Big bags (Oh err missus!)

[Tony]

I read an article in Sporting Gun today about shooting big bags of pigeons?

Some shooters feel that restraint should be shown to avoid shooting excessive number of birds in a single outing.

I have only ever shot two 100+ bags in all the years I have been shooting. I reckon that taking into account those days when you wish you had stayed in bed, my average is probably around the dozen bag per trip.

When I shoot, I take 'em as I see 'em! If they keep coming I keep shooting. I don't see enough exceptional days to show restraint.

I would be interested to hear others shooting ethics if any!

[kevin15]

I think the article was aimed at pigeon guides more than than the solo shooter.

[lazza]

I believe if the pigeons are there, you should shoot them. I've shot loads of pigeons from my area, & this is done every year. The numbers just don't decline from one year to the next. How do you explain to a farmer, who's crop is being eaten, that you'd only shoot a certain number? I think you'd find someone else shooting there pretty soon!

[Cranfield]

I agree that most of us amateurs will only shoot over 100 pigeons a day, a few times in our shooting lives.

 

Whilst the professionals probably shoot these numbers more often,(only on the basis ,they shoot more days than we do),they also have a vermin control responsibility.

One assumes that they can,t ignore the landowner/farmers requirements for crop protection.

 

In the USA, the dove shooting is often "managed" by professional Guides.

Crops are planted deliberately to appeal to the doves, fields are shot in rotation and frequently additional food is spread around to attract the birds.

The Guides sell, so many birds, days.

Rather like an English Game Shoot (without the beaters).

 

If our woodpigeon shooting was like this (artificial/sporting), I can imagine calls for bag restrictions, as there is in Game Shoots.

 

I think the article in Sporting Gun was not particularly helpful to pigeon shooters.

[Deako]

Personally, if I shoot 50 birds in a day, then I'm happy because I will have seen some good sport for that size bag.

The problem is not all clients see it that way, everybody these days seems to want to shoot a minimum bag of at least 100 birds.............except Italians who prefer to shoot every last bloody bird in England.

The fact is the pigeon is a wild bird and one can only take advantage when the good days come along, but these 'record bags' of 700 plus birds are excessive and do us no good at all.

I wonder what the average shooter doe's with his 100 dead birds?.............various hedge bottoms have already given me the answer