One of the best decoying birds in New Zealand is the feral pigeon. The way they commit to motion in the decoys and come in flocks to hit them. The fact that you get one easy shot, any follow-up shots are challenging with the speed and manoeuvrability of this species. With Spring and Summer almost here the best time to get out there and find them is approaching.
On a market garden in South Auckland, my best man Cam organised a hunt when I was up visiting family. This was a different pigeon hunt for me as we were up at dawn. The pigeons were coming onto the feed just after the sun was up to get a full belly of seed. It was a beautiful warm summer morning with a touch of a breeze to know which way the pigeons were going to come in from when committing to the decoys.
The decoys got put out where Cam had seen the birds coming in the previous mornings with a couple of Mojo doves and the whirly machine to give the motion of a flock of pigeons. The whirly machine is a car window wiper motor with two pigeons attached to the end of a metal rod that goes round and round. A quick hide was set up in some bushes giving us some good concealment and having the wind and the sun to our back was also a bonus.
Once the birds started flying they came quick and thick but decoying well. I had a bit of the red mist descending early on taking too long to clear and for me to focus on one bird rather than the mob coming in. But Cam and Rhys were making up for it with some great shooting on them.
We had pigeons coming into the decoys for what felt like flock after flock for the first hour. This could give some duck hunting open mornings a run for their money without the worry of bird limits.
As the large flocks slowed up we had a few pairs and smaller flocks come in which allowed for some spectacular shooting from Cam and Rhys with one crossing pigeon 75 steps from the hide.
After a quick couple of hours of hunting in the paddock, the pigeons had stopped flying. They were likely resting up after getting their full. If we had time an afternoon shoot would have been possible. But with other commitments for the rest of the day, a tidy-up and count had to happen.
We ended up with 48 birds picked up which was a great morning out hunting the feral pigeons.
You can scout pigeons just like hunting ducks in a paddock. Find the pigeons in the paddock they are going into, and get permission from the landowner. You can use your duck mojo to get the motion or pick up a few decoys from your local retailer to support them. If you are in the Canterbury region feel free to hit me up, I am always keen to shoot some pigeons.
