Pigeon Shooting

[DoubleTap]

I was driving past a farm that we have the shooting on with my dad yesterday and noticed about 200 pigeons feeding on the drilling so Dad took the day off work today to take me and my brother decoying. We were aming to get up there at about 06:00am to set up the hide and decoy pattern so that we could catch them on their morning feed however the alarm failed to wake us and we ended up arriving on the field at 08:15am

 

Anyway their weren't any pigeons sat on the field yet but a very busy flight line had formed along the top hedge so that was where we put our hide and decoy's. We set the hide up first and got the guns and cartridges in then dad paced out 20yds and started placing the decoy's in a horse shoe pattern with a bouncer t the bak and a crow decoy further down the field with a magpie decoy sat in the hedge to our right. As he was doing that a few pigeons came round for a look, they definately wanted to feed on this field as it was one of the last drillings in the area. Dad hid the truck leaving me and my brother sat on our own for 10mins.

 

We sat down in our seats and everything went quiet, just like my brother had said about half an hour before, "i bet when we sit down the pigeons will disapear" About 30mins went by and still no sign of a pigeon then suddenly three crows came across the field low. I thought to myself, "right these are in the bag", only to stand up thinking they were over the decoys when they were twice as far as I thought. Had a long shot at them but not getting close.

 

An hour had gone and still no sign of any pigeons or crows. We were just sat there enjoying the long awaited weather that we have all been waiting for. It was quite good weather for pigeon shooting, windy and a bit cloudy but a bit too bright. It was cold though sat in the hide as the wind was whipping through the hedge. My brother just went to stand up to look behind just on the off chance of seeing a pigeon when one flicked over the hedge and into the decoy's. Brither stood up and shot it first time. Things were looking up

 

It was still a bit slow after that but the occasional one's and two's were dropping in getting hit but not killed After a couple of hours of shooting it finally started to pick up. Groups of two's and three's were coming across the field low and dropping in and now I had got on them and was killing them A group of about ten came floating down the hill all with their wings set but turned at the last minute, dad stood up and shot a good 40yd high crosser. It came down in the field behind, a runner aswell, Ellie, our springers favourite. Soon after that excitement for the dog, three came in from the front, my brother shooting one then winging another as it sped off across the field, this one about 60yds. She picked the first one and then went off for the second one, another one of her favourites. She did very well to pick the second one as it was a good 150yds and she didnt have a very good mark on it. I had a nice going away aswell so we all had good shots.

 

They continued to come in occasionaly but only in small groups and we were still only hitting them. The hide was also proving a problem and where we were standing wasnt any good either for our foot work and gun mount so we moved that out a bit to give us more space. We had to be back for 16:00pm so we packed up early. Dad went to pick up the decoy's while me and my brother packed away the hide. Dad paced it out to the first decoy and realised it was 20yds with the furthest being 40yds. That is why we werent killing them The pigeons settled down on the field and started to feed as we drove off.

 

Really good day in the end, just a shame we had to be back early otherwise we probably would have had about 10 more. Going to breast them off tommorow and get dad to cook them up

 

Bag: 36 pigeons 3 ferals

Edited April 14, 2010 by DoubleTap

[yickdaz]

I was driving past a farm that we have the shooting on with my dad yesterday and noticed about 200 pigeons feeding on the drilling so Dad took the day off work today to take me and my brother decoying. We were aming to get up there at about 06:00am to set up the hide and decoy pattern so that we could catch them on their morning feed however the alarm failed to wake us and we ended up arriving on the field at 08:15am

 

Anyway their weren't any pigeons sat on the field yet but a very busy flight line had formed along the top hedge so that was where we put our hide and decoy's. We set the hide up first and got the guns and cartridges in then dad paced out 20yds and started placing the decoy's in a horse shoe pattern with a bouncer t the bak and a crow decoy further down the field with a magpie decoy sat in the hedge to our right. As he was doing that a few pigeons came round for a look, they definately wanted to feed on this field as it was one of the last drillings in the area. Dad hid the truck leaving me and my brother sat on our own for 10mins.

 

We sat down in our seats and everything went quiet, just like my brother had said about half an hour before, "i bet when we sit down the pigeons will disapear" About 30mins went by and still no sign of a pigeon then suddenly three crows came across the field low. I thought to myself, "right these are in the bag", only to stand up thinking they were over the decoys when they were twice as far as I thought. Had a long shot at them but not getting close.

 

An hour had gone and still no sign of any pigeons or crows. We were just sat there enjoying the long awaited weather that we have all been waiting for. It was quite good weather for pigeon shooting, windy and a bit cloudy but a bit too bright. It was cold though sat in the hide as the wind was whipping through the hedge. My brother just went to stand up to look behind just on the off chance of seeing a pigeon when one flicked over the hedge and into the decoy's. Brither stood up and shot it first time. Things were looking up

 

It was still a bit slow after that but the occasional one's and two's were dropping in getting hit but not killed After a couple of hours of shooting it finally started to pick up. Groups of two's and three's were coming across the field low and dropping in and now I had got on them and was killing them A group of about ten came floating down the hill all with their wings set but turned at the last minute, dad stood up and shot a good 40yd high crosser. It came down in the field behind, a runner aswell, Ellie, our springers favourite. Soon after that excitement for the dog, three came in from the front, my brother shooting one then winging another as it sped off across the field, this one about 60yds. She picked the first one and then went off for the second one, another one of her favourites. She did very well to pick the second one as it was a good 150yds and she didnt have a very good mark on it. I had a nice going away aswell so we all had good shots.

 

They continued to come in occasionaly but only in small groups and we were still only hitting them. The hide was also proving a problem and where we were standing wasnt any good either for our foot work and gun mount so we moved that out a bit to give us more space. We had to be back for 16:00pm so we packed up early. Dad went to pick up the decoy's while me and my brother packed away the hide. Dad paced it out to the first decoy and realised it was 20yds with the furthest being 40yds. That is why we werent killing them The pigeons settled down on the field and started to feed as we drove off.

 

Really good day in the end, just a shame we had to be back early otherwise we probably would have had about 10 more. Going to breast them off tommorow and get dad to cook them up

 

Bag: 36 pigeons 3 ferals

sounds like you had a good day out lads reminds me when i first started pigeon shooting with me old fella with all the excitement and anticipacion of it all a good bag as well

[chrispti]

Nice one

[mossy835]

well done glad you had some.

[verminator69]

Well done boys sounds like you had a good time.

[docholiday]

good reading, well done

doc

[TomV]

well done