Pigeon plague!!

Boiled-egg

I was up with my inlaws in Meath this weekend and the amount of pigeons was unbeliveable.
Just wondering is pigeon decoying popular up there as surley this number of pigeons need to be controlled.

deeksofdoom

I know a lot of the more 'sporting' type of shooter like to give the pigeons a rest this time of year as they are breeding. Although if a farmer is getting hammered and he needs help there's nothing wrong with going out to shoot a few for him.

The only thing is that this time of year there is so much pickings on the ground from the newly sown seed that when you go to a place they just lift off and go to the next field.

I set up in a place that was blue with pigeon a few weeks ago and they just ****ed off and didn't come back. A friend was watching a freshly sown field and there were pigeons dropping into it all evening. He went back the next evening and nothing came in to him.

This time of the year its just pure luck.

daithi55

is there not a season for pigeons
i thought ya could only shoot them this time of yer if there at crops

Birdnuts

deeksofdoom wrote: »

I know a lot of the more 'sporting' type of shooter like to give the pigeons a rest this time of year as they are breeding..

The problem with that is the fact that Wood Pigeon breeding actual peaks during the harvest in August - they are obviously smarter then they look;)

meathstevie

daithi55 wrote: »

is there not a season for pigeons
i thought ya could only shoot them this time of yer if there at crops

Shooting over freshly seeded fields does beyond a shadow of a doubt qualify as crop protection. Pigeons and crows can do a lot more damage at that stage of the crop growth cycle than they can ever do in a field of ripening wheat or barly.

daithi55

meathstevie wrote: »

Shooting over freshly seeded fields does beyond a shadow of a doubt qualify as crop protection. Pigeons and crows can do a lot more damage at that stage of the crop growth cycle than they can ever do in a field of ripening wheat or barly.

ya i no

kieran1141

had a farmer ring me about pigeons on ground just seeded, rang ranger she told me that fine work away, but after shooting 7 or 8 they were gone and did'nt come back....

rambo87

I live in Meath and ive noticed a massive amount of pigeons this year too... There are a serious amount of lads out shooting them... we've more gunclubs than other county and more NARGC members than any other county... although no one is really shooting them at this time of the year.. usually when the stubble is out and because of new rules only where they damage crops...
We have huge problems with people just arriving out from Dublin (or wherever) and just going decoying without permisssion, One day we had an Italian lad just out shooting!! ... last year i shot about 10 pigeons a week during the summer and so did the other lads but ireckon our flat cereal land spotted with little forests is just perfect for woodies... dunno they just keep multiplying!!

meathstevie

It is rambo, crackin place within 5 min. drive from my place. Serious tillage farm and the shooting of 4 of the 5 surrounding farms as well. You can't beat the area with big stick when it comes to pigeon shooting.

rambo87

Give it a go... the local gun club will probably thank you!! Keeping the farmers happy etc. Sometimes at this time of the year they wont come right in to the decoys, give the rifle a try... you usually spot about 6 or 7 just picking away... get up to about 100 yards... youll get them with a modifier device. Its a bonanza in August when the decoys really bring them in!!

Boiled-egg

Cheers lads, some interesting points.
Good Shooting.

Birdnuts

rambo87 wrote: »

, One day we had an Italian lad just out shooting!! ... !!

He probably thought he just died and gone to heaven given how many Woodies are left in Italy;)

PS: Maybe we could charge guys like this to do pigeon control = win-win situation for everybody:)

Dusty87

rambo87 wrote: »

Sometimes at this time of the year they wont come right in to the decoys, give the rifle a try...

Is rifle not illegal on woodies?

endasmail

rambo87 wrote: »

I live in Meath and ive noticed a massive amount of pigeons this year too... There are a serious amount of lads out shooting them... we've more gunclubs than other county and more NARGC members than any other county... although no one is really shooting them at this time of the year.. usually when the stubble is out and because of new rules only where they damage crops...
We have huge problems with people just arriving out from Dublin (or wherever) and just going decoying without permisssion, One day we had an Italian lad just out shooting!! ... last year i shot about 10 pigeons a week during the summer and so did the other lads but ireckon our flat cereal land spotted with little forests is just perfect for woodies... dunno they just keep multiplying!!

was this out near dunshaughlin??
the pigeons are all on grass ,or so ive been seeing them
no cause to be shooting them

rambo87

Birdnuts wrote: »

He probably thought he just died and gone to heaven given how many Woodies are left in Italy;)

PS: Maybe we could charge guys like this to do pigeon control = win-win situation for everybody:)

THe game council were concerned about cowboys charging money to let people come and shoot pigeons... it was a legal and insurance mess for them as well as all the other gun clubs giving out! Get the permission straight from the farmers... no hassell then.. things get complicated when money is involved... too many cowboys in meath!

endasmail wrote: »

was this out near dunshaughlin??
the pigeons are all on grass ,or so ive been seeing them
no cause to be shooting them

Dunsaughlin wouldnt be miles away from the spot alright, although a lot of them were picking in the ploughed fields, you cant see them now wit the crop.. Theyre out in the bean fields aswell.. Im not sure if you can shoot them over grass outside the season but they hop from grass to grain so often anyway its rediculous. Theres no grass/ pasture where i shoot. The fact is.. we actually need a serious cull of woodpigeon in meath and im so affraid to break the law that i only EVER shoot them over crop and even then sometimes im not sure :mad:

Jaysus i dont know if your not allowed the rifle for pigeons on crops... better check it out.

Tackleberrywho

Dusty87 wrote: »

Is rifle not illegal on woodies?

My understanding is, if they are eating your corn you can shoot them with a rifle under derogation

Very fine line on shooting pigeons out of season.

Might need you and Dev110 to give me a dig out
I have a lot of barley shooting this year.

J.R.

Dusty87 wrote: »

Is rifle not illegal on woodies?

There seems to be a lot of confusion about on whether one can shoot pigeons or not and also what you're allowed to shoot them with.

This seems to have arisen since the pigeon was given a shooting season, like other game, but it's also classed as vermin & can be shot the whole year around.

PIGEON as a game bird

When treating pigeon as a game bird they can be shot from 1st Nov. - 31st Jan (same as pheasant season) with shotgun only. They don't have to be near crops or doing any damage......just hunt them like you'd hunt pheasant, woodcock, snipe etc.

PIGEON as a pest species

Pigeon are also classed as a pest species that can be shot the whole year round if causing damage to crops. When shot as a pest species they can be shot with a shotgun and / or rifle.

To qualify for pest control the pigeon must be causing damage or likely to cause damage. There must be crops nearby that they are attacking.

You don't have to be shooting in the field they are attacking in order to be able to shoot them the whole year round, as a pest species. If pigeon are attacking a newly planted and seeded field & you set up your decoys in the adjacent field of pasture to shoot them then that's okay. There doesn't have to be crops being attacked in the field you're in....just nearby. The seeded field may be too mucky to bring gear down through and you be on a flightline in the pasture field.

Similiarly, you can roost shoot them as they return to the woods as long as there's a crop nearby being attacked by them.

If you were shooting pigeons at this time of year in a pasture field and there wasn't a tillage crop around for miles then it would be hard to justify shooting them as a pest species under the heading of 'crop protection'.

The bottom line is that if you're shooting them from 1st Feb - 30th Oct. then there would need to be a tillage crops or seeded field being attacked by pigeons nearby.....if so then you are perfectly entitled to shoot as many as you want, with rifle or shotgun, as long as the farmer / landowner of the crop being attacked has requested you to do so, on his / her behalf.

Dusty87

J.R. wrote: »

There seems to be a lot of confusion about on whether one can shoot pigeons or not and also what you're allowed to shoot them with.

This seems to have arisen since the pigeon was given a shooting season, like other game, but it's also classed as vermin & can be shot the whole year around.

PIGEON as a game bird

When treating pigeon as a game bird they can be shot from 1st Nov. - 31st Jan (same as pheasant season) with shotgun only. They don't have to be near crops or doing any damage......just hunt them like you'd hunt pheasant, woodcock, snipe etc.

PIGEON as a pest species

Pigeon are also classed as a pest species that can be shot the whole year round if causing damage to crops. When shot as a pest species they can be shot with a shotgun and / or rifle.

To qualify for pest control the pigeon must be causing damage or likely to cause damage. There must be crops nearby that they are attacking.

You don't have to be shooting in the field they are attacking in order to be able to shoot them the whole year round, as a pest species. If pigeon are attacking a newly planted and seeded field & you set up your decoys in the adjacent field of pasture to shoot them then that's okay. There doesn't have to be crops being attacked in the field you're in....just nearby. The seeded field may be too mucky to bring gear down through and you be on a flightline in the pasture field.

Similiarly, you can roost shoot them as they return to the woods as long as there's a crop nearby being attacked by them.

If you were shooting pigeons at this time of year in a pasture field and there wasn't a tillage crop around for miles then it would be hard to justify shooting them as a pest species under the heading of 'crop protection'.

The bottom line is that if you're shooting them from 1st Feb - 30th Oct. then there would need to be a tillage crops or seeded field being attacked by pigeons nearby.....if so then you are perfectly entitled to shoot as many as you want, with rifle or shotgun, as long as the farmer / landowner of the crop being attacked has requested you to do so, on his / her behalf.

Plain and simple. thanks J.R

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

Might need you and Dev110 to give me a dig out
I have a lot of barley shooting this year.

So have i.
As ya know, im a decoy man and never pass up free shooting:)

Tackleberrywho

Dusty87 wrote: »

So have i.
As ya know, im a decoy man and never pass up free shooting:)

Well I hate shooting on my own, especially if it means waiting around with Decoys as I have zero patience.

I'm currently shooting bunnies on one spot, they are eating off the headland.

As soon as it gets above Bunny height the Pigeons will be out in force.
Until then, my job is to shoot the bunnies

Mauser 308

kieran1141 wrote: »

had a farmer ring me about pigeons on ground just seeded, rang ranger she told me that fine work away, but after shooting 7 or 8 they were gone and did'nt come back....

Job done so, just drop back in every so often and make sure they have not settled back in. Keep them scared off. This time of year its crop protection so we just need to do enough to keep them from affecting a farmers crop.:)

Dusty87

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

Well I hate shooting on my own, especially if it means waiting around with Decoys as I have zero patience.

Is it a big field?? if so, You'd be as far on setting up a couple of positions, keep them moving, or else they will just fly to another spot or worse, another field. i like decoying when i can hear shots in the distance, pigeon tennis:D