With the barley being harvested all around, opportunities to bag some pigeons are widespread here right now.
Even though I can't get away early mornings which is the best time I shot a few yesterday & have to admit I prefer fresh fried pigeon breast to pheasant.

Interesting! What are you shooting them with?

Here I don't go early in the morning, but in the afternoon and in the evening. It's just something to please the farmers and to train the dog. This before-season-wingshooting also sharpens your shotgun's results.
In Belgium we're not allowed to use lead shot anymore and calibers are restricted to cal. 12, 16, 20 and 24. So no sweet cal. 28, nor the handy 36 (.410 or 12 mm) are allowed. And using steel shot, you better use the cal 12 because even with the 12 a lot of dove only give you feathers and they die several 100's of meters away.
Normal season is closed right now, but when farmers complain and all other tricks to remove the pigeons fail (as they all do!), some paperwork let you open the dove-hunting near the grainfields (within 50 m).
It's fine hunting, but not so good for the shoulder nor for the game. Because the high temperatures you have to cool the pigeons as soon as possible. And because of the high temperatures, nobody is wearing a jacket, so the stock of your rifle is a little short which allows you to shoot faster but also punish your shoulder more often...

It's a strange world: government gives a lot of restrictions on hunting, so that you can shoot less during hunting season, but now to control damage, we are allowed to shoot pigeons and make the young ones die on their nest. This is not what hunters like (maybe 'shooters' do) but the real hunting goes when it's cold enough and without creatures on the nests. But for some starvation seems to be more "green" and "natural" than shot and eaten by a hunter ...

But you're right: dove tastes better than feasant or duck or ...

Pigeons!! Flying rats is what I call them. Must be a translation.......are they doves? I wouldn't eat a pigeon. Must be a dove or there-abouts. Xcuze my horror but pigeons to me are those things you see in the courtyard of the Vatican that everybody seems to like to feed and let land on them. You don't eat those do you?


Sorry to be so
Suz

No, the pigeons we are allowed to hunt are the big grey ones with a white ring in their neck (when they are old enough) and a white line on each wing. Those city-pigeons are lost homing pigeons that started their own live under bridges and in churches or other buildings.

In the past we had a lot of rabbits to hunt too, but the myxomatose and this new chinese disease (VHS) made that now doves are the music in hunting. They bring a lot of fun, sure with strong wind, when they come in real slow till they see your barrel move and turn into the wind...
don't think that when you're good at claypigeons you'll also be good at real pigeons

English Mike, are you allowed to use lead shot in the UK?

Pumpkinslinger wrote:

Interesting! What are you shooting them with?

Beretta Silver Pigeon O/U 12ga with 30g of #6 shot.
Damn weather turned against a repeat performance, though tomorrow looks better.
I use the same gun for just about everything feathered, as it has multi chokes & is chambered for 3" shells. I just don't have the time to shoot often enough to be good with it.

Suzanne wrote:

Pigeons!! Flying rats is what I call them. Must be a translation.......are they doves? I wouldn't eat a pigeon. Must be a dove or there-abouts. Xcuze my horror but pigeons to me are those things you see in the courtyard of the Vatican that everybody seems to like to feed and let land on them. You don't eat those do you? Sorry to be so Suz

What you see in towns & cities are feral pigeons (originally rock doves) & you're right; I wouldn't eat one. They're easy to tell apart.

slimjim wrote:

English Mike, are you allowed to use lead shot in the UK?

Everywhere except wetlands & for waterfowl (11th Commandment - cough, cough........ ).