invector
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Posts posted by invector
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Pigeons need a place to land, safety within the feeding group and a way out if danger threatens. Although when actually feeding they seem to be milling about your pattern is there to entice them down in the first place!! Even a regimented horseshoe pattern will work because they are seeing what they want to see, Space to land, the safety of the group and a way out if things go wrong. :(
By the time they see their mates are not milling about they should be DEAD!!!
I regularly get pigeons landing in the decoys, looking at their dead mates hoisted up unnaturally on wire cradles, and then start tearing at the greenery. 
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As far as the wind (or lack of it!) is concerned just watch how the birds drop into the field or the trees. They will mostly land into the wind but will often cheat the wind by coming in with the wind either behind them or quartering then suddenly change direction to face the wind as they land.
The prevailing wind direction can sometimes lead to you setting up in the wrong place if you are not careful, depending on the direction of flightlines entering the field. As well as the wind direction you must take notice of the direction of the sun or you`ll be forever squinting and missing shots. Obviously wind and sun at your back is the ideal but sometimes you must sacrifice one for the other.
As far as decoy patterns are concerned they don`t take account of those awkward birds that land on the edge of the pattern, within 5 metres of your hide, or in your crow deeks!! I suppose my advice would be to expect anything!!
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Don`t put `em down cos you`ll never find `em again.
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I use 1/4 and 3/4 chokes. A bit much but I seem to do OK with them. I am using up the last of my Lyalvale Special Pigeon 30gr. and have just stocked up with Eley HB Pigeon 32gr.
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You should have closed it MUCH earlier!!!
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Pigeons know the same way the flasks know whether they should be keeping their contents warm or cold. It`s magic!!
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I take it you are going to pay me to keep my mouth shut about the tip you pinched from me??? :(
The REAL INVECTOR!!! :thumbs:
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You can also use your car to dissuade pigeons from dropping into the next field, particularly if it is a pink one!!
(Pink car, not field, silly!!!) -
PTC don`t put your crow deeks down wind of your pigeon deeks because the pigeons won`t fly over them!!
Put them in a random group up wind and watch how the pigeons react to them. If one pigeon flares then move the crow deeks a bit farther away.
If you shoot enough rooks to make a pattern leave a killing ground in the middle as you would with pigeons. You`ll find that crow shooting is more leisurely than pigeons. They generally flap slowly in and sometimes caw to let you know they are there. They often come in from all directions, not intending to land, so lazy old crossing shots are often the norm with the odd one from directly behind. They will sit in a tree out of sight and a crow call will entice them in. Don`t call too much and stop when a bird looks interested. A dropped crow will often bring in others very quickly so duck down and be ready.
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You didn`t actually see that copper shoot a pigeon though did you?? Could have been a set up and he didn`t shoot any, just acting for the TV. Does that make you feel any better???
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Shoot lots of pigeons, vermin, rabbits etc. and he`ll soon be one of your best mates!!!
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Take your kit and check the field for traffic. Note which direction the birds approach and where they are feeding then set up to intercept them. If they aren`t on the field you MAY get a few but your best bet is to set up when they are actually on the field. Walk them off, noting which direction they take then set up.
Decoys mainly facing the wind, stay behind the netting at all times, and shoot just as they commit to landing. Only pick up wounded, or when a bird flares, then make sure your pattern is OK, with no birds on their backs etc. Don`t bob up and down but watch birds THROUGH the netting. Remember, if a bird comes in to land its mates might not be far behind, so be patient. If you can let one land, shoot the next incomer then try for the lander as it takes off.
Use dead birds from the freezer for BEST results, and let us know how you get on.
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A tip from stockmakers. Try `whiskering` the woodwork for a smoother finish before using finest grade wire wool.
Whisker by wetting the stock and drying off quickly and you`ll feel the grain rising each time. I used to do mine over the gas ring, CAREFULLY!!!
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I use felt wads all the time, with 30g cartridges. If you shoot them on the ground you must sit the bird on top of the bead or most of the shot may plough into the ground, resulting in wounded birds.
Holding the shotgun like a rifle can result in more felt recoil.
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It was me who `tipped Pinewood off` as I had told them I was contacting the forum. I had made it quite clear that I wasn`t receiving any replies and thought they may have `phoned me?? My answer phone is on 24/7 and they could have left a message. Anyway they did reply by email, but I certainly didn`t receive them.
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Just received a Recorded Delivery letter from Pinewood listing their email replies. These obvously didn`t get through to me and I apologise unreservedly. This was a problem with the internet and not with Pinewood. Pinewood are deleting the card numbers from correspondence in the future. I only received one email from Pinewood and all the others were undelivered.
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Really good excuse to make a large, plush, hide and stay out!!!
The missus would soon come looking for you, especially if she`d zeroed your card and needed another one. -
Nothing wrong with the cradles, although I notice the price has gone up. It`s not replying to my emails that gets me, when they say on their website that customers should email them on the contact button I expect them to act. I asked them if they would be amending their system but no reply.
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If they had answered my emails, admitted a genuine mistake and that they had taken steps to ensure it didn`t happen again, I would have been satisfied.
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Recently bought some pigeon cradles from Pinewood Sporting. The cradles arrived with a receipt which included my full Visa card number!!! Anyone could have read my number and if anything had happened at Royal Mail (did you see the TV programme last week??) my account could have been vulnerable. I emailed them saying this was sloppy security and would they be changing their system ASAP but they didn`t even reply. If you are buying with plastic from Pinewood BE WARNED!!!
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Next time why not take the wife out shooting?
Or failing that phone her and tell her to take herself out. Ha!! Ha!! :o Of course if you had left her with your plastic she might have allowed you to stay out. -
They might be after the clover. My grass fields were cut for silage a few weeks ago and, although it took a few days, the pigeons were all over them. Fields which were cut later have attracted rooks and jackdaws in large flocks but the pigeons are just taking to the barley. Some barley is cut on my boundary and no doubt will be cut very soon on my ground. Roll on!!
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Hi Dunganick,
Luckily I`ve found a third type of farmer/manager - one who allows ONLY yours truly to shoot over 1,000 acres!! I have sole permission to shoot over thousands more acres, so this third type must be fairly common. Some others allow me to shoot during the week, because they have a local gun at weekends. This means that pigeons etc. are a bit wary on Mondays but I give `em hell during the rest of the week. Obviously the same applies to the weekender if I shoot birds hard on Fridays.
I`m a great believer in taking a camera with me when shooting. Shots of the hide, pattern, bag etc. help to cement relations with landowners.
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If it`s a choice between staying in bed for the sex and going out in the fields decoying pigeons I`m out in the fields. After all I can have sex any time I want but those pigeons can`t wait!!!
TIME TO TRY DECOYING
in Pigeon Shooting Tips
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Initially your binoculars should get more work than your gun!!!
Setting up where the pigeons are feeding doesn`t always work, get a handle on the flightlines into and out of the field and choose carefully where to set up. If you walk them off the field watch which direction they take out of the field and expect them to GENERALLY come back from that direction.
Don`t be afraid to move if pigeons are flying over the field and not seeing your deeks or are set on going somewhere else. Get under the flightline and pull them down to you. Once you`ve had a bit of experience and success you`ll be pulling them down on concrete!!!