david hunter Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 own up.how many of you shot a racing pigeon by mistake.many years ago when i was a boy i was talking to a farmer and he said do me a favor and shoot that pigeon. it was just on the ground the other side of the gate.without hesitation shot it with my 410.picked it up and it had a ring on its leg.so come on and own up.dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eccles Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 you not the only one Dave same here about 40+years ago worse thing it was a mates dads :lol: Took the ring back and said i'd found it dead. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magman Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 A racing pigeon on the floor isn't much of a racing pigeon is it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxlock Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 you not the only one Dave same here about 40+years ago worse thing it was a mates dads :lol: Took the ring back and said i'd found it dead. :lol: you shouldnt shoot anything if you dont know what it is what happends if it turned out to be a bird of prey or a game bird out of sesson. it is ilegal to shoot racing pigeons, & its nothing to about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprackles Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 A friend who raced pigeons once told me if any of his came to decoys or landed in a field they wanted shooting because they were no use to him for racing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 A friend who raced pigeons once told me if any of his came to decoys or landed in a field they wanted shooting because they were no use to him for racing. Quite . There is a world of difference between a pigeon being accidentally shot whilst racing (not that it would be likely as they'll be high and flying fast) and ones that circle round your deeks all day . Even pigeon fanciers acknowledge that those are long gone feral and no use to he or the farmer especially. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyboy220 Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 you shouldnt shoot anything if you dont know what it is what happends if it turned out to be a bird of prey or a game bird out of sesson. it is ilegal to shoot racing pigeons, & its nothing to about I am pretty sure I can Tell the difference between a peregrine and a pigeon, but how can I tell for future reference the difference between a woody and a racer other than the ring? (I oly ask as I don't believe I have ever seen a racing pigeon before) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gixer1 Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 you shouldnt shoot anything if you dont know what it is what happends if it turned out to be a bird of prey or a game bird out of sesson. it is ilegal to shoot racing pigeons, & its nothing to about I have shot racing pigeons as they look just the same as normal wood pigeons when on the wing....and if they are hangin around a wood they are a **** racing pigeon...there is a web page you can take the ring numbers to and let them know, if my friend (a pigeon fancier) was taken a bird that was found elsewhere after a race the first thing he did was ring it's neck as it didn't have the homing thing nailed... Regards, Gixer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxlock Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 if a racer is in the field it doesnt meen its nogood as a racer,it could be on a long race & in need of food or water or just a rest.so it would come in to decoys the same as woodys.& im sorry but if you dont know the difference between a woody & other pigeons you shouldnt be shooting pigeons. as said shooting racers is ilegal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyboy220 Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 I have shot racing pigeons as they look just the same as normal wood pigeons when on the wing....and if they are hangin around a wood they are a **** racing pigeon...there is a web page you can take the ring numbers to and let them know, if my friend (a pigeon fancier) was taken a bird that was found elsewhere after a race the first thing he did was ring it's neck as it didn't have the homing thing nailed... Regards, Gixer That'll do for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 if a racer is in the field it doesnt meen its nogood as a racer,it could be on a long race & in need of food or water or just a rest.so it would come in to decoys the same as woodys.& im sorry but if you dont know the difference between a woody & other pigeons you shouldnt be shooting pigeons. as said shooting racers is ilegal That I agree with. I'm genuinely amazed people would admit to being unable to distinguish between the two, even at well over a hundred yards, close enough to contemplate a shot you've gotta be kidding. :look: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gixer1 Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 if a racer is in the field it doesnt meen its nogood as a racer,it could be on a long race & in need of food or water or just a rest.so it would come in to decoys the same as woodys.& im sorry but if you dont know the difference between a woody & other pigeons you shouldnt be shooting pigeons. as said shooting racers is ilegal Tripe! You are talking out of a hole in yer bum! If you can spot what type of pigeon it is as it fly's over a ride in a wood you must have amazing eyesight! Racers hanging out with woodies are no longer racers! They have gone feral.... Regards, Gixer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kes Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 Personal opinion of course but the wings of a racer are slightly more pointed and their flight is often undertaken with very brief periods of 'wings drawn in' flight - perhaps its just longer between wingbeats. If you study woodies and ferals (even) there is a difference. I cannot however tell stock doves from woodies (until they have flown too far), so who am I to criticize. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gixer1 Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 Personal opinion of course but the wings of a racer are slightly more pointed and their flight is often undertaken with very brief periods of 'wings drawn in' flight - perhaps its just longer between wingbeats. If you study woodies and ferals (even) there is a difference. I cannot however tell stock doves from woodies (until they have flown too far), so who am I to criticize. That's fine if you see them fly in open air for an extended period, but stood on the end of a plantation waiting on woodies to come over - you are not going to see a difference between slight wing tips and a 1 cm ring at 40 yards and 40-50MPH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 Tripe! You are talking out of a hole in yer bum! If you can spot what type of pigeon it is as it fly's over a ride in a wood you must have amazing eyesight! Well then we'll just have to agree we're different. It's the sum of a few things that give it away, not spotting the colour of the plumage or size of the bird alone . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david hunter Posted February 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 nice to see how honest some shooters are as i said in the thread by mistake and not deliberatly.we all know it is illegal.and everyone makes mistakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gixer1 Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 nice to see how honest some shooters are as i said in the thread by mistake and not deliberatly.we all know it is illegal.and everyone makes mistakes. That's the thing - if I could see the ring it wouldn't be fired at but I don't believe people can tell at a flashing glimpse - all you see is a pigeon shape! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxlock Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 the thread started by saying i shoot a pigeon on the ground without hesitation. pigeons hanging around woods are ferel,are they? there is a big difference between a racer & a woody in flight!!! even a sparrow hawk when gliding over sometimes looks abit like a woody gliding in (do you shoot them aswell)positive identification of quarry is needed!!!as for a fancier killing a stray without ringing the owner first thats ilegal too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fletcher1234565 Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 (edited) My old man raced pigeons for over 35 years and was pretty good at it too. Won lots of races and prizes God rest his soul But he still loved to go out on the woodies with the 12 gauge. But after all that time he could see the difference in just the way they flew from hundreds of yards away Some racing pigeons can be worth a fortune, but others are culled at the end of a season to thin the stock down. If you come across a live pigeon with a ring on, there are a few ways to deal with it. Some fanciers stamp phone numbers on their wings, i used to love doing this as a kid with the old man. Also the governing body is RPRA, (Royal Pigeon Racing Association), they will have a list off all the rings issued. Edited February 14, 2012 by fletcher1234565 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxlock Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 My old man raced pigeons for over 35 years and was pretty good at it too. Won lots of races and prizes God rest his soul But he still loved to go out on the woodies with the 12 gauge. But after all that time he could see the difference in just the way they flew from hundreds of yards away Some racing pigeons can be worth a fortune, but others are culled at the end of a season to thin the stock down. i race pigeons aswell & allso enloy going out on the woodys. yes the difference can be seen hundreds of yards away as for a reply saying you cant tell by a fleeting glimps, thats not identifying your quarry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albertan_J Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 They all taste the same next to the mash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thedeerman Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 even a sparrow hawk when gliding over sometimes looks abit like a woody gliding in (do you shoot them aswell) An old boy where I used to shoot did! He forgot his glasses and had a big shock when his lab brought it back to him. What do you do though? call the old bill?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxlock Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 An old boy where I used to shoot did! He forgot his glasses and had a big shock when his lab brought it back to him. What do you do though? call the old bill?? if he needs glasses & forgot them & couldnt identify what he was shooting. why was he shooting??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albertan_J Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 why is the sky blue, why is grass green? Why do people feel the need to take the moral high ground on harmless threads that are put up for a bit of banter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomhw100 Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 (edited) Sorry chaps i can tell the difference between homers/ferals and wood pigeons....they fly completely differently,the one thing I would say that flys nearly the same as a woody is a rock dove or blue rock(whatever you call them) although again you still can tell the difference. That's not to say I haven't shot them when I was younger though... Edited February 14, 2012 by tomhw100 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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