the hitman

Hi TC Yes I use 1/2 & 3/4 choke - thank you for the feedback.

Hi folks I have previously stated that I prefer clay cartridges for decoying pigeons and as I am unable to get Prima’s and LA jokers locally - I am looking for an alternative. My local gun shop has Hull superfasts 27g no 7.5 at about £200 per thousand. I have no experience with this cartridge- and I am not looking to begin a debate on what’s the best pigeon cartridge- just a review from any members who have used them for pigeons. Cheers Hitman

Thank you for your advice about the magnet, I will try your suggestions. I tend to just put it at the front of pattern and set it away. It has 3 speeds and I prefer the quicker setting as it seems to work best for me. When they work they are deadly, however nothing worse than carrying the magnet and battery over a muddy rape field just to find that it is putting the off.

The heavy rain showers have brought the harvest to a standstill so they don’t have much stubble to go at locally. The forecast is mostly dry here next week so I will probably spend more time on reconnaissance than shooting. I should write reports about the days I shoot next to nothing- as I have plenty of those.

I had been watching pigeons on a wheat stubble for a few days and had decided exactly where to build a hide. Yesterday the conditions were as good as I had hoped and I was set up with the wind and a high hedge at my back at 1pm with 20 sillosocks rocking in the westerly wind. I didn’t have to wait long for the first group of four to arrive- straight into the decoys- double shot and I had two for the magnet. I set the magnet out to my right expecting it to pull every passing pigeon in - unfortunately i soon realised that it was turning them away and was promptly brought it in. So no magnet no bouncers just decoys on the ground ( old fashioned decoying) and the pigeons just wanted to be in. Because they were coming in low and straight on - I dropped the front of my hide very low so that I could shoot sitting down ( something I seldom do) . It wasn’t a day for challenging shooting rather a succession of pigeons decoying right into the middle of the pattern. I always like to leave with pigeons still flying about- so a quick count at 4.30pm and I reckoned I had about 55 - I gave it another twenty minutes and ended the day with 63. As the the harvest gathers pace locally I expect the pigeons to be spread out more with more choice - however I will keep plugging away.

Come on chaps the more the better. Its just a bit of fun - and easy to join . Hitman

I don’t know this lady’s background- however I suspect that groomers select their victims based on vulnerability and would steer clear of a child with protective parents.

Make no mistake- Cameron and his kind are no fools - they have a talent for staying on the right side of the law, however their moral compass is broken beyond repair. They are part of an elite- Eton educated gang who have each other’s back’s covered, and their network of associates all have their heads in the trough. Wait 10 years and Boris will be doing the same thing.

Good find - well done. A touch of white paint on some of those pigeons decoys and your good to go. All those plus a net, sounds like good business to me 👍

Completely agree Marsh man - stubble shooting is a great time of year and driving to your chosen spot is always welcome. Glad to hear that you have been getting amongst them - and thank you for the write up. I still have peas and OSR to be cut so hopefully a few more good days to come.

I headed out this morning at 10am for a recce around my perms just to see what been happening while I have been away on holiday. Most of the OSR is still to be cut, however I did find 3 fields of cut rape with not a pigeon to be seen . After 2 hours of driving I noticed pigeons flying into a row of beeches which run up the side of a wheat stubble. I know this area well and although the pigeons were not feeding on the stubble I knew that these trees are a popular resting place. By 12.30 I had the hide up and 20 sillosocks rocking in the easterly wind which was blowing in my face. Getting a couple for the magnet was the first task- and after a couple of glaring misses I shot a long crosser and another from the tree I was sitting under. There were plenty pigeons about and although reluctant to decoy the magnet was bringing them in for a look- which resulted in some challenging and very sporting shooting. Pick of the shots where the high birds coming over the beeches then turning to have look. By 2pm a bag of 20 was looking possible, however as I added dead birds to the pattern and a change of wind direction to S/East the pigeons began to decoy. After shooting at so many high birds the decoying pigeons at 25 paces seemed to be easy shooting and I scored a few doubles. The rain started at 3.30 and birds stopped flying- so a quick pick up before I got soaked brought the day to an end with 36 pigeons in the bag. I will definitely revisit this field a couple of weeks. Hitman

Agreed- I just keep on the tram lines at low speed. It’s is very noisy.

To answer the original question- it’s a magnet for me every time. The last flapper I owned was a 1970’s pull string type handed down to me in the late 80’s - which I modified so it was about 2ft off the ground. If the birds decoy well from the start I won’t bother putting the magnet out - however I always have it with me. My magnet has successful pulled pigeons more often than it has deterred them. Hitman

Hi everyone I have created 2 fantasy football leagues for anyone on the forum to join . 1. Pigeon watch league- joining code sixgae 2. Pigeon watch head 2 head league joining code c5lqc4 Its just a bit of fun - so have a go as the more the better. If you don’t follow football- just select auto pick and a team will be picked for you. Good luck.

Yes indeed- cannot believe how quickly this has come around again. I will post joining instructions nearer the time. Its open to everyone and just a bit of fun - whether you are a football fan or not- just use auto select when picking your team if you are unsure. Hitman.

I still have the desire- call of the wild, whatever you choose to call it to shoot pigeons regularly, however I am more selective about when I set up. Years ago I would go decoying regardless of weather conditions- and had some proper soaking as a result. I think my bags are probably larger now although I go out less often. I honestly don’t think I will ever lose the feeling of anticipation when a decoying situation is identified.

Nice shooting and thank you for the write up. Its always satisfying to get amongst them once in a while and shooting 100 will be a day to be remember for a long time. We are coming into harvest time which in my opinion is one of the most promising times for shooting pigeons- I particularly look for OSR stubble. Let us all know when you achieve your second ton. Hitman.

Really sorry to hear that you have had to say farewell to your dog Ozzy - I am sure he was a faithful companion.

We had to say goodbye to the wee man this morning- he never recovered and I called the emergency vet out. Saddest of times losing a pet and a shooting companion. He like nothing better than sitting in a pigeon hide - giving me disbelieving glances when I missed. RIP Rio

He has fitted again at 9pm - he is calm again now. I am going to sleep in the kitchen with him tonight. I have to be honest- this has never happened before and at 14 1/2 I am fearing the worst.

Hi folks My 14 years old cocker had a fit / seizure at about 6.30pm today which lasted about 5 mins.It was very distressing to witness- but thankfully he seems ok now just very tired. He was a little unstable on his legs for about 20 mins after- but no signs of a stroke. I am keeping him close to me tonight and will get him to the vet in the morning. I have googled causes- and overheating is a common cause- although we have been keeping him in the kitchen where it’s nice and cool. Very worrying- and I hope it’s a one off event. Does anyone have any experience of this ? Hitman

Yes indeed- about 2 miles upstream of where I was shooting. Nice village with good fishing on the Tweed . I think the chain bridge which take you into Scotland is currently closed due to ongoing repair work.

If you want to impress the Mrs - go to Tigerlillys restaurant on George street it’s quirky and good food. Try the Edinburgh dungeons- and as mentioned camera obscura is good fun. Try Rose street for bars, and of course the royal Mile. Edinburgh is beautiful and everything is in walking distance. Hitman

Hi Folks I found 2 side by side pea fields late last week- both pulling a fair number of pigeons. The weather has been shabby locally so I kept my powder dry until an opportunity arose. Yesterday I went for a recce and discovered that one of the pea fields had be harvested and was covered in pigeons. With a dry forecast and a decent wind I loaded the gear and was set up on the cut field by 12 noon. I chose to use 20 sillosocks which were soon bellowing and moving in the wind . The wind was coming over my left shoulder and the pigeons were crossing from the right and swinging around. The first 10 minutes produced 2 pigeons which I put out on the magnet which gave the eye catching movement they were looking for. I was surprised how many large groups of pigeons were flying about- I sometimes had 20 + pigeons over the decoys at the same time. Most of my kills were singles to begin as they were cautiously skirting the outside of the pattern. I replaced the sillosocks with shot birds which really helped and gave the pigeons the confidence to commit to the middle of the pattern and soon I was knocking down the occasional left and right. I had that annoying spell of missing easy shots plus the school boy error of changing my mind and looking for an easier shot - resulting in 2 missed shots. After a talking to myself I shot 13 straight without a miss. By 3pm the sun was out and the pigeons were giving me plenty of shooting. One pigeon was committed to the decoys- just as I stood up to shoot- a large female sparowhawk came out of nowhere in hot pursuit, but at the last moment she chose to attack one of my dead bird decoys instead. I needed to be somewhere else by 5pm so I called it a day at 4pm - with 68 pigeons in the bag. This was my best bag in some time and a very enjoyable afternoon out This was the view from my hide with Holy island and Bamburgh castles in the distance, and Berwick upon tweed’s famous royal border bridge. Hitman

I thought they had a couple of good performances in the knockout games- and deserved to be in the final. At half time Italy made changes with great affect, we didn’t and had to defend for an entire second half. After 65 mins I really expected Grealish to come on and Mount to be subbed off- just to give a fresh attack option. Penalties are down to pressure and a test of nerve- some of the best players in history have missed penalties. The England team should be proud that they gave the country something to cheer. Hitman