motty

Most of my best days at this time of year have come from a first light start. This won't always work but it is worth a try. In my view it's a better gamble than putting off feeding birds and hoping they return. If set up in the right place, you should get some action early on, though it may not last.

How do you know they are shying away from the hide?

I have already had a nice bag of 129 on beet tops, this year. Hopefully i should be out on some fresh tops this weekend if no barley has been drilled. Pboro shot - i shot 101 on rotten beet a few years back.That really stunk!

I'm sorry, pigeons are certainly not clever. I think they are pretty stupid. Oh, and pigeons can't talk, either.

It's all very well shooting 300 in day, but it's very different to shooting 700. I think the only way you can even think to 'guarantee' a day like that would be to bait a field in the autumn, and that's not really on. As i said before, not many people shoot bags of over 500 for a good reason - the chance to do it by someone with the skill to do it comes up very rarely. I know a man who shot over 500 in a day about 3 miles from where i live. Would the bag have been much more with 3 other guns on the field? I very much doubt it.

Maybe it can become boring shooting birds at 30 yards. That's why i'm glad the cartridges i use (Mainly English 7 size) are capable of taking down the odd 50 yarder.

It seems the opposite round here - massive flocks of birds every few miles when driving around. Doing something with them is another story.

Of course pigeon shooting isn't about records, but it is about having a good amount of sport in a day. I do enjoy all of my shooting, but i'm never really satisfied with small bags. Good luck with shooting 700+. There is good reason why not many people shoot anywhere near that figure.First, you have to have a huge amount of pigeon using the field (maybe 5000+),have them decoy nicely and then shoot straight all day. The first part of that is the one least likely to occur. By the way, an 8 shot auto would be no better than a 3 shot in achieving that feat.

No, it won't damage the seed.

I have some chokes from a Webley scott wildfowling gun that i'm looking to sell. I also have a 4" camo barrel extension. Does anyone know if these chokes are interchangeable with any other gun? Cheers.

Totally disagree. I can shoot just as many pigeons with cheap cartridges than i can with sipes.

Totally disagree. Not one of my farmers has ever asked me to use fibre wadded cartridges. Until then, i will carry on with the plastic. Plastic wads get ploughed in and fairly quickly break down.

I think you're talking rubbish.

Shooting the land depends on how much seed is spilled and when the birds find the grain. I've know birds to be straight onto a field the same day it was drilled and also had times when it's took birds nearer a week. The ideal scenario would be for the birds to find the field within a couple of days and for there to be enough grain on the field to sustain the pigeons for a few days. This would let the birds build in number and also become confident in using the field.

Eh?

This will pretty much be the same the whole country over. My advice is to wait a while for the flocks to start breaking up, or keep an eye on alternative crops such as maize, beet tops or spring drillings. One of the reasons they're in such tight flocks is the fact that they keep getting pushed from one field to another. Once pigeons start to feel settled, that's when bags can be made.

Just wondering what the reasoning was for whittling it down to these two guns? Price? Are you going for new or used?

At this time of the year i probably wouldn't consider going out if i only saw 300 pigeons on rape. The only exception would be if i'd witnessed them coming into the field from a flightline (not nearby trees or field etc) in small groups.That way i avoid the disappointment that you've just described.

You shot 18 as you walked the birds off the field? That's some gun you have. Good luck, i'd be surprised if you get the birds to decoy if they all come in one hit.

I went to 3 farms on Saturday and in total i must have seen over 3000 pigeons. I had a little go but it was a waste of time. I'd keep an eye on those poor rape fields, they may well come good in late may/june when all else has grown away. I've had some cracking days in the last couple of years on some backwards rape where it was one of the only available options for the pigeons.

Keep going and learn from your own mistakes. It's what i did. Start off simple - build a hide and put a few decoys out where the pigeons are feeding. Watch how the pigeons behave and learn from it. Be patient and make plenty of trips out with both binoculars and gun. You will soon start learning and the pieces will fall into place.

The 'U' shape pattern isn't used because pigeons land in a 'U', it's just a method of getting the birds in a certain area to kill them. I personally have never seen pigeons chase each other in a 3 metre circle, but i still use a magnet.

I personally wouldn't bother with the speed controller or spray paint,but it's up to you.

There has already been a fair bit of drilling done in my area. At least one of my farmers should have some barley in by next weekend.

Dress the hide? I take it you mean add foliage to the hide. This is totally unnecessary and a waste of time in my opinion.