Tips and help for beginners

[Denny essex 15]

alls you need to do is put out some bread for bait and hide and wait until a woody comes down the bang

 

Possible but ilegal to bait pigeon.

[Jack Laidler 0]

Hi,

 

just wondering when you put you crow decoys out as well as your pigeons, do you mix them in together in the decoy pattern or keep them separated??

 

cheers, jack..

[Denny essex 15]

Separated from the pigeon pattern by a few mtrs, up to 10 mtrs is not too far but think about the way birds are going to come to both patterns and are within you kill zone.

[03milesR 6]

This post's a good idea, so many times the same questions are asked by newbies.

While off work for a long period and with the newbies in mind I sat and wrote a paper on the basics from gun to decoying to pass some time.

Just recently again off work I gave it a re-write and added some pics and diagrams anyone that wants a copy is welcome to it, im no writer but its been out to a few folk on another forum and had nice comments .

Just message me your e-mail addy and i will forward it .

here mate il take any tps you have as i want to take up pigeon shooting my email is gerdy32@hotmail.co.uk thanks

 

i would love a copy if you wouldnt mind. rikki.miles@hotmail.co.uk

 

thank you very much

[Denny essex 15]

Not sure if I have missed your message and did not send a copy of the pigeon paper , if so sorry and one on its way.

Denny

[toxo 160]

Hi guys.

I shot my first two woodies a few days ago. I love learning and suck up all the help I can get but it gets confusing when no-one mentions airgun or shotgun. I'm using a 12 ftlbs HW100 airgun and I'm assuming that decoy shells are ok if you just want them in the vicinity for a shotgun but full bodied would be better if you need them to land and linger for a while. Is this right?

I have the joy of shooting from a small caravan which they're used to. I put down four shells and four full bodied. I put them out at around twenty yards thinking they would land (if they land) on the far side so would still be within range. It worked a treat and although they landed and were very suspicious/perplexed, they stayed long enough, one at thirty yards and one at forty yards. They did land at the full bodied end of the pattern though.

I don't have any hangers for my shells. Are they necessary? Can you just lay them on the ground? I'm guessing you can for shotguns. Can I just put them on a stick that would give them a bit of wobble?

Any advice appreciated. Thanks.

[remi700 99]

You can easily make your own pegs, cut a stick from the hedge about 12" and cut an x into one end along the grain about 2" deep. Cut a piece of galvanise wire 3" and put it down the centre of the x and bind it with string. Job done, gives them abit of movement as-well. Getting them up off the ground and getting them to move around abit make a vast difference to there visibility from a distance.

[browning gts 11]

^{evening all , my advice would be travel light , my usuall kit includes, me my spaniel my gun 13 full bodied decoys a fold up stool a cartridge bag some camo netting and my flask , i where camo trousers shirt and fleece with my work wellies and i normally slip some hobnobs in me pocket for me n the mut. hope this helps}

[JamesB 1]

As a newbie I would like to recommend any of the Chris Green dvds, he makes some good pigeon dvd's and wildfowling ones that i've watched also. He seems a good bloke and they are very entertaining and full of ideas from the normal to ones that are a bit out there. I just got done watching his Crow shooting secrets revealed which is was a good watch also! Google / Youtube Chris Green shooting.

[harrycatcat 31]

As a newbie I would like to recommend any of the Chris Green dvds, he makes some good pigeon dvd's and wildfowling ones that i've watched also. He seems a good bloke and they are very entertaining and full of ideas from the normal to ones that are a bit out there. I just got done watching his Crow shooting secrets revealed which is was a good watch also! Google / Youtube Chris Green shooting.

 

Good advice

[cyclonebri1 8]

Well I've just come in from a total blank this morning, I tend to gear up and shoot from the hedge cover but today all I did was chase the buggers around.

 

A couple of points that may help someone.

 

I seem to do better on a day when there is another shooter around, even if he is a mile off, keeps 'em moving.

 

If there are 2 of you position at least a hundred yds apart, you will shoot more than 2 from the same hide and can actually scare them into each other

 

You will have a dam hard time decoying anything if they aren't naturally feeding in that field

 

Pick a fair distance from houses, 6 hrs of bang bang doesn't suit some folks and any complaint will be an issue for you

 

Flock full bodied winged decoy on fibre glass pole works best for me or should I say it makes the most difference.

 

Mate uses an old carbon fibre fishing pole, it's about 12mtrs long in total. Used to put deeks in tree tops, never tried it myself

 

And the ghillie suit?, made something similar this winter. Theres someone on ebay flogging 2 mtr x 1mtr long scrim scarves, bloody big scarf but makes an ideal ponch base for a ghille. Ebay again for a section of burlap camo net, only a few quid, strip the strings out of it after cutting it into 3 ft lengths. Fold this several times and knit and knot it into the scrim. Do this every 30mm or so in rows the same distance apart. NB snip the loop ends or they snag every thing. You've cut a hole for your head of course which your good lady has stitched up, so just continue untill you have enough coverage. Hang the long ends down over your arms and bingo, good to go. Bush hat got same treatment with some more off cuts and it all hangs nicely.

I tend to sit the hedgerows on a 3 leg stool and this thing covers the lot

 

OK, back to pigeon shooting then, you simply need to be in the right place at the right time, EG My best ever days pigeon shooting was on my birthday one december, always used to take the day off.

Now the field I set up in was great, the farmer who owned it was a farming contracter, he did all the local cropping, and he had to do everyone elses before his, but this year the weather caught him out and he didn't get to seed this field until Dec, he was mile behind every one else and it was corn, and the only available food source for miles.

Every pigeon in the county must have been on it.

 

So, this field was also unique in being about 30 acres and having a tree island near the centre, 2 trees about 15ft apart with scrub in between as it wasn't ploughed, perfect for a net.

Well as I said I blanked today, and a handful is more like my average, but this day they came and they came and they came. I know I shot over 500 shells as I had to pack and fetch another 250, I probably shot about 300 birds, not a good average but what the hell. I didn't move from the net after the 1st shot, the birds stayed where they dropped and it didn't bother the rest, it really did look as if it had been snowing.

 

Never shot a bird from that same position since and that was about 12 years ago.

 

Incidentally took as many as I could carry and came back after dark with a spade to bury the rest and the .22. There were at least 6 foxes in the field, managed 2.

 

Best days shooting by far over decoys for me, and very exceptional

[jam1e 12]

As a newbie I would like to recommend any of the Chris Green dvds, he makes some good pigeon dvd's and wildfowling ones that i've watched also. He seems a good bloke and they are very entertaining and full of ideas from the normal to ones that are a bit out there. I just got done watching his Crow shooting secrets revealed which is was a good watch also! Google / Youtube Chris Green shooting.

I just watched a youtube video of Chris Green and his son shooting. They know their stuff alright and the last part of the video had me in fits, very funny man

[Markdella321 1]

yes please mate! markdella321@yahoo.co.uk

where bouts in Essex are you mate?This post's a good idea, so many times the same questions are asked by newbies.

While off work for a long period and with the newbies in mind I sat and wrote a paper on the basics from gun to decoying to pass some time.

Just recently again off work I gave it a re-write and added some pics and diagrams anyone that wants a copy is welcome to it, im no writer but its been out to a few folk on another forum and had nice comments .

Just message me your e-mail addy and i will forward it .

[Sam Anslow 0]

 

yes please mate! markdella321@yahoo.co.uk

where bouts in Essex are you mate?This post's a good idea, so many times the same questions are asked by newbies.

While off work for a long period and with the newbies in mind I sat and wrote a paper on the basics from gun to decoying to pass some time.

Just recently again off work I gave it a re-write and added some pics and diagrams anyone that wants a copy is welcome to it, im no writer but its been out to a few folk on another forum and had nice comments .

Just message me your e-mail addy and i will forward it .

 

 

yes please i to would be glad of any help or advice sam_anslow@hotmail.com

[Chris Rush 0]

hi stubby i noticed that you was from essex. what part? im just starting out as of yesterday and was wondering if you could poss help me with a few bits as i see u post comments alot. i have just bought a pcp and have no idear on what to do, how to sight it in, were to look for land and just all things u might think to kno. any help would be kindly recived. many thanks.chris from witham