As I turned the pages in Archie Coats’ book, Pigeon Shooting, I came across the phrase ‘rabbit clearance society pigeon poking programme’ — quite a mouthful and certainly something you wouldn’t hear in the 21st century. However, it got me thinking about how things have changed for the modern Gun.
Archie’s book is regarded by many as the pigeon-shooting bible. The tactics Archie used have become the basic skills for all pigeon shooting and the phrases he coined are still used as part of the pigeon shooter’s idiolect.
Old Shooting Times articles and books such as Archie’s are the only forms of literature that offer an insight into pigeon shooting back in the 1940s and explore how things have changed over the past 75 years. Though there have been many changes throughout that time, the effects have been both positive and negative for pigeon populations and the shooting there of.
Habitats and breeding were affected by the cutting down of large areas of woodland to support the war efforts in the 1910s and early 1940s. At the time, there would have been an immediate effect on the rural populations of woodpigeons, with the removal of large blocks of woodland, but the recovery of those populations was swift. The planting of young fir woods provided superb habitats if they were mixed in with hardwoods, such as oak and beech. Certainly, the modern forestry methods of the time really helped improve habitats for the woodpigeon. Indeed, in Archie’s day, there was a big shift in agriculture, with a swing away from livestock and towards arable farming. This improved pigeon numbers and made certain counties pigeon ‘hotspots’.
“The introduction of winter rape was transformative”
Ever adapting
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 26, 2021-Ausgabe von Shooting Times & Country.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 26, 2021-Ausgabe von Shooting Times & Country.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
United we stand
Following United Utilities' decision to end grouse shooting on its land, Lindsay Waddell asks what will happen if we ignore our vital moors
Serious matters
An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning
They're not always as easy as they seem
While coneys of the furry variety don't pose a problem for Blue Zulu, he's left frustrated once again by bolting bunnies of the clay sort
Debutant gundogs
There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting
When the going gets rough
Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
In this excerpt from the 60th anniversary edition of the BDS's Field Guide To British Deer, Charles Smith-Jones considers the noise they make
A step too far?
Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work
Two bucks before breakfast
A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem
Stalking Diary
Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill
Gamekeeper
Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside