it's not as easy as it seems

[stubby 175]

so my italian farmer mate phoned me on the scrounge for some mouse bait on monday, along with "bring your gun down" and do some shooting.

well I normally finish work around 5am and bed by6am, but last night we had a blowout on a couple of jobs, so I was home by 2am, giving me the oppotunity to grab a few hours kip, before heading off to the farm, I got there before him so went for a mooch with the 410, up until now the only thing I have shot with this was a live caught fox, so this was to be a big learning curve in shotgun shooting.

 

after watching the skies, I found a tree to sit under, that the woodies seemed to be flying over in their flightpath for other fields, the first four shots using 3" magnums had me realising I was still shooting at the bird, rather than following through and shooting in front of it, shot five got me my first and only woodie of the day

I then thought Id have a quick walk around the fields, so out pop's mr bunny, god knows if I aiming correctly, had read that when shooting a hushpower, to aim slightly above, to compensate for the moderator, well I aimed so the bunny disapeared at the end of barrel, bang on I thought, the bugger ran off into a large bramble bush and died, leaving me to hack my way in there to retreave him,

 

so ended the day with two for the pot, having used the best part of 20 cartridges its not as easy as it looks this pidgeon shooting is it

 

 

 

so my questions;

 

I was sitting with the wind into my face, does it matter

 

am I better off, starting/learning with birds flying across me, or away/towards me

 

this pidgeon shooting is certainly addictive, I already want a bigger gun

Im presuming a 12g is going to give me better results on the pidgeons, than the 410, which after all, was only bought as a dispatch tool,

 

end of day shot

my good lady kindly cooked my first woodie,

 

while mooching around, noticed quite a few bushes of these, any ideas what they are

 

[Rolfe 2]

Sloes stubby by the look of it mate.........nice to make sloe gin but wait till after the first frosts they are better.....if the birds haven't pinched them all first

If decoying woodpigeon you want the wind at your back if you can get it.........as woodies always try and land into the wind if they can. This way you have pigeons coming to your deeks head on.......so you can take them in front at the correct range for the .410 It doesn't matter if the wind is coming from left or right either, that way you can take them as crossing shots, which personally i find easier........but you need to set your decoy pattern a bit closer to the hide to allow for the limited range of the gun.

 

Hope this helps a bit

 

Rolfe.

[Sterry 0]

What size shot are you using in the .410, i tend to use the 2 1/2" no 5s in favour of 3" 6s just more clean kills.

 

Possibly those are Damsons. but im no expert, have a look first in a book before you eat one on my account

[Guest jt750]

They're sloe's mate

[Sterry 0]

I just recognised them from few years back where we was making sloe and damson gin....its very nice

[stubby 175]

but you need to set your decoy pattern a bit closer to the hide to allow for the limited range of the gun.

 

 

decoy patteren what decoy pattern

didnt have/use decoys, just took shots as they were flying over to the adjoining field,

 

as for shot size, yup was using both 65mm and 75mm no 6, I'll take your advice and try no5

[langouroux 14]

they are sloe berries mate, best you get picking them!!!

 

give them all several pin / fork pricks but them in a bottle of gin with caster sugar to taste, leave for several weeks!!it tastes aaaaaamazing!

 

a friend of mine makes this for when his new clients shoot their first deer! a bit keen if you do it at 6.30am!! like i did! hahaha

[SEAN3513 7]

good going stubby

 

adictive !!!!!...........wait until you start hitting em !!!!!!!!!!!!!!......lol

 

good fun with a 410, so when you getting your 12g ????

 

we go clay shooting every wednesday night, just to keep our eye in and we have been taking the 410's just for a bit more of a challenge and bloody good fun it is to!!!!!..........gets a bit competative though !!!!

 

anyway, keep at it mate......you just have to teach your brain to allow for a bit lead.......its a very hard thing to explain but will come fairly natural in time.

 

just remember " aim a rifle.....point a shotgun"

 

cheers

 

sean

[stubby 175]

so when you getting your 12g ????

 

well, funny you should ask, as much as Id like an o/u or semi, money is a bit tight at the moment, but Im picking up another pedretti hushpower in 12g single on saturday, my one and only shooting permission, has never let anyone shoot shotguns on the land, Ive had air rifle permission for 3yrs, I showed him the 410 hushpower and he was ok with me using it there, even commented today that he hadent heard a thing while I was shooting, so Im hoping a hushpower 12g will give simular results on the noise, plus its relativly cheap as a learning tool

[scent 509]

so when you getting your 12g ????

 

well, funny you should ask, as much as Id like an o/u or semi, money is a bit tight at the moment, but Im picking up another pedretti hushpower in 12g single on saturday, my one and only shooting permission, has never let anyone shoot shotguns on the land, Ive had air rifle permission for 3yrs, I showed him the 410 hushpower and he was ok with me using it there, even commented today that he hadent heard a thing while I was shooting, so Im hoping a hushpower 12g will give simular results on the noise, plus its relativly cheap as a learning tool

why doesnt he allow anyone soot shotguns on the land stubby

[HUnter_zero 58]

Sloes! go and buy yourself a bottle of cheap Lidl gin, empty the bottle in to a jug, fill half the bottle with the sloes (keeping as much of the blue yeast on them as you can), put a cup of sugar in the bottle and fill with gin. Find another bottle and do the same. Shake everyday for three weeks and leave until Xmas, strain and enjoy!

 

.410. An old friend once said 'why do you want a .410? A 15 yard shot is a gun'un!'. Not really the tool for flying pigeons, but another old friend once told me that if he had to own just one shotgun it would be a .410 and I'm also in the market for one but thats another story.

12 bores are good on the pigeon, size six shot. Pigeons being in my opinion just as much of a sporting quarry as Pheasants and twice as much of a skill test.

If you haven't any decoys, set yourself up under a flight line and wait. Shooting the birds in ones and twos will produce a good bag. Pigeon breast is a funny old meat, stew it and it has the texture of liver, fry it and the texture of the finest fillet steak. Try cutting a pocket in the middle, put some garlic cheese in the middle and fry for a few minuets each side, serve with a pepper cream sauce and you'll have a meal fit for a king.

 

 

John

[stubby 175]

why doesnt he allow anyone soot shotguns on the land stubby

 

one boundary line has the railway track and a housing estate, Ive always thought it was in case he had complaints over noise, It never bothered me in the past, as lots had tried getting permission and failed, yet as I was working on the railway track, and became friends, he offered me air rifle permission, and now that I have the shotgun, he's let me use that too,