Looking for pigeon shooters

[Mulligrub]

I'm thinking about trying to recruit some responsible, sensible and insured people to come along to our farm in Dorset to help control the massive pigeon population that's eating our arable crops. Does anyone have any advice on how I should go about this? What should be the terms, and so on, and are there any obvious pitfalls to look out for, etc.

 

Many thanks.

 

M.

[BrowningB525]

You'll no doubt be inundated with offers of help shortly. Choose someone who is insured and will respect you and your land

[subsonicnat]

After the usual checks,safe etc..

Rule 1 :: You do not move unless instructed,You don't want them wandering about thinking its theirs for the day,Can cause problems..

[Harnser]

If it were me looking for guns in this situation then I would be looking for experianced shooters who are insured . You must take complete charge of the shooting and put the guns were you want them to be and not let them wander about willy nilly . If you are not experianced in pigeon control your self or in organising an organised pigeon shoot then I am sure there must be somebody from this forum living local to you who could help you out . Good luck .

 

Harnser

[Beardo]

stick a post in Shooting available section when you're ready to do so.

[airarms]

What I'd give for a couple of days on the pigeon with my hw95 there mulligrub...best of luck mate

[Konnie]

Depends on acreage, get 1 retired shooter who knows his stuff or someone on shift work, and let them work with it through you, end of the day you want someone to kill pigeons not just move them around, several shooters turning up any how any time will discourage serious people.

[fenboy]

You are already going down the right route by asking on here and you are right to insist on insurance any responsible shooter will already have that in place.

 

As Konnie says get someone who knows what they are doing , anyone can scare a few pigeon but dead ones do not come back when the shooter is not there .

Of course there are plenty that talk a good game so I would suggest giving someone you feel you can get along with the shooting on a trial basis.

 

Make sure the shooter is able to get to you as soon as possible when you are getting problems , many think the only thing that need protecting are the summer stubbles !!!!!

[rbrowning2]

Wow, now I know why it is so difficult to get shooting land, must be retired, must be able to respond in seconds etc.

 

1) must have insurance

2) some experience.

3) respect your land/farm drive only where and when you want them to.

4) two or three shooters to give the attendance you require for the size of the farm.

5) shotgun and or rifke?

6) text you when they are on the land be it looking for pigeons or shooting.

 

Build mutual trust and all parties will then benefit.

[rjimmer]

 

1) must have insurance

2) some experience.

3) respect your land/farm drive only where and when you want them to.

4) two or three shooters to give the attendance you require for the size of the farm.

5) shotgun and or rifke?

6) text you when they are on the land be it looking for pigeons or shooting.

 

Build mutual trust and all parties will then benefit.

+1

Edited February 27, 2016 by rjimmer

[marsh man]

What about trying your nearest wildfowling club , most of them have got a pigeon section and even if you are several miles away from one they will no doubt have members close to your farm.

 

You will then get insured members and the clubs reputation will be at risk , you can ask them to supply one or two members and if your happy with the service leave it at that, or any wrong doing you can report them back to the club and there membership would be at risk . Good luck .

[old'un]

First I am surprised you do not have neighbouring farmers that have safe reliable shooters that they would recommend but that said and depending on the acreage here are my thoughts.
Depending on acreage you need at least two shooters, try and get at least one full time shooter that can cover midweek.
If they are experienced shooters sit-down and have a chat about what you expect from them.

As you are on the land most of the time you can give your shooters some feed back on areas that need watching but after that I feel that its best to let them watch the ground and decide where best to setup,

you can have no go areas pinpointed on a map of your land, you will obviously not want them driving all over your fields so make sure you tell them where they can and cannot drive and if in doubt they are to phone you.
I am sure you will come back and ask a few more questions but here are some points.

1/ If possible experienced shooters with insurance.
2/ Midweek shooters, at least one.
3/ Walk the land with them and tell them where they can and cannot go.
4/ Ask them if they have any references from other farmers.
5/ Tell them no litter to be left, you should not get this problem from experienced shooters (but not always)
6/ Get their name and address and ask to see any relevant SGC/FAC.
7/ Set the maximum number of guns you want on your land at any one time.
8/ Do you want them to phone you when they are on your land or only when they are going to shoot/setup.

As regards pitfalls there are none really, Terms as above but you could always add a probationary period.

PW is a Good place to start when looking for shooters, invite a couple to your farm and have a chat, I am sure your gut feeling will lead you to the right people for your needs, if you are unsure of anything you can always come back here for advise.

Just one other thing I presume the shooting is free?

[motty]

With pigeon shooting, I think too many cooks can spoil the broth.

[mossy835]

With pigeon shooting, I think too many cooks can spoil the broth.

 

 

 

+1

[rbrowning2]

With pigeon shooting, I think too many cooks can spoil the broth.

But is that not the reason so many find it so hard to get any shooting? Surely depending on the size of the farm two or three shooters are not to many? All the land I shoot i do not have sole use to but I can still enjoy a day out and so can the other people.

[motty]

But is that not the reason so many find it so hard to get any shooting? Surely depending on the size of the farm two or three shooters are not to many? All the land I shoot i do not have sole use to but I can still enjoy a day out and so can the other people.

The trouble comes when two or three blokes overshoot a farm or area. The pigeons can easily become decoy shy, which then gives poor results all round. Better to have less people, shooting less often, but ultimately killing more birds.

[Guest stevo]

The trouble comes when two or three blokes overshoot a farm or area. The pigeons can easily become decoy shy, which then gives poor results all round. Better to have less people, shooting less often, but ultimately killing more birds.

With you on that . One of the reasons pigeon syndicates are mostly poor imo.

You would do better with a couple of dedicated lads . Too many guns your stuggle to keep them interested as it will be over shot and then your just end up back at sqaure one . But good luck whatever you do mate .

Atb

Edited February 27, 2016 by stevo

[fortune]

It will take a bit of common sense between you to sort it out. You will know where the damage is happening and advise the shooters. Before they get set up they MUST show a valid cert, current insurance and supply you with copies for record purposes and not allowed to shoot unless they do. They should be told this in advance so that there is no misunderstanding. They should be allowed to set up where they want to and to move position if necessary. They should be told not to drive on the fields. Only one person per hide.( you don't want any silly accidents )(it does happen unfortunately ). Not to damage stuff and to not leave litter and cartridge cases all over the place. Some people just eject cases and leave them all over the place. Don't forget that these blokes are doing you a favour in protecting your crops at their expense for you and a bit of give and take goes a long way. It wouldn't hurt you to offer a few cartridges for the job. You may well make long term friendships with spin offs such as the trade skills that they may have. It is always good to have friends that are another pair of eyes out on the land. I had a really good relationship with a farmer who let us go when we wanted 24/7 and supplied wheat for us to feed the duck pond with. Between us shooters there was always someone that was out on the land and he had no problems with the unwanted types.

You'll sort it out. And even if they don't shoot every pigeon out of the sky the blighters will be kept off of the crop until it gets up and away.

PS what have you done before?

[yickdaz]

The trouble comes when two or three blokes overshoot a farm or area. The pigeons can easily become decoy shy, which then gives poor results all round. Better to have less people, shooting less often, but ultimately killing more birds.

 

With you on that . One of the reasons pigeon syndicates are mostly poor imo.

You would do better with a couple of dedicated lads . Too many guns your stuggle to keep them interested as it will be over shot and then your just end up back at sqaure one . But good luck whatever you do mate .

Atb

+3

[bluesj]

If or when you find someone you can trust they will more than likely be able to rustle up a couple more shooters when they are needed.

One thing from a shooters point of view, If you want someone out in the winter protecting your crops don't then let others go when its harvest time. It not much fun freezing your whatsits off all winter some times for a very few shoots looking forward to a day or 2 over the stubble and then turn up and to someone else setting up.

[motty]

It will take a bit of common sense between you to sort it out. You will know where the damage is happening and advise the shooters. Before they get set up they MUST show a valid cert, current insurance and supply you with copies for record purposes and not allowed to shoot unless they do. They should be told this in advance so that there is no misunderstanding. They should be allowed to set up where they want to and to move position if necessary. They should be told not to drive on the fields. Only one person per hide.( you don't want any silly accidents )(it does happen unfortunately ). Not to damage stuff and to not leave litter and cartridge cases all over the place. Some people just eject cases and leave them all over the place. Don't forget that these blokes are doing you a favour in protecting your crops at their expense for you and a bit of give and take goes a long way. It wouldn't hurt you to offer a few cartridges for the job. You may well make long term friendships with spin offs such as the trade skills that they may have. It is always good to have friends that are another pair of eyes out on the land. I had a really good relationship with a farmer who let us go when we wanted 24/7 and supplied wheat for us to feed the duck pond with. Between us shooters there was always someone that was out on the land and he had no problems with the unwanted types.

You'll sort it out. And even if they don't shoot every pigeon out of the sky the blighters will be kept off of the crop until it gets up and away.

PS what have you done before?

I wouldn't necessarily say that all certification must be shown. Very few of the farmers I shoot for have ever seen my sgc or basc card. Edited February 27, 2016 by motty

[Mulligrub]

Thank you so much for the advice, which I find immediately helpful. Our farm is 900 acres arable (OSR, winter wheat, spring barley, rye) and we have woodland and grassland. It is a beautiful private family estate in central South Dorset, and we have some game shooting with pheasant and partridge. The game shooting is absolutely seperate from the pest control for the purpose of crop protection that I am looking into here (namely, pigeon and rabbit). The shooting would of course be free, and indeed I would be keen to show my appreciation for effective pest control by way of appropriate reward (e.g., cartridges). The terms and conditions would be agreed in advance, and I am grateful for some useful pointers on this thread. Safety and trustworthiness would be of paramount importance to us.

 

I'd be glad to hear by private message from anybody on these boards who identifies himself as the sort of candidate described in the posts above as being well suited. I would be especially keen to meet mature and sensible shooters who would treat the estate and approach the shooting here with care and respect.

 

[Please would a Moderator move this post to the appropriate board if that would be preferable? Many thanks.]

[fenboy]

Thank you so much for the advice, which I find immediately helpful. Our farm is 900 acres arable (OSR, winter wheat, spring barley, rye) and we have woodland and grassland. It is a beautiful private family estate in central South Dorset, and we have some game shooting with pheasant and partridge. The game shooting is absolutely seperate from the pest control for the purpose of crop protection that I am looking into here (namely, pigeon and rabbit). The shooting would of course be free, and indeed I would be keen to show my appreciation for effective pest control by way of appropriate reward (e.g., cartridges). The terms and conditions would be agreed in advance, and I am grateful for some useful pointers on this thread. Safety and trustworthiness would be of paramount importance to us.

 

I'd be glad to hear by private message from anybody on these boards who identifies himself as the sort of candidate described in the posts above as being well suited. I would be especially keen to meet mature and sensible shooters who would treat the estate and approach the shooting here with care and respect.

 

[Please would a Moderator move this post to the appropriate board if that would be preferable? Many thanks.]

Free cartridges , I think you may have just turned a trickle into a stampede !

Best of luck in finding some appreciative shooters , sounds like a wonderful opportunity for someone.

[fortune]

I wouldn't necessarily say that all certification must be shown. Very few of the farmers I shoot for have ever seen my sgc or basc card.

Generally this is the case and I have never been asked to show.but if I were the land owner I would want to see this and cover myself. Insurance should be an important thing because nowadays the most unexpected thing can lead to a serious claim. This was brought home to me be a silly minor skin cut ( mickey mouse plaster on a kid cut) that a delivery driver sustained whilst opening a yard gate. He sued the company for damage/ injury and it cost the insurance company something like £15,000. Again if you haven't seen the sgc how do you know that the person even has one. He could be off ticket. As a person giving permission to go shooting there is an amount of responsibility to the situation. Adequate Insurance can be bought online for about £30

[dawntredder]

Wildfowling club is the way to go...find out your nearest one then ask if they would be interested in free pigeon shooting in their close season,most of them will already have all the experience and the respect for you....good luck DT.