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Exagerated bags


Balotelli
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A number of pigeon shooters that I know seem to be using some multiplier on their claims of pigeons shot.

For instance one chap I know claims 160, I know for a fact that there were only a handful of pigeons on that field over a period of time. 

Another claimed 38.  When I shoot that field I saw a handful at the most.

Another  acquiantance  of mine apparently regularly shooting bags of a 100+ and then foolishly claimed on selling his gun that only 500 or so cartridges had gone through the gun over a 3 year period  and most of those on a clay ground.

Apart form a couple of red letter days of bags of 30-50, my tally has generally been as low as half a dozen. The pigeons are just not there in my area.

Are these bags exaggerated as it might be deemed failure?  I'm not sure why some shooters can't tell it like it really is. 

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Plenty do exaggerate, seen it first hand but god knows why? I get some really good days sometimes, and got a camera roll on my phone full of photos of them if I need to ‘prove’ what I shoot. Have plenty of not so great days though and happy to admit that! 

 

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1 hour ago, Balotelli said:

A number of pigeon shooters that I know seem to be using some multiplier on their claims of pigeons shot.

For instance one chap I know claims 160, I know for a fact that there were only a handful of pigeons on that field over a period of time. 

Another claimed 38.  When I shoot that field I saw a handful at the most.

Another  acquiantance  of mine apparently regularly shooting bags of a 100+ and then foolishly claimed on selling his gun that only 500 or so cartridges had gone through the gun over a 3 year period  and most of those on a clay ground.

Apart form a couple of red letter days of bags of 30-50, my tally has generally been as low as half a dozen. The pigeons are just not there in my area.

Are these bags exaggerated as it might be deemed failure?  I'm not sure why some shooters can't tell it like it really is. 

Sounds like others are shooting around the estate your retired man is on every day. 😎

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33 minutes ago, Wilts#Dave said:

Plenty do exaggerate, seen it first hand but god knows why? I get some really good days sometimes, and got a camera roll on my phone full of photos of them if I need to ‘prove’ what I shoot. Have plenty of not so great days though and happy to admit that! 

 

Hear the same from local sources,they do it to sound as if they`re extra effective to landowners/farmers in the hope of gaining more ground.Simple as that.

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1 minute ago, peejay said:

facebook full of them lol.. looked at 1 other month, works out, with the timescale he gave, he shot average of 87 per hour over 7 hours. 

That's less than a pair a minute. 🤔

Surely there are better shots than that on facebook. ( not that I'm on it). 

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22 minutes ago, peejay said:

facebook full of them lol.. looked at 1 other month, works out, with the timescale he gave, he shot average of 87 per hour over 7 hours. 

That's impressive bearing in mind reloading time, cooling a red hot barrel, maybe a sip of tea and tidying up all the shot birds, sound as though he had a Gattling gun or a couple of loaders on hand.  Being magnanimous, maybe there was a group who pooled the pigeons shot over the day. 

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Sadly we will never get out of the image we have created ourselves that Pigeon shooting is largely a numbers game , the bigger the number make that person look far better than a person who can only post a small numbered bag , as we all well know that stubble shooting can and do produce some huge bags , we took up the hobby of Pigeon shooting for the sport so why do the people who can shoot put a barrel across a easy one that come and sit amongst the decoys , or at best they shout to give the pigeon a ( sporting chance ), I will tell you why , simply to boost the numbers up .

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Last time out I fired around 11 shots, knocked the feathers off one, dropped one at extreme range and burst a lot of rain clouds. Vids posted on here. Time before I only had a handful if ammo, rest was in the house, dropped 5 i think, picked 4. Vid also on here.

You can only shoot what decoys in or is in range.

I regularly get told of people shooting 100s, truth is there are rarely 100s about.

I just enjoy being out shooting, but admit to being hugely disappointed if I don't get a shot off.

I believe the big bags when I see pictures. Mine, including misses are all on Shotkam. 

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I have not shot 'at' in the last 2 years as many as has been downed  in one session by many shooters on here and I am not exaggerating.

Still going out tomorrow though, with my binoculars.

Not for one minute suggesting any one else on here is exaggerating, just jealous as heck of them.

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I get frustrated that I only have say 7 good permissions on small arable land. They are all cut pretty much the same time and depending upon work I may miss the best days. I have to book dates to shoot with my family well in advance and the weather or pigeons may not be turn out to be amendable. If I was retired I would probably shoot less and go for more walks with the dogs on the land, looking and deciding what days would suit to shoot. I would still take my gun but wouldn’t set up unless you have 100+ birds on the deck, a string flight line and birds trying to come back in even once clapped off. 

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I think envy plays a big part in criticism. I know a lot of this is directed towards AP. I can assure you the guy is pigeon magnet, and spends as much time staking out his fields as he does shooting them.

As far as comments like picking up birds, sipping tea, checking phone etc if the birds are coming you are pulling the trigger.

As for getting of cartridges did a sim day on Saturday and got 900 shots in 4 hours of shooting, didn't put the gun down because the barrels were hot, I put a pair of gloves on!

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2 hours ago, WalkedUp said:

I’ve shot big days and small days, I always take a photo of the bag regardless of size. It’s easy then to evidence your anecdotes. 

Shot to kill ratio on the other hand is much more skewed, only Jacko seems to admit to missing any! 

I do like being honest but I have only being shooting at pigeons since June last year  and I am my own biggest critic no point in painting over cracks  ..all advice and criticism Taken  And trying to learn from it all  to improve  so if I shoot 10 for 15  it’s been an excellent day but if I shoot 10 for 50 it’s still been an excellent  day but I  know  I have shot shocking  and need to improve 

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2 hours ago, Jacko3275 said:

I do like being honest but I have only being shooting at pigeons since June last year  and I am my own biggest critic no point in painting over cracks  ..all advice and criticism Taken  And trying to learn from it all  to improve  so if I shoot 10 for 15  it’s been an excellent day but if I shoot 10 for 50 it’s still been an excellent  day but I  know  I have shot shocking  and need to improve 

Honesty is the best way forward. I’ve only ever been on the pigeons twice mate and I couldn’t give a monkeys what my shot to kill ratio was or how big or how small the bag was, it’s very much a learning curve. I see it as if I hit some I have some lovely meat to eatand done a good turn for the farmer and if I don’t Hit any I’ve spent the day scaring them off 🤣 win win and all good fun 

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The first time i set decoys up and the birds actually came into them I came home with 3 birds for about 10 shots.

Set up around 2pm, It had been quiet for hours, a few passing birds had shown litteraly no interest in the pattern at all, then around 4pm I moved the decoys slightly further out in the field, remembering seeing on here somewhere that if it's not working change it. I'd looked down at my phone, looked back up and there was these two pigeons decoying exactly how they do in an Andy Crow video! Couldn't believe it!

No left and right unfortunately but I took one, then the other two in the half hour that followed. Could have been a few more but I was so chuffed that for the first time it had all come together I didn't care. 

It was magic watching it all come together, wouldn't have mattered if it was 3 birds or 300 that day. 

I fear I've probably got rather rusty again over the last year or so but the pigeons will still be there in the future, in the meantime I'll enjoy reading all of your write ups, large bags or small 👍

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A lot of the replies on here mirror my experience which is refreshing. I think that sometimes reports of mega bags implies we are probably not in the right place for one reason or another which questions our field craft. I have another theory. If two of you are shooting in a hide and both have clickers then there is the potential of double counting. 

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3 hours ago, Balotelli said:

A lot of the replies on here mirror my experience which is refreshing. I think that sometimes reports of mega bags implies we are probably not in the right place for one reason or another which questions our field craft. I have another theory. If two of you are shooting in a hide and both have clickers then there is the potential of double counting. 

You have to remember that some counties hold a lot more pigeons than others , if you haven't got the pigeons in your area to produce what you would call a mega bag then all the fieldcraft and being in the right place won't really make a scrap of difference in getting one yourself , if at the end of the day when you pack up you feel you were in the right place , your set up worked a treat and you put in a good performance with your shooting skills then you have done all you could do , you cannot decoy and shoot pigeons that you haven't got . keep at it and one day your Red letter day will arrive out of nowhere .

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It’s not your fieldcraft but your permissions that really key to shooting big bags. The best recconasaince, pattern and hide in the world are worthless if the pigeons aren’t feeding on any of the land you have permission to shoot over. Consistent big bags are possible, but you need a lot of land to go at and be selective over where you shoot. If you only decoy pigeons in your back garden big bags will never be possible. I shot more woodies in two hours (100+) on one field last summer than I did for the rest of the year combined in a very frustrating harvest season. Was just the right place at the right time and then always in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Just now, marsh man said:

You have to remember that some counties hold a lot more pigeons than others , if you haven't got the pigeons in your area to produce what you would call a mega bag then all the fieldcraft and being in the right place won't really make a scrap of difference in getting one yourself , if at the end of the day when you pack up you feel you were in the right place , your set up worked a treat and you put in a good performance with your shooting skills then you have done all you could do , you cannot decoy and shoot pigeons that you haven't got . keep at it and one day your Red letter day will arrive out of nowhere .

Jinx! Just posted almost that sentiment exactly at the same time. 

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On 25/08/2020 at 13:47, peejay said:

facebook full of them lol.. looked at 1 other month, works out, with the timescale he gave, he shot average of 87 per hour over 7 hours. 

That is a completely reasonable and believable figure.

Yes, some people do lie, but then there are some that just can't or won't accept it when others have done well. I have been called a liar about numbers in the past. I would have no reason to lie.

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