Jupiter wrote:


Having eaten chicken wings tonight, the little pile of bones on my
plate gave me ideas about the pigeons. Big fat sitting targets in my
cherry tree.
Apart from a .22 BSA Meteor or similar, I doubt there's any way of
deterring these crop destroyers. I think it's legal to shoot them,
but does anyone know differently and is there any other way of
deterring them?

The problem with an air-gun is that you need a back-stop (unless your
garden is hundreds of yards long. What's behind your cherry tree?
Woodies are quite tough little buggers, when decoying we try to get them
with 30yds, and that's using a 12-bore shotgun. To answer your questions
seriously, wood pigeons may be shot at any time of year under a general
licence, if they are damaging crops (and when aren't they?) so yes it is
legal to shoot them. I know of no way to deter them - even the
ubiquitous 'gas-guns' (for which your neighbours would not thank you)
are ignored after a few days if not moved around the fields. If you have
an air rifle, and can position yourself so as to be firing into the
ground or other 'soft' backstop then, short of applying for a part-two
FAC and getting a .410 it's probably your best option. Do you know
anyone with a .410 who might oblige? (I am assuming a suburban/urban
situation with buildings around where a 12-bore would be inappropriate).