Sunray

I had a number of cheap and nasty plastic half shell pigeon decoys which I sprayed with matt black paint. I bought a few garden canes from a garden centre and mounted the black decoys on the canes so that they were about 6 inches above growing wheat. It definitely attracted some passing crows to within range of my hide. Certainly worth trying, the alternative plan for these rubbish decoys involved the recycling bin! Chris

I also found that when walking distances you do tend to notice the weight if holding it in your hand ready for a shot. Definitely worth fitting a sling. I have put one on each of the CZ452's that I own and it makles a very considerable difference to the amount of time that I can carry one around. Chris

Just got back from Doveridge, shot 100 28g Comp X. Easy on the shoulder and a clean cartridge. A friend with a back injury changed to 21g Comp X and swears by them. Usually 28g of any cartridge causes him problems. Chris

Another vote for using a separate and additional piece of Army cam net to make the stealth netting more effective. It took a while before I realised just how transparent some of these stealth nets become when the sun is shining. I don't normally bother with additional foliage but last year I set up my hide in a field where someone else had shot a couple of days previously. He had cut down a number of hawthorn branches from an overgrown hedge to add to his hide and left them behind. As they were there I decided to use them. It seemed to make a difference at the time, crows and pigeons coming in even closer and lower than normal. Not a very scientific test but I shall take advantage of any additional natural cam in future! Chris

Good advice from the previous posters. One useful thing I discovered in the last couple of years is to put a sentry crow in your decoys. I put a flock crow decoy on a vertical rod about 5ft. high and place it on the nearest edge of the pattern to the hide. I have seen crows drawn from hundreds of yards away. They usually swoop over the sentry and tend to offer a very easy target! Anyone else use a sentry? Chris

I bought a hardly used Browning B525 Prestige game gun last year which had fixed chokes. I decided to treat myself and had it Teagued with long chokes. I can thoroghly recommend doing this to any fixed choke gun that you are likely to keep! Chris

For shooting over decoys, Fiocchi 32g No 6 for pigeons or No 5 for crows, through a Miroku 800S skeet gun with 26'' barrels. For rough shooting generally, 36g No 5 through a Browning B525 Prestige game gun with Teague chokes. Chris

I have two type CZ452 American rifles with 16'' barrels. One 22LR and the other 17 HMR. Both triggers adjusted to about 2 Pounds pressure, brilliant! Chris

Swift Audubon 8.5x44 ED. Chris

Another thing worth trying is to put a `sentry' decoy on a stick about 3-4 ft. above the ground near the decoys. It appears to draw the attention of passing crows and they tend to approach the sentry out of curiosity. Place it where the incoming crows come within range. I had alot of success using this approach during the summer. Chris

Zeus, I use 1/4 1/4 for most rough shooting and when after pigeons and crows over decoys when in the hide. If I am going to shoot a bit further out I may change to 1/2 1/2. I would recommend this approach when starting out but you will develop your own preferences with experience. Good luck! Chris

The 525 should be great in the field. Start with 30 or 32g of no 6 shot in fibre wad and you will be fine. The only problem which you might find is the weight if you are going to carry it around whilst rough shooting. I sold my 525 grade 1 Sporter last year for this reason. I bought a 525 grade 5 Prestige Game gun with fixed chokes and had it fitted with long Teague chokes. Fantastic gun in the field and far easier to carry. It's only 1/2lb lighter but I find that this makes all the difference. Chris

Interesting comment on the results from different cartridges. I presume that the effect is going to be more noticeable with wider chokes although it would be worth while trying different cartridges and chokes, so much to do, so little time! I intend having a good shotgun patterning session with the farmer who owns my nearest permission (50 yards away at the bottomof the garden!). I took him and his wife to Doveridge to shoot some clays on Friday and he is genuinely interested in going through this excercise with his Browning Prestige Sporter. I have a Prestige Game gun with Teague long chokes, should be interesting to see if there is actually a difference between my Teagues and his Invectors. Chris

On the day I bought the gun I called in at a friend's workshop on the way home and we measured the exit diameter of the barrel. It was 0.721''. The barrel is marked 0.729'' which gives a constriction of 0.008''. Skeet chokes are usually around 0.005'' and quarter around 0.010'' so I regard this as a slightly open 1/4 choke. The letter S is stamped on each barrel so it corresponds to whatever Miroku thought was the optimum choking for skeet shooting back in 1974 when it was made. If I am out rough shooting with the gun, I find that Lyalvale Express 36g no. 5 will bring down crows at ridiculous distances. I got one at 50 yards last winter although that was the exception! Chris

It sounds like the Miroku 800S which I bought about a year ago, 26 inch barrels, choked skeet and skeet. Superb for clays (skeet, sporting, high tower and simulated grouse) and as a hide gun when shooting pigeons and crows. Mine likes 30/32 gram no. 6 for most purposes, change to no. 5 for targets further out. Chris

Doveridge, I will be there tomorrow! Chris

My hide gun is the cheapest and oldest shotgun that I have ever bought. It is a 1974 Miroku 800S skeet gun with 26 inch barrels and skeet chokes. It is great for pigeons/crows out to well over 30 yards with No. 6 shot, any further and I tend to use 32g of No. 5, particularly if crows are on the target list. I also use this gun for clay shooting, i.e., Skeet, Sporting, Simulated Grouse, High Tower etc. Definitely worth a try! Chris

I have two Trulock Invector Plus (not Invector) flush chokes for sale. They are marked 1/4 (Improved Cylinder) and 1/2 (Modified). Suitable for use in Browning/Winchester shotguns. Payment by cheque or Bank Transfer. £40 the pair, including postage. Chris

I have used a stealth net for a couple of years. It is pretty good in overcast weather but it really does show you up when the sun is shining! I do what others have said on here, an old piece of army cam net, folded double and draped over the inside of the hide makes a considerable difference in the sunshine. I usually check the appearence of the hide when placing my decoys and I have been surprised at just how well it blends into the background, even at 20-25 yards. Chris

I am a member at Doveridge and pay 20p per clay, non members pay 27p. Annual fee is £51 (I am an old ***), I believe it is £62 for youngsters under 61. They run a system of plug in counters, i.e., you collect a counter at reception and go where you want and shoot as many clays as you want all day. The counter is checked and you pay for the number of clays that you have released (minus nobirds). For this you have access to (amongst others) Sporting, English Skeet, Olympic Skeet, DTL, High Tower, Compact Sporting and Simulated Grouse. I have only ever been to one other clay ground in the 5 years that I have been clay shooting, that was Cloudside. Apart from the cost, I did not like the concept of paying in advance for 25 clays and having no flexibility if I should wish to take half a dozen shots at a particularly challenging clay. I may have been spoiled by the facilities and atmosphere at Doveridge but it is the reason why I will drive 31 miles to get there rather than the 4 miles to get to Cloudside. Chris

If you want to encourage the pigeons to come in to your decoys, put your gun down and have a pee. Works for me! Chris

Well done Dan, sounds like an excellent start to what could be a lifelong obsession! It certainly went better than my first ever decoying session about four years ago. I went to a field that had recently been cut, with stacks of bales still in place. I had a very experienced friend with me who decided that setting up the hide behind bales in the middle of the field would be the thing to do. We got set up and I can remember the anticipation as we waited for the first pigeons to inspect our decoys. It was then that a tractor and flat bed trailer entered the field and came up to our hide. It was the farmer`s son who had come to collect the bales. He did apologise but we were all laughing so no harm done. We relocated to a hedge at the side of the field and set out the decoys again. I don't remember hitting much but I enjoyed myself immensely. I hope that you continue to do the same. Chris

I have shot like this over the crop before it is cut for several years and it can lead to much frustration! This year I thought that I would try something different and I invested £2 in about a dozen canes from a garden centre. I use them to position my decoys 2-3 inches above the top of the crop and find that it makes a huge difference in the number of pigeons which are brought in. The decoy pattern is visible at a considerable distance, I have seen pigeons veer in for a look from around 200 yards away. I have used 6 elevated half shell decoys on sticks and another 4 in tractor tracks in the wheat field which I use. I place shot birds in the tracks in fairly close proximity and facing in different directions. I am hoping for a dry weekend so that the crop will be cut and I can shoot over stubble, at long last! Chris

Over the past few years I have been invited to shoot pigeons off the wheat/barley on a local farm in the run up to harvest. There are then another couple of weeks of shooting over stubble before the land owner politely tells the shooters that it is time for his game birds to get some peace and quiet before the season opens. I have usually taken shell decoys and placed them in the tractor tracks when the crop is still growing. A few pigeons show an interest and I shoot a modest number with my B525, usually with 1/2 and 3/4 chokes. This year I decided on a different approach. I now have a Winchester English Field game gun which is lighter than the B525. The B525 is now used on clays, I now realise why people often use different guns for different kinds of shooting! I take up to 10 shell decoys which I mount on canes so that they hover about 2 inches above the top of the crop. I didn't think that this would work but I have been amazed at how effective this approach has been. The next significant change has been my choice of chokes. I now use 1/8 (ie skeet) and 3/8. Skeet is effective up to at least 25 yards using 32g no. 6 cartridges. Because of the position of the tractor tracks and the best position for my hide, the distance to the landing area in the decoy pattern is only about 15 yards but this does not appear to put the birds off. I can see myself using a tighter choke in the top barrel when shooting over stubble but I will keep the skeet choke for my first shot as it has proved to be such an effective choice for short range birds. I got 9 from 14 shots on the first day that I tried this and 13 from 21 on the second day. My previous results were quite embarassing, several shots per bird on occasions, and over decoys too!

Very interesting thread with plenty of good advice! I have never been particularly good at high incoming targets, either pigeons or clays. I developed an approach when dealing with the high tower at Doveridge. My scores are not impresively high but at least I no longer embarass myself. I turn to my right when the clay is launched and treat it like a high overhead left to right crosser. Keeping the clay in sight at all times seems to help. I mount the gun in good time and use the pip to enable me to follow the line of the clay until just before it gets overhead. I then draw the gun ahead and shoot as the clay passes just after the overhead position. I have not yet tried this technique on pigeons, if they do not see me and carry on flying in a straight line it may just work! Chris