There is a trick aloft

There are certain shooting days I particularly look forward to each year. One is the first real harvest shoot for pigeon on a big local estate. There is something about shooting over ripe corn that is very special. A day in the hide under such conditions distils the very essence of summer.

In recent years, the build-up of pigeon around harvest time on this estate has been phenomenal, though bags have not always matched the potential. Nevertheless there have been the odd 70s and 80s with a steady run of 20s, and that should be enough to satisfy any decoy shooter’s appetite, especially as the shooting usually lasts from the time