Worried about losing your pigeon permissions?

I’ve never shot over 30 pigeons and regularly come back with single figure bags... will I lose my permissions? Andy Crow replies...

Q: I am worried about losing my shooting. I go pigeon shooting regularly but I’ve never shot over 30 birds and regularly only return with single figures. You always seem to shoot 100 plus. Will the farmer be upset with me, and what am I doing wrong?!

ANDY CROW replies: Firstly, in some parts of the country, 30 can be a really good bag. Secondly, if you are turning out regularly for your farmer and keeping the birds off his crops, he will be pleased!

I am in a better position than most to pick the days I go and I try to ensure that I don’t drag Dom [Holtam] out for a blank day, because he moans! But I have had plenty of single-figure outings and low double-figure days. That is the nature of the sport.

I’ve learned to spot the opportunities for ‘big’ days and can also leave numbers to build up a bit to maximise those chances. I also make sure that when I’m in the hide I am fully focused – i.e. not smoking, drinking or having a packed lunch. I have also worked hard on my shooting over the years to make sure that I can pull down those longer birds and miss as few of the close ones as possible.

The more time you spend in the field, watching, learning and thinking about your pigeon shooting, the better you will do.