Pigeons With Air Rifle

[Big Daz 0]

Hi All

This maybe a bit of a stupid question or not as the case may be but does anybody use an air rifle to shoot woodies.

I meen shoot them in flight.

I know it must be difficult but if you use the same principals that you use with a shotgun then can an air rifle be used in the same way with any success.

I am asking because i dont have a fire arms licence.

what do you think the chaces are of it being successful

 

I have got my tin hat on so fire away.

 

Cheers

Daz

[langouroux 14]

im sure i read that one of the guys who writes for sporting rifle sets up decoys, and as they land he then picks them off with his air rifle.

[Big Daz 0]

That does sound the more logical way to do it.

but i was thinking of a bit more sport but its probably a bit of a hard task to actually kill them in flight.

[Catcher 1 639]

Come on get real mate.Your at the madam. Catcher 1

[jenksi87 3]

with there only being one pellet and no spread as you get with shotguns there is a very very slim chance that you will hit the bird in the right spot and kill it outright so i would stay away from trying to do i and as said above, decoy them in and shoot them while there not moving mate

[Big Daz 0]

thats what i thought but what got me thinking was when i watched the videon on here of some blokes hunting pheasants with bows.

so i thought why not with an air rifle.

but i do fully understand that a shotgun has a good amount of pellets from which only one has to hit the bird right and an air rifle only has one.

so i know its a long shot but if you dont ask you donk know.

cheers lads

daz

[Guest Countryboyo]

hard enough to hit them with an air riffle when they are perched.

[Big Daz 0]

Yeah thats true especially when aiming for the head.

so maybe i was being abit ambitious but hey i like a challenge.

i know the point is to kill them as quickly and humanely as possible but how many times have you hit a pigeon and it runs /flies/squalkes basically does everything but fall to the ground dead.

so i know trying to hit one in mid flight is going to be nearly impossible to kill with one shot but like i said they dont all die with one shot anyway.

 

cheers

daz

[Guest Countryboyo]

I wouldnt take a shot unless i was pretty sure they would drop

[aaronpigeonplucker 32]

<does this ansewr your question on if you can kill pigeons with an air rifle? those guys on the video were missing nearly all of them and they were really close (closer than you ccould get to a pigeon, even in flight)

best tactic is to find a sitty tree or a string of sitty trees and stake it out at about 6.30 in the evening and pick them off when they are nestling up in the branches. a sitty tree is where pigeons come in to sit (suprise, suprise!) or roost for the night and trust me shooting them in this way is sporting, you turn your face and they see a flash of pink, you'll a clutter of wings through branches and they'll be a mile away before you can say 'where did dah pigeons go?'

[Tyla 3,179]

Yeah thats true especially when aiming for the head.

so maybe i was being abit ambitious but hey i like a challenge.

i know the point is to kill them as quickly and humanely as possible but how many times have you hit a pigeon and it runs /flies/squalkes basically does everything but fall to the ground dead.

so i know trying to hit one in mid flight is going to be nearly impossible to kill with one shot but like i said they dont all die with one shot anyway.

 

cheers

daz

 

No one can guarantee an instant kill every shot but you owe it to your quarry to to do your best to humanely despatch it everytime. This means NOT taking random potshots and just hoping to hit it somewhere. In the unlikely event of you managing to hit it, you are unlikely to hit it anywhere vital especially if your struggling to kill them when they're stationary?!?!

 

On a lighter note when I was a kid, I once saw a mate shoot a flying starling (when they were on the general licence) from the hip with a BSA meteor. It was dead before it hit the ground. It was a total fluke and not something I would recommend. I was pretty impressed at the time though!

[Yerbs 0]

hello, I currently do shooting with an air rifle (HW97K) in .22 I have only been hunting 2 times before, though I can say hunting with an air rifle is easily possible, and a decent method if you do it right.

 

I never take a shot pasted 35-40 yards, and I keep in practise with my air rifle on paper targets to keep me sharp, also there are pellets designed for taking out vermin, if you’re going to use an air rifle I suggest you invest in some. Also I never take a shot at a moving bird, only ones that are sitting on bare trees, and buildings.

 

if you go for the most expensive pellets your still only looking at £9 for 200 shots, I have really enjoyed shooting with an air rifle, the only thing is that my rifle is a Springer so it makes a little noise and its only a 1 shot then fully reload, I would recommend a HW100 (precharged) as that is what my friend uses.

[SEAN3513 7]

PLEASE DON'T TRY !!!!!!!!!!!

 

shooting pigeons in flight , with an air rifle ??????????

 

i have heard it all now !!!!!!

 

tell you what to do.................take your air rifle to your nearest clay ground........have a go at 50 sporting birds and see how many you hit, im betting NONE.

 

plus....you dont need a firearms licence for a shotgun (unless its more than 3 shots).....you need a shotgun certificate ( very different process).

 

sean

[waidmann 105]

i might just add that the pellet WILL come down sooner or later( at a considerable distance in some cases).

even with an air rifle the "stop" rule should apply.

atb with your pigeons mate.

[lilpip1234 62]

ori mate i shoot pigeons with my air rifle but never in flight, best thing to do is set the decoys and pop the ones that come within range on the deck