Woodmister Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 Hello...as you can see I'm new to the forum! I currently have 2 airguns . 1 hw97kt sfs tuned and the other is a little bsa ultra! Both cracking guns! However my question is where do you shoot a pigeon if headshots are not available...I know a heart/lung shots are humane but I would like to know where to aim to achieve this shot before I try on a live animal... Cheers for your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malkiserow Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 On fieldsports Britain (read global) you will find an episode from the last couple of months which tackles exactly this issue with a useful piece by Roy Lupton. In there somewhere .... http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/forum/44-fieldsports-tv/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooksy789 Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 I personally like to play safe and always go for a headshot. As pigeons have large and thick breast tissue its harder for a pellet to penetrate and strike the heart/lungs. Not saying it cant be done, just needs a really well placed shot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooksy789 Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/topic/250903-where-to-shoot-a-pigeon-shot-placement-warning-bit-gorey-but-informative/ I think this might be the thread malkiserow was talking about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardo Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 i always stick to headshots with air rifles - you either kill it outright or miss it completely - they're tough old things and will fly off to die elsewhere even when hit hard in the body Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 i always stick to headshots with air rifles - you either kill it outright or miss it completely - they're tough old things and will fly off to die elsewhere even when hit hard in the body I agree, if a head shot is not available then I do not take the shot , some claim to have decent results shooting the chest etc but I would never risk it personally unless using a big pellet at FAC speeds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbo33 Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 Get a pigeon in the feather, take a good look at it from all angles, then remove the breast feathers. Dissect it and you will see exactly where your have to place your shot.The heart is located just behind the "wishbone". Try and visualise this from all the angles you can. This one was about 45 degrees, face on shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wickedwickedmotox Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 Well done for asking a good question good luck and have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjpainter Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 i always stick to headshots with air rifles - you either kill it outright or miss it completely - they're tough old things and will fly off to die elsewhere even when hit hard in the body Sage advice sir, I concur wholeheartedly. Which is better to do; curse yourself for missing a shot, or cursing yourself for wounding without killing? A bit of patience and a shot could present itself. if not? cup of tea and wait for a different bird. And a hearty welcome to the site! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 Of course if you miss the head you have no control were the pellet does land, could go anyplace we cannot accurately clean miss anything. The cleanest most reliable shot onto a pigeon with an airgun I know is through the back, it breaks the backbone and you get multiple fragments of bone into the vitals giving secondary wound tracks and a lot of shock plus your slug, its hard to misplace this shot into a less venerable area and its not as mobile a body part as the head. Frontal chest shots often end up in the crop and a puff of feathers and the bird flies off to die some time later. Remember you have a substantial amount of breast and feather to break through first with this frontal shot, centre chest often hits the breastbone. I like to take a shot just under the wing from the side missing the breast and slipping the shot through the ribs into the engine room. second to the back. My third placement of choice is the brain or neck not the primary but generally only on roosting birds never birds on the ground as the head is all over the place then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malkiserow Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 I do know where the pellet lands I shoot pigeons on my veg from an upstairs window....... The backstop is airy soil with a lack of stones. So very safe indeed. I find this important as the pellet normally penetrated the skull out the outer side. I always headshoot in the garden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin lad Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 have only shot roosting birds when i had my air rifle remember shooting quite a few in the neck and that seemed to work well for me colin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malkiserow Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/topic/250903-where-to-shoot-a-pigeon-shot-placement-warning-bit-gorey-but-informative/ I think this might be the thread malkiserow was talking about Exactly, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 I do know where the pellet lands I shoot pigeons on my veg from an upstairs window....... The backstop is airy soil with a lack of stones. So very safe indeed. I find this important as the pellet normally penetrated the skull out the outer side. I always headshoot in the garden. I think you miss the point, a miss cannot always be clean. Nothing to do with backstops to catch the slug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalconFN Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 Of course if you miss the head you have no control were the pellet does land, could go anyplace we cannot accurately clean miss anything. The cleanest most reliable shot onto a pigeon with an airgun I know is through the back, it breaks the backbone and you get multiple fragments of bone into the vitals giving secondary wound tracks and a lot of shock plus your slug, its hard to misplace this shot into a less venerable area and its not as mobile a body part as the head. Frontal chest shots often end up in the crop and a puff of feathers and the bird flies off to die some time later. Remember you have a substantial amount of breast and feather to break through first with this frontal shot, centre chest often hits the breastbone. I like to take a shot just under the wing from the side missing the breast and slipping the shot through the ribs into the engine room. second to the back. My third placement of choice is the brain or neck not the primary but generally only on roosting birds never birds on the ground as the head is all over the place then Agreed, except I put the 'armpit' shot ahead of back as it isn't always easy to see what angle the back is sloping away from you and an off-center shot isn't as convincing. Head shot is a 3rd option for me too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malkiserow Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 Of course if you miss the head you have no control were the pellet does land, I think you miss the point, a miss cannot always be clean. Nothing to do with backstops to catch the slug No, I simply responded to your first point. The second on target are I left alone.... You make a good point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evo Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 I shoot them in the legs so they fall out the tree because they cant perch on the branches no more,then I shoot them with a .243 from 6miles away and in the dark with no nightvision,, and why do I do this because I can :lol: only jokin,,chest shots for me,,,,never fails with my .22 atb Evo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 No, I simply responded to your first point. The second on target are I left alone.... You make a good point. They were the same point actually though I understand the reason you mis interpreted my wording making it into a safety issue, its just as simple as you might damage its beak etc,etc not that you might hit your next door neighbour one should non the less have a safe backstop or backdrop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
team tractor Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 Under the wind/shoulder from the side , head if poss or the most reliable shot in the centre of the back for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catweazle Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 Although unconventional, I have killed several cleanly with a shot right up the jacksie towards the head. Obviously a head shot is better if you can see it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 I love coming here and finding so many people capable of head shooting pigeon as a matter of course feel cheated that all my life I've had to contend with real life where there is always a breeze, always a moving pigeon, always a bobbing head, always the thing is hidden behind long harvested rape stalks or worse the green stuff, always a swaying branch on which the thing is sat, always a branch shielding the head, always not enough time to even draw on the body, always miss by a few mm even when all is near perfect, always the range is more than 15 yards (often 50-60), always the hide prevents meticulous arrangements and a rest to attempt head shots one after the other. Oh well one day they'll decoy right in under my window when I can deploy a cushion and using a myriad of mirrors (a la Bruce Lee fight scene) confuse the hell out of them while they try and work out why there are so many pigeon there and see what all this head shooting lark is about. If there was any justice these uber snipers would take us lesser mortals out and train us properly, not that it matters really since I do just fine with sensible body shots, by the way your kitchen hide doesn't count. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 i always stick to headshots with air rifles - you either kill it outright or miss it completely - they're tough old things and will fly off to die elsewhere even when hit hard in the body That is a line I have heard spouted many a time, usually by those who have never done it but read it somewhere! Come on Beardo, I have a lot of time for you but...... So the shot is either perfect or appalling, never any middle ground! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardo Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 I've shot somewhere in the region of 20 pigeon this year with my air rifle. All of them from my office window, all of them head shot sitting in the tree above my veg patch which is exactly 32 yards. I've missed one, where it bobbed as I took the shot. That's all perfectly doable to anyone with a modicum of skill. It's all I use my air rifle for. Why is that such an issue? I appreciate it not that easy if you're wandering around a Field or wood, but I'm just saying how I shoot them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evo Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 I love coming here and finding so many people capable of head shooting pigeon as a matter of course feel cheated that all my life I've had to contend with real life where there is always a breeze, always a moving pigeon, always a bobbing head, always the thing is hidden behind long harvested rape stalks or worse the green stuff, always a swaying branch on which the thing is sat, always a branch shielding the head, always not enough time to even draw on the body, always miss by a few mm even when all is near perfect, always the range is more than 15 yards (often 50-60), always the hide prevents meticulous arrangements and a rest to attempt head shots one after the other. Oh well one day they'll decoy right in under my window when I can deploy a cushion and using a myriad of mirrors (a la Bruce Lee fight scene) confuse the hell out of them while they try and work out why there are so many pigeon there and see what all this head shooting lark is about. If there was any justice these uber snipers would take us lesser mortals out and train us properly, not that it matters really since I do just fine with sensible body shots, by the way your kitchen hide doesn't count. hamster,,well said sir,, as I said its body shots for me and have to be honest they certainly don't fly away,,crickey the thing would have to be fast asleep for me to hit it in the head,,have you seen my hands shake but all to their own atb Evo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 I've shot somewhere in the region of 20 pigeon this year with my air rifle. All of them from my office window, all of them head shot sitting in the tree above my veg patch which is exactly 32 yards. I've missed one, where it bobbed as I took the shot. That's all perfectly doable to anyone with a modicum of skill. It's all I use my air rifle for. Why is that such an issue? I appreciate it not that easy if you're wandering around a Field or wood, but I'm just saying how I shoot them. I fully accept in that kind of situation it can be very effective because most things are under your control, certainly knowing the exact range helps as does having a solid rest to steady your aim but I was referring to everyday hunting situations. Like others I have seen and marvelled at video footage taken by an exceptional few who really can walk the walk but their skill comes from really knowing the trajectory of their combo at all ranges, it's just reading casual posts by people who claim to head shoot pigeon as though it's as easy as knocking out ping pong balls on the grass which of course it isn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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