RENEE, Was this a long distance race? GEORGE

George, it was a "400" for OUR club..........we're the long end of the combine. I am the shortest at 385 and our longest member is 435......the others all fall in between.

Lovebirds

Discussion Starter · #6 · Apr 19, 2009 (Edited)

MaryOfExeter said:
How far was this race for you, Renee?

385 miles. I've gotten 2 cocks (B birds) home this morning early. Haven't seen another bird. So, I've got one B bird and 4 A birds missing. Two of the hens are combine winners. I'm just sick about the whole deal. Makes me want to say to hell with it all.

And if things aren't bad enough.....we've got rain and possible thunderstorms moving in today and all day tomorrow.

pattersonk2002

· #7 · Apr 19, 2009

the hell with it

Lovebirds said:
385 miles. I've gotten 2 cocks (B birds) home this morning early. Haven't seen another bird. So, I've got one B bird and 4 A birds missing. Two of the hens are combine winners. I'm just sick about the whole deal. Makes me want to say to hell with it all.

And if things aren't bad enough.....we've got rain and possible thunderstorms moving in today and all day tomorrow.

Sorry to hear about this Renee, I am telling you your comment say's a lot. I own severial birds and amoung them I have high flyers and homers, I want to join a club someday but every time I look there is more bad news about our little friends. things like this and others like hawks, rats weasel's' snakes,racoons, cat's you name it along with desiese insect control and birds dying for no apperant reason at all leaves me wondering if the hurt associated with our hobbies is worth it, But after I get the anger out of my sytem and spend time with my friends I always say YES it is worth it, like anything else we would choose to do there is down fall's and what do we do then.
So now I keep somthing I can kick and something to throw, my screaming and yelling goes unheard where I live and when I am done with that I sit down with a box of kleenex and tell the rest of them things are going to be better and my smiles slowly return when they start to coo as if they understand.
I may say the HELL with it but I know I can't do it. >Kevin

See less See more

Lovebirds

Discussion Starter · #8 · Apr 19, 2009

pattersonk2002 said:
Sorry to hear about this Renee, I am telling you your comment say's a lot. I own severial birds and amoung them I have high flyers and homers, I want to join a club someday but every time I look there is more bad news about our little friends. things like this and others like hawks, rats weasel's' snakes,racoons, cat's you name it along with desiese insect control and birds dying for no apperant reason at all leaves me wondering if the hurt associated with our hobbies is worth it, But after I get the anger out of my sytem and spend time with my friends I always say YES it is worth it, like anything else we would choose to do there is down fall's and what do we do then.
So now I keep somthing I can kick and something to throw, my screaming and yelling goes unheard where I live and when I am done with that I sit down with a box of kleenex and tell the rest of them things are going to be better and my smiles slowly return when they start to coo as if they understand.
I may say the HELL with it but I know I can't do it. >Kevin

Well, it's going to take A LOT to get THIS anger out of my system. I've just unplugged the clock and closed the loft up, with just the trap door open. Can't leave the ones that DID come home, locked up all day.
I'll finish out OB's and I'll fly YB's, but after that.......I don't know......

george simon

· #9 · Apr 19, 2009

Hi RENEE, It seems like I remember that last year there was a combine in Alabama that released trainers going from north to south and you guys are flying south to north and they crossed. I realy think that is what may have happend here. GEORGE

LUCKYT

· #10 · Apr 19, 2009

That makes Sense George, two large flocks going different directions mixing, can really mess them up. Dave

Lovebirds

Discussion Starter · #11 · Apr 19, 2009

george simon said:
Hi RENEE, It seems like I remember that last year there was a combine in Alabama that released trainers going from north to south and you guys are flying south to north and they crossed. I realy think that is what may have happend here. GEORGE

Yea, the Atlanta combine is releasing in SC and their birds and our meet. Flight paths are almost on top of each other. They're flying probably 3 birds to our 1, so I'm not really surprised that this happened. I'm just surprised that the birds aren't showing up eventually. I did just have the last B bird come home, but all 4 of my hens are still out.
You may think I'm crazy, but my fear is the birds getting tired and going down with someone elses birds and I know in the past, people have trapped some birds from our members up here and then had the balls to call a month or two later and ask what the bird is out of, because they're breeding from it. Like I said, two of these hens are combine winners. IF they wind up in someone else's loft, I doubt I'll ever see them again and that very sad that you don't trust some of the people you're flying with any more than that. THAT is another reason I'm VERY close to saying "forget it".......

Alamo

· #12 · Apr 19, 2009

Not uncommon for Combines that are spread out far and wide, to have a club,or certain lofts out of the way,to have bad returns...As stated before,clashes between birds from another combine will throw a wrench in the results...Remember a few years ago,a 500 miler going to the NY area I think,when they had allmost NO returns at all...The story was on the BIG news channels on TV,asking people to report any stray homing pigeons found anywhere on the East coast...As it went,seems most of the birds overflew the coastline,and wound up in the ocean...Really Sad !!!....Some were found on some ships,coming into the East coast ports....This IS part of pigeon racing...Do not get up set...Never put ALL your birds in one LONG distance race especially....I have 10 pair of OB flyers...I will set up 3 pairs for the 400 miler,and 3 pairs for the 500 miler...So that IF there was a SMASH race,I would not lose ALL my best pigeons...Don`t think for a minute that you CANNOT lose YOUR champion pigeon..Ask the Janssen Bros about that !!! And they never flew races longer then 175 miles,if I`m not mistaken....It does happen,and it`s part of pigeon racing...Just prepare certain birds for certain races...And as the old saying goes,"Never put all your eggs in one basket".....Alamo

See less See more

george simon

· #13 · Apr 19, 2009

Renee I don't think your crazy I know that our birds will go down when they are tired and hungry and they are trained to trap so they do trap into other peoples lofts.We had one guy here that would kill any that trapped into his loft.Maybe you guys should try the new race course that you were talking about eariler this year it is some thing to think about.GEORGE

Lovebirds

Discussion Starter · #14 · Apr 19, 2009

george simon said:
Renee I don't think your crazy I know that our birds will go down when they are tired and hungry and they are trained to trap so they do trap into other peoples lofts.We had one guy here that would kill any that trapped into his loft.Maybe you guys should try the new race course that you were talking about eariler this year it is some thing to think about.GEORGE

We're going North in YB's.........but that doesn't help us now.
Besides that, flying from the North, we'll have the birds from NJ and NY and PA and God knows where else flying from the South. It's a no win situation I guess. The only GOOD thing, is that MAYBE because we'll be on the short end for a change, our birds can get home before they hit the masses..........I don't know.........maybe I just "think" too much...........I haven't been this depressed in quite a while.........

Lovebirds

Discussion Starter · #15 · Apr 19, 2009

Just had one hen show up. My 500 mile winner from last year.

I guess there's still hope.........

Maggie-NC

· #16 · Apr 19, 2009

Hey kiddo, don't give up. I enjoy your posts too much - of course, excluding ones like for this race

but things will get better.

Lovebirds

Discussion Starter · #17 · Apr 19, 2009

Lady Tarheel said:
Hey kiddo, don't give up. I enjoy your posts too much - of course, excluding ones like for this race but things will get better.

Thanks Maggie. I was holding out SOME hope when my hen showed up, but that was 1 1/2 hours ago. Nothing since.

I'm still watching though.

george simon

· #18 · Apr 19, 2009

Lovebirds said:
Just had one hen show up. My 500 mile winner from last year.
I guess there's still hope.........

Renee don't race her any more this year give her a well deserve rest,no way of telling how many miles she flew and rest is the best thing. I have seen to many times where a flier would send a bird back out after a tough race and never see the bird again.Hold her over till next year.GEORGE

Lovebirds

Discussion Starter · #19 · Apr 19, 2009

george simon said:
Renee don't race her any more this year give her a well deserve rest,no way of telling how many miles she flew and rest is the best thing. I have seen to many times where a flier would send a bird back out after a tough race and never see the bird again.Hold her over till next year.GEORGE

I know what you're saying. I picked her up when she came in and she's in really good shape. She ate a little, and drank some water and went straight to her box and squatted and let her mate mount her.

I hadn't planned to race her next week end, even if she came in yesterday..early..........I'll see how she is for the 500 in two weeks. Believe me, if I don't think she's ready, she won't go anywhere. Between her and how she does and the weather......we'll see.

conditionfreak

· #20 · Apr 19, 2009

I had 12 birds out taking a bath and as I usually do, I did a head count (darn hawks). There were 13 heads. I counted again and for sure there were 13. I called them in and one bird took off like a lighting bolt, heading northeast. It wasn't mine as all of mine were accounted for.

I hope it made it home.

It is very discouraging when things go bad. But as we used to say in the Marine Corps. When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

Hang in there and enjoy what you have left in the loft. Pigeons come and go, but the sport will live forever (has and will, I am sure).

Hope they all come home eventually.

1 - 20 of 65 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.