Shahin Posted September 17, 2006 Report Share Posted September 17, 2006 Mornin, This morning I used decoys for the first time ever, saw a few pigeons but none of them where flying around me. I keep reading about flight lines, Im not used to this as ive only ever done rough shooting. I sat infront of a hedge with my camo net set up, pigeons facing the wind in a U shape, but nothing came by? On the field there was no feed, is this why the pigeons were not coming to land? I always thought the pigeons would see the decoys and assume food was there even if there wasnt. I waited for about 3 hours, is this long enough? Can somebody please tell me where im going wrong as im looking forward to some pigeon pie, haha Thanx Hungry_hunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pin Posted September 17, 2006 Report Share Posted September 17, 2006 Its all about making things look attractive to them, sometimes they just aint interested. Did you have any movement in your pattern, or just static deeks? At the moment its an odd time for the birds, the last of the harvest spoils have been hoovered up and they are off after stuff in the forests (berries/acorns etc). In some places they are still about but now more than ever observation and fieldcraft are the key words. You need to watch where they are and at what time, if you can get under a flightline you might have some luck but you probably need to convince them more this time of year. Try some movement in the pattern, cheapest way to do that is spring sticks for the deeks (so they move and kind of peck in the wind) and a couple of floaters with dead birds on them. I find this couple of birds looking like they are committing to the pattern a great tool for persuading disinterested birds to come for a look. They also have the advantage of being up off the deck so they can be seen from much further away. All that said, you could have all the toys in the world but still shoot nothing, its days like that which make the 100+ bag days all the more sweet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shahin Posted September 17, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2006 Just stattic decoys, I had 10 of them set up. I like the idea about springing sticks. going to have to invest in some and give that ago. Sorry to sound stupid but how do you notice the flight lines? I saw pigeons flying in all directions so how do you know where to set up the hide? how much would it set me back to get a rotary thing? Thanks for the reply Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
il cacciatore Posted September 17, 2006 Report Share Posted September 17, 2006 You need to go to the site and just watch where the pigeons fly over most. You can make yourself a rotary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pin Posted September 17, 2006 Report Share Posted September 17, 2006 Yep, if you sit for a good few hours you will notice imaginary paths in the sky which they generally use. You will notice they tend to come from a general area and overfly roughly the same areas. Sometimes they are distinct lines you can plot in your head, depending on the wind direction and speed they may well change how they move about. Its easily the most important part of pigeon shooting, fieldcraft and observation. Some of the lads on here spend days and sometimes weeks watching birds. You have to be extremely lucky to get a good bag of birds if you don't do your homework. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shahin Posted September 17, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2006 Yes deffinately, I think im going to have to try that next time. The only thing is the place I shoot I have to drive half an hour so makes it hard as its a long journey just to sit there and watch. Does anybody know if butchers take pigeons from people or not, as i dont really want to shoot 100+ as some people do on here and leave them. seems rather silly! would you recomend pigeon calls? cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new to the flock Posted September 17, 2006 Report Share Posted September 17, 2006 Shahin, I suggest that you take some time and read back through the last 3 or 4 years of posts on this topic. Welcome to the forum, NTTF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pin Posted September 17, 2006 Report Share Posted September 17, 2006 Yes deffinately, I think im going to have to try that next time. The only thing is the place I shoot I have to drive half an hour so makes it hard as its a long journey just to sit there and watch. Does anybody know if butchers take pigeons from people or not, as i dont really want to shoot 100+ as some people do on here and leave them. seems rather silly! would you recomend pigeon calls? cheers As NTTF said, there are years and years of experience to be had in thousands of posts on this subject. I would suggest you need to be looking at a ratio of 90% observation to 10% shooting. If you don't put the time in you can't post saying you have had a bad day, you would in reality just be a bad pigeon shooter Look for "topgunners" posts. Those lads put in literally hundreds of hours driving about and watching pigeon, thats how they shoot the bags they do - they have put the work in. My view is go ask about people who might take pigeons, and don't shoot what you can't use (but thats just my view, depends on what you are on the land for). Forget pigeon calls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
il cacciatore Posted September 17, 2006 Report Share Posted September 17, 2006 Does anybody know if butchers take pigeons from people or not Not all but some do. You need to ask them. What theyll pay you per pigeon varies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shahin Posted September 17, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2006 NTTF & PIN Dont try it, im asking for advice on the easy way and time wasting way of shooting pigeons as up till now I have done it the hard way! (with out decoys, without camo nets, without machinary, without wasting time watching) To some people, this may not be a waste of time as maybe that is what they enjoy and that is fine, I dont know if I like that way as I have never done it. From my only experience of doing so without any advice I found it very hard and time consuming. so without abusing people on the forum, I decided to ask for help on tips and techinques to this kind of shooting and you come back to me with bad feedback telling me im a bad pigeon shooter etc. NEARLY!!! Hopefully now I have listened to your comments and read back through the forum on this topic and now I can try again taking all of these factors into account. who knows I may even get to enjoy sitting watching flight lines. (nothing wrong with it but not what im used to, but I can see where you are coming from with the observation, goes hand in hand with this way of shooting pigeons, and I suppose when it pays off its a good feeling) You say these topgunners shoot 100+ ---> good for them! do they eat the hundred---> prob not = WASTE next week there wont be so many - CONGRATULATIONS. All in all... sorry to rise to your comments but I didnt feel they were necessary in that manner. I also apologise if it sounds like I am slagging this way of shooting pigeons off. Im really not. All the best Shahin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pin Posted September 17, 2006 Report Share Posted September 17, 2006 Oh dear oh dear. You have so got the wrong end of the stick. Try reading what we have said without the chip on your shoulder and come back with what you think then. Before you start speculating about what other people do with their shot pigeon I suggest you look back through the forum and find out, its all there for you to see. Calm down mate, I spent time to read your post and give you some advice as you seem to be new to this. I don't owe you anything and I certainly don't need cheek back off you for my efforts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shahin Posted September 17, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2006 as you can see i apologised if i sounded rude but as i misinterpreted you, you have obviously misinterpreted me. I thank you for the advice which you gave me and i will be trying it out very soon. No hard feelings. Shahin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pin Posted September 17, 2006 Report Share Posted September 17, 2006 No worries mate, you have pm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurcherboy Posted September 17, 2006 Report Share Posted September 17, 2006 Shahin, I can assure you that 100+ bags will not reduce the ever growing woodie population. The advice you was given was top notch mate. The shooters on this site that get big bags do so through hours and hours of reconnaissance. I don't think anyone was having a go at you in fact they were helping you. LB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shahin Posted September 17, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2006 Ok. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hipshot Posted September 19, 2006 Report Share Posted September 19, 2006 Weehh! Bare with me here, I supose my spelling is kind of bad Had a redletter day last weekend, we took 135 give or take birds in ha pea field (?). We had done our homework becaus our decoys did´nt give us any help at all so 90% of the bird we took was just passing throught within range fore our guns. We had about 25 plastic and a pigeonmagnet and I had high expectations, there were about a thousend pigeons feeding on peas.. But no matter what we did with the deeks, they didnt have any effect on the birds :blink: I wonder how many birds we´d took IF we got them to dive in our pattern...? My guess is near or over 300 birds! I feel the need for guidence, how to change the pattern for better effect? We had the V-shape and the magnet in the top of the pattern and I used two floaters and four cradels wich I bought from the UK last year.. Funny thing though, been hunting pigeons twice in two years and took over a hundred birds in each time! Regards! Edit: Btw did you all know that these pigeon magnets is forbidden in Sweden? Has to do with the Birddirective, when our government translated the text into swedish they made a poor job and therefor I´m a criminal becaus I use it anyway! They think that the magnet is electricuting (?) the birds when they come near!!!! I hope that some dealer in the UK or elsewere report Sweden to the EU.. / Hipshot Sweden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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