I will always remember my first pigeon. I was standing under the old oak in the middle of the farm with my father. It was a left-to-right crosser and I…
Tom Payne
Becoming a good all-round Shot: here’s what you won’t learn on the peg
What does it take to become a good all-round Shot? We can all advise accordingly on how to improve your shooting, whether that be practice, finding the right instructor for…
Archie Coats’ pigeon shooting: what has changed since his heyday?
As I turned the pages of Pigeon Shooting by Archie Coats, I came across the phrase ‘rabbit clearance society pigeon poking programme’ — quite a mouthful and certainly something you…
Shooting with both eyes open – why it’s something to aim for
Out of season is the ideal time to work on improving your shooting technique and one of the questions I get asked frequently is about shooting with both eyes open.…
Spring drillings and pigeons
Pigeon shooting on spring drillings makes a big difference from shooting over winter crops. In the colder months you have to compete with chilly weather and the scarers set up…
Practising for the next shooting season
For many, it must feel like you haven’t picked up a gun for months. For many game Shots, this could be the case, especially with the season being affected by…
Fibre wads – it’s time to ditch the plastic
Plastic pollution is a major cause for concern these days and as shooters we have to do our bit to protect the environment and show that we are behaving responsibly.…
How to find the right shooting coach
In these strange times while we’re all still in lockdown, some of you may have found yourselves thinking about how to improve your shooting, as and when we can get…
How top Shots minimise misses
Looking out of my window at a big cock bird picking his way down a hedge, just beyond my garden, it strikes me that I shot fewer days this season…
It’s not the classic time for pigeon roosting but …
’Many of you reading this will be thinking, why is there a pigeon roosting article at this time of year? Has Shooting Times bucked the usual trend of pigeon shooting…
How to shoot high pheasants
There aren’t many shortcuts in this game — shooting high pheasants takes practice. The only way to become really good at taking on those tall birds is to spend hours…
How to use a hide for pigeon shooting
Almost all of us, at some point over the course of a season, will end up shooting from a hide of some sort, be it a duck hide, grouse butt…
What to look for when buying a gun
It always amazes me how many people are seduced by the aesthetic of a gun before they’ve even analysed how well it’s built and given some serious thought to how…
How to get permission for pigeon shooting
Permission for pigeon shooting can be hard to get. A lot of the time it’s about getting to know people before you’ll get anywhere. Think of it from the farmer’s…
How to choose the right shotgun and cartridge for pigeon shooting
Shotguns and cartridges for pigeon shooting First off, what sort of gun would be best for you out in the pigeon field? Invest in the best gun you can afford.…
Our experts test out four different calibres pigeon shooting
I usually go off shooting pigeons with a Perazzi MX12. So when Patrick Galbraith called me with an idea of trying some different guns in different calibres for pigeon shooting…
Travelling light to flight
Pigeon flighting – reliable Enough is enough. I had the eighth person come up to me in the pub asking: “When do you think we will be shooting over the…
How to tackle common species when walked-up shooting
Successfully walking-up any quarry and making the most of your opportunities is not as as straightforward as people often think. Here I will go into specific details about how to…
How to prepare and dress a woodpigeon
Woodpigeon shooting provides fantastic, healthy meat and is a sustainable food source. The pigeon is an agricultural pest but it is only ethical that the shot birds are put to…
Footwork and how it affects your success when shooting
Most Guns don’t understand how footwork helps them, and when asked will probably answer along the lines of killing the bird wherever your front foot is, or something to that…