One pigeon to rule hem all

[7daysinaweek]

So today needed to blow out the cobwebs, at around two I headed out to see if I could get a shot at a pigeon at one of my small permissions. On arrival the farmer was in and a quick chat and I then sat in the car for about 30 minutes and nothing about, I moved over to another bit which is across a road down a track and has a strip of thin wood a few hundred yards long. I have had a few good doo's by my limited experience & standards decoying here over the years, i shoot the rifle more than the shotty and in general when i am pigeon shooting the air can be blue and not with pigeons may I add.

So i watched and noted the odd piggie travelling up the back of the strip here is the pic of where i put meself in the corner to the left in the first picture with the prevailing strong wind on my right shoulder and have had birds cross over this area before. So in the wind and itermittent rain I stood for about and hour tucked into the brash and nothing came 

I then decide to move down to the bottom end of the strip and see if i could see any action, as i stood down at the bottom concealed again i spotted an odd bird going up the back of the strip and over it, so into the strip where i stood again adjacent to an old stone wall out of the wind slightly and thought i would try and get a shot as they came over the wood through a window in the trees I stood again for about 30 minutes. Shortly after a few birds started to come on the strong wild wind and no matter how i tried i could not connect with any of them as by the time i had swung through the canopy window i was surely behind them and away they went with great Gusto! As is normal if was cursing myself, i do not have a lot of experience flighting pigeons

I finally decided to move back up to the top end of the wood where i had originally been and found a spot about 20 foot inside but gave a large clear window which i hoped birds would continue to come on the prevailing wind. so i was stood in waist high brash and well concealed, at around 4pm the birds suddenly appeared in ones and twos, fives and tens hurtling along on the wind and as they came over the wood. Again the air was blue as i could not connect with any. The small groups that came with several birds in them were always tightly packed and i struggled to concentrate my efforts to select a bird sometimes leaving the shot. Is this a common thing that they pack up tightly on a strong wind?

After firing i guess about twenty shots one single bird came hurtling along on the wind almost being carried effortlessly high and fast, now when i say high and fast it was exceptional for my standards, i mounted and swung through and pulled the trigger the bird just shuddered and from my observations was stone dead and was carried for a staggering distance due to the height and sheer momentum of it's flight. It is to my memory the most exceptional pigeon i have ever shot and may i add the only one of the day. That bird made up for all the others i have ever had, i have shot the odd piggie at wider distances than my normal on the very odd occasion with my second barrel. My friend who is is a very good pigeon shot says that this can be mostly in part to me speeding up with my swing with the second barrel as sometimes without consistent experience and practice you can be lazy with the first barrel until you get into the swing.

I have promised myself this year i will be getting meself off for mounting lesson and some clays, but firstly getting out a bit more with the shotty. The gun i shoot is me old baikal, which i have had for about 15 years, used to do a lot of running rabbit with it when i had me ferrets.

The last pic shows where i picked the bird up and it had been shot up towards the top end of the strip, always looks further on a pic but ohh boy it went some distance.

atb

7diaw

 

 

[JDog]

A nice report and a decent afternoon out.

The gun will be fine. I understand what you say about concentrating on one bird in a group. Browning a flock rarely produces the right results.

[7daysinaweek]

7 minutes ago, JDog said:

A nice report and a decent afternoon out.

The gun will be fine. I understand what you say about concentrating on one bird in a group. Browning a flock rarely produces the right results.

Cheers for your support jd and glad you enjoyed the read.

atb

7diaw

 

[Clodhopper]

When you hit on like that it just makes it all worthwhile, well done.