new to shooting/decoying

fergus1001

hi im new to decoying pidgeons (about 6 months) im looking for information on equipment that would be benificial to me i currently have normal ground based plastic decoys

i was wondering how much id have to shell out for said equipment

in terms of a gun i have my fathers remington spr 100 (were farmers didnt use guns much but a infestation of pidgeons on our land has got me into shooting )

hunting at the moment as pidgeons are landing into a field of peas or ours and damaging flowers pods

tips and advice is very welcome

lee70

have you tried building a good hide what kind of pattern are you using heres a few to tryhttp://www.pinewoodsporting.com/products.asp?CatID=18

FISMA

Fergus,
I would keep it simple - a gun and ammo.

If you have some decoys, all the better. Perhaps, a bit of a blind, or just hide in some brush/trees/cover.

If you have a cell phone with a good speaker, or an external one, download some calls or go on youtube. I imagine someone has a feeding recording out there.

Keep it simple. Over time you will meet others that will have their own tricks. You'll pick and chose your bits.

Trust me, don't rush into spending a lot of cash. That will inevitably happen.;)

Dusty87

+1 to FISMA. (never used the calls though???)
If your not at it big time and dont need to spend money, keep it simple. Otherwise spinner, spinner, spinner!!! Make a cheap bouncer, you find 'how to' on line im sure. Just look up decoy patterns for your decoys. Trial and error after that. Oh, most important, get a good flightline!

fergus1001

@lee

i use a v patern faceing into the wind with me in a natural hide behind the v

i also use a half v coming out of the hedgerow

@FISMA

I have an iphone i never thought of using it as a caller i was actually looking into getting one thanks for the tip

@dusty
i have kept it simple but im really enjoying the sport and am hoping to invest in a beter shotgun

also id like to know about the spread of my shot im having trouble with just wounding pidgeons even at close range (10 yards) terrable looking at them and a terrible waste of ammo for me to im using remington 6 field shot at the minute there alot better than the fiochi 6's i had but still the problem remains

my gun is a fixed half choke from what i read i was wondering if there is a better cartridge suited to a half choke setting

FISMA

Dusty87 wrote: »

+1 to FISMA. (never used the calls though???)

TBH - neither have I. I haven't had the op to get out there are really hammer them, other than the ones around the farm.

I had good success mimicking duck feeding calls once on the Sionna.

I bet someone has the sound of happy pigeons eating to their hearts content - that cooing sound.

fergus1001 wrote: »

@lee
I have an iphone i never thought of using it as a caller i was actually looking into getting one thanks for the tip

I have used a cell phone for foxes, works like a charm. The fox's hearing is great though. I have no idea what the pigeons are like though.

I would get a few decoys and rig a rotary motion one. Should be fun.

Slan.


*******
A quick check of Cabelas and I found calls for: duck, geese, turkey, crow, and pheasants - on the bird side. No pigeons.

I bet the electronic devices have one. Especially those with hundreds of calls.

BTW - get an owl decoy and see what the magpies do to it! They hate them. They will feel obliged to attack. I think it was on this forum that someone posted a youTube link of magpies attacking an owl decoy.

dogsandguns

how big would the owl decoy have to be see active hunting ireland have a little owl decoy for ten euro and also would a falcon decoy work aswell heard that crows will attack them

browning 12 bore

fergus1001 wrote: »

@lee

i use a v patern faceing into the wind with me in a natural hide behind the v

i also use a half v coming out of the hedgerow

@FISMA

I have an iphone i never thought of using it as a caller i was actually looking into getting one thanks for the tip

@dusty
i have kept it simple but im really enjoying the sport and am hoping to invest in a beter shotgun

also id like to know about the spread of my shot im having trouble with just wounding pidgeons even at close range (10 yards) terrable looking at them and a terrible waste of ammo for me to im using remington 6 field shot at the minute there alot better than the fiochi 6's i had but still the problem remains

my gun is a fixed half choke from what i read i was wondering if there is a better cartridge suited to a half choke setting

well i have a 3 quater choke and uses 7 and a half on the bloody brill might be the cartrige your using not a lot of lead

browning 12 bore

fergus1001 wrote: »

hi im new to decoying pidgeons (about 6 months) im looking for information on equipment that would be benificial to me i currently have normal ground based plastic decoys

i was wondering how much id have to shell out for said equipment

in terms of a gun i have my fathers remington spr 100 (were farmers didnt use guns much but a infestation of pidgeons on our land has got me into shooting )

hunting at the moment as pidgeons are landing into a field of peas or ours and damaging flowers pods

tips and advice is very welcome

keep it simple yes but defo have a good few decoys roughly 16 to 20 decoys the more the better the pattern looks also i would highly recommend is airpro flappers on some bouncers

fergus1001

thanks for the tips lads went shooting today and got 10 pidgeons 1 crow and a rabbit when the bird activity luled

@browning 12 bore

im using remington 6's 34g if that helps

ArseLtd

fergus1001 wrote: »

also id like to know about the spread of my shot im having trouble with just wounding pidgeons even at close range (10 yards)

That's not right at all, 10 yards? Wounding happens but not usually less than 30 yards away. Best thing to do is get the side of a big card board box and shoot it at 35 yards. It'l give you an idea of how much the shot spreads and its pattern, and also to compare cartridges. Try it at different ranges out to maybe 60 yards.

Are you leading them enough? Ie. shooting ahead of them in the direction they are moving?

Try eley supergame 32gram number no6 or even 5, real vermin cartridge not for pot hunting!

Dupont

fergus1001 wrote: »

@lee


also id like to know about the spread of my shot im having trouble with just wounding pidgeons even at close range (10 yards) terrable looking at them and a terrible waste of ammo for me to im using remington 6 field shot at the minute there alot better than the fiochi 6's i had but still the problem remains

maybe your choke is too too tight for that distance,change it or let the birds out a bit and your shot will have a better spread

fergus1001

ArseLtd wrote: »

That's not right at all, 10 yards? Wounding happens but not usually less than 30 yards away. Best thing to do is get the side of a big card board box and shoot it at 35 yards. It'l give you an idea of how much the shot spreads and its pattern, and also to compare cartridges. Try it at different ranges out to maybe 60 yards.

Are you leading them enough? Ie. shooting ahead of them in the direction they are moving?

Try eley supergame 32gram number no6 or even 5, real vermin cartridge not for pot hunting!

i think i have them coming in a bit to close to me, i got one head on today and there wasnt much pidgeon left

i am leading the shot but i think there a bit to close to me and the spread is to tight with the choke i have (1/2):o

ArseLtd

fergus1001 wrote: »

i think i have them coming in a bit to close to me, i got one head on today and there wasnt much pidgeon left

i am leading the shot but i think there a bit to close to me and the spread is to tight with the choke i have (1/2):o

Hehe that sounds about right! I suppose a bit more practice is needed. Don't get too worked up on the choke if its a good shot it should hit them

FISMA

fergus1001 wrote: »

i think i have them coming in a bit to close to me, i got one head on today and there wasnt much pidgeon left

i am leading the shot but i think there a bit to close to me and the spread is to tight with the choke i have (1/2):o

Fergus,
Keeping with the keep it simple theme, don't over think chokes. A good shot is a good shot. Too many new shooters fuss about with chokes when the real problem(s) are just fundamentals.

You know you are doing something right when there isn't much pigeon left!

If you ever watch the pro's shoot trap and skeet, you'll notice they tend to hit clays and leave black clouds - that's what you want. A chip out of a clay may be a point, but might not be supper.

When I hit them, I like to see what I call projectile motion. Don't wing them, no spirals, nothing. One shot, and they are falling under the influence of gravity!

Enjoy!

fergus1001

FISMA wrote: »

Fergus,
Keeping with the keep it simple theme, don't over think chokes. A good shot is a good shot. Too many new shooters fuss about with chokes when the real problem(s) are just fundamentals.

You know you are doing something right when there isn't much pigeon left!

If you ever watch the pro's shoot trap and skeet, you'll notice they tend to hit clays and leave black clouds - that's what you want. A chip out of a clay may be a point, but might not be supper.

When I hit them, I like to see what I call projectile motion. Don't wing them, no spirals, nothing. One shot, and they are falling under the influence of gravity!

Enjoy!

yeah getting them perfectly is very satisfying

ill move out the decoys a bit from the hide in future to get a better spread on the shot a few spinners will also be got as the normal decoys are not atracting enough attention sometimes pidgeons will come in and land off at the far end having seen my decoys very frustrating

also as i said in another thread im constructing a pidgeon magnet with a wind shield wiper motor should help me out a bit