Not a shot

[sitsinhedges]

When people talk about roost shooting, what do they usually mean.

 

1. Setup hide on edge of wood and wait, shooting birds as they fly towards the wood?

2. Stand a little way inside wood and shoot straight up at birds as they fly over/into the wood?

3. Walk around wood and shoot at birds as they fly out (if you can get close enough).

 

I guess you can do any of above, but what is usually meant by roost shooting?

 

Cheers, Darren.

 

 

Again you want an area where the pigeons want to be.

 

Watch where they are flighting from and what part of the wood they are going to.

 

No use if they are too high so try and choose an area where they tend to have dropped down a bit ready to land and windy weather makes them fly lower.

 

Find an area where you are reasonably hidden but have a decent bit of clear sky above you to shoot, ignore and shoot thru small twigs and branches.

 

Pigeons learn quickly so try and make the best of the first couple of sessions.

 

It's mostly a case of knowing your ground well and finding just the right spot.

 

You can stand on the edge of a wood if you have a little cover such as a blown down tree or suchlike and it is easier to get some shots off if you can see them coming from a distance rather thasn stood in the wood with them flitting over at speed.

 

Make sure you have room to move cos they always come from where you didn't expect.

[UKPoacher]

I've always regarded roost shooting as being the ambushing of pigeons as they come into roost at dusk. It doesn't matter whether you are in the wood or out of it, you try and intercept them coming into roost for the night.

 

Shooting pigeons as they roost through the day to digest their food or shelter is 'sitty tree' shooting in my language. Again, in the wood or out it doesn't matter. Personally I prefer an air rifle or .410 for this.

[Jim Sarakun]

Same here UKPoacher. Sitting on the edge of the wood, waiting for them to come into roost.

 

After a day out on the crops, we have increased the bag considerably in a very short time, with this method of Roost Shooting.

[Bleeh]

I'd had a quick look over a Rape field this morning, few pigeons sitting, but nothing really flying over.

 

I got the gun out and hid in a ditch to see it would be worth it; 40 mintues later I set off home (Never got any other gear out so, it wasn't too bad)

[yankeedoodlepigeon]

Was out today under a flight line but nothing flew over at all. Must all be elsewhere. Seen a Woodcock, Sparrow hawk and Kingfisher though, in 6hrs

[sitsinhedges]

I went to Kibworth SG.

 

Shot loads of clays.

 

It's the only way right now

[Willow32]

Had the same today , 3 people out round the farm.....5 pigeons....massive flocks about... 1 shot and they move.

Regards

Willow32

[texas]

Was out for 8am and walked a massive flock of maybe 200 pigeons off the rape.Set up and shot 3 pigeons in 3 hrs,then everything dried up.It can be such hard work at times.

[kevinbird]

chased 500+ pigeons off the rape and set up by 9:30am sat there till 12 and the fog came down sat for a little longer and decided to take up knitting

not a shot. i did get tempted to let rip at a robin at one point but decided to share my sandwich with him

[here iam]

Try find the flight lines in and out of the fields

[UKPoacher]

Try find the flight lines in and out of the fields

 

Pushed 500 - 600 pigeons off the OSR. Set up next to the flight line and near where they had been feeding. Two hours later - two pigeons.

 

Got any more ideas?

[Catamong]

Yes, all of these comments dispel the myth that's often seen on this forum, namely, "Not many Woodies about, we need a spell of really cold weather to sharpen up their appetites, and they'll be hurling themselves at the deeks".

 

Well, now you are all a little bit wiser and have found out the hard way that's not the case, as we've just experienced probably the coldest December on record.

 

The number of birds feeding over rape has dropped dramatically in my area since the cold snap has started, I'm convinced many birds just sit around in the woods eating acorns, beechmast and other berries, others fly off to areas where there is less snow cover.

 

How on earth could anybody possibly be out decoying from 8.45 until 2pm without firing a shot, it simply beggars belief, there's so much advice available on this forum for newbies, if only people could be bothered to read it..?

 

Cat.

[Cookiemonsterandmerlin.]

Shot today and took 52 from two diffrent setup points heavy fog but the birds are happy now the cold has gone it was barmy in fact .

 

They can be shot but are tricky keep chasing them my way boys.

 

Cheers OTH

Edited December 29, 2010 by Over the hill

[digger]

Went out today and set up under a flight line thats been regular as clockwork for tha last eight or so years. Shot one inside ten minutes then saw nothing but fieldfares for an hour. Packed up and decided to walk the boundary and woods, ended with one woodie, one woodcock ( flushed four others ) and two pheasants. Thank god for an understanding farmer, could have shot more pheasants but only wanted a brace.

I will wait for the cover crops to be flailed and the season to be over so roost shooting can start. I have had some cracking bags sitting in the sitty woods

[UKPoacher]

Yes, all of these comments dispel the myth that's often seen on this forum, namely, "Not many Woodies about, we need a spell of really cold weather to sharpen up their appetites, and they'll be hurling themselves at the deeks".

 

Well, now you are all a little bit wiser and have found out the hard way that's not the case, as we've just experienced probably the coldest December on record.

 

The number of birds feeding over rape has dropped dramatically in my area since the cold snap has started, I'm convinced many birds just sit around in the woods eating acorns, beechmast and other berries, others fly off to areas where there is less snow cover.

 

How on earth could anybody possibly be out decoying from 8.45 until 2pm without firing a shot, it simply beggars belief, there's so much advice available on this forum for newbies, if only people could be bothered to read it..?

 

Cat.

 

As far as I am aware,the acorns have long gone. As has the hawthorne berries. The only pigeons I see feeding are on OSR or wheat from the game bird feeders.

 

There is a simple explanation for our lack of shooting;- there are more OSR fields than there are shooters. Certainly in my part of the world this has been the cause of poor bags at this time of year. My shoot has five OSR fields on it. I can access two adjoining fields, the rest are out of bounds until the end of the game season.

 

The last three times I have set up I have pushed hundreds of birds off never to be seen again. The last twice I have done this I later found a similar number of birds resting in trees right amongst the game bird feeders. No chance of bangers or anyone else shooting there.

 

Once the pheasant season is over we can organise ourselves to shoot all the OSR fields on given days and the numbers shot will rise considerably. In the meantime I'm just moving them to keep the farmer happy.

[Albertan_J]

Was out on Yesterday and put hundreds off setting up ended up shooting 5. A bit more time studying the flight lines and getting there a bit earlier and I think I'll have some better days. Most annoying thing was watching them sit in trees through the bino's the next field over!

[here iam]

Pushed 500 - 600 pigeons off the OSR. Set up next to the flight line and near where they had been feeding. Two hours later - two pigeons.

 

Got any more ideas?

 

Have you got any more mates to set up round the area to try keep them moving also are you well concealed any sign of you or movement job over, also try small patterns of shells left and right 25 yards out 15 yards between them with a small flapper and pecker alot of birds soon get warey when constantley been shot at the quicker you can get some real ones for deeks replace your shells the sooner they will come in watch the birds feeding a couple of scouts fly round to see if its safe then the rest will come for a look if they do not like what they see they will drop in some where else keep still and only shoot when they come right in .if their are loads of rape fields they will clear of if you can find a field on its own it will be like a magnet

i use flocked deeks also my mates having succes with the new fuds do you put any lofters up ? this can work well they feel safe.

[Catamong]

As far as I am aware,the acorns have long gone. As has the hawthorne berries. The only pigeons I see feeding are on OSR or wheat from the game bird feeders.

 

 

That may be so in your part of the World, but not around here, there's still plenty of food in the woods for them, they're hitting the Ivy berries hard at the moment.

 

If you want a decent bag on rape at this time of year, you MUST have nearby fields covered by other guns or bangers to keep them moving. If you're not in a position to do that, then you'll struggle big time.

 

Cat.

[UKPoacher]

Have you got any more mates to set up round the area to try keep them moving also are you well concealed any sign of you or movement job over, also try small patterns of shells left and right 25 yards out 15 yards between them with a small flapper and pecker alot of birds soon get warey when constantley been shot at the quicker you can get some real ones for deeks replace your shells the sooner they will come in watch the birds feeding a couple of scouts fly round to see if its safe then the rest will come for a look if they do not like what they see they will drop in some where else keep still and only shoot when they come right in .if their are loads of rape fields they will clear of if you can find a field on its own it will be like a magnet

i use flocked deeks also my mates having succes with the new fuds do you put any lofters up ? this can work well they feel safe.

 

As already stated All the other OSR fields are out of bounds until the game shooting is finished. No shooting. No bangers. No disturbance.

[strongski]

you would not have the good days with out the bad ones s+@t happens

[harpoonlouis]

Several flocks around here running into the thousands all on OSR. Walked several fields I don't have permissions on and they just rolled away like a grey carpet settling again about 70 yards away. Got amongst them in a deep ditch and knocked down a dozen as the flew about in confusion then the headed for sitty trees too close to a local stable yard so left them be.

 

This grey foggy wet weather seems to be so miserable a lot of woodies are sitting up along the headgrow trees and waiting for it to clear. Think this is about the worst weather for a decent bag I can remember.

 

Flight lines? Too foggy/misty to see them until they have zoomed overhead!

[Billy1]

Was out on Tuesday over OSR set up 25 shell decoys, 1 rotar, 2 Bouncers and 2 angels, pigeons looked but would not commit so i set up the flapper which made all the difference, pigeons decoyed perfectly, obviously the more movement you provide the more confident the pigeons become this time of year.

[here iam]

As already stated All the other OSR fields are out of bounds until the game shooting is finished. No shooting. No bangers. No disturbance.

 

 

Shot 25 today on osr should have doubled that with better shooting most of them under a flight line rest actually decoyed the biggest thing is to keep still and out of sight also a small pecker for movemont deeks set in a random feeding pattern

 

Warey birds need more field craft can not beat real birds for deeks

[retromlc]

another disapointing day.recce'd them yesterday and they were dropping in like it was a Mc D's drive through,all bunched up in center of field like an eye shape and they seemed to be coming in for a late feed,pre roosting so got there at 12,set up as simular as yesterday with wind behind me,few dropped in but wind changed so finally decided to move across so wind behind me (field only about 125 meters wide)it rained for 20 minutes then as the late feed time approached ....nothing anywhere.i'm getting hacked off TBH as after 2 years of doing this and have only managed to get a couple of fields I seem to spend hours doing sod all,I seem to follow all accepted systems and really look for clues ,sitty trees,evidence of them hitting a certain section and watching the field for clues,but when I'm there ,nothing,it's not like they are getting spooked as they get close,about 5 commited to decoys today and 4 never left about 5 came and looked but didn't commit.i know people say it's the nature of the job but last year I managed 126 pigeons,pathetic.

[Cookiemonsterandmerlin.]

another disapointing day.recce'd them yesterday and they were dropping in like it was a Mc D's drive through,all bunched up in center of field like an eye shape and they seemed to be coming in for a late feed,pre roosting so got there at 12,set up as simular as yesterday with wind behind me,few dropped in but wind changed so finally decided to move across so wind behind me (field only about 125 meters wide)it rained for 20 minutes then as the late feed time approached ....nothing anywhere.i'm getting hacked off TBH as after 2 years of doing this and have only managed to get a couple of fields I seem to spend hours doing sod all,I seem to follow all accepted systems and really look for clues ,sitty trees,evidence of them hitting a certain section and watching the field for clues,but when I'm there ,nothing,it's not like they are getting spooked as they get close,about 5 commited to decoys today and 4 never left about 5 came and looked but didn't commit.i know people say it's the nature of the job but last year I managed 126 pigeons,pathetic.

 

I give you one of my old pictures from this year to give you hope it been lean for me of late so dont give up cheers OT.