3 top tips for shooting pigeons

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…

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, and know when a farmer is harvesting. Then, once you have located a potential site, watch the flight lines, check where footpaths are, where your safe shooting areas will be, and where the prevailing wind comes from. Time spent observing is never wasted, but is often overlooked.

After that, 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’ from the major pigeon shooting retailers. 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.