Sportingrodandgun Posted April 18, 2015 Report Share Posted April 18, 2015 Hi guys, Just thought I'd share a report from last weekend. So I've shot pigeon before in a rough shoot setting but never decoyed before. A friend mentions that the farmer next door to him is having pigeon issues on his recently sown barley and has given him permission (by calling at my friend's house! most unheard of!). Would I like to have a go Saturday? You bet! I rush out and cobble together half a dozen decoys and a net and pinch some road pins from work to use as hide poles. When we arrive, the farmer who is a top bloke says "lads you should have been here earlier this week they were everywhere!" Due to the good weather the barley has shot up and most of the birds are gone (apparently to some bean crops a couple of miles away where someone is already shooting!). We decide to set up anyway with a traditional U shape at close range (I have seen this online so assumed it was a good start). After an hour or so a bird swoops into the pattern from behind us over the tree line and I dust it with the first barrel! Score! added to the pattern then back in the hide for a long, long wait. a pair land in the far part of the field out of range and start pulling another one that comes over to them! I fire a shot to clear them off but they are to far away. A second bird eventually turns from further out in the field and presents a dead easy shot as it comes into the pattern but I overthink the lead and miss with both barrels. (The more time I have the worse I seem to shoot). A couple of crows pass by but just a little rangier than I'm comfortable with at the moment. We call it quits after four and a half hours and take some of my mate's honey and eggs as consolation prizes. Still had a bloody good day out and we're invited back at harvest time. Just need to work on getting a permission near me as he's and hour and 45 away. Couple of questions. Lots of people have suggested to me you need millions of decoys to be successful but six seemed generally OK as a start. The problem seemed lack of birds in the vicinity rather than the decoys not pulling them in. Any suggestions on an optimal number? Why do I snap shoot with apparent ease (I tend to shoot one eyed and aim at the bird a bit both considered big no nos) but when I have time and try to give lead with both eyes open I invariably miss with the first and sometimes both! Apologies for wasting the time it took to read this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted April 18, 2015 Report Share Posted April 18, 2015 dosnt seem to be a lot wrong with what you are doing.........a decent pattern ...........adding dead birds to it as you shoot.......seems fine......dont forget ..the birds have to be there in the first place for you to decoy and shoot them...seems you are working on passing trade rather than a feeding area.....try a flapper to introduce a bit of movement to pull birds off their line to your area......also if you like put 3 sticks in the ground thro the pattern at 25yds...35yds.....40yds....set the pattern up at 20-25yds...or even closer.... as to the shooting..........you tend to do what a lot of us do.....muzzling a bird is NOT a good idea...keep the gun at "port" position then ...UP...THRO...BANG............try raising the nets with hide poles to 4 or 5 feet high ...view the birds as they come in and stand to shoot........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sportingrodandgun Posted April 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2015 Hi Ditchman, yes I think the problem was that the birds had moved on by the time we got there. I actually had the first decoy in the pattern about 15 yards from the hide so really ought to be hitting anything that comes in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitchrat Posted April 18, 2015 Report Share Posted April 18, 2015 Can't add much to Ditchmans reply, but I also always find that thinking is a bad thing when shooting!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WelshMike Posted April 21, 2015 Report Share Posted April 21, 2015 As suggested if the birds arent there you cant decoy them. As is always the case I dont think there is necessary a "one size fits all approach". I have found that a rough u shape with 50% or so facing into the wind is a good starting point (10 shells and 3 full bodied) but just keep moving things around and watch the birds reaction. There are some seriously experienced pigeon shooters on here (I am not one) who will give a better account (take a look at some of PC, Jdog, Motty etcs posts) Now that you have the bug you will itching to get out again...and again..and (you get my point). . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy72 Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 Hi there, I went out pigeon shooting for the first time a couple of weeks ago, only shot clays previously. I spent the morning walking the fields with a couple missed birds then the afternoon in a hide with a dozen FUDs out. I wasn't too bothered with what I shot just more interested in how the birds reacted to the decoys and me in a hide. Having said that I did take a couple of shots but as with the couple of shots I took earlier in the day just seemed to ruffle the tail feathers. Can anyone advise on how different a bird is to a clay other than appearance and the obvious changes of direction, are birds that much quicker that I may need a bit more lead. Apologies for my ignorance but any advice would be truly greatfull. Thanks, Andy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suffolkngood Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 Hi there, I went out pigeon shooting for the first time a couple of weeks ago, only shot clays previously. I spent the morning walking the fields with a couple missed birds then the afternoon in a hide with a dozen FUDs out. I wasn't too bothered with what I shot just more interested in how the birds reacted to the decoys and me in a hide. Having said that I did take a couple of shots but as with the couple of shots I took earlier in the day just seemed to ruffle the tail feathers. Can anyone advise on how different a bird is to a clay other than appearance and the obvious changes of direction, are birds that much quicker that I may need a bit more lead. Apologies for my ignorance but any advice would be truly greatfull. Thanks, Andy. You may have answered your own question?..........if you ruffled the tail feathers you're behind them. As my dad would have told me as a lad..........Shoot where they're going boy and not where they've bl@@dy been! A single pellet will 'kill' a clay but will very rarely kill a pigeon. Get familiar with the ranges that you are shooting at and try patterning your gun at similar ranges to that you'll be shooting pigeons to help understand the effectiveness of your gun/cartridge combination. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy72 Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 Thanks for the advice. I most certainly need to fine tune my shooting, the main problem I have is that I'm concerned about just injuring the bird and not getting a clean kill. I don't want to practice too much on the clay ground as its a totally different ball game so I'm in a bit of a pickle. I guess I just need to get out there as often as possible and forget about the way I shoot clays. Andy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakerboy Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 Hi guys, Just thought I'd share a report from last weekend. So I've shot pigeon before in a rough shoot setting but never decoyed before. A friend mentions that the farmer next door to him is having pigeon issues on his recently sown barley and has given him permission (by calling at my friend's house! most unheard of!). Would I like to have a go Saturday? You bet! I rush out and cobble together half a dozen decoys and a net and pinch some road pins from work to use as hide poles. When we arrive, the farmer who is a top bloke says "lads you should have been here earlier this week they were everywhere!" Due to the good weather the barley has shot up and most of the birds are gone (apparently to some bean crops a couple of miles away where someone is already shooting!). We decide to set up anyway with a traditional U shape at close range (I have seen this online so assumed it was a good start). After an hour or so a bird swoops into the pattern from behind us over the tree line and I dust it with the first barrel! Score! added to the pattern then back in the hide for a long, long wait. a pair land in the far part of the field out of range and start pulling another one that comes over to them! I fire a shot to clear them off but they are to far away. A second bird eventually turns from further out in the field and presents a dead easy shot as it comes into the pattern but I overthink the lead and miss with both barrels. (The more time I have the worse I seem to shoot). A couple of crows pass by but just a little rangier than I'm comfortable with at the moment. We call it quits after four and a half hours and take some of my mate's honey and eggs as consolation prizes. Still had a bloody good day out and we're invited back at harvest time. Just need to work on getting a permission near me as he's and hour and 45 away. Couple of questions. Lots of people have suggested to me you need millions of decoys to be successful but six seemed generally OK as a start. The problem seemed lack of birds in the vicinity rather than the decoys not pulling them in. Any suggestions on an optimal number? Why do I snap shoot with apparent ease (I tend to shoot one eyed and aim at the bird a bit both considered big no nos) but when I have time and try to give lead with both eyes open I invariably miss with the first and sometimes both! Apologies for wasting the time it took to read this! Get yourself on a BASC Introduction to Pigeon Shooting Course. There is a thread on the forum to suggest an area you would like to have a course held. Cheers Terry Hi guys, Just thought I'd share a report from last weekend. So I've shot pigeon before in a rough shoot setting but never decoyed before. A friend mentions that the farmer next door to him is having pigeon issues on his recently sown barley and has given him permission (by calling at my friend's house! most unheard of!). Would I like to have a go Saturday? You bet! I rush out and cobble together half a dozen decoys and a net and pinch some road pins from work to use as hide poles. When we arrive, the farmer who is a top bloke says "lads you should have been here earlier this week they were everywhere!" Due to the good weather the barley has shot up and most of the birds are gone (apparently to some bean crops a couple of miles away where someone is already shooting!). We decide to set up anyway with a traditional U shape at close range (I have seen this online so assumed it was a good start). After an hour or so a bird swoops into the pattern from behind us over the tree line and I dust it with the first barrel! Score! added to the pattern then back in the hide for a long, long wait. a pair land in the far part of the field out of range and start pulling another one that comes over to them! I fire a shot to clear them off but they are to far away. A second bird eventually turns from further out in the field and presents a dead easy shot as it comes into the pattern but I overthink the lead and miss with both barrels. (The more time I have the worse I seem to shoot). A couple of crows pass by but just a little rangier than I'm comfortable with at the moment. We call it quits after four and a half hours and take some of my mate's honey and eggs as consolation prizes. Still had a bloody good day out and we're invited back at harvest time. Just need to work on getting a permission near me as he's and hour and 45 away. Couple of questions. Lots of people have suggested to me you need millions of decoys to be successful but six seemed generally OK as a start. The problem seemed lack of birds in the vicinity rather than the decoys not pulling them in. Any suggestions on an optimal number? Why do I snap shoot with apparent ease (I tend to shoot one eyed and aim at the bird a bit both considered big no nos) but when I have time and try to give lead with both eyes open I invariably miss with the first and sometimes both! Apologies for wasting the time it took to read this! Get yourself on a BASC Introduction to Pigeon Shooting Course. There is a thread on the forum to suggest an area you would like to have a course held. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy72 Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 Funnily enough I've got one of those courses booked for next Wednesday. Are they any good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakerboy Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 Funnily enough I've got one of those courses booked for next Wednesday. Are they any good? Whereabouts and who with? They are informative and interesting, you will get lots out of it. Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy72 Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 Terry, It's with the BASC down in Ashford, Kent. I'm looking forward to it, I didn't realise I'd need to take my gun and cartridges, I thought it would be classroom based. Andy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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