sombody educate me on Pigeons

Are you seeing videos posted by British hunters?

Wood pigeons are a common quarry over there.

Our common pigeons (called a rock dove, in the regs) are so close to rats that I would be hesitant to go near one that was not raised in conditions I was sure of. Sort of like eating crows shot at the dump.

Cheers
Trev
 
The birds that hang around farms are great eating because they mostly eat grain that has been left on the ground when farmers are loading or unloading grain and they also hang around cattle feeding operations picking up grain dropped by the cattle. When I was a kid my father used to go into the barn at night with a flashlight and a fishing net and catch them. I can't remember how they were cooked but I'm sure a slow roast covered in gravy would be fantastic.
They are also great fun to shoot with a shotgun but they are hard to hit!
 
As far as killing pigeons go, once you find where they are roosting, usually in a grainary, show up there just at dusk, the pigeons will be roosted for the night so they are easier to sneak up on, and not in a big hurry to leave the roost, then you have to flush them out and shoot them. Again getting their at dusk can sometimes get you a second or third flush as they are reluctant to leave, and they may not all leave at once.

As far as cooking them, your on your own.
 
In 1953 pigeons were associated to pneumonia in cattle and once shot out they never returned. At night with a flashlight, inside the barn, scope set on low power and shoot towards a wall. We never tried eatting them but they are essentially grain fed. Next time I get one I will have to see if the breasts come off like a grouse.
 
The common pigeon or rock doves are likely better eating than half the ducks guys eat. Their diet is comprised almost entirely of grains and seeds. Most large metropolitan areas poison them as a control measure.

Pigeons make real challenging wing shooting...and believe it or not they get smart real quick when hunted!
 
...lol

Haven't even thought of this in years! Filled the barn roof with holes as a kid...a neighbour would give me 5$'s per pigeon! Once Dad started charging $7.50 for a hole in the tin, things slowed a bit! .177 bounty! lol! Never actually tasted any but, know of a few "old world" folks that lick their lips just speaking of it. The blood can be cooked down for a "pudding" and, the meat can be slow roasted. I beleive that they are actually an introduced species...brought over just to nibble on!

They can be fun to knock down too! It's hard to imagine that the same birds that crowd around your feet in urban areas, become cagey as prey! They "learn" the sounds of an air rifle very quickly. Wait a week...they forget too!

...for what it's worth, around these parts, in the 30's (lean times) muskrat could be called "marsh hare" (My guess...sounds more appetizing!)
 
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We see a lot of them at one farm where we hunt geese.

Maybe next year I'll shoot a few and try them out. There's no reason they wouldn't be tasty I guess.

I don't think I'd take any that were close to town though.
 
They're considered flying rats around here and nothing more than cat food once they've been shot.
 
I shoot pigeons all of the time. I find them mostly at dairy farms where the farmers are more than happy to have someone take care of the "rats with wings". They are not as easy to clean as partridge/grouse. I usually just take the breast. It's dark meat and gamier than some other birds. I like to cook it in a red sauce and serve it with pasta and nice crusty bread and some red wine. mmmmmmm.

I just started hunting this year and pigeons have been an invaluable tool in improving my wing shooting. And there much tastier than clay targets.

Now I've gotten myself hungry. I guess I'll have to head out and shoot some pigeons this week if the weathers not too bad.
 
Pigeon's that live around grain farms are very tasty. I've shot several that had a gullet full of wheat. They taste about like a partridge, with a little darker meat. They are great in soup, or else pan fried in butter and garlic. Don't eat the urban ones.
 
We shoot them for the farmer that owns the property we have our camp on. We bait them onto the farm road with a bit of corn and then shoot them with the barn shotgun.

They are quite tasty :D
 
you would not want to try shooting them around here in southern ont were i live .a lot of the farms raise them as homing birds and race them across country ,some are worth a fair dollar .thy will call the law if thy catch anybody shooting them .were thy do not have permision .we get that a lot down here .you will see them on side roads 4 or 5 gus get out run in the feilds shooting as thy go with no permission very carless DUTCH
 
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