Pigeon Shooting Hints and Tips

Tip 1: General
Always remember with Woody you're shooting a wild, wily and sharp-eyed quarry. As versatile as they come, as quick and sharp as a razor. I'm willing to bet that with the possible exception of youngsters or town birds there's not many that haven't been shot at in their lifetime and that makes for one 'once bitten, twice shy' quarry! Notice I said 'shot at' and refer to my later notes about the quality of shooting at Woody. There's probably more get away after being shot at than ever get shot.

The weather will always play an important role in Woodys habits. A darn good blow is without doubt best of all but that's not the whole picture. Temperature plays it's part. Rain is a damn nuisance both to us and to Woody. Barometric pressure is I'm convinced, a major factor. Think how you as a human being feel in thick, thundery weather, well it's my bet Woody feels pretty much the same. Lethargic, tired, thick headed and acts accordingly. A bright day with a good wind, a field with the right food that Woody craves; this is a gourmet bird and I don't mean from the human point of view, and you can expect a good days sport. Only don't because Woody has a habit of 'no show'. They've never evaluated that expression 'the show must go on' Go out in hope not certainty and you're more likely to enjoy the day and if not well that immortal Churchillian phrase springs to mind... KBO keep buggering on!

Tip 2: Clothing
Fits in nicely with tip 3 on hides, It goes without saying but dress for the climate, in summer lightweight, cool and in winter warm and waterproof. That said there’s one all year round criteria…camouflage! Not necessarily camouflage itself although that helps but blending in, becoming part of the scenery. A face veil is I believe essential pigeon shooting kit or if not a hat at least. Nothing shines like your face to Woody. Beware too of your hands, those lily white flashing flags that can be seen for miles (literally) by sharp eyed pigeons. Don't point, don’t wave, and don’t scratch your head 'cause sure as eggs are eggs your quarry will see that movement. Think like you need to hide from that sniper who wants to take you out and you’ll not be far off keeping yourself undetected by Woody.

A word of caution in this PC world we live in today…if you do go the whole hog and end up in a chameleon suit have a change of clothes to visit the local or drive home in. Frightens the hell out of the natives if you turn up looking like Rambo!

Flat colours like Barbour jackets are OK but they don’t break up your profile, in fact they tend to accentuate it. Tweeds are better and the ranges of break up camo now available are generally very good. Use your common and you shouldn’t go far wrong.

Tip 3: Hides

This is a major part of the field craft that's required for successful pigeon shooting. It's no good setting up a great decoy pattern if you can be seen for miles by the sharp eyes of Woody. Concealment is part of the game.

I once stood in a hide we'd made in a field ditch and had two strollers standing just behind the hide discussing what the decoys were doing there…they had no idea I was within touching distance of them until I (politely) asked them to move on as they were putting birds off! The look on their faces was a real picture.

In truth if you're dressed like a sniper in the field you probably don't need a hide but if you want to spend all day sat on your backside trying to decoy Woody then make yourself comfortable. A well-built hide, that doesn't take a moment to set up, will hold you, your dog and all your kit and you may as well do it in style. You can even put a roof on it if it rains! That however is another story.

You'll need the basics, a set of poles, usually four but five is better. I make and use a set that are extendable to nearly eight feet and come with a built in ground spike and kicker. The net can be a simple standard camo net or I tend to use either a stealth net or add a scrim net behind the camo net. Basically I'm trying to hide any movement behind the set-up. Whichever net you use it's unlikely to completely blend in with your surroundings so add some of the adjacent flora to it. Not in a haphazard way mind, stand back and look at colours and lines of foliage and try to replicate that. Maybe dried grass at the base, some hedging through the centre and don't forget to get rid of any straight lines across the top of the net. In fact I like to have some foliage along the top to peer through as Woody approaches the decoys. A properly set up hide like those in the pictures will help no end to give you the edge needed for successful shooting.

You'll need to keep still and whatever you do, DO NOT show a white face or a pair of lily white hands that Woody can see from a mile away. Also watch that gun. It should be kept below the top of the hide until the moment comes to move, mount, shoot, to borrow John Bidwells famous phrase. We've all seen the movies where the injuns know just where the cavalry are because the sun glints off their binoculars and your gun will do just the same. Keep it hidden until the last moment!

Personally I like to shoot standing up, in fact I'm amazed at how people can shoot from a sitting position and most, in my experience, can't do so very well. Many of the seats offered to pigeon shooters are in my opinion way too low, a bucket, a fishing chair, a stool, they just don't work for me. I like a seat that I can stand up from just by straightening my knees and my kit includes just such a seat that doubles as my kit carrier. If necessary I can load the seat on my back just like a rucksack and carry all I need for a day in the field in one trip.

My clients and I have tested much of the pigeon shooting kit offered here personally. Some of it has been made by or adapted by me or manufactured to my specifications. I use it and have confidence that it works. I continue to experiment with different ideas and to be as open minded as possible about new developments in pigeon shooting accessories. If you book a days pigeon shooting with us you'll be using this self same kit.

  

See our Gallery for more example photos of hides.

Tip 4: Decoys
The latest developments are generally the best. Flocked or foam are where it's at today. Forget all those old plastic ones that shine and spend some money on a decent set of lures. I even prefer them to the real thing, mainly because of the fly problem, partly because of the hassle but also because the real thing can get to look pretty scrawny by the end of a day. I also think that detail isn't as important to Woody as it is to us. The white recognition patches on Woody's neck and wings are the main attractors.

There's a whole range of styles, shells, full bodied either head up or head down, but as long as it's none shine and looks like Woody from a distance it should work. Add to them some bouncer sticks and some decoys that are specifically made to add movement and you've got yourself the beginnings of a decoy set-up.

If like me you love the toys as much as the game then you can add lofters, bouncers, spinners, flyers all of which will help some of the time but as always it's worth remembering that Woody doesn't always do as expected. I haven't mentioned rotaries as they are now de rigueur for the pigeon shooter only you've got to know when to turn them off. In general I'm not a great fan of the many new electronic, mechanical devices which to my mind are designed to attract pigeon shooters rather than pigeons.

Tip 5: Decoy Patterns
Woodpigeons feed as flock birds, and this is a big factor when arranging your decoy patterns. The best pattern allows an area for incoming pigeons to land in, which is a common sense practical consideration but more importantly place the decoys generally facing into the wind, this is often seen in feeding wild bird flocks, but don't line the decoys up in strict order, remember nature abhors a straight line! So place them in a rough pattern to resemble the real thing, after all that is what you are trying to simulate.

This is a simple horseshoe pattern for simple reasons. There is space for incoming pigeons to land in and an escape route. Pigeon decoying is far from an exact science, what might work one day may fail the next so use this advice as a guideline only. On the day you may have to play around with the pattern before the birds accept the decoys and come in to land. Playing about with the shape and taking notice of land features and wind direction will eventually help you eliminate poor decoy pattern. Here are a couple of simple diagrams to help you envisage the basics.

  

Tip 6: Shooting
I'm no ace shooter or first-rate coach. I do have my opinions and will, if asked, voice them. I do think that anyone who shoots should make the most of their sport and practice to be as good as possible. Anyone coming into shooting sports and many who've been in it all their lives should, in my opinion, take some lessons from a first class coach, someone who really can help improve your game. In never ceases to amaze me the number of shooters who take their gun out once or twice a year and blast away at all and sundry without hitting much. Get some professional tuition and your sport will take on a whole new dimension.

Pigeons are, to my mind, one of the hardest live quarry to connect with. True aerial acrobats they are never short on surprises and in a hard blow there's not much that can compare. Maybe grouse, maybe teal but Woody will always give you the best run for your money. Couple that with the fact that you've got to have good field craft skills as well and you might start to understand why I personally consider Woody to be 'the ultimate sporting bird'.