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Roost Shooting


scolopax
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Roost shooting has got to be the cream of woodpigeon shooting. Locally the roost shooting is semi organised. As in most woods are shot on a friday afternoon to keep the pigeons moving between locations. This can work really well but the important part is that all woods and spinneys should have a shooter in them. Does not have to be an ace pigeon shooter, just someone who can shift the birds on to the next reception commitee.Otherwise any unshot wood will act as a sanctuary for every bird in the district. Even woods that are normally unattractive to pigeons can give good sport on pot a pigeon night(s).

 

My main point though is always stay until dark, black dark. This is not so much for late pigeons but for carrion crows and magpies. Crows especially will wait until last light before going to roost. They often call as they come in giving you plenty of notice which direction they are flying in from. Also as its just about dark their normally excellent eyesight is negated allowing you to see them before they see you. Killing even just one or two carrion crows always goes down well with the gamekeeper or farmer and is a good way to end an afternoons roost shooting.

Edited by scolopax
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Yesterday was my first roost shoot of the year and it was poor to say the least. The woods I have shot for years usually attract very large numbers of pigeons, but not yesterday. I would estimate that there were only 3 to 400 pigeons in the area. Where they have gone, I don't know.

Anyway, I will be roost shooting another estate tonight, approx 10 miles away from yesterdays. The story may be different.

 

Anyone else noticed a drop in pigeon numbers from last year?

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Hi folks B) . Are we to see a growing reduction of pigeon numbers, it may seem so. If you take a peek on the BASC website, at the bottom of the page in lefthand column is a poll to find out if you think you have seen a reduction of numbers. Take a look and put your worth to the vote :devil: . I don't have too many in my area anyway, a few to shoot at roost but nothing like the numbers in areas of rape or peas and the like, it's mainly cattle grazing or sheep and pigs, not a lot to attract them ??? . I do however live virtually directly underneath a flighline of crows and there are quite a few carrion about but the last few weeks has seen little movement of them too. A bit strange??? :sly: I have fields galore to the back of my garden, some of which i shoot but no crops. I think it has something to do with the hills :/

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There seemed to be a decent number of pigeon around, more than I was expecting to see. Weather was mild and still, not at all to our advantage. The pigeons generally came in high in tightly packed flocks.

 

Last nights bag was 12 woodies and 3 carrions, tonights 5 woodies but there were less guns out to keep them moving.

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I always knew crows were intelligent but thats amazing didnt know it was that far.

 

seriously though if you do shoot till its dark make sure you have or know some one with a desent dog as birds can be a ****** to find as the sunsets Especially black Crows . Make sure you shoot one then pick it I know it sounds obvious but neaver make the mistake of marking a bird were it has fallen you will neaver find it in the dark.

Anyway nice to hear you had a good shoot theirs no pigeons on the estate at the moment they roost next door which is a ******. :devil:

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I dont think that this is a good idea to wait till black dark before leaving the wood

Most keepers like you to leave the wood before it gets too dark. This allows the pheasants to return to the wood for the night.

 

 

Very much depends on the keeper, if there is one even. Personally never had a problem staying as long as I wanted. On the friday evening there were pheasants going up to roost within 50 yards of me. There is quite a lull between the last pigeon and the first crows and during this time I could hear pheazzies going up all around me. Shots in the dark do not seem to bother them as much as walking near their roosting trees which will send them out.

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I think i must have had the best roost shooting of my life yesturday i shot 74 and 7 crows, i try my very best not to loose birds but i must admit i lost a few all over the place and i went back today and found another 7 that i missed. There was 4 of us in total over three woods and conbined we managed to pick up 326 birds plus a couple of rats that were picking up old bits of maze. The place i go there is clouds of pigeons and they just keep coming back every few minutes, the next job is breasting all the birds.....

Edited by hill billy
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It was unbelivible i got through 200 cartriges but i was shooting from 2 till 6, they just kept coming and coming then at about 4 it went conpletly dead for about half an hour then a cloud of about 600 came over and we just kept shooting at them and they just kept coming back again... it was incredible to say the least the only problem with an auto is the temptation to just keep pulling the trigger

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Everyone round Hill Billy's next weekend then ! Plenty of birds to go round.

 

We went for an hour or so from 4 O'clock, must have been 100+ on the rape field into the farm but between 3 of us we managed 7 birds. Don't know where the 100 went though.

 

Pheasant got up right at my feet though - always make me bloody jump - they don't know how lucky they are this time of year ;):lol:

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I spent an hour and a half waiting just inside a fair size wood of fir trees.

 

I have been watching this area for a long time now, and I had noted that on a N/NW wind they came in on it, the windier the better.

 

Game on then. We have gales blowing down here so told wife 'I will be late' set up and waited, and waited, and waited. ;)

 

The **** didn't come in. :lol:

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I think i must have had the best roost shooting of my life yesturday i shot 74 and 7 crows, i try my very best not to loose birds but i must admit i lost a few all over the place and i went back today and found another 7 that i missed. There was 4 of us in total over three woods and conbined we managed to pick up 326 birds plus a couple of rats that were picking up old bits of maze. The place i go there is clouds of pigeons and they just keep coming back every few minutes, the next job is breasting all the birds.....

Nice work when you can get it :lol::lol::lol:;)

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