CAMOUFLAGE

Although this will be regarded as heresy it is one of the greatest myths of pigeon shooting that in order to be successful you must be dressed head to foot in realtree camo gear. In what now seems like a previous life I spent a decade in the guntrade selling this gear and loyalty to the firm prevented me from saying what I am about to tell you – you don’t need it – drab colours will do. Sit still in a good enough hide (more about this vital topic in future) and look through the hide not over it and glance down with satisfaction at the cartridges you were able to buy because you didn’t spank the money on pointless camo gear. If you must have some then buy a 3XL camo T-shirt and wear it over the top of whatever is comfortable. That way if you rip it you haven’t lost £250. I remember one young trainee ‘keeper who took off his coat in a wood, hung it up and couldn’t find it again. Another individual made the same mistake with a camo semi-auto and had an extremely awkward time explaining himself to the police.

Slightly off species but professional deer managers use this technique on a regular basis – if you look and act like a dog walker, deer will stand long enough for you to take a shot, sometimes several as they don’t perceive you as a threat. If you crawl about in the undergrowth dressed in camo and your stalking technique isn’t spot on you might see them run but chances are they’ll be gone before you knew they were there. Another friend of mine and passionate wildfowler has used this on the foreshore to get close to geese – a blue anorak and he gets his Labrador to jump around like any tennis ball chaser and the skeins float over him at shootable height. He calls it hiding in plain sight.