NITEHAWK Clear View Camo Hunting Hide Net 4m x 1.5m Pigeon Shooting Net

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For decoys to work properly, you need to place them in an area where the pests you are targeting are already active. It is all about knowing your ground and the habits of the birds that live and feed there. As I keep saying, I strive to make the shooting part of the hide-hunting technique as easy as possible, and that always means taking the closest shots first. Often, several birds will alight together, and I’ll be straight on to the one that presents the least demand on my marksmanship. Off the zeroing bench in my garden, my .177 Daystate Royale can group its JSB pellets inside 20mm at 45 yards, wind permitting, so the 25-yard range at which I’m taking pigeons is no demand on the accuracy of that rifle whatsoever. I use a silencer that muffles the sound of the shot to almost nothing, and I shoot off a rest in my hides. I also know the ranges of my quarry’s perching hotspots, so it’s just the wind that can mess things up for me, and sometimes, even with so much in my favour, I still miss, as does everyone else. I’m pleased to say it’s a rarity, but it does happen. The important thing is, I’ve done my utmost to reduce the chances of missing, and I believe we should all do that.

Mat places his decoy owl on a patch of short grass in a clearing about 25 metres from his hide. It is a relatively open area of woodland that should make it easy for passing corvids to spot the intruder.Mat doesn’t hang around, as he wants to get the decoys in place without being spotted by his quarry. With the imitation birds in position, he slips into his hide ready to make his final preparations before any crows start to arrive.

A dedicated hide is a great choice, and many wildlife pros will swear by them. Many use a tent design that provide windows to shoot through. They're usually very portable and easy to set up, meaning you can make your shooting location pretty much anywhere. As an added bonus, many will also offer rain protection.. For the upper sections of your hide, ivy is an incredibly useful example of natural cammo, especially if you take care not to have too many leaves with their undersides showing. Leaves that have been turned over are a highly visible warning, so if you’re using ivy, ferns, or any other form of greenery, keep those leaves the right way up. If you are going to shoot from a seated position, your choice of seat is important. I see so many shooters with the wrong seat – and, especially, the wrong height of seat, which is absolutely crucial. It is key that your seat is set at a height that ensures that your knees are below your hips when you are seated. This will allow you to stand comfortably, slowly and correctly to shoot. I believe it’s really important to make yourself comfortable throughout your hide-shooting sessions. You’ll be more relaxed, more successful and you’ll definitely get more enjoyment from your hide hunting. The best way to achieve that is to get out and observe what is going on. Decoying is a lot easier, and far more effective, when you understand your quarry’s behaviour patterns.

Once the main frame is in place, just cover it with smaller branches to enclose your shooting position and provide a lattice of supports to which the final covering can be attached. Remember, you’ll need to be invisible to incoming and ‘scouting’ birds, too, and that includes crows as well as pigeons. The last thing you need is for birds to be wheeling away after spotting you and signalling danger to your intended quarry, so go for total coverage if you possibly can. I have a rule – if I can fool the crows, I’ve got it about right. A decent dome hide may be the lap of luxury, but carrying several extra kilos makes it vital to plan your shooting.

Carry on attaching those smaller branches until you have a network of twigs that will support the hide’s final covering. Don’t worry about making a door or windows at this stage, these can be cut out later. Crows are among the wariest quarry that airgun hunters can encounter. Even though Mat is planning to use decoys to stir them up, they are unlikely to fall for the ruse if they spot him. To keep himself hidden from the sharp-eyed corvids, Mat is building a hide. Rather than constructing it when he arrives to shoot, he has chosen to set it up a few days prior. However, the weight and bulk of a full-on portable hide can be apain when you’re on the go. That’s where camouflage clothing comes into its own. Go for a hoodie and trousers that’ll slip straight over whatever else you’re wearing and hey presto: instant cover. Then there's also camouflage gear for your equipment itself; blend your camera and lens into the environment, and you need never again worry about being given away by a big, obvious telephoto lens. Many shooters cause themselves problems when shooting from a
hide purely because the hide set-up
is wrong. If this happens, it can actually end up being a hindrance as opposed to an advantage.Mat has quite a wait until the birds home in on the owl. The first arrival is a single crow, which circles above the decoys while making the occasional suspicious croaking call. Shooting insandy or snowy conditions rather than a wood? Hunt out a hide that can be specced in a choice of covers. Generally, I begin by assembling a basic framework from the largest dead branches I can find and handle. A folding saw is the best tool for this job, and a ball of thin rope or paracord is perfect for binding the framework together. One day, I ran out of my usual cord and had to use some bright blue plastic baling twine I found on my shoot. It was highly visible and I vowed to replace it on my next visit, but I never did and that hide has been one of the most productive I’ve ever built. I still won’t use anything as visible as that, though! All members of the corvid family are notoriously sly, which can make it very difficult to get within striking distance of them. However, despite supplementing their diet with the contents of other birds’ nests, crows and their cousins become extremely protective of their own territories during the spring and summer nesting season. This is a trait that can be used against them. This mindset, and the ever-growing list of things time and experience have taught me, have allowed me to become successful at hide-shooting and hunting with an air rifle. I hope it does the same for you.

Finally, build yourself a comfortable seat. Sitting for hours on end is considerably less enjoyable with a numb bum, and being uncomfortable will divert your attention from the task in hand, making you and your hide less productive. I usually make a bench from a couple of log sections and sit on a beanbag shooting seat, so I can be comfortable whilst on full alert for incoming birds. I’ll also set up a small shelf for essentials such as binoculars, a flask, or even my old radio – yes, radio, that I listen to on my longer stints. Its volume is set really low so the birds can’t hear it 25 yards away, and it keeps me in touch with events as I’m enjoying my own little world. Before I close, I’ll just mention some things I never do, starting with wasting edible quarry. Please find an outlet for your pigeons, rabbits and squirrels. Pensioners, wildlife sanctuaries, butchers and restaurants will take your lead-free offerings, so don’t leave them for the foxes. Adding real birds proves effective and, combined with more calling, produces another chance for Mat. The corvids eventually wise-up, but it has been a productive session and Mat has accounted for five crows when he decides to call time.

This week’s Shooting Times Podcast

It pays not to get too flustered when corvids gather like this. Don’t be tempted to take chancy shots at birds that pitch into trees at the limits of your effective range, as you will account for more if you hold your nerve and wait for easier opportunities. Your shooting window follows the same principle as the door, in that it should be just large enough for your needs, and no larger. Sighting through your scope, make sure you can cover the most popular branches on the sitty tree and snip away just enough foliage to allow clear shots. I then tie on a sturdy section of branch to the base of my window to act as a rest for my rifle during aiming. I can’t stress enough how important it is to make the shot as clinical and straightforward as possible, and I do everything I can to make dropping each bird a formality. Another important aspect is to try and maximise the extent to which you can see incoming birds without being seen. Any movement or a flash of a face is easily spotted by birds. By using multiple nets you can create visibility spots through the net, which means you can sit in your hide watching comfortably and not constantly having to bob your head up over the hide, which is guaranteed to put off approaching birds. Once you’ve mastered the siting and building of your hide, the key to getting the most from it is far more down to timing than marksmanship. It might surprise people to learn that I rarely spend more than three hours in a hide, but that’s usually an hour more than I need to make a good-sized bag and keep my freezers topped up with what I regard as the best wild food on the planet. I tend to use a spade to level the ground if it’s not level. It’s important to have a comfortable standing that allows you to move your feet nicely.