Hunting on Farms

[naddan28]

Hi guys after a couple of trips down to the farm hunting I have had little succes (well none actually) partly due to the farm having sweet ** to shoot at and what is there cant be got within range of due to lack of cover. However I have another 3 farms now from the same land owner to shoot which seem more promising.... Sp o was hoping a few questions could be answered?

 

Firstly i know I need to get well hidden and have brought some DMP standard Camo 95 but was wondering whether decoys actually worked to get the pigeons and crows to land? Obviously unlike a shotgun i cant just shoot them in mid flight!

 

Secondly, is there any way of decoying/encouraging rabbits to come out of their burrows? As they apparently have a rabbit problem but is it going to be imposs to get them in the day? From what I hear they are semi nocturnal?

 

Finally, what do you guys use in the way of hide building? I was contemplating lying down in the pheasent cover/hedge rows but not sure whether I would still be easily spotted?

[Peter_HMR]

Get yourself a shotgun mate!!

 

Everything your talking about up there is shotgun shooting. I take it you have an airrifle id start shooting bunnies either find a spot where they are the whole time and set up a good hide and sit out in it with a lamp after dark or learn to stalk them.

[CARBINE]

Hi guys after a couple of trips down to the farm hunting I have had little succes (well none actually) partly due to the farm having sweet **. to shoot at and what is there cant be got within range of due to lack of cover. However I have another 3 farms now from the same land owner to shoot which seem more promising.... Sp o was hoping a few questions could be answered?

 

Firstly i know I need to get well hidden and have brought some DMP standard Camo 95 but was wondering whether decoys actually worked to get the pigeons and crows to land? Obviously unlike a shotgun i cant just shoot them in mid flight!

 

Secondly, is there any way of decoying/encouraging rabbits to come out of their burrows? As they apparently have a rabbit problem but is it going to be imposs to get them in the day? From what I hear they are semi nocturnal?

 

Finally, what do you guys use in the way of hide building? I was contemplating lying down in the pheasent cover/hedge rows but not sure whether I would still be easily spotted?

 

As for encouraging the rabbits out a ferret will do the job

[naddan28]

Get yourself a shotgun mate!!

 

Everything your talking about up there is shotgun shooting. I take it you have an airrifle id start shooting bunnies either find a spot where they are the whole time and set up a good hide and sit out in it with a lamp after dark or learn to stalk them.

 

I probably will do although being a student funds are a bit tight, having just spent £200 odd on an air rifle now a £100 gun safe and £200 SG plus prob another £100+ on lessons well I would be skint beyond believe! Next year I am taking a year out from uni to work at farnborough right next to bisley so probably take it up then when:

a) have the time to learn shotgun shooting

have the money to buy all the necessary SG equipment and coaching

[SNAKEBITE]

Get yourself a shotgun mate!!

 

Everything your talking about up there is shotgun shooting. I take it you have an airrifle id start shooting bunnies either find a spot where they are the whole time and set up a good hide and sit out in it with a lamp after dark or learn to stalk them.

 

Everything on his list is suitable airgun quarry, getting a shotgun is not really the answer. All he needs is a little bit of experience in getting the blighters!

 

Shotguns have their uses, just not in the airgun section :blink:

[naddan28]

Get yourself a shotgun mate!!

 

Everything your talking about up there is shotgun shooting. I take it you have an airrifle id start shooting bunnies either find a spot where they are the whole time and set up a good hide and sit out in it with a lamp after dark or learn to stalk them.

 

Everything on his list is suitable airgun quarry, getting a shotgun is not really the answer. All he needs is a little bit of experience in getting the blighters!

 

Shotguns have their uses, just not in the airgun section :blink:

 

Thanks snakebite, I would love a shotgun but at the mo being skint and I have enough trouble with the mastering the air rifle! I have just been out in the garden shooting with 3 different pellet types (BSA Elites, RWS H Points, RWS Super Pointed) The hollow points were **** for accuracy, however the elites had more power in terms of oblitarating the sides of a quality street tin. The groupings were around 40mm with a couple of odd shots missing the grouping (mainly due to me shooting prone in the kitchen and slipping on the damm laminate flooring!) I was shooting around 10 shoots + so relatively happy with the shooting. I am now going to probably buy a cheap bipod for my rifle to eliminate the wobble in aiming, as i have to shoot left handed due to being dodgey and not being able to close my left eye while leaving the right open.

 

Has anyone had any luck decoying pidgeons and depatching them with an air rifle? I am considering getting some pigeon decoys but not sure whether the pigeons will actually land so i can shoot them!??

[Axe]

Naddan have a look at the Pigeon Shooting area of the forum it is a wash with hints and tips on how to decoy correctly and how to set up a hide. Personally, I wouldnt bother trying to decoy the pigeons and corvids with only an airgun at my disposal. The effort required wont produce much in the way of results. With the airgun I would wait for those opportunist shots as and when they come along. :blink:

 

You would probably do better to concentrate more on the rabbits. Take a trip down to have a look around. Make a note of populated areas of feeding and mark out the burrows. You also need to work out your distance and good places to use as firing points. This is essential especially at night , when distance judging can be very difficult indeed. Its also important to make sure that you are shooting within your capabilities. so working out your 30 yards in adavance will save you missing your shots.

 

As far as tempting the rabbits out of the burrow the only hard and fast method is a ferret. Some people say a squeak or whistle can tempt them but I have never found anything that works reliably. You will get your best results in the evening under the cover of darkness. Of course you will need a good quality gun lamp which I am afraid is going to add to your costs but essential. Lamping is the most effective method available to an airgunner.

[sandersj89]

Dont forget roost shooting for pigeons. An air rifle can be an ideal tool for the job if you have some decent wood land on your ground.

 

Watch to see where they are roosting for a few evenings and then get into place one evening under the trees and wait for them to come in. You can get away with no hide as well.

 

I had a great 45 mins last week waiting for the birds to land in the trees. If your field craft is good you can also move around the wood to get closer.

 

Jerry

[SNAKEBITE]

Personally, I wouldnt bother trying to decoy the pigeons and corvids with only an airgun at my disposal. The effort required wont produce much in the way of results. With the airgun I would wait for those opportunist shots as and when they come along. :blink:

 

Decoying is the best way to get corvids!!!!!!

A split bunny with a few deeks around will have them flocking in.

 

The same with pigeons, lay up near a sitty tree with a few deeks around and they will come to the tree and rest before descending to the ground.

 

With a shotgun you MAY get more pigeons as they flock in but corvids will get wise after a few shots and you will have to keep them moving.

 

Obviously decoying is not an exact science and you will have to work out what is best for your shoot but limiting yourself to rabbits is just being narrow minded. There is so much more out there to do and airgunning is so much more than "something for the youngsters to do before they get a real gun".

[naddan28]

I wouldnt bother trying to decoy the pigeons and corvids with only an airgun at my disposal. The effort required wont produce much in the way of results. With the airgun I would wait for those opportunist shots as and when they come along. :blink:

 

Decoying is the best way to get corvids!!!!!!

A split bunny with a few deeks around will have them flocking in.

 

The same with pigeons, lay up near a sitty tree with a few deeks around and they will come to the tree and rest before descending to the ground.

 

With a shotgun you MAY get more pigeons as they flock in but corvids will get wise after a few shots and you will have to keep them moving.

 

Obviously decoying is not an exact science and you will have to work out what is best for your shoot but limiting yourself to rabbits is just being narrow minded. There is so much more out there to do and airgunning is so much more than "something for the youngsters to do before they get a real gun".

 

Thanks, I did consider baiting but was somewhat dubious as to how successful decoys would be with an air rifle, as I need to be within 20-30yds of the quarry? How many decoys would surfice? I was tempted to buy 10 pigeons decoys and some seed just to give them some encouragement to come down? I also considered the same for corvids.

[sussex lad]

With a shotgun you MAY get more pigeons as they flock in but corvids will get wise after a few shots and you will have to keep them moving.

So Just how many times exactly have you been decoying with a shotgun then Snakey??? :blink:

[Tarka]

i gave up tryin to stalk pigeons with my airgun

 

try what i did.....take a day out where you shoot and just sit and watch. you will quickly find whats going where and when. For example, i found where all the "sitty" trees are on my permission, where the birds fly in from and where they go to roost. All youl need to do is get there before they come in to rest or roost and conceal yourself for when they land

 

As for crows, decoying works well, how ever i neevr had any success. I found that if you managed to shot one of them, put it out and get yourself good on the crow call. The others will go bananas and hopefully take up in a near by tree and hrul abuse at their fallen comrad

 

Rabbits.....wait for the summer to come and youl wonder where they all come from. Spring will soon be here and the baby rabbits will start showing. Long warm summer evenings are the best.

 

The key to success though is taking the time out and just watch whats going on around you. We have all run about like loons just dying for a shot, but take your time, have patcience and it will all be worht while

 

hope this help and good luck

[naddan28]

i gave up tryin to stalk pigeons with my airgun

 

try what i did.....take a day out where you shoot and just sit and watch. you will quickly find whats going where and when. For example, i found where all the "sitty" trees are on my permission, where the birds fly in from and where they go to roost. All youl need to do is get there before they come in to rest or roost and conceal yourself for when they land

 

As for crows, decoying works well, how ever i neevr had any success. I found that if you managed to shot one of them, put it out and get yourself good on the crow call. The others will go bananas and hopefully take up in a near by tree and hrul abuse at their fallen comrad

 

Rabbits.....wait for the summer to come and youl wonder where they all come from. Spring will soon be here and the baby rabbits will start showing. Long warm summer evenings are the best.

 

The key to success though is taking the time out and just watch whats going on around you. We have all run about like loons just dying for a shot, but take your time, have patcience and it will all be worht while

 

hope this help and good luck

I am considering this, having had a tour by the land owner I have seen some of the local hotspots for quarry. However I am considering laying down some seed on one of the farms saturday night and then sunday morn lay some more seed before the shoot hoping it will draw in the pigeons, then after hitting 2 have a couple of natural decoys :blink:

 

Although saying that apparently I have some horrid little rats/mice in the garden (not sure as mum saw them!) so may have something else to shoot first on sunday before moving onto the farm. Actually I am considering baiting up an area of the garden now, then again tomorro morn and eve, just to get the lil blighters used to it, then on sunday sort out the prob with some well placed shots.

[njc110381]

How long have you been hunting for? It's a lot harder than you expect to stalk wild animals, they pick up on such small changes in their environment that sometimes you don't even think you've done anything and they notice! Just keep at it, if you're keen you will pick it up soon enough. I spent many days walking around my land for nothing at first, but it was all worth it. In summer, it's nicer. Lie down low when you spot a rabbit, maybe as much as 150m away. When it's stopped looking at you and started to feed again, start to shuffle towards it. Stop every time it looks up or stops eating, and wait. Eventually you will get in range. After some time using this method will teach you how the rabbit looks when it's alarmed, or better still, just wary. This will allow you to walk closer, again stopping when it looks unhappy with you. This means that eventually you'll do more walking, and a lot less crawling! Don't expect to get to it quickly, the faster you move, the sooner you'll be spotted. A slow step every five to ten seconds can be too much sometimes! Keep at it, and good luck. Don't give up, I shoot more rabbits with my air rifle than I do with my shotty :blink:

[naddan28]

How long have you been hunting for? It's a lot harder than you expect to stalk wild animals, they pick up on such small changes in their environment that sometimes you don't even think you've done anything and they notice! Just keep at it, if you're keen you will pick it up soon enough. I spent many days walking around my land for nothing at first, but it was all worth it. In summer, it's nicer. Lie down low when you spot a rabbit, maybe as much as 150m away. When it's stopped looking at you and started to feed again, start to shuffle towards it. Stop every time it looks up or stops eating, and wait. Eventually you will get in range. After some time using this method will teach you how the rabbit looks when it's alarmed, or better still, just wary. This will allow you to walk closer, again stopping when it looks unhappy with you. This means that eventually you'll do more walking, and a lot less crawling! Don't expect to get to it quickly, the faster you move, the sooner you'll be spotted. A slow step every five to ten seconds can be too much sometimes! Keep at it, and good luck. Don't give up, I shoot more rabbits with my air rifle than I do with my shotty :blink:

 

Thanks for the advice, I am completely new to hunting and have only shot an air rifle really occasionally in a garden plinking situation over the years. So all the advice is much appreciated I think I am going to try and make a hide and do some shooting from a hidden prone position as the rabbits are not happily running around.

[njc110381]

The trouble with a static hide is that you need to make several, and choose the site fairly carefully. You need to be down wind of any warrens, if you're not you will lie there all day and almost certainly not see anything at all. Get yourself a 3 hole balaclava, or one of those face net thingies if you can tolerate it blowing against your face. I prefer a balaclava myself as it doesn't affect your vision. Then try the stalking again. You wouldn't believe how much more you will see, a white face is like a warning flag to wildlife! Don't limit yourself to building a posh hide, just lie down low and keep still. My method on a nice day is to just lie down as if going to sleep (has happened a couple of times!) and look up every five minutes or so to see if anything's about. If you can find a nice long tuft of grass to get behind, this will help. You will get much more luck with experience, just relax and don't set your hopes too high at first. If you stress about it too much, you'll only miss when your chance arrives!

[naddan28]

The trouble with a static hide is that you need to make several, and choose the site fairly carefully. You need to be down wind of any warrens, if you're not you will lie there all day and almost certainly not see anything at all. Get yourself a 3 hole balaclava, or one of those face net thingies if you can tolerate it blowing against your face. I prefer a balaclava myself as it doesn't affect your vision. Then try the stalking again. You wouldn't believe how much more you will see, a white face is like a warning flag to wildlife! Don't limit yourself to building a posh hide, just lie down low and keep still. My method on a nice day is to just lie down as if going to sleep (has happened a couple of times!) and look up every five minutes or so to see if anything's about. If you can find a nice long tuft of grass to get behind, this will help. You will get much more luck with experience, just relax and don't set your hopes too high at first. If you stress about it too much, you'll only miss when your chance arrives!

 

Thats some sound advice, I think i have a neophrane ballaclava knocking around somewhere and one of my shoots has a nice natural dried out dyke for natural cover, I am hoping its just downwide and within warren range! I think weather permitting I might go for a walk and spot the natural cover etc.

[njc110381]

It's well worth having a good look around your shoot before you expect too much. Sometimes you are better off without the gun, as you take in more. The area you are talking about sounds good, unless it's bowling green flat you should be able to find some cover without having to build it. My main concern with you building a hide is that you may put it in a bad place, which will really not help! If you move around a bit you will learn where the best places are, and with that knowledge, you can then make a very good hide that will get you some good sport. A good tip is to lie in the rough grass near the hedge. It helps you to avoid being above the skyline, always have a solid background. Just think how easy it is for you to spot someone walking along the top of a hill, then imagine how stupid a rabbit would have to be to not notice you :blink:

[SNAKEBITE]

 

With a shotgun you MAY get more pigeons as they flock in but corvids will get wise after a few shots and you will have to keep them moving.

So Just how many times exactly have you been decoying with a shotgun then Snakey???

 

I haven't, however I did emphasise the "may" .

I do read other sections of the forums and listen to other peoples advice which does provide limited knowledge, however I don't then spout it off as an exact science. I only post in the airgun section as I only have an airgun and only shoot an airgun. What I do post however is the way that I see it, and the way that I do it. Not always the right way and I am open to advice. However I do get results, not as good as some but better than others. Having actally spent many hours decoying for pigeons and corvids with some sucess I like to think I have a little knowledge now. I find it challenging and in some cases I would imagine harder than mugging the birds as they fly over, still this is a very open and varied sport with room for all techniques and styles.

[sussex lad]

 

With a shotgun you MAY get more pigeons as they flock in but corvids will get wise after a few shots and you will have to keep them moving.

So Just how many times exactly have you been decoying with a shotgun then Snakey???

 

I haven't, however I did emphasise the "may" .

Then we need to get you out decoying then m8 So you can see the just how effective it can be, especialy against the corvids

[SNAKEBITE]

I am definatley up for that!

If only the "estate" would make up his mind It has been long enough now i'll chase him up on it.

You can show me how best to go about it, it'll make a change not to sit still in a blooming itchy ghillie suit for hours on end!

[stevethevanman]

Corvids have especialy good eyesite, especialy the crow, it is extreamly hard to get within airgun range even a FAC airgun unless you have a good hide

 

Just my opinion

[SNAKEBITE]

stevethevanman, I completly agree and that is why I have never managed to stalk a corvid! I would love to be able to and deep respect to anyone who can manage it.

 

The best approach is the baiting, with or without the decoys. I love it and it gives you such a sense of satisfaction outwitting something that is more intelligant than a lot of humans!