Pigeons and Trap Shooting - With Chapters on Pigeons, Setting up Traps, Shooting from Traps, the Age for Pigeon Shooting, the Best Time of Day, Effects of Wind and Making a Hide

By Read Books Ltd.

This vintage book contains a detailed and accessible guide to shooting pigeons, with a special focus on employing traps. Written in simple, plain language and full of useful tips and simple instructions, this volume is ideal for the novice shooter, and would make for a worthy addition to collections of shooting literature. Contents include: “Pigeons and Traps”, “Pigeons”, “ Pigeons Continued”, “Pigeon Shooting from Traps”, “The Age of Pigeons Shooting”, “The Best Time of Day”, “Large Bags and Small”, “Effects of Wind”, “Implements”, “Making a Hide”, et cetera. Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly rare and expensive. We are republishing this vintage book now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new introduction on pigeons.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Read Books Ltd.
• Release date: May 6, 2015
• ISBN: 9781473394551

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PIGEONS AND TRAPS—BOUNDARIES—RULES—MODIFICATIONS—RECORD MATCHES—HINTS ON LIVE BIRD SHOOTING—INANIMATE TARGETS—RULES—BEST SCORES—HOW EXPERTS SHOOT—GUN TRIALS—LONG SHOTS—GROUSE DRIVING, BY SIR F. A. MILBANK.

TRAP SHOOTING.

PIGEON shooting, against the practice of which many sportsmen protest, unlike British field sports, is of lowly origin, but for several generations it has been a popular pastime with many of the best known sportsmen of this country and is practised fairly and legitimately in all parts of the world. At all respectable clubs there is no cruel treatment of the birds and fair play is accorded to every shooter. Pigeon shooting has long been a holiday pastime with the frequenters of low public-houses, and has been and still is used as a means by sharpers to fleece the unwary young sportsman. It is wise to shoot pigeons at recognised clubs only, whether in England or elsewhere; and before accepting an invitation to shoot a friendly match, to make sure of the character of the person who invites the contest, or experience at the trap may be very dearly bought.

Pigeon shooting as a sport may be said to date from about the middle of this century, although there were occasional matches and contests earlier. The first handicap is said to have been shot upon Mr. Purdey’s grounds at Willesden in 1856, but previous to this there had been fashionable contests at the Old Hats public-house, on the Uxbridge Road at Ealing, near London. The Old Hats obtained its name from the fact that the pigeons used for the matches were placed in holes in the ground, and were covered with old hats. The Red House at Battersea was afterwards the favourite metropolitan resort for wager shooting. The first bonâ-fide pigeon club was formed at Hornsey Wood House. Traps were used here, and the small cannon which were formerly in vogue as pigeon guns were discountenanced, and the ordinary double-barrelled fowling-piece substituted.

PIGEONS AND TRAPS.

The pigeon generally employed for trap purposes is known as the Blue Rock. The best variety, the Lincolnshire Tin Blue Rock, retain the wild nature of the common blue Coast Pigeon. They are fed in Lincolnshire by the farmers in winter time, who also raise cotes for them at a good distance from their other buildings, as the wilder the birds and the nearer the coast they are raised the stronger and more hardy they are. The true Tin Blue Rocks afford the best sport, and are much the hardest to kill, being small in the body, quick in flight at starting, tough in their nature, and game to the death, especially the hens.

Other Blue Rocks are bred in Oxfordshire and Yorkshire in large quantities, but are inferior to the Lincoln birds.

The Coast Pigeon (Blue Rock).

Many of the so-called Blue Rocks are also imported from Antwerp; in fact, the greater portion of the pigeons used for trap shooting are brought over from that port, and sold here as Tin Rocks. Some years ago a number of Tin Rocks were exported to France and Belgium for breeding purposes, and their offspring is now imported; the foreign climate has not improved them, as they possess little of the gameness peculiar to the English bird.

The real Rock is not always of the same marking; there are light and speckled Rocks.

Pigeons intended for trap shooting should not be used to being handled, and at the principal clubs several stringent rules are in force against any ill-treatment or mutilation of the birds. The purveyor to the club should find it to his interest to supply the best, that is the strongest, healthiest birds, and the trapper should be the servant of the purveyor, so that it is to his interest that the birds fly strongly. The hampers used should be spacious and well ventilated and a proper place should be provided for them under shelter or in the shade. The retrieved birds should be placed on or near the hampers containing the living pigeons. The purveyor should provide good dogs for retrieving. The puller should be a club servant.

Then if the ground be properly laid out and arranged and the standard rules adhered to, any collusion as to the trapping of weak birds may be prevented and any form of dishonesty, except the wilful missing of birds, may be guarded against.

The pulling apparatus should be of the very best. Buss’ is a very good one; that used at Monte Carlo and the Hurlingham pulling apparatus is also good. The traps must not be too small and should work smoothly, being flush with the ground when pulled over. The cords or wires to operate them should be underground.

Pigeon Shooting at Hornsey Wood.

PIGEON-SHOOTING BOUNDARIES.

Boundaries vary to 20 yards. The Hurlingham boundary is 90 yards from the centre trap, and the enclosure fence 8 ft. high. The Gun Club boundary is 65 yards and the fence 9ft. The Monaco boundary is 17 metres (about 18 1/2 yards) and the fence only 3ft. 4in. high.

An ideal ground would have a fence about 8ft. high at least, with reserved ground outside this fence that wounded birds may be readily recovered. At Monaco and Paris the birds fall into the water.

The handicap distances should be available from 81 to 35 yards from the centre trap; the puller should be at or near the 30 yards firing point.

RULES OF LIVE BIRD SHOOTING.

In England, as well as in America, the English Colonies, and in most clubs founded upon the same basis as our English clubs, the Hurlingham Rules are accepted without important modifications. At the Gun Club, and at Hurlingham, the weight of the gun is now unlimited.

THE HURLINGHAM CLUB RULES.

1. The referee’s decision shall be final.

2. The gun must not be held to the shoulder until the shooter has called Pull. The gun must be clear below the armpit, otherwise the referee shall declare no bird.

3. A miss-fire is no shot under any circumstances.

4. If the shooter’s gun miss fire with the first barrel, and he use the second and miss, the bird is to be scored lost.

5. If the miss-fire occurs with the second barrel, the shooter having failed to kill with his first, he may claim another bird; but he must fire off the first barrel with a cap on, and a full charge of powder, before firing the second.

6. The shooter’s feet shall be behind the shooting mark until after his gun is discharged. If, in the opinion of the referee, the shooter is balked by any antagonist or looker-on, or by the trapper, whether by accident or otherwise, he may be allowed another bird.

7. The shooter, when he is at his mark ready to shoot, shall give the caution Are you ready? to the puller, and then call