Law of the jungle

There is nothing like pigeon roosting to sharpen up your shooting, says Simon Reinhold, and North Vietnamese Army tactics help to build a bag

I would give up all other forms of shooting if I could still flight pigeons into a wood on a February afternoon. It’s where I began; where I grasped the need for effort to understand my quarry; where I learned to watch for patterns of behaviour, for preferred roosting trees and how pigeons adjust flight lines to the wind conditions. Pigeon shooting, in general, is perhaps the best grounding for anyone looking to understand the essence of hunting with a shotgun. The added difficulty of the height, speed, and angles when roost shooting pigeons make it a real examination of your ability and there are no guarantees of success.

Roost shooting is not an exercise in high self-esteem. It is difficult to shoot consistently well at this most sporting of birds. Occasionally, driving through the countryside, you will have a pigeon fly down a hedge alongside the car. Only then do you realise that their cruising speed is between 45 and 50 miles per hour. In average weather conditions, when they open the throttle to avoid danger, their acceleration and agility are quite astonishing. When they lift a wing to catch the power of a February gale heading for the leeward side of the wood, it is not worth wasting a shot.

Most game shooting coaches will tell you that getting your feet into the correct position is vital for successful shooting. Most roost shooting advice focuses on keeping still. Move; don’t move — the contradiction is obvious. How should we satisfy both requirements?