Autumn sees me doing a lot of pigeon and crow shooting over seed drills. Although the shotgun is almost always my first choice when shooting for crop protection, there are times when the airgun can play an invaluable role.
As it happened, an air rifle was my only option during a recent outing. A field where maize had recently been harvested had been drilled with a new crop, and the birds had homed in. Woodpigeon, along with a few crows and rooks, were hitting the freshly sown seed, but flighty horses and ponies in the neighbouring field meant I couldn’t risk spooking them with a shotgun.
Thankfully, my Daystate Blackwolf – paired with a 0DB silencer – is whisper quiet. Mine is an FAC model with huge power potential, but I’m currently running it at just under 30ft/lb with .22 calibre Rangemaster Sovereign pellets. Shooting at this lower-than-usual FAC power level keeps it very quiet and reduces the risk of shots ricocheting off the flints that litter the field, but still gives me enough stopping power to comfortably tackle birds out to 50m.
Below: Mat's FAC Daystate Blackwolf / Rangemaster Sovereign combo combines high-power performance with stealth and safe shooting
My first session was an early start, which saw me lugging my kit across the field just after daybreak. The birds had yet to arrive in numbers, which gave me a good opportunity to set up without causing too much disturbance.
On reaching the area where I’d seen the bulk of the birds feeding during a brief recce on the previous day, I set about building my hide close to where I'd earmarked a busy flightline. Using the hedge that runs along the field margin as a backdrop, I propped a lightweight net on hide poles to create a camouflage screen. Recent hedge-trimming operations had left the field margin littered with smashed branches, which provided useful material to drape from the hide and mask its straight edges.
With the hide set up, it was time to get the decoys in position. I decided on a pattern comprising 12 full-body pigeon decoys. These were set up in a rough horseshoe shape with birds facing into the very gentle right-to-left breeze, and with a wide arch to give incoming pigeons and large an inviting landing strip within the main pattern. The closest decoy was 18 metres from my hide and the farthest was at around 32 metres – useful range markers to help me quickly estimate the distance to unsuspecting pigeons without having to reach for the laser rangefinder.
Below: Mat used recent hedge clippings to dress his hide before setting up his decoy pattern
Two small groups of pigeons swooped over the field and jinked away after spotting me as I made my way back to the hide. It was an encouraging sign as I was starting to wonder if the birds might be reluctant to fight back to their feeding grounds in the foggy conditions.
Tucked inside my camouflage cocoon, I put on my head net for added concealment and made myself comfortable on my beanbag seat.
I love the serenity and of the first few minutes inside the hide after setting up. It’s a time full of anticipation; usually spent wondering whether my efforts will be rewarded or if birds will just ignore the fake flock and settle down to feed in another area of the field.
The signs looked encouraging for now. Small groups of pigeons – usually moving in twos and threes – were skimming along the opposite hedge and dropping in about 50 metres beyond my decoys. Birds can sometimes be reluctant to pitch close to field margins – because they know hedgerows can harbour predators like foxes and humans – and I did start to wonder if I was going to have a frustrating day with birds flighting to the right general area but refusing to commit to my decoy pattern.
Below: Concealed in his hide, Mat waits for pigeons to flight to his decoy pattern
Thankfully, my concerns were soon allayed when a solitary pigeon peeled away from the far hedgerow flightline and headed straight for my decoys. Swinging around to approach from downwind, it opened its wings and fluttered most obligingly into the centre of the pattern.
I was on aim before the pigeon had finished its landing procedure and now had it clearly framed in the crisp sight picture of my MTC King Cobra scope. The bird had its back to me, offering a fairly flat shot at (judging by my marker decoys) just over 25 metres. Applying a little hold-under, I touched off the trigger to release a shot which connected directly between the pigeon’s shoulders to deliver a lethal impact to its vitals. The bird flopped forwards with barely a twitch as the “wallop” of the connecting pellet echoed across the drillings, sending the group of pigeons out in the field flapping away in panic.
Seeing that the pigeon was cleanly killed and had settled on its belly, I decided not to break cover to make a retrieve. That decision soon proved to be a very good call as three birds from the startled flock were already making their way back and seemed to be heading for the apparent safety of my decoy flock.
I barely had time to cycle the Blackwolf’s sidelever to reload before the birds were swooping in for their final approach. They actually pitched just beyond the outer edge of the pattern, with the nearest bird around 35 metres from my shooting position. Similarly presented to the first bird, and requiring less hold-under as it was closer to my 40 metre zero range, the rested shot was standard fare for the Daystate / MTC / Rangemaster combo, and another pigeon was added to the morning’s tally.
Although cleanly killed, the second bird ended up with its legs in the air – a sight which is practically guaranteed to spook incomers as they approach the pattern. I hauled myself out of the hide to tidy up, but instead of bringing the shot birds back, I simply arranged them in upright positions where they would hopefully add to the appeal of the decoy pattern.
Below top: Mat lines up with his Daystate Blackwolf as the birds roll in
Below bottom: Belly-up pigeons need to be tidied up or they'll spook incoming birds
A very productive hour followed, with three more pigeons added to the tally, before activity came to a sudden halt. I’d like to say that the seed-raiding pigeons had been discouraged by my actions, but it is more than likely that they had just returned to their roosting woods for their usual midday siesta, albeit a bit earlier than usual.
After a very uneventful half-hour, I decided to call a temporary truce and headed home for an early lunch. The day’s shooting wasn’t over though. Feeding activity can really spike during the last hour or two before sunset – especially during the autumn and winter months – so I would be coming back to exploit that golden opportunity to boost my bag. The decoys were taken in to prevent any midday arrivals from cottoning on to the imitation flock but the hide was left in position ready for my return.
I also made a mental note to bring a couple of crow decoys back with me, as several corvids had eyed the pattern but decided against joining the pigeon gathering. That move proved to be very worthwhile and the evening shift concluded with a nice mixed bag.
Scope: MTC King Cobra
Ammo: Rangemaster Sovereign
Scope mounts: Sportsmatch
Jacket: Jack Pyke Rannock Jacket
Gun Support: Primos Trigger Stick
Gloves: Macwet
Article first published September 28th 2026
