maskedhunter Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 Well ive decided i want to try eat woodpigeon, ive heard ferral pigeons not safe to eat, or is this mallarchy lol !? new to all of this, So two main questions for all at PW.1. does anyone have a picture with a pea shape dot on where best to shoot to get a clean kill with them,2. Where do pigeons cultivate haha - like rat's - rubbish, rabbits - fields, Magpies - Scavangers, Crows same?, Pigeons... well accept for the ones trying to nick my chips out side the chipy on the high street i wouldnt know where to look for them, especially around milton keynes, again accept maybe underpasses but it being illegal and extremely risky near cars and just dam well stupid im kind of stumped for words i wouldnt have the first clue where to find them, or where they could be causing a problem for me to go deal with them collect and do my first pigeon slow cook!Regards,Matt !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peskyfoxs Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 Don't eat feral pigeon ! If you have no permissions yet then you won't be shooting any woodpigeons, they are generally found in fields and woods. You may struggle to to convince someone you can help with crop damage by woodpigeons as they are usually shot with shotguns and often in large numbers (just look at some of the pics showing anything from 10-150+ pigeons taken in a day) . If you ask nicely someone local may have one in the freezer you can have Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dangerous Brian Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 Don't forget to have a read through the general licence before shooting wood pigeons. You should be able to find a link to them on the BASC website. All the best Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maskedhunter Posted September 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 ta,i have been reading as much as possible each day in my spare time, alot to read up on each speceis etc so will do pal .Didnt know if there was any other places other then woodland like ferral pigeons come in i just wondered if wood pigeon did, maybe on private buildings causing a mess and a problem for health and saftey i wouldnt know im very new hence me asking about it all, Would anyone know of people in milton keynes who hunt pigeon without shotguns to get some tips or isit best to forget the idea of this untill im licensed up with a shotgun and permissions in the future ? Regards,Matt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peskyfoxs Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 Wood pigeons are generally an agricultural pest, I'm no expert but I have always shot rabbits and rats with my air rifles, wood pigeons generally don't let you get within air rifle range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maskedhunter Posted September 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 fair enough mate, what is the range of a 12lbs air rifle .22 btw roughly ? Regards, matt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunnin21 Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 I shoot rabbits at 45m max with my .177, depends how accurate you are I wouldn't bother with live quarry till your confident and accuracy is spot on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt 205 gti Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 ta,i have been reading as much as possible each day in my spare time, alot to read up on each speceis etc so will do pal . Didnt know if there was any other places other then woodland like ferral pigeons come in i just wondered if wood pigeon did, maybe on private buildings causing a mess and a problem for health and saftey i wouldnt know im very new hence me asking about it all, Would anyone know of people in milton keynes who hunt pigeon without shotguns to get some tips or isit best to forget the idea of this untill im licensed up with a shotgun and permissions in the future ? Regards, Matt. Shotgun and permission would defo be a great start , ive seen loads of people who are on here from your neck of the woods , time to start asking nicely , all experience is a bonus , fieldcraft is an art ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maskedhunter Posted September 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 Shotgun and permission would defo be a great start , ive seen loads of people who are on here from your neck of the woods , time to start asking nicely , all experience is a bonus , fieldcraft is an art ! If im honest wouldnt even want to ask, I'd feel cheeky! going to wait till im offered.. if it happens it happens and ill be all the more greatfull! Regards, Matt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longbower Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 Hi Matt, there are some videos on youtube, on pigeon shooting with air rifles. Which may help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted September 11, 2014 Report Share Posted September 11, 2014 Are there no air rifle clubs you can join in your area? Hows about asking round your local pubs if they know of any game shoots local to you with a view to doing a bit of beating? Is there a butchers local to you which sells a bit of game? If so, ask them where they get their produce with a view to finding a shoot. It's not easy getting started, especially I would think if you live in the bigger towns, but don't give up, there are opportunities everywhere, you just have to persevere. Don't just wait for it to happen, make it happen. If you lived near me I would take you out like a shot. I know how difficult it is for young lads to get a toe in, and have introduced a fair few to shooting on open ground and woodlands when previously their only option was plinking in their back garden and using a mattress as a backstop. Persevere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neutron619 Posted September 11, 2014 Report Share Posted September 11, 2014 (edited) fair enough mate, what is the range of a 12lbs air rifle .22 btw roughly ? Regards, matt. Maximum range (I answered this somewhere else on here earlier today) is about 460 yards. Remember that if you're ever out shooting - you can injure people up to ¼ mile away if you mess around. Usable range for a new shooter with a new rifle he's not used to yet is probably 20-25 yards at most and likely nearer 10-15. With practice, you could get out to 35 or maybe even 40 yards once you can estimate range accurately and compensate for it by learning your rifle's trajectory, but many people aren't that good and never will be. I'm one of them and still struggle to shoot accurately past 30 yards with an air rifle (a .308 is a different matter... ) Anything past 40 yards is a lost cause with a .22 really - the killing power is there, but you're talking about compensating for exponentially increasing drops bigger than 6" which isn't really acceptable on live game. In all cases I'm assuming you can shoot well enough to put 5-10 pellets within the same 1" circle at whichever given distance. The pellet you use and the distance at which you zero will make a difference to all of this. Finally, woodpigeon is a great meat to cook and very tasty, but if you're serious about shooting them, apply for your shotgun license. They are not easy to kill on the ground with an air rifle and you've got no chance of hitting them in the air with an air rifle, even if that were a responsible or safe thing to do. (It isn't.) Get yourself a shotgun certificate, some lessons and a shotgun in that order and you'll then have the right tools for the job. Whilst you're waiting for all that, find a club to shoot your rifles at and get knocking on some doors for permissions. Edited September 11, 2014 by neutron619 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maskedhunter Posted September 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2014 Are there no air rifle clubs you can join in your area? Hows about asking round your local pubs if they know of any game shoots local to you with a view to doing a bit of beating? Is there a butchers local to you which sells a bit of game? If so, ask them where they get their produce with a view to finding a shoot. It's not easy getting started, especially I would think if you live in the bigger towns, but don't give up, there are opportunities everywhere, you just have to persevere. Don't just wait for it to happen, make it happen. If you lived near me I would take you out like a shot. I know how difficult it is for young lads to get a toe in, and have introduced a fair few to shooting on open ground and woodlands when previously their only option was plinking in their back garden and using a mattress as a backstop. Persevere. Unfortunatly my areas not the nicest, and the local pubs not going to have any farmers in it more like local **** heads asking for 50p lol!, Will be popping up to hanslop on sunday with a friend and my spare rifle to say hello and get to see the range, know the people, and prefrably sign up! so thats good news and all i wouldnt have known about if it wasnt for the helpfull people on PW forums! . Maximum range (I answered this somewhere else on here earlier today) is about 460 yards. Remember that if you're ever out shooting - you can injure people up to ¼ mile away if you mess around. Usable range for a new shooter with a new rifle he's not used to yet is probably 20-25 yards at most and likely nearer 10-15. With practice, you could get out to 35 or maybe even 40 yards once you can estimate range accurately and compensate for it by learning your rifle's trajectory, but many people aren't that good and never will be. I'm one of them and still struggle to shoot accurately past 30 yards with an air rifle (a .308 is a different matter... ) Anything past 40 yards is a lost cause with a .22 really - the killing power is there, but you're talking about compensating for exponentially increasing drops bigger than 6" which isn't really acceptable on live game. In all cases I'm assuming you can shoot well enough to put 5-10 pellets within the same 1" circle at whichever given distance. The pellet you use and the distance at which you zero will make a difference to all of this. Finally, woodpigeon is a great meat to cook and very tasty, but if you're serious about shooting them, apply for your shotgun license. They are not easy to kill on the ground with an air rifle and you've got no chance of hitting them in the air with an air rifle, even if that were a responsible or safe thing to do. (It isn't.) Get yourself a shotgun certificate, some lessons and a shotgun in that order and you'll then have the right tools for the job. Whilst you're waiting for all that, find a club to shoot your rifles at and get knocking on some doors for permissions. Thats helpfull ta, yeah i can get all of my pellets inside a 10 p peice if im taking my time free hand in which case when it comes to shooting live id also be doing but this is a measley 35 feet unfortunatly untill i go down the rang im not sure what i can hit from longer, But im sure ill get better with alot of practice and patients. Sounds great about getting liscense etc got a while before that happens, why are they not easy to kill on the ground btw?, yeah i didnt think shooting pigeon with ain air rifle out of mid air would work, nor be very safe! - I used to sit in my sisters back garden for hours watching over the chicken pen from about 7-8 to sometimes 3 in the morning it was so painfull the first few times waiting and then seeing going to move the gun to aim up and them scattering, again all free hand that was about 20 yards and i could get clean headshots on them in the dark without a light on the pen it was a light from the house reached about a 3rd down garden but dimley just light the pen enough to see the rats not enough for eyes to show though - I hadent shot since then when i was 17, before that i owned a rat catcher when i was younger, used to shoot i my garden since it was fairly large. Again thanks for all the help mate! Regards, Matt. Hi Matt, there are some videos on youtube, on pigeon shooting with air rifles. Which may help. Oh beleive me, ive seen some aweeesome videos, some americans making me realy jelous sniping from 70-80 yards and getting only say 5-7 inch drop on there pellets ... Larger LBS i take it ? Regards, Matt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neutron619 Posted September 11, 2014 Report Share Posted September 11, 2014 Sounds great about getting liscense etc got a while before that happens, why are they not easy to kill on the ground btw? Well, others may think differently, but for me, there are two places to aim for on a pigeon - the head / neck or - if they're facing away from you, between the "shoulders" into the vitals / spine. Neither are particularly large targets and pigeons have a tendency to "bob" when they're feeding making the timing / placement of the shot difficult. Of course, the pigeons I kill are usually out of the sky with a shotgun, so I don't get a lot of practice with the air rifle. No doubt others will say it's a piece of **** shooting them at 100 yards with the air rifle etc. but I'm not that good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted September 11, 2014 Report Share Posted September 11, 2014 No doubt others will say it's a piece of **** shooting them at 100 yards with the air rifle etc. but I'm not that good. Your not that good with a shotgun let alone an air rifle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neutron619 Posted September 11, 2014 Report Share Posted September 11, 2014 Your not that good with a shotgun let alone an air rifle! Hopefully I haven't implied that I thought I was... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maskedhunter Posted September 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2014 haha bantaaa . erm sweet, well i got my rifle sorted today got it exchanged for another x20 supressed could have been anything but it wasnt working for me, this one is working with me other felt like we was enimies from day one haha oh well! Regards,Matt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camojohn Posted September 11, 2014 Report Share Posted September 11, 2014 Hi maskedhunter’ I just thought that this might help you. http://www.hawkeoptics.co.uk/brc.html It will tell you how much you pellet drops and the power loses by the time it hits the target. You need to pre-set it for your air gun and scope height. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maskedhunter Posted September 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2014 Yeah im not going to lie, that app just confused the living **** out of me, ive shot alot, but ive always done one shot.. seen where it is and adjusted by aim from there ive never gone all technical and also i dont have a clue what it all means, someone would have to be next to me with the app, im not to great in converting text instructions i like to watch listen and and then try myself if im confident in understanding what it is im doing.Thanks though im sure once i get down the shooting range with some more experienced people / shooters im sure it will come in handy !Regards,Matt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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