Catch your pigeon
Paul Quagliana gives some invaluable tips and tricks for the roost shooter
One of my earliest memories of secondary school was, aged 10, sitting tense and nervous in a physics lesson with a rather formidable female teacher who declared that “we walk around under an ocean of air”.
The lesson was about atmospheric pressure, and while I’ve forgotten the lady’s name, I do recall what she said clearly. To an extent, what happens on dry land also happens under the sea, and it is just the creatures there that have evolved differently to cope with their denser ‘atmosphere’.
Now, if you are a sea angler, you may know that on neap tides the fish may disperse, but on spring tides when the currents are powerful, it can concentrate the fish in certain areas, either to feed or to find shelter from the strong currents. I can’t help feeling this logic applies to woodpigeons. In times of still, calm weather, the birds can scatter and be hard to get to grips with. But in strong winds, just like the fish in a strong tide, they will seek features that offer shelter and can arrive in good numbers – at least, that is the theory.
Ultimate
A good angler knows where to find their quarry and so it is with the roost shooter. This is one of the many aspects of roost shooting that I have learned over the years. Everyone who shoots has their own ideas about what constitutes the perfect day out; it could be stalking in the Highlands or shooting grouse over pointers. I have been lucky in my life to experience all manner of shooting sports in the UK, whether with gun or camera, but roost shooting on a February evening in a darkening wood when the wind rocks the pine tops will always be top of my list. As well as keeping the woodpigeon numbers in check, it is one of the most testing branches of British fieldsports that exists, requiring lightning reflexes, the ability to correctly identify your quarry and make a decision to shoot or not in a split second. It requires both self-control and instant action.
So, for starters, if a sea angler looks for features such as reefs and wrecks to find fish in strong tides, what features should the roost shooter seek on a windy afternoon? A farmer friend of mine is kind enough to invite me roost shooting each year and the woods on his farm are perfect. The outer edges are often flanked by coniferous trees that offer warmth and shelter, and the innards of the woods are tall ash and beech. These are ideal for the pigeons to alight on, before flopping into the conifers for the night.
Location
Woodpigeons seem to like having an opening in a wood, maybe where trees have been felled by forestry work or by storms. These places should be sought out. There is another estate where I go that has a spot just like this. New trees have been planted in a horseshoe-shaped arena 80 yards wide that contains a few tall trees and is flanked by pines. Hiding under the pines on the edge of the horseshoe on a windy night normally yields results.
“It can pay to let a fleeing pigeon go a bit further”
Sticking with the fishing theme, if you are not catching anything, fire up the boat and move to a different spot. It can be slightly different with roost shooting. If it is an organised event, then it is vital that you stay where you have been placed by your host and make the best of it. Moving around may interfere with other shooters nearby. However, if you have a large wood to yourself, or your own ground, study what the birds are doing and go where they are. As was pointed out to me by my farmer friend, the birds may start arriving at the top of a wood, and then gradually move down it as the evening progresses. Their behaviour may alter from wood to wood and from season to season. Reconnaissance, if time allows, is rarely wasted.
The old trick of looking for droppings still holds sway, but it can catch you out. Droppings indicate the presence of birds, but are they necessarily from woodpigeons? One wood I visit has quite a large population of roosting jackdaws and the droppings predominantly belong to these. If they are woodpigeon droppings, be aware they may be from birds that have simply perched there during the day digesting their food before heading off elsewhere for the night. Also, some woods are what I call ‘early’ woods and others ‘late’ woods. Droppings indicate that birds are present, but they may not build up in numbers towards dusk – it may fizzle just when it should be getting busy, and vice versa. Speaking to gamekeepers, farmers or doing your own detective work may narrow things down a bit.
Camouflage, and what is appropriate, always rears its head where woodpigeon shooting is concerned. I generally avoid face masks as I find them irritating and my glasses steam up, but if you are happy with them, use them. Next time you are out strolling, look for dog walkers or ramblers in the distance. It is remarkable how human hands and faces stand out from a long way off – if it is obvious to us, then to a woodpigeon faces and hands are like waving a large flag. I don’t particularly like gloves either, but, again, if you get on with them, wear them. I tend to stick to a camouflage jacket and a broadbrimmed camouflage hat and try to look for natural camouflage to break up my shape. Ideally, lurk under pines on the edge of a clearing so you have a clear window ahead, or if you can find a shrub or fallen tree with ivy just above head height, stand behind it and look through the leaves. The pigeons may come from any direction, but they will often fly into the wind when alighting, so pick your spot accordingly.
Range
All shooters are different and their shooting can be affected in different ways. I find that if there is a single tree in front of me and a pigeon passes behind it, the tree can be a distraction and can cause me to slow my swing. However, when there are several trees this doesn’t seem to be as much of an issue. It may be something to consider, but regardless, concentrate on the bird and what it is doing. Sometimes, if time and
distance allow, it can pay to let a fleeing pigeon go a bit further rather than snatching at it. Watch what it is doing – will it exit from behind branches into an opening while still in range? Will waiting a split second longer present a better shot? Quickest is not always best and these split-second decisions keep the reflexes and little grey cells honed.
If a pigeon alights just out of range, you have the choice of attempting to stalk it – which takes great skill – or alternatively keep still and wait. It effectively becomes a living decoy, which may draw some birds to that area and give you a chance of a shot. If a bird zips over your head from behind and you are too slow, which is often the case on both counts, turn around immediately. There may be one or more following and these will present a ‘driven’ shot. If you have been invited on a roost shoot, it is important to check with your host if it is strictly pigeons only or if other quarry species are on the ‘menu’.
Take plenty of ammo, as even in areas where there may not seem to be many birds present, it is surprising what you can get through. With regard to shot sizes and loads, everyone has their own pet theories. I have had excellent results with 24g loads from a 16-bore and heavier loads from a 12-bore, and use pellet sizes of No 5 or No 6. What is important is that you are a reasonable judge of range. One of the banes of the serious roost shooter is novices firing at birds that are clearly out of range on organised roost shoots. It just spooks the birds and sends them high. Let them come in and if not for you, they may present an inrange shot for someone else.
A few years ago, I got so fed up with this behaviour I toyed with taking my fully choked trap gun and some cartridges loaded with BBs in an attempt to reach the spooked pigeons. However, a falling BB pellet might raise a lump if it landed on someone’s head, so I mothballed the idea. As with decoying, you will only build a decent bag if you are willing to take longer shots, but at birds that are still in range. As you are limited by time when roost shooting, I would say make the most of every opportunity that presents itself that can be realistically successful.
Consider
The issue of chokes, and whether to go tight or light, has probably caused more arguments in the world of shotgun shooting than anything else. I prefer a half-choke in one barrel and three-quarters in the other. I think that combination is a reasonable compromise for shorter and longer ranges.
Items to consider taking with you are a decent head torch, depending on how far you have to walk back to your vehicle, some grub and water. If you don’t have a dog you can cover quite a lot of ground picking your birds, and in rough terrain it can be thirsty work. Remember, the dog, if you have one, will appreciate some water as well. I like to pick my birds as they fall. I may miss a few opportunities while looking for them, but in dense woodland it is easy to lose your mark on them if you don’t pick them promptly. I like to lay them out to cool, because as far as I am concerned, each one is a prize and a meal. In light of the above, if you do set off either to pick a bird that has fallen a good distance away, or explore a wood, be wary of leaving any of your equipment behind. You never know who is lurking.
When to pack up? When the sun has dipped below the horizon and you feel the chill in your shoulders, there is always the chance of a ‘last-minuter’, but your time would probably be better served heading home for a pint. Pick up any spent cartridges and leave only welly prints, and hopefully a few feathers, behind.