JDog Posted December 13, 2015 Report Share Posted December 13, 2015 In the last few minutes I have just returned from a few days away in Northumberland and the Scottish Borders. I see that I have fourteen pages of 'new content' to get through but before I do I thought it may be of interest to recount one of my experiences shooting of late. On Friday I shot driven game in both England and Scotland. On Friday morning we shot near Cornhill on the Tweed and in the afternoon we crossed the bridge at Coldstream and shot the afternoon in Scotland. There were thousands of pigeons about and I had already accounted for a fair few during the pheasant drives before the last drive of the day. It was now 2:30 and the light was very good and we were doing a drive from which almost all of the pheasants go back over the beaters so there are always guns placed before the end of the wood to intercept them going back. I was one of only two guns placed at the end of the wood in case the birds flew forward. The wind was strong and whilst we were waiting for the drive to start a phenomenal flight of pigeons started some distance behind me and flew into the wind over my head, over the wood which was being driven and on towards the next wood where they would roost. The flight was very strong and I made an early decision to shoot at these pigeons which were between 30m and 60m high. The beaters and the 'keeper and the back guns must have thought that pheasants were flying out ahead of them but actually only one came forward and the rest went back as expected and were expertly dealt with. I fired 23 shots at pigeons and ceased only when I had four cartridges left just in case pheasants came over me which they never did. Without exception every bird I picked had crops bulging full of beans. The beans were just sprouting and were therefore from either a field of very late sown beans or from an unharvested field. Either way there is some sport to be had there if there are any pigeon shooters in the area. I emptied the contents of one bird's crop and counted seventy beans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aga man Posted December 13, 2015 Report Share Posted December 13, 2015 (edited) See what happens when you send a pigeon shooter on a pheasant shoot I would have found it hard not to have done the same, providing the keeper and other guns were ok with it. Edited December 13, 2015 by aga man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sako751sg Posted December 13, 2015 Report Share Posted December 13, 2015 Would have done the same. As for the pigeon numbers,i can say i have never ever seen the quantity going about just now.We were out the whole day yesterday and the clouds in all direction were a great site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted December 13, 2015 Report Share Posted December 13, 2015 Mr Dog, was your butler loading for you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooooper1 Posted December 13, 2015 Report Share Posted December 13, 2015 pigeons are better sport anyways Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pykie Posted December 13, 2015 Report Share Posted December 13, 2015 How many did you end up shooting? I would have done the same as would have most people Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted December 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2015 How many did you end up shooting? I would have done the same as would have most people I shot ten and picked eight. Mr Dog, was your butler loading for you? No he is not quick enough. The cook's husband is a better loader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted December 13, 2015 Report Share Posted December 13, 2015 (edited) I wish I had the financial resource to be put in such a predicament !. Edited December 13, 2015 by fenboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fielddweller Posted December 13, 2015 Report Share Posted December 13, 2015 Don't know the full details,but when our team pays to go game shooting we shoot game end of. However you pay your money and you know your team you do what you want. Fielddweller Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Konnie Posted December 13, 2015 Report Share Posted December 13, 2015 BUT....... Did you get the one pheasant that came forward ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stonepark Posted December 13, 2015 Report Share Posted December 13, 2015 Once the first shot is fired and the pheasants know you are there, any sporting target is viable and tbh pigeons provide some of the best sport. You have paid for the day and if it is not spoiling any ones sport, why not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted December 13, 2015 Report Share Posted December 13, 2015 there are some shoots about where they will treat a shot pigeon as part of the bag...........i take it you checked before you pulled the trigger on them ..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted December 13, 2015 Report Share Posted December 13, 2015 I have been on "game only" shoots, but also shoots where once the drive starts all flying (legal) quarry is permitted. Pigeons can make a slow drive/day very interesting, with testing shots.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cambsman Posted December 13, 2015 Report Share Posted December 13, 2015 We do first shot on every drive has to be a game bird then it's anything legal after that! Works well. Why not shoot any random pigeon? Most of the time they either spot the gun line and jink away or the guns who are not used to shooting pigeons miss by a country mile. Great fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted December 13, 2015 Report Share Posted December 13, 2015 i aint got a problem shooting pigeons on a game day................its just i dont like been charged £30.00/bird to do so ..! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stealth Stalker Posted December 13, 2015 Report Share Posted December 13, 2015 Most of the commercial shoots where I beat, work on a 4:1 shot ratio, if you and the other guns are blatting away willy nilly at pigeons, they could work out at very expensive birds! And you could be very unpopular with the other guns! Personally I would be concentrating on the game SS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted December 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2015 Just to stop this worrying over the cost of the day in it's tracks it was a private shoot and I was an invited guest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archi Posted December 13, 2015 Report Share Posted December 13, 2015 Same as you and shot them or at then as the case may be Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kippylawkid Posted December 13, 2015 Report Share Posted December 13, 2015 Unless specifically told not to, I shoot at every pigeon that comes within range on pheasant days (after first shot at game) I'm more concerned with you entering god's country and eyeing up our pigeons Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon controller Posted December 13, 2015 Report Share Posted December 13, 2015 Mr Dog, was your butler loading for you? No his apprentice?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul T Posted December 13, 2015 Report Share Posted December 13, 2015 For my syndicate, the first shot from the shooting line must be at game, then any legal winged quarry thereafter. In this drive the birds were expected to fly back, so technically you were not part of the shooting line - I'd have definitely had a blast at them too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitchrat Posted December 14, 2015 Report Share Posted December 14, 2015 (edited) I'm usually a humble (well not so humble!) beater and enjoy seeing Guns shoot at pigeons that are way out of range. Another downside which I fell into is "Pigeon Shooter" reload syndrome. I was on a quiet drive at the end of the line and didn't expect to see a game bird, so I tried a shot at a distant pigeon (and missed). NB I had fired the bottom barrel, so it takes longer to reload. Straight away I started to open the gun but at that second a super, high, cock pheasant headed my way. I shut the gun before it could eject, mounted the gun, pulled through the bird and pulled the trigger CLICK! The gun had recycled without ejecting so had tried to fire the used cartridge. Pulled through the bird again, pulled trigger - NOTHING. Of course, no recoil from the 1st barrel so it hadn't selected the other barrel. Quick as a flash, ON/OFF with the safety, got the gun to fire the 2nd barrel but hadn't pulled through enough. Just got enough of the back end for it to plane down a field away but the Picker-ups did get it. The keeper was watching all this and shouting abuse. So, choose your pigeon JD, use the top barrel 1st for quicker reloads and get the new cartridge in your hand ready before opening the gun. Edited December 14, 2015 by kitchrat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackpowder Posted December 14, 2015 Report Share Posted December 14, 2015 I was standing as a Stop last week where before the first pheasant was flushed the Guns battered away at passing pigeon. I was standing atop a deep sided glen, the pigeons passing over were high. Had the pigeons been at my level they would have been high for the Guns down in the glen. I wish I had counted the shots fired more than 50 less than 100 and did not see a single pigeon fall. One Shoot where I am guest on Guns are told no pigeon until the first pheasants are flushed, but most of my small syndicate and Club days its , 'if its legal shoot it regardless'. Blackpowder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cocknee Posted December 14, 2015 Report Share Posted December 14, 2015 Nice one JDog I trust you made as good a job of it as you did here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted December 14, 2015 Report Share Posted December 14, 2015 On our Partridge shooting days the guns are told no pigeons till the main lot of Partridges have gone through the line , on Pheasant days there a bit more relaxed on pigeons. If Pigeons are hanging up in the game larder then they are counted as part of the days bag , also we have two people clicking the shots so if the bag is light they can count the shots and if they have had sufficient amount of shooting to get the bag then there is no come back , therefore by firing a lot of shots at Pigeons can be costly in more ways than one. What would I have done ? If I was a back gun I would have took on what I was capable of as no harm would have been done , if I was in the line I would have left them alone through fear of a Pheasant coming over me when the gun is empty and knowing what colourful language our beaters use I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end when the best bird of the day sail over me without being fired at . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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