Quote Originally Posted by robhw97k View Post
nice 1 mate good stuff,i was buzzing when farmer said yes cos its on my doorstep n 2 o go no transport,theres not much to shoot at my permission av been 8 times daw 6 rabbits 1 squirrel which i shot,plenty woodies but in countryside woodies are nervous compared to woodies in ya garden,these woodies in countryside you stand on a twig and the woodies fly away,but am out in the fresh air with me gun no worries about the law,if i shoot owt its a bonus if not ah well least am out with me gun :-)
Exactly the right attitude to have.

Those woodies will teach you fieldcraft. The more spooky they are the more canny you have to be. Leaving shotguns aside there are two stratagies to perfect. The first - they are opportunist feeders and will feed on whatever is in season at the time. Look out for where they are and make a really good hide with nets and foliage making sure they can't see you from above as well. You can try decoys. A fake nest with eggs in and a fake magpie for the corvids or some plastic corn cobs (I have some that are really good even close up) for the pigeons. Open a tin and sprinkle some kernels around to keep em busy. Above all keep absolutely still and quiet.

The second is to wait for them to come home to roost. You can only do this if you have fairly tall roosting trees obviously. If this is an option then look for the droppings under their favourite trees. Not so easy when the trees are in full leaf but still doable. If you're shooting in trees remember to work out your distances properly. Gravity only works on the distance to the bottom of the tree. Your fangefinder might tell you it's much further to the bird but don't do it.

Good luck.