Decoying next to woods

[30-6]

I know when roost shooting it involves woods.

But when normal decoying is it desirable to be close/ adjacent to a wood ? Is it good that the shot keeps birds in the air or bad that it pushes them out of the area ?

[Blueflame]

It depends where they are feeding; if they are heavily on a field next to a wood then  you may have to set up there. In most cases though you are better of away from the wood in the open. That way they can see the decoys better, and other pigeons on the flight line. And it helps if the wind is blowing across or away from the wood (relative to your hide) so that the shots are muffled . Otherwise you can kill the flightline by blowing up the wood with your shots. If the wood is a long way from the feeding field then the shots will be more muffled, and the pigeons won’t be able to work out where the shots are coming from. 

 

[pigeon controller]

I have often set up next to woods, if the food field runs along the wood and the wind is not in your face I have not found any problems. The added bonus during the winter months is that you get returning birds to roost have a look at your decoys. 

[mossy835]

if i can i try and set up near woods.

[mgsontour]

2 hours ago, mossy835 said:

if i can i try and set up near woods.

Me too

[JDog]

3 hours ago, mossy835 said:

if i can i try and set up near woods.

I on the other hand prefer to look for a long flight line well away from roosting/resting woods, preferably down wind.

[marsh man]

The only time I think about setting up near a wood is in February when the roost shooting start , I will then get on the side where the wind is on my back and put a magnet well out with a few decoys and hope the set up is good enough to draw the pigeons to give me a bit more shooting while tucked up on the side of the wood .

I had a very good marsh carr ( wood ) for pigeons down on the edge of the marsh , doing the day the pigeons would go out to every point of the compass to the crop fields , rather than go out after them I would wait for a strong wind from the South and do the same on the outside of the wood as I do for the roost shooting , some days the shooting would be as good and often better than a driven game shoot with some very good on coming birds , and not forgetting for a fraction of the price of a good game shoot , mind you , you can only do it with the right wind and not to overdue it to often .

[chesterse]

I was decoying a rape field one day and struggled to get the birds to come in. I noticed there was a flight line along a hedge at right angles to a small wood at the bottom edge of the rape field. I moved and set up just on the edge of the wood and had a really good day shooting seventy odd as they flew along the hedge and lifted to enter the wood.
Have also actually had some good days decoying inside a wood when the birds were on beech mast.