Wood pigeon hunting with live calls: training and equipment

In this article we will discuss the techniques of hunting wood pigeons and the training to which the pigeons are subjected, which act as a call. In addition, the equipment used to train pigeons and the functions they perform during the stalking will be described.

Wood pigeon hunting holds a record, namely the one relating to the quantity of ways in which it is hunted in Italy and in the world. The hunt for this bird is practiced in many ways and practically all year round, as it has become practically permanent in our territory.

At the pre-opening of the hunting season we can identify it in the fields of ripe sunflowers or cut wheat.
The wood pigeon is hunted in the mode with some plastic mold or rather a pen, and a game of pigeons placed on rackets on the ground, completed by some flyers.
In the autumn pass period, the most popular hunting is the classic modality which involves the use of flyers and laughing stock, on aerial stages, in the woods, waiting for flocks coming from the sea or strings from the hinterland.

The more recent field mode is also taking hold, with more specific and complete equipment than the forest one. In the periods in which the wood pigeon winters, especially in Tuscany, the so-called itinerant search for pasture sites begins, first with oak acorn, then with holm oak and finally with ivy. The most favorable periods are after mid-November, until the closing of the end of January.
During this period, equipment is changed, as decoy pigeons placed on telescopic rods, rollers, and some very good flyers on small and light racks are used: through this mode it is possible to often and willingly obtain good results.
A shed raised among the holm oaks is a valid alternative. Once the latter is built, the leaflets and cimbelli are tied to it, which in turn are placed here and there among the branches in order to attract the wood pigeons. The hunt for the hut allows a privileged view. Placed the pigeons on the poles, the hunters settle in the shed and begin to solicit the leaflets to attract the wood pigeons and convince them to break away from the flocks and approach the shed.

The aerial stage and hunting in the field and with the pole are modalities that differ in the position of the hunter: in the first case the hunter is on a structure several meters high among the branches of the trees; in the second case, the construction of a shed on the ground is planned, which is camouflaged among the bushes. The training of decoy pigeons is essential.
The first phase of the training initially includes the related leaflets to allow them to become familiar with the environment and with their duties, which they will later have to perform in view of the hunting season. After each training session the flyers return to their aviaries.

The plunger system is very popular; it consists of two metal tubes that slide one inside the other at the end of which there is a sort of racket on which the pigeon rests. A line that runs in a pulley and connected to a section of the plunger will allow the hunter to raise the plunger to induce the pigeon to take short flights over the racket. The pigeon, tied to the plunger with a recovery sock, will have the task of attracting the wood pigeons and bringing them closer to the hunter's position.
Also in this case, training is important, since the more a pigeon will be able to remain in close contact with the plunger or with the roost, the greater the docility demonstrated during the hunting phase. At the beginning young pigeons appear grumpy and fearful, it is the trainer trying to calm them and make them feel comfortable on the plungers and perches.

The training on the plungers and perches sees the cimbelli initially placed on the plungers, then the leaflets are left to reach the rack by themselves: After this first phase, the pigeons know they have to rest on the perch set up higher, the one where they will undergo the actual training. Pole hunting is practiced in opening times to settle sedentary pigeons and in winter for stationary ones. The plunger near the branches of the trees allows you to play without being noticed by the wood pigeons, a complex operation since there is the danger that the line will get caught in the branches.

In this case there will be disunited flights of the battery of pigeons and each of its components will search for its own trajectory without caring about that of the others. It is important that each flyer does not lose sight of the rack and for this purpose the cimbelli are used. In this case it will be noticed that in flight the pigeons are solicited by the cimbelli closest to the perch of the leaflets, to teach the pigeons themselves that this is the reference point for their return. Over time, the flight of the battery will become more and more harmonious and cohesive. Another modality involves the use of a lead line, to allow a more controlled flight of the pigeons.
Confidence with the hunter with the rod pigeon must be absolute.

Another type of training consists in keeping the pigeons tied for two days on the perch (obviously for a short time), while from the third day the thread is stretched. Time and patience will also be needed for the cimbelli for the inertial and classic roller. Theories regarding the training of live calls are wasted. Everyone has their own recipe, but the common denominator is patience and naturalness in training. After the first month of the pigeon's life, the latter can begin training.
In Italy many hunters, during the course of the year, train with passion and respect the pigeons that will be used during the hunting season. The use of the equipment takes place in the maximum safety of the pigeons that are trained.

Finally, a hint on the choice of shotgun and ammunition for wood pigeon hunting: the shotgun does not have to have particular characteristics, but only medium-length barrels with medium chokes are needed. Different is the discourse concerning the hunting at the passes, in which the shooting distances are quite long and the birds pass quickly. In these conditions, in addition to adequate ammunition, magnum rifles with long barrel lengths, from 71 to 75 cm and very choked are needed. The semiautomatic is the best weapon in this type of hunting both for the third shot, which often requires in very resistant birds, and for the reduced recoil effect compared to the side-by-side and over-and-under.
The wood pigeon, a robust and large caster bird, needs heavy 12-gauge ammunition or magnum to be shot down; the best lead for the wood pigeon should be 6, even if oscillations ranging from 7 to 5 still allow a good result.