Hunting for the wood pigeon as an alternative to the goose, of course, uneven: after all, the goose trophy tempting. However, the methods, equipment, camouflage, shooting and agility these hunts are similar.
Yes, and are both on the same fields.
In autumn when geese are in transit in the sky and rarely sit down in the fields, hunting for them is inconclusive. To the swamp to get hard (and the car not impossible). Feet sink in the moss above the knee, behind the backpack about 30 kilograms or more, the weather is chilly, with heavy wind, the incessant drizzle, turning into snow… As one my friend dared once to go with me to a distant swamp: “I nearly gave birth!” In General, hunting in the fall in the swamp — pleasure rather doubtful and not wanting so much. Maybe that’s why autumn hunting of wood pigeon in the fields have become lately increasingly popular. Indeed, there are many tempting. First, the timing is right — September: no gnats, mosquitoes and flies; second, props burdensome; in the third (and main!), birds abound and the dynamism of the hunt is fascinating.
THE CHOICE OF LOCATION
Good places for such a hunt a lot. For example, in the South-West of Leningrad region in areas such as Luga, Gatchina, Volosovo, where processing fields, sow the grain. As for the trophy, it is very, very good. The meat is tasty, fatty, diet (of course! wood pigeon fattened mainly on grain). By the way, not to be confused with wild wood-pigeon — wood pigeon, or vitutia, homemade bluish dove — sizar’.
STUFFED ANIMALS, SHELLS, PROFILES
After the summer break it is advisable to stock up on stuffed pigeon or halves-shells. Profiles can be saw and. For example, we did. First cut jigsaw of three layers of plywood 28 pieces, and then, after studying pictures of the body halves and stuffed online, painted them and nailed them pointed pillar with a length of 25 cm. As a large flock of pigeons in the sky might be interested in such cool pack on the field, the total number of stuffed animals, shells and sections should be as large as possible (but less than a hundred, so as to collect them on the field after the hunt is simply too lazy). We bogus had accumulated 40 pieces. Just had to buy a scrim the color of autumn grass or a piece of fishing net and of course folding
chair.
WEAPONS. SHOOTING. MINING
Take an ordinary smooth-bore guns. Suitable double-barreled or single-barreled gun 20 th, 16 th and 12 th calibers (12th preferred). I know that nowadays young hunters are passionate about goose hunting, becoming mostly semi-automatic. They are perfect for hunting pigeon. The fact that this bird is gregarious, and a good hand there is always the opportunity to knock out two or three wood pigeons from gust pack.
All kinds of wild pigeons careful, therefore masking
hunting is at the forefront.
I prefer cartridges with shot No. 6. For the long shot will come and “five”, and for the middle — “seven”, depending on how you shoot and what style of shooting. “Seven” you can beat the incident, prisivashya to the scarecrows and flying the birds off of them, that is, neighbors, “six” and especially “five” — flying overhead at 35-40 metres. Beginners will advise you before the hunt to practice shooting Skeet on a stand or in a career with his own machine, and also to engage fascinating case — independent equipment cartridges. To do this, today there are many appliances and accessories. So, we recently acquired a matrix for sealing the cartridge with an asterisk company “Velkont”. A very handy set. As they say, is made for people to choose the best cartridge for your gun, your barrel, your shell entrance, his muzzle narrowing. Many people know that every rifle likes its cartridge and gives the best fight a certain number of decimals. In our group of independent equipment cartridges paid a lot of time. This activity carries, especially when there are good results on perestrelka.
Those who have a shotgun, learn to shoot black powder is to taste, so to speak, of its incomparable smell. My generation has powder nostalgia: in our childhood, basically beat the smoker.
As for the style of shooting, then there’s someone like accustomed. I can only say that wood pigeons are flying rapidly, and a long leash to do here will not work. I shoot for overtaking or crossing, otherwise called the method. Its essence is that the shooter quickly raises his gun to shoulder (or cheek), energetic movement catches the barrel game and as soon as the clearance between the bird and the barrel, immediately push the trigger. People often ask, what is necessary to take preventive actions. Even masters of the sport can’t answer this question. They are elusive. Importantly, in this method, the hunter spared a very big and common mistakes — obsasyvaniya. The thing is that with the long leash it often happens that the angular velocity of movement of the trunk behind the flight game. And if in the moment of pressing the trigger the shooter stops the gun involuntarily, then a miss is inevitable. Add to this the nod is sharp pressing the trigger — and there will be misses in the game, flying across the line of fire (from left to right or Vice versa).
I teach young hunters shooting at overtaking. The positive results they notice immediately. But we must bear in mind that since the time the amendment discounted the shooter no, the gun should be customized to the shooter that when pressing comb lodges under cheekbone eyes saw only fly and only a small part of the strap (not the entire bar). With a large camber can not see the arrows fly at all. And the side-arm of the Lodge must be normal to the axis of the sighting was in the middle of the strap, and trunks was not looking to the left or to the right of the line of sight. Also of importance is the length of the box. It should equal the length of the arm from the end of the index finger to bend at the elbow to the index finger freely pulled the trigger.
Today, the semi-automatic these adjustments are made easily. There are additional spacers under the recoil pad and under the neck of the Lodge. Even killed the lodges are easy to change. I want to draw attention to the importance of the fit of the Lodge to arrow, then to not be disappointed in the shooting. The flight of the pigeon is fast, time for amendment of the discounted bird does not, so shooting is difficult. But an experienced hunter, if a bird beginning to fly on the field, always shoot from the heart, and several dozen wild pigeons produced no surprise. For a young man to hunt for wood pigeon — great practice, which includes the game and a selection of favourite pigeons of the field, and the observance of disguise (like in duck hunt), and showing restraint during the RAID and shooting.
Shooting offhand — the lot of experienced shooters. The gun throws and is induced immediately at the point where the fraction should meet with game; as soon as the butt touches the shoulder, pressed the trigger. I will say definitely: it was hunting wood pigeons, you can learn to get into a fast-moving game. Even better than on the stand. Here after all is in the house: and a disguise, and the choice of time for shooting, and discount, and the choice of targets and shot. While no one bothers, nothing embarrassing, because the time to hunt you have chosen is free from work or family matters. And to pay for the plates is not necessary. And pigeons — out of many!
FIELD HUNTING
Whether you go on any other hunting or at the cottage, or at work, be sure to keep an eye on the wires of power lines, poles, freestanding trees, ditches, edges of fields. If the seed crumbles, especially after the harvest, the pigeons are beginning to fly to the fields to feed, and then you can not yawn. But we must bear in mind that oat field, the wood pigeons do not like. In oats the long and rigid spine. Wild pigeons like wheat, rye and barley and various forage crops, such as vetch or buckwheat. Considering all this, I can go for a reconnaissance (in particular, we do). In pigeon flocks strict discipline. Departure in the morning for feeding happens at five in the morning, feed the pigeons till about noon, then fly into the woods. In the evening they come to feed four and are at the fields until eight in the evening. In cloudy weather and after rain doves feed during the day. In fog and rain they do not fly on the field, apparently, don’t like to mess around in the mud. Still need to know that the diet of birds varies periodically, so be ready that morning if on the field you spotted feeding birds, then at night they might not be there. Sometimes, in the morning they fly to wheat, and in the evening on vetch or buckwheat. If you and your friends came on several machines, my advice: stay on different fields, then in the course of hunting you will be able to inform each other about the presence of birds.
WITH THE APPROACH
Sometimes you can hunt with approach to move carefully along the edge of spruce forest and beat the birds sitting in the trees or soaring with them. A gun to keep at the ready in his hands. Consider the birds in the crowns of deciduous trees is not easy. And careful they are. But there are fans and such hunting. It is necessary to Express themselves…
The BLINDS. DISGUISE
Wood pigeon, wild bird, besides schooling. Count how many pairs of eyes in the pack, and you will understand why the disguise should be given due attention. Here, as for goose hunting. Here on sarmacka will not work. The blinds put in visited the field away from chronciles and isolated trees, or birds they will sit and over time you will figure out and then fly to the forest or to another field. As for hunting geese, but not going deeper into the ground, insert pegs and fit an their camouflage netting in the color of the environment, and to fit you need and the height to fly over the head of the bird did not notice the hunter. For you to be able to quickly jump out of a pit of fire, do it the easy way. Stuck branches from a sketched grid and grass should taper up, not to unmask you when you flyover birds and so you can, jumping, shoot while standing. If the field is the forest (blemish) with high grass or thick bushes, then build it. If needed, only plug 2-3 branches and a scribble of grass. By the way, such boundaries we in the Leningrad region quite often in the fields. There since the war has solakli boulders and bits of iron. Whatever kind of blinds you have arranged to shoot it standing up, otherwise will make mistakes.
When a bird falls on the land, in the furrow, in search of a trophy takes a lot of time.
Stuffed place in front of the 10-20 meters to the incoming doves was in front of you and not behind. It is advisable to sit down to avoid blinding sun. Place a chair, place the backpack with the supplies, hang the binoculars, put the cartridge… do Not forget that your outfit — jacket, pants or camouflage, must not detract from the area and will glory in the sun. In case of rain prepare membrane clothes or a cloak, and for a pit — a small awning. Here, perhaps, and all disguise.
Hunting for pigeon in some way alternative to goose hunting. It is available to anyone — both novice and experienced, experienced, and hunters with disabilities. Birds, after all! If you have recruited a small group of like-minded people, where better than on vecherinki hunting to put together a friendly team. For our group out on a pigeon hunt — the joy of being outdoors, from hunting and communicating with each other. Especially nice to hunt in the nice autumn day.
Also interesting is this: on such the hunt suddenly revealed unnecessary things, combined with ignorance, inexperience or someone else’s advice. So little has shown himself to be branded satchel, alcohol burner, a pair of binoculars with 12x magnification, Balaclava with holes for eyes, sawing chain, a cheap raincoat impregnated with, a “fake” thermal underwear and the same quality jacket, machete. Maybe a hunt at another time these things and would be useful, but after they were safely removed from the list. But her brain is ripe for a new list of what would not hurt to purchase.
