Wood Pigeon

Maybe the wood pigeon’s ‘coo-coo-coo-coo’ heard from bed reminds you of the warm early mornings of summer, but in the autumn, as the harvest is gathered, they leave their leafy treetop cover and flutter to the stubble to banquet. This is a great time of year to hunt them. Here on the ground they will peck themselves stupid, getting so stuffed that take-off requires a good run, lots of flapping and considerable exertion. Some old poachers’ stories will tell you that they can be chased, scooped up by hand and popped in a sack. I tried this, targeted the fattest pigeon, failed and felt like a complete turnip on realizing I was being watched from a passing tractor, one field away. On these evenings, though, with a gun and a strong position, I can gather a good few birds. The wood pigeon is otherwise very wily and will take to the wing at the slightest glimpse of the hunter, or faintest snap of a twig underfoot. The wood pigeon is a clean-living country bird and must not be confused with the grozzled wretches in our cities.