wood pigeons

[oldwoodcutter]

Shooting pigeons at this time of year on crops, is viewed as distasteful by my shooting friends as they know that it will leave young birds to starve to death back at the nest.They generally shoot clays instead during this season.

[IanW]

What are these like after a crown reduction/hard cut back?

 

 

 

Cheers

 

 

 

Sean

 

 

 

I don't know mate, never done one or known of one that's been hit quite hard.

 

I'm sure some of the more experienced folk on here might be able to answer that

 

Ian

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

[headgroundsman]

It has been several years since the woodpigeon could be shot by anyone just because it is flying in range. It is no longer classed as a pest. It is allowed on special licence for the protection crops so you should be able to say what damage the pigeon was doing. Straight forward when shooting over a crop field. Not so easy if just flying past when you are out with the gun and very tough if sitting in a tree.

[Will Ayers]

It has been several years since the woodpigeon could be shot by anyone just because it is flying in range. It is no longer classed as a pest. It is allowed on special licence for the protection crops so you should be able to say what damage the pigeon was doing. Straight forward when shooting over a crop field. Not so easy if just flying past when you are out with the gun and very tough if sitting in a tree.

 

 

The wood pigeon is still firmly classed as a huge pest both by the authorities and the farmers of the uk. Because they breed all year and because different crops are vulnerable throughout the year it is important that farmers are within their rights to control them. People miss understand what general license means. Yes pigeons can be shot throughout the year and frankly sportsmanship should not come in to the debate. If the pests are doing damage then controlling them is imperative. You are simply not allowed to shoot pigeon for sport (that's not to say it can't be enjoyable) but killing these birds must be for pest control.

 

However, removing a nesting pigeon directly for the purposes of taking down a tree is not pest control. By nesting in the tree they do no damage, these are very adaptable birds which can survive on seemingly almost anything. You have to be able to prove that the bird is actively being a pest before it can be killed. Shooting out the nests of pigeon nesting in a country hedge is okay for pest control but removing one from a tree in order to remove the tree is simply not.

 

It's a twisty turney set of laws that governs our ability to kill other animals. Pigeons are under general license but that doesn't mean a lot when it comes to them in their nests away from an agricultural environment.

 

 

As for the weird way of thinking that pigeons should have seasons where they should not be shot, that in itself acts to go against the general license. They are pests. We are trying to reduce their numbers. If we let them live longer they will breed more and there will be more pigeons. I believe our job as pigeon shooters is to remove as many as we possibly can all year round.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Or just leave it on. Amusing to watch a flock jump two feet and carry on as normal after a bang:001_smile:

 

I don't bother shooting nowadays...just work my dog. I'm not even convinced they do much damage to rape. Even after grazing a field it seems to come back stronger than ever. The smell of a pigeon's crop full of rape could put you off eating them forever!

 

I get the breast out without going near the crop:thumbup1: