Pigeon shooting
22 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE
Some shot birds are kept on ice in a cool baganalternativeroutetotherapeseed.
ThenI glassedthesurrounding
fieldstocheckforbettersites.But
nothingstirred.Backinthehideit
wasbakinghotandtimetoslapon
somesuncreamandslopontheleast
tacticalheadgearI own— a wide-
brimmedwhitecrickethat.
AtthispointLiamreturned,
delightedtotaketheopportunityto
explainwhypigeonswerekeeping
away.“You’rewearinga sombrerothe
sizeofa helicopterlandingpadand
thecolourofa warningflare,mate,”
heobservedsympathetically.I was
justgladhehadn’tfoundmesnoring.A shortsiestagotthebetterofmeas
theactionlulledbutfortunatelyI’d
heardLiamapproachingandpulled
myselftogetherbefore he arrived.Flyblown
Dreamsofa centurywerefading
andshotbirdswereat riskofgetting
irretrievablyflyblownsoI ranthe
bag— 29— uptoLiam’schiller.On
myreturn,theactionpickedup
asa coolingonshorebreeze
encouragedbirdsontothewing.
I waspleasedtohavetwodead
intheairat onceasa groupoffour
driftedfromrighttoleftstraight
overthepattern,andI remembered
whatI’dbeentaughtontheclays
aboutswingingthroughtherearbird,
firingandcontinuingtheswing to
catch up with the fi rst.Severalbirdswereyoungand
betrayedtheirinnocencewith
confusedreactionstoa firstshot,
turningintothepatternrather
thanhandbrake-turningawayas
theirolderbrethrenchosetodo.
Still,I foundmyselfmissingsome
straightforwardbirdswiththefirst
shot,whichcertainlyspoiltmyratios.
At2pmtheheatgotthebetterofboth
dogandGunsowepacked up and
countedthebag.
A satisfying 34 birdsgleaned
from 77 shotsnowfill upmy
freezerandwillmakeexcellent
barbecuematerialinthecoming
weeks.It hadbeena goodflightwith
momentsofreallyexcellentsporting
challenge.Pigeonsinthemist—
a firstformeandhopefully
not for the last time.Tessis inherelement,
makinganothergood
retrieve across the stubble
Anotheraddedtothebag,
which reached 34 in totalthehide.I foundmyselfincomplete
agreementwithTomPayne(From
woodpigeontogamebirds, 24July)
aboutthenecessityofreacting,
selectinga birdandnotpanicking.
Itwastrulysuperbsport,
withbirdsbreakingat allangles
likespringingtealorpartridges
starburstingovera hedge.Tesswas
keptbusy,burrowingintotheditch
andnosingthroughscrubtoretrieve
thefallen.I didthehonoursif the
birdsfellinthepattern,propping
theirheadsonwhittledstickstoadd
whatArchieCoatscalled‘compound
interest’tothegathering‘fl ock’.The
magnetneededmovingtoonesideto
allowspaceinthecentreofthekilling
areaand,asnumbersgrew,I began
togatherbirdsintoa coolbag.
Withburningsunlightcamea lull.
Thefirstofthecombinescranked
intolifeat thedistantfarmand
a balerturnedlinesofstrawinto
neatcylindersacrosstheestuary
behind.Fromabout10.30amnot
a birdmovedinthestillnessofthe
bakingheat.Evena comfortbreak,
packedlunchandcoffeedidn’tmake
a difference.I’msurelynotalonein
thinkingthatbirdstendtotimetheir
movementstocoincidewithperiods
whensportsmenaredistractedbut,
onthisoccasion,drinkingcoffeeand
wateringthehedgedidn’tdothetrick.
TessandI leftthedecoystomake
sure the wily woodies hadn’t found
“Pigeonstimemovementstocoincidewith
periods when sportsmen are distracted”