Pigeon shoooting kit: 12 items to keep in the car

1. A pair of binoculars for checking out the flightlines before you set up shop.
2. A score of flock-covered shell decoys with the white neckband accentuated. Pigeon see in ultra violet and this makes the decoys really stand out.
3. A pair of Air Pro spinning-wing pigeon decoys. They really add movement and can obviate the need for a whirler if there’s sufficient wind. You can just set them up on a hazel wand cut from the hedge.
4. A whirler if it’s a still day and the birds have not grown wary of them.
5. If they are wary, two pigeon flappers on timers can work beautifully.
6. A modern, lightweight hide net.
7. A set of lightweight, adjustable hide-poles with kick-in bars for when the ground’s hard. Five poles are often better than four.
8. A decent seat. A leather-seat stool is comfortable and the taller versions make it easy to rise for the shot.
9. A rucksack to take some of the clobber.
10. Enough cartridges. It’s boring lugging them in and out of the car but painful if you run out.
11. A suitable container to transport the slain. Some use sacks, others favour old fish boxes salvaged from the beach. You need to keep the birds as cool as possible.
12. A large billhook to cut down brambles and elders to allow you hide to sit flush with the hedgeline.

But remember, if the ground’s wet and the pigeon shooting kit has to be lugged it’s better be under the flightline with some of the gear rather than set up off the line with all of it.

It might not be popular with the rest of the family, but keeping your pigeon shooting kit ready to go in the boot of the car means you can be in your hide with a freezer full of birds at your feet, before anyone has noticed you’ve gone.

With spring drillings in the ground and the last of the maize cover crops chopped, now is the time when some heavy bags of pigeon can be made. Our expert guide to pigeon shooting will tell you how to use your kit to best effect.

Once you’ve bagged your birds it’s time to cook them. Read: Why we should cook pigeon – the chef’s favourite.

You’ll find a collection of The Field’s pigeon recipes here.

This article was originally published in 2015 and has been updated.