Three top pigeon shooting tips from Crowman

I am new to pigeon shooting – what three pieces of advice would you give me to help me get some birds in the bag? Andy Crow offers advice!

Q: As a new pigeon shooter, what three bits of advice would you give me to get a few birds on the deck?

ANDY CROW replies: The most important thing is observation. Know what crops are in your area, know what time the birds are using the fields, know when a farmer is harvesting. Once you have located a potential site, watch the flightlines, check where footpaths are, where your safe shooting areas will be, where the prevailing wind comes from. This time is never wasted.

Make sure you have a gun you shoot well with. If you shoot from sitting, have you practised this? If you are crouching, can you rise, mount and shoot in one fluent motion?

There are plenty of good basic ‘kits’. A few decoys, some netting and poles and maybe a flapper or a whirly will suffice. Don’t go crazy to start with – learn how to use them and set them up at the right range, in accordance with the wind, to ensure you can actually get a shot at decoying birds.