WOODPIGEON SHOOTING (PART III} 459 



if allowed to approach the decoy on it too closely, they 

 are apt to discover the snare, and in sheering away 

 to offer awkward shots, perhaps through branches. 

 Whilst you are shooting, direct an assistant to walk 

 about any other fields near on which pigeons also 

 feed so as to drive them to your field. I have often 

 known of eighty to one hundred woodpigeons being 

 killed in a day on this system, chiefly on fields sown 

 with peas a food the birds are devoted to and have 

 had many a fine day's sport myself in cold and windy 

 weather. 



HOW TO CONSTRUCT AN AMBUSH FOR WOODPIGEON 

 SHOOTING 



The best kind of ambush is formed of two large 

 sheep hurdles, with sticks and thorns woven upright 

 in and out of their bars. They can be fixed in the 

 ground close up to the hedge, in the shape of a A 

 (A, fig. 100). The ends of the hurdles that point 

 towards the field should be about a foot apart ; you 

 can then if necessary fire low in front of you towards 

 the decoys. Fill this opening between the hurdles to 

 within a foot of the top. It is well to keep a couple 

 of these shelters fixed up on different sides of a likely 

 field, so that the wild pigeons may become accustomed 

 to their presence ; you can then select either for use 

 according to the wind. The sticks and thorns should 

 exactly match the brown colour of the hedge. 



