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A tale of two hides


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Hi folks 

I had a return visit to the field I shot last Saturday in subzero temperatures. Today was bright, windy and a pleasant 12 degrees when I set up at 11am - late start because of work commitments.

The wind was in my face so I set the pattern and magnet out to my right hand side so that I would be taking birds as they came from behind right to left. Some turned into the decoys some were taken as they appeared over the hedge I was set up in. My shooting was not great as I was shooting mostly going away shots. After about 2 hours the pigeons decided to come for a look but not fully commit to come in. I had an idea to set up another hide ( I had spare netting) directly the other side of the hedge where I was already set up - and shoot them head on.  There was a large grassy patch in front so easy to pick shot birds. There was enough of a gap in the hedge ( after I did some pruning with my secateurs) that I could shoot from both hides depending on which route in the pigeons took. This worked well and I shot the last of the pigeons in hide number 2 with the wind at my back.

I was all packed up by 3pm with 26 pigeons picked -I lost 5 heavy shot birds in a very thick blackthorn spinney at the edge of the field and 2 carrion crows who came too close- I only picked one as the other one flew off heavily hit then folded like a penknife at the far side of the field.

All in all an enjoyable few hours.

Edited by the hitman
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How many times have I setup only to faìl.  I recon that I have a good day about 1 out of 10 trips. The wind changes direction, The pigeons don't want your field even though they did yesterday. They are just fixated with flying straight on right over your immaculate pattern into the distance.  I've even come out of the hide and watched the birds with binoculars to see where they are going. I've had them flit over the hedge from behind and land 10 feet away.  Suddenly the penny drops and in an expĺosive take off their away.  These situations should give an easy shot but I nearly always mis these.  Opposed to this are the odd days when it isn't blowing a freezing gale and the birds come In a steady stream looking for the pattern.   They can come over the hedge at the other end of the field,   a couple of flaps of the flapper and they can set the wings and in they come committed on̈ the approach to the pattern. The tension in the dog that is watching and hopefully waiting for the command and not launching into the hide netting and ĺanding in a tangled struggling ball out front.  The times when I've been sitting completely and utterly concentrated on the horizon and bringing the gun to the ready only to find that it's not a pigeon coming a field away but a mosquito about six feet away.  But going and doing it is addictive.

Edited by Minky
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A nice report on your days Pigeon shooting , I have at times totally ignored the o s r field where the Pigeons want to go if the wind and other things are not right and then made a hide on the other side of the hedge , you can then decoy the Winter wheat or whatever the crop is in the field , the only time I don't fancy it if the field is just heavy plough , ideal if you can drive up close to where you want to go as it is not always possible to do that on the rape field itself , some times it work and then other times it don't but that is the same situation on what ever field you go on and rape must be one of the hardest fields to decoy , dull days , lack of bird movement , lack of wind , dark background for your decoys and the list can go on and on, so getting close on 30 then you done very well and well worth the effort in making two hides .    MM

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