Pigeon shooting: There’s a belt of ivy-covered ash trees on the farm where I go pigeon shooting and they always draw a lot of birds during January, obviously for the berries.
Pigeon Shooting
Is it right pigeon shooting when they’re in poor condition?
Pigeon shooting: Last winter’s cold weather really affected the pigeons around here and they were in a very weakened state.
What kill-to-cartridge ratio do you expect pigeon shooting?
Pigeon shooting: What sort of kills-to-cartridge ratio would you expect from a good pigeon shot, over decoys, and over the course of a year?
Barn-storming pigeon
Q) Is it unusual for woodpigeon to nest in barns? In recent years we have had an increasing problem with these birds trying to nest in our open cart lodge? W. ELLIS-JONES By email
What size of camo net should I get for pigeon shooting?
Pigeon shooting: What size of camo net would you recommend for comfortable decoying, and do you have a preference of general colour?
What are those pigeon shooting decoys that look like socks?
Last winter I went goose shooting with a guide and he used a brilliant set of decoys, made like wind-socks, that moved and fluttered in the breeze.
Some of the pigeon in my bag were a different type!
Pigeon shooting: Last year I had three outings on rape in December which produced a reasonable number of birds, some of which were a little smaller, and darker, than the others.
Does ‘bagging off’ pigeon shooting areas actually work?
Is it worth going to the effort of ‘bagging off’ parts of large fields to stop pigeons landing there? Does it actually work?
Why do game shooters look down on pigeon shooting?
Pigeon shooting: Where I shoot, there’s undisguised animosity to us pigeon shooters from gamekeepers and syndicate members.
What can I spray on my pigeon decoys to repel water droplets?
Is there anything I can spray on my plastic full-bodied pigeon decoys to repel water droplets and stop them glinting in the light?
Can you go pigeon shooting over water troughs?
A couple of books on pigeon shooting say it’s possible to get a good bag of woodies in hot weather when they visit water troughs or streams for a drink.
My flapper doesn’t always work when pigeon shooting!
I use an electric flapper for pigeon shooting, and also a pigeon magnet most of the time, yet there are days when they don’t seem to work so well.
Do bale hides work in the open when pigeon shooting?
The land I go pigeon shooting on has a big acreage of rape and I sometimes struggle to get a hide in the right place – out in the middle of large fields.
Do you use crow bangers when pigeon shooting?
When pigeon shooting, how effective are crow bangers at stopping pigeons landing in other parts of a field?
Are dead birds better than plastic for pigeon shooting?
I have spent a small fortune on artificial decoys for pigeon shooting – only to be told by a couple of lads at the club that plastic is nowhere near as good as dead birds!
I have trouble pigeon shooting over pea fields
I went pigeon shooting over some pea fields for the first time last year and did reasonably well but, considering the numbers of birds continually being drawn to them, feel I should have done a lot better.
Pigeon shooting in the winter
Pigeon shooting: Winter rape is your best bet for decent bags at this time of the year.