Roost Ambush

Roost shooting can be a great way of spending a late winter's afternoon, especially as you only need minimal gear

- Richard Brigham

With little activity on the local rape, things looked quiet on the pigeon front. Clearing out well before dawn, the starlit sky meant a frosty start. So, with nothing better planned to kick off a Saturday morning, ambushing a remote pit-hole at first light seemed the best bet. Though feeding elsewhere, several had regularly been moving around the place, often gathering in the treetops before an assault on the neighbour's stubble turnips.

Quality shooting

Flighting pigeons can offer quality shooting. Providing you're not too close to the dormitory woods, a dawn ambush can give a busy start to the day as birds pour out from roost,though the action seldom lasts for long. At least there was a chance of getting a bunch of fresh birds for decoys.

Heading straight for the stubble turnips at first light, the main flock was allowed to pass untouched. steady little trickle of later birds gave some great sporting shots. On and off, they kept it up for nearly an hour and got me into double figures before I left for an early morning recce of the usual spots.

After the frosty start, the air was definitely beginning to warm up as great banks of cloud drifted in from the west. The wind was also improving, though bringing sudden gusty spells and light wintry showers of hail and sleet. But, as of late, few pigeons were found working apart from the odd bunch here and there, at least not where I could get at them. The only decent lot seen were hammering a piece of out of bounds rape.