Al Downie Posted February 21, 2010 Report Share Posted February 21, 2010 On the past few times I've been out onto the farm with the decoys/rotary/floaters/hide/seat/bangers/shotty/cartridges etc etc, the flippin' birds have just sat in their sitty trees taking the ****. So I'm wondering about going out next time and just sitting under those sitty trees in camo, with the air rifle. Seems like much less hassle, and although I won't go home with a bumper bag, I hope I'll get enough to make the day worthwhile. In all the roost shooting I've done, there's normally been a steady flow of birds from another part of the farm, and the sound of the shot only scares the birds that have already arrived. But in this case I'm thinking about a particular spinney where hundreds of birds seem to like sitting during the day, so if I fire an airgun from underneath them I'm pretty sure they'll all take flight. The question is, in your experience, will they come back in again, or will they just go somewhere else? Cheers, Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soreshoulder Posted February 21, 2010 Report Share Posted February 21, 2010 i think the key is that they have to want to come back there. Push them out and wait and see if they come back. I have a 'round wood' where i pushed about 300 birds from the other day and i sat inside and they came back in 1-3 and gave some good sport. Again on a STILL windless day i have pushed them out and sat inside to no avail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humperdingle Posted February 21, 2010 Report Share Posted February 21, 2010 If you put some decoys around the tree/s, you'll find that pigeons will sometimes land in the tree to have a look at the decoys. Must have shot 4 out of a tree the other day after they'd landed to take a closer look instead of landing in the decoys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKPoacher Posted February 21, 2010 Report Share Posted February 21, 2010 I do quite a bit of sitty tree shooting at cetain times of the year. Pigeons will feed then sit to digest their food before feeding again. When they are sitting they won't normally come into deeks on the ground. The problem withsitty tree shooting is that even when the trees are bare you will often get branches and twigs obscuring the shot. Also, the pigeons are very sensitive to movement so your hide and concealment has to be perfect. If you can, set your hide up so that you are between the pigeons and the sun. They don't like looking into the sun and are less likely to spot you. I usually use a camo' poncho that covers the dog and myself, and have the rifle covered in scrim. I also wear a face mask. Put a few deeks on the ground about forty yards from the tree to draw them in. Get it right and it is great sport. Get it wrong and it's very frustrating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Downie Posted February 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 Thanks for the replies! You reckon a hide is essential? I'd planned on just sitting up somewhere with good camouflage, maybe even a bit of netting over me, so I can have some maouverability to use the best branches/trees as rests, and to get best visibility of the birds. A hide would probably confine me to hand-held shots which I'm not nearly as confident about! I've got two hide options - a pop-up 'dog-house' thing (overhead cover too) which I could set out in the field margin, or poles and netting which I could put up in the middle of the wood - which would you prefer to use? I'l certainly take some decoys with me to put in the field, might not 'coy the birds down to the field, but might reassure them that the trees are safe. Cheers all, Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humperdingle Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 A decent bit of netting over you would probably work. It'd be like a pull-over ghillie poncho! Sitting still in that case, would be the most important bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKPoacher Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 It all depends on circumstances. Sometimes when there is plentyof cover - leaves, you can get by with just sitting still. The problem then is seeing the birds when they've roosted. When there is little leaf cover you can see the birds more easily and they can see you more easily too so you need some sort of concealment. I use a nylon ripstop camo' ponch. It is extremely versatile and well worth the money. At a pinch you can just throw a camo' net over you or put up a sniper screen using netting or natural materials. When the birds land in the trees sit on your hands. Let them settle and have a good look around. If they are happy they will settle into a crouched position and maybe start cooing, and that's when you slowly move your rifle into position. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomhw100 Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 On the past few times I've been out onto the farm with the decoys/rotary/floaters/hide/seat/bangers/shotty/cartridges etc etc, the flippin' birds have just sat in their sitty trees taking the ****. So I'm wondering about going out next time and just sitting under those sitty trees in camo, with the air rifle. Seems like much less hassle, and although I won't go home with a bumper bag, I hope I'll get enough to make the day worthwhile. In all the roost shooting I've done, there's normally been a steady flow of birds from another part of the farm, and the sound of the shot only scares the birds that have already arrived. But in this case I'm thinking about a particular spinney where hundreds of birds seem to like sitting during the day, so if I fire an airgun from underneath them I'm pretty sure they'll all take flight. The question is, in your experience, will they come back in again, or will they just go somewhere else? Cheers, Al hey Al me and my mate have attempted this for the last to saturdays and to no avail! i put lofters in the trees and a bout 2o shells on the floor on the rape and the little blighters just didnt happen to come to that field that day! we had watched them all week there was the best part of a thousand birds on the field! i couldnt believe it youve just got a be lucky and pick the right wood on the right day and be prepared to wait a long time! we packed up at 12 after setting up at 7. we drove back past at 16.00 and they was all on that field i nearly cried! Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Downie Posted February 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 Hiya, The trees in question are around an old bombhole, and are very bare just now - no foliage at all or ivy on the trunks, so you can see the birds sitting on top from all over the farm! They do take off when something spooks them (there are a few gas guns around the arm, for example), but they normally just circle around once and come back in. It's totally frustrating to sit in a hide next to an empty firld of new rape, and watch the b*gg*rs messing around in those trees. My plan is to get there early, hopefully when they're off feeding somewhere, then set up a hide on the outside of the spinney where I can see the tops of the trees. BUT... I'll actually set up my stall at the other end of the spinney, among the trees, with some camo netting (I'm assuming that the birds will be a wee bit nervous of the hide). If the birds don't come in at all I'll try removing the hide. If they do come in and seem quite happy at the hide end of the spinney, I'll maybe try moving in there a bit later on. Now all I need is the weather! Heavy snow in Cam at the moment... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.