inshallah Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 Hi all. Just joined the forum. I've recently moved to a wood in Wales and I'm a little bit disappointed with the pigeon count. By the canal where I'd been living in West London there were hundreds of woodies, so tame you could almost reach out and grab them by hand. I've had 1 so far in Wales with my .22 AA S310, and had another in my sights last night, but with the sun behind I wasn't 100% sure it was a pigeon (the clap clap as it flew away told me I could have taken the shot. Damn!). I see more in my neighbour's wood, but I haven't popped the question yet... I was wondering, how much impact does shooting at this time of year have on the pigeon population later in the year? I want to shoot pigeons for meat, so I want to bag as many as possible over the year. I realise it's supposed to be pest control, but nobody can 'make' me shoot until later in the summer. Will other birds just come and fill the vacuum if you thin them out in one area? Also, does anyone have any moral opinions on shooting in the breeding season? I was also wondering, is it worth my while getting some decoys? I'm just sitting around waiting for them to land in a tree at the moment. If so, what should I get? I don't want to spend more than I think I can save in the meat isle at Tescos. Cheers, Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perfect Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 hi and welcome, pigeon decoys can be expensive but they can be well worth it, maybe you could make a cheap lofting pole and put some full bodied decoys up in the trees where they roost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardo Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 (edited) you can loft decoys on the cheap by getting a ball of nylon string (thin tough stuff), attaching a weight to one end and throwing/catapulting it over some high branches, then pull the decoy up. not ideal as they swing about a bit, but it's better than nothing. As far as shooting in breeding season - pigeons actually breed all year round, though mostly at this time - i wouldn't worry about shooting them as they're so prolific (hence a pest with no season). Edited April 20, 2009 by nickbeardo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
03luffmb Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 you wont run out of pigeons, like said above they breed all year round. Not as much in bad weather. I wouldn't bother with decoys, just look for lots of droppings on the floor, then wait till the evening for them to come in and roost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inshallah Posted April 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 Thanks all. I'll keep plugging away at them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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