Pigeon safari

[snert]

Yesterday I drove past a local dairy that i used to shoot. I had cleaned it up of pigeons, but after three years off,, apparently they came back. So TodayI grabbed the Marauder 25PCP, McFadden tripod, new 1100 Special field 20 and my 14 year old daughter. Over the course of 3 hours we shot a little over 30 pigeons. Most were about 60 yards away and taken with the PCP. She hammered them. We figured out all it took was a second dot hold-over and 1/2 a bird left for wind and the bird was as good as dead. When they finally figured out that it was unhealthy to land on the barn, we transitioned to the little Special Field 20 guage. My daughter does not yet have the experience to wingshoot safely, so she gladly watched me. It was not long before we were being buzzed by pigeons. When I hammered the first one and it slapped on the side of the barn right above us, my daughter just calmly said "cool!". I even managed a triple for her, though every bird was hit back a bit. I guess I am rusty after a three year layoff from shotgunning. Time to hit the skeet field, and time to get her on that 1100. she is hooked!

 

[jds holler]

Cool beans! Glad to hear that you're out and about. I got one of the 870 Special Field guns when they first came out. Straight stock with 21" bbl as I recall. I loved the look of it, but the straight stock wasn't a fit for me, and after enough pounding in the cheek bone, I traded it to a buddy.

Did ya ever try converting a few pigeons into a meal? I haven't, but I swear I'm gonna one of these days.

I took a little ground squirrel safari today myself. Might post up a thread if any of my pics are decent. jd

 

[boltfluter]

That sounds like a blast. I will be taking out some pigeons on my upcoming annual rockchuck hunt.

Paul

www.boltfluting

 

[snert]

Cool beans! Glad to hear that you're out and about. I got one of the 870 Special Field guns when they first came out. Straight stock with 21" bbl as I recall. I loved the look of it, but the straight stock wasn't a fit for me, and after enough pounding in the cheek bone, I traded it to a buddy.

Did ya ever try converting a few pigeons into a meal? I haven't, but I swear I'm gonna one of these days.

I took a little ground squirrel safari today myself. Might post up a thread if any of my pics are decent. jd

If the world as we know it ends, i will eat pigeons from these barns, but frankly, they are filthy, crap everywhere, and the poop is deadly i once jumped down into a silo after a gun part (long story) onto what I thought was a bit o pigeon poo. Up to my knees in it! The ammonia smell about killed me. When I got home I showered and dumped rubbing alcohol on me, from atop my head because Lord knows what was living in that crusty filth and scrambled up my legs, (not a smart move BTW) but after the screaming ended i was certain nothing was left alive on my body. i am not a fan of pigeon...it is nothing but a feathered rat.

 

[jds holler]

If the world as we know it ends, i will eat pigeons from these barns, but frankly, they are filthy, crap everywhere, and the poop is deadly i once jumped down into a silo after a gun part (long story) onto what I thought was a bit o pigeon poo. Up to my knees in it! The ammonia smell about killed me. When I got home I showered and dumped rubbing alcohol on me, from atop my head because Lord knows what was living in that crusty filth and scrambled up my legs, (not a smart move BTW) but after the screaming ended i was certain nothing was left alive on my body. i am not a fan of pigeon...it is nothing but a feathered rat.

Someday, I'll let ya know how it is, although it sounds like your accident has left you scarred for life. I grew up eating mallards that I shot at the sewer ponds, so I'll probably be OK.jd

 

[MrMajestic]

Nicely done Snert! We ate Pigeon Pot Pie when we were young. Dad's culls from his tumbler flock he kept in the shed. They are nasty birds however so are Chickens! Of course we ate Groundhogs then also! Neither again for me unless it's between them and starving!

 

[JRS]

Pigeons are a dove on steroids. Good eating! Bacon wrapped pigeon breasts:

 

[mtlhdr]

Very nice. Can't think of a better way to get a youngster enthused about scattergunning and tuning your eye.

 

[Changeling]

When being raised on the farm we ate pigeons, the young ones were better then the older birds but still good. Here's how: Cleaning: I cut off the wings, legs and heads with a pair of side cutting pliers (very fast). Stick your thumb through the skin and rip it all off (like cleaning a dove) cut birds into quarters.
Cooking Goop: Cut up some carrots 5, celery 4-5 stalks 1 inch, onions quartered 2-3, green pepper's (2-3) in 1 1/4 inch squares (Heavy on the green pepper), 2 cans of Campbell cream of mushroom soup, garlic diced 3TBS, pepper, salt, 1 1/2 cans water, butter 3/4 stick.
Mix this all up, put pigeon in pot, pour the mixture over, cook/simmer slowly for a couple hours or done.

Eat as is or scoop over noodles like Pennsylvania dutch noodles, noodles make it better. If your wife has leftover roast chicken you can use it instead, just cook the "Goop" till it's about half done then toss in the diced chicken instead of pigeon and cook till done. You want the Goop somewhat thick (Control with corn starch), Cheap to make and awesome. recipe was handed down in my family for well over a 150 years.

 

[timeout]

Pigeon pie was an annual event when I was a boy growing up on the farm. No shooting was involved. We would climb to the top of the hay mows at night with flashlights. By shining the light in their eyes you could simply snatch them from the roost. Off with their head and toss them to great Uncle Selmer on the floor below. When we had enough for a large pot pie they were cleaned. The following week great Aunt Minnie would have a feast prepared. Those were the days. No one had much but we never felt poor. Work was hard, neighbors worked to help one another, you could hunt about anywhere. Life was good.

 

[jonbearman]

After the depression in the 1930's my grandfather would feed them squab. He said it was good because he fed them like chickens but told me he would not eat them again unless starvation was in order.LOL

 

[Changeling]

After the depression in the 1930's my grandfather would feed them squab. He said it was good because he fed them like chickens but told me he would not eat them again unless starvation was in order.LOL

That is how my father felt about beef. You couldn't have paid him to eat it!

When he was a boy on a big farm one of his jobs was to skin any animal that died or was slaughtered. It didn't matter if it was just killed are dead for some time! I asked him once why did he have to skin a cow when it was starting to rot, (hide no good ?) but he just didn't/wouldn't answer.

 

[DWheels]

Some of the best wingshooting I've had in my 69 years. There were several of us at the pool hall when a friend of mine came in asking who owned shotguns and who wanted to help him clean the pigeons out of his feed yard. There was a little sporting goods store in the front of the pool hall so I picked up 3 boxes of 16 gauge, and the old Browning A5 and went to work. We didn't wipe them out but we put a hell of a dent in the population. We had it set up so we were bouncing the birds around from the barn to the feed yard and back. They didn't have a place to land. I think I shot all of the first three boxes and had to buy another. Those were some good days. The place is all houses and commercial property now.

 

[snert]

Some of the best wingshooting I've had in my 69 years. There were several of us at the pool hall when a friend of mine came in asking who owned shotguns and who wanted to help him clean the pigeons out of his feed yard. There was a little sporting goods store in the front of the pool hall so I picked up 3 boxes of 16 gauge, and the old Browning A5 and went to work. We didn't wipe them out but we put a hell of a dent in the population. We had it set up so we were bouncing the birds around from the barn to the feed yard and back. They didn't have a place to land. I think I shot all of the first three boxes and had to buy another. Those were some good days. The place is all houses and commercial property now.

The first time I went was to a local dairy that had a very poor reputation. The barn was falling in, the pigeons outnumbered the rats, barely, and most of the livestock had become deadstock. We asked to shoot, and the farmer cared so little he told us to go right in the barn and have at it. Because of the large silos, the broken walls in the 1870's wood barn, and the number of dumb birds, we swatted over 100 that afternoon. We resorted to digging under the seats for any missed or lost shells, and the birds were still coming in. Some were shot like grouse as they passed thru (inside) the barn. the tough part was timing them to shoot so the shot went out a hole in the wall. A good time was had by all and we were invited back! i shot it for a number of years and it was always the same. Finally the guy went out of business (good for the cows I guess) and now the barn is a pile of sticks in a stone foundation.