Pigeon Shooting

[tenbears10]

Finally I had a chance to take out my new shot gun at the weekend. I have permission to shoot on a small bit of farm land which consists of 2/3 long thin fields with strips of woodland seperating them.

The first thing that struck me was the change (last time I was there was early autumn with my air rifle). This time there was much less cover and much less wildlife. These things are obvious when you think about it but to see the change winter brings was quite something.

I didn't see a rabbit this time whereas there were at least 2 or 3 seperate colonies last time. There were several pigeons but they are very cautious and eaisly scared from over 100m away.

The pigeons are the subject of my question (at last you say) what I was wondering is do other people build a hide and use decoys or pick a spot in the woods and wait for the pigeons to roost? Also is there a big change in method with the seasons?

Decoying seems to involve a lot of equipment which I don't really want to shell out on yet. I was out at the wrong time to wait for roosting on Saturday but I will try and get out ready for dusk next time I think.

Let me know what you do at this time of year and in the other seasons.

However even returning with an empty bag it was a good morning. Who was it said " a bad day shooting is still far better than a good day in the office" very true.

Bill

ps. that was my 1000th post ):

 

[Snufkin]

Never shot with a shotgun, but this time of year you want to be staking out trees with plenty of ivy. Pigeons really love the berries.

 

[tenbears10]

Thaks Snufkin. I've been reading up in shooting times and the like but 1st hand experience is greatly appreciated.

Bill

 

[Buckshot]

There are many different ways to shoot pigeons.
I prefer to roost shoot rather than decoy myself. Both have thier pros and cons.
Roost shooting is limited when the leaves are out as you can't see when the birds come in and is usually in certain spots in the wood, they will often roost in fur trees but land in broad leaf trees nearby to check the area out before moving into the furs.
Just sit on the edge of a field just before dusk and watch where they go.

Then have some fun on another evening...

Cheers

Mark

 

[fiacha]

Buckshot is right, you need to get to know the habits of the local woodies. once you've identifed the flightlines and their favorite "sitty" trees, you can setup your ambush.

as with all flighting, don't over do it or the birds will move on.

this is the first year that we will have to stick to the game season for woodies in Ireland (Jun - Jan). it's a pity, because it was great to have such a sporting and tasty bird to pursue all year

 

[tenbears10]

Thanks guys. Once the evenings get a bit lighter I will stop on the way home from work for a recce and get ready for the next weekend.

Bill

 

[Pict]

I grew up hunting dove, our local pigeons stayed too close to the barns. You have to pattern the birds. Once you know where they are feeding, watering, roosting and eating gravel then you can set up betwwen them and shoot them in transit or set and wait for them to show up.

Often our hunts would turn into a migrating walk as we moved about to intersect them at various points in their daily routine. Once you are familiar with their habits you will start getting into birds ona regular basis.

When you get a bird open his crop. You're looking for two things, gravel and seeds. The gravel will tell you where they are eating rocks, the seeds will tell you what they are feeding on. They eat the rocks to smash the seeds in their crop, refilling both is part of their daily grind (Ha, ha Mac made a funny!)

Stuff with grapes, wrap with bacon... mac

 

[Buckshot]

That's very similar to a technique used here called something like flight line shooting. Often hiding in a hedge between tweo areas the birds use will produce good shooting. Birds will often follow hedgerows rather than fly accross open areas so it's quite handy really.

Mark

 

[falcon]

I've never bothered much with decoying due to the time factor really but a friend does quite a bit. He's had great success with a "pigeon magnet" and generally puts in the fieldwork beforehand to identify feeding areas - oilseed rape is quite good at this time of year. Some camo net plus scrub from the surrounding area will suffice for a hide if no natural screen is available. I've enjoyed the odd evening of roost shooting at last light usually in "traditionally" good locations or areas identified when beating or roughshooting where telltale "splashes" of pigeon droppings are observed. As with autumn duck flighting, the atmosphere of expectation can be compelling as you wait for the sound of wings and all kinds of bird and animal movement is often observed.......mmmm....wonder if I can find an hour one night this week....?

 

[bushwacker bob]

I used to do a lot of decoy shooting over stubble,a 'flapper' works really well as an attraction for other woodies. Once you shot the 1st one rig it on some springy wire so that you can open its wings by pulling a piece of line and allow the spring to close them again.Its the flash of the wing bars that make others think that there is food about.

 

[Buckshot]

I have a home made magnet which works fine - I don't get to use it much though.
I like the simplicity of roost shooting or flight lining.

I liken it to fishing.
Decoying has the same idea as course fishing to me, you buy more and more gear to lug accross a couple of fields, gather the harvest, then lug that and all the gear back again. Often people make several trips ! I think it takes the some of the magic out of it.

Roost shooting is like river fly fishing, you generally travel lighter, patience and stealth play a bigger role. You're less likely to get a large bag, but what you do get you've worked harder for and is more appreciated. Perhaps there's more romance as well.

Before people jump up and down I know it's possible to course fish with very little and fly fish with huge amounts, I'm generalising here I know. But I'm sure you get the idea.

Cheers

Mark

 

[MartiniDave]

Great sport and much under valued! Good meat too if prepared correctly.
I like the breast meat gently fried with a few mixed spices, very nice in tortilla wraps!

Dave

 

[MalIrl]

Hi tenbears,
The recommended method for pigeon shooting at this time of the year is flighting. Decoying is more successful in late Spring and early Autumn. If you get the right tree (or under a flightline) as suggested in other posts, then you should get a few shots. The key, again, is lots of reconnaisance. If you want a good book on the subject, see Batley's "The Pigeon Shooter".

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...7749/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_18_1/026-7323007-6158861

Finally I had a chance to take out my new shot gun at the weekend.

You said you've just got your shotgun? If so I'd suggest that you get a good few pigeons of the clay variety under your belt - woodies rarely present an easy shot. Even when you get everything else right, the cartridge to bird ratio often favours the birds!

Buckshot is right, you need to get to know the habits of the local woodies. once you've identifed the flightlines and their favorite "sitty" trees, you can setup your ambush.

as with all flighting, don't over do it or the birds will move on.

this is the first year that we will have to stick to the game season for woodies in Ireland (Jun - Jan). it's a pity, because it was great to have such a sporting and tasty bird to pursue all year

Fiacha, although wood pigeon officially have a closed season in Rep. of Ireland, you can still shoot them Jan-Jun for the purposes of crop protection (under Article 9 of the EU Birds Directive) IIRC . So all you need is a friendly farmer with a bit of tillage that he wants protected. Freshly sown crops are a perfect excuse. You'll probably have to do in some greys, mags, and rooks as part of the deal (that's how it usually works over here).

Slan,
Mal

 

[Dorian Gra]

Decoys are by far the most effective method. What I do is get permission from a local farmer (always happy for me to rid his field of these "pests") to shoot in a field with some sort or crop in it. (as they feed on the shoots) then find a good bush to hide in or build a hide.

Now for the decoys. Artificcial decoys r in my opinion not very good. Best method is to keep a couple pigeons from a previous hunt and use them (keep them upright with a couple of metal stakes) and use a pigeon caller, if u have one. The pigeons will fly over head to the field and thats when you shoot them in mid air with the shotgun

hopes this helps