Wood pigeon air rifle hunting is very rewarded and fun.

Wood pigeon are cautious but they are delicious, that is why hunting wood pigeon with your best air rifle is the probably the most rewarding small game. Wood pigeon are smaller than city pigeons and they can be found in dense woodland or near rural farm barns and sheds. It is a good idea to hunt wood pigeons in a farm since it is convenient and much more relaxing than entering the thick woodland. Be sure to ask for the farm owner’s permission first before go hunting.

Top 5 Air Rifles For Wood Pigeon Hunting

As said, the wood pigeons are natural inhabiting birds which are completely different from those ignorant city folks; they are very timid and cautious so the best way to hunt them is a using a good air rifle for their excellent silence. Also, you do not need a license for using airguns, which may be a plus. In fact, the best air rifle can be as good as the real deal which is able to take down even deer. That is being said, you should save your money to get a really good air rifle to accompany you in all sorts of games. A decent pellet gun ranged around $300 – $800, sometime you can find a rough-diamond with cheap price and spend some time to modify them into a great one. These air rifles are listed as the writer’s preference and experience. You can read a thoughtful guide about How to choose the best pellet gun.

Air Arms S510 Xtra FAC PCP Air Rifle

This UK made pellet rifle may be your eternal keeper! It is exceptionally beautiful and built with the highest attention to details and craftsmanship. The S510 must be one of the most accurate guns on the world and once use it, you will have an unforgettable impression! You should buy the .22 calibers option for a general choice. It may be costly but it worth every penny.

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Benjamin Marauder PCP Air Rifle

In my opinion, the best one-stop purchase air rifle for pigeon control is the Benjamin Marauder. This excellent PCP driven pellet gun is long famed for its hunting ability, even large games as turkey, fox, hogs and coyotees are no issue. It is also user-friendly and you will find it is extremely easy to use even you are new in this sport. Read a thoughtful review about this legendary air rifle: CLICK TO READ.

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Crosman PCP Challenger

Famed as the newest and best pellet gun for competition, this airgun has been approved as legitimate for usage in Sporter Class air rifle competition by the National Three-Position Air Rifle Council’s committee. It is very ideal for small games due to its superb accuracy. CLICK TO READ.

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RWS .22 Pellet Gun Model 54

Also known as RWS 54 Air King Air Rifle, this one is among best pellet guns available and it worth every penny! The gun prides itself with great accuracy and the famous anti-recoil loading action which will deliver a smooth and comfortable shooting experience in most of pest and bird hunt. You can see more real hunting action of the RWS 54 in this review: CLICK TO READ.

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Hatsan 95 Air Rifle

This rough diamond is probably the best pellet gun in the cost-effective class. The scope and mounts are average but the rifle itself is stunning in both look and shooting performance, you can’t go wrong on this deal! Click here to see how a user turn this rough diamond into a shining luxury treasure.

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Camo Netting For Your Hiding Area

Beside the air rifle, it is also important to have other hunting accessories as well. You will need decoys to lure the pigeons in. These dummy pigeons are mostly made of plastic, which imitate real pigeons. As the real pigeons see the decoys, they will tend to land into this area. The decoys are very cheap, so buying about 6 dummy pigeons will be quite enough.

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Camouflage and netting are necessary. Like other birds, wood pigeons have very good eyesight. They can detect human face from faraway; therefore it is a good sense to hide yourself in camouflage hunting clothes and camo net. These setting will help you blend in the environment and will not scare the preys away. Of course, you have to choose suitable color for every environment. The camo woodland color seems to be a generic one and suits well with many areas.

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You will also need some hide poles to hold your netting. You can also use sticks or branches but it is not like you can always find them. Using a set of poles will save your time, and they are much more stable and durable.

Pigeon Shooting Tips And Tricks

There are some pigeon shooting decoying tips and tricks which you can apply. The key for doves hunting is patience. No need of complicated move, just set up your hiding place and patiently wait there. You should find a crop field bordered by woodland. You can hide in the woodland for better cover and of course it is more comfortable under trees’ shadow than being on the sunny field. It is recommended to set up the hiding place up with the wind behind since it will be helpful as the wood pigeons land near the dummy baits.

The decoys are one of the most important tool just after the air rifle. The arrangement should be in V shape, with your ambush place on the wing side. This V pattern will encourage the pigeons to land, and the side position provide great vision. Remember that wood pigeons are very cautious, even a glare from sunglass or metal will scare them off. So keep calm and bear with the uncomfortable condition, no sun glass, no perfume and no exposed body parts. Get your air rifle in the ready state so you do not have to load them later.

It is best to aim your air rifle slightly off to the front of the pigeons head, since the moment the pellet is about to hit, the bird naturally reacts to the incoming object and try to fly out. You can predictably adjust the hitting point off front to reimburse the movement. Although the pigeon head is small, it is the best place to knock out the prey instantly and the whole body is not damaged, hence the meat is tastier.

Every time you have shot down a pigeon, rush to the area to capture kill and quickly get back to your hiding place. Put the kill in a bag and wait for another prey to land.

Enjoy Your Rewards

Professional hunters can catch hundreds kills each hunt but the cost of their gears are very expensive, and the time and effort they have spent to set up all things as well as to practice their skills is ridiculous high. You can get around a dozen wood pigeons each hunt with just a little of practice. That will be enough for you and it is free. There are many ways to cook pigeons, and it is even better when the meat is fresh.

Farmers will be happy if you hunt down some wood pigeons since they always eat their crops. You can give some of the birds to land owner to express your gratitude, too. It is a common sense, and it will be beneficial for your next hunt. Also, the best pellet gun is the one you used the most, remember to clean and maintain your air-gun well after each hunt. Keep calm and aim well.

Related Posts:

• The best way to hunt squirrels with air rifle.
• Step by step rabbiting guide.

New to air rifle hunting? Click to read more about airguns!

1. How To Lure Squirrels To Your Hunting Place?

Squirrels tend to remain still when predators get close. If you are sitting in a potential hunting area, for example under an oak tree, use your hand to make some sound in broken pattern by stirring the leaves. This action imitate the sound of a squirrel that is searching for food, which lure other squirrels into your hunting area.

2. Find Your Easy Targets

You may find many relaxing squirrels along creeks and streams surrounded by woods such as oak, sycamores, ash and hickory trees. If you keep your movement in your kayak or canoe minimized and silent, you can spot many squirrels that are very relaxing since they do not anticipate any danger from water. Get the best pellet rifle aim and shoot fast. Be careful to shoot once at a time if you are with friends. Also, be sure to shoot in sitting position to help reduce the chance the other preys may notice you.

3. Sneaky Spotting & Stalking

Generally squirrels are very active during daylight hours, so you can expect a good hunt in morning or evening. First thing first, you must expect some productive hunting areas where squirrels exist. There places often have acorns, beech and hickory nuts which are squirrels’ favorite food. You should approach the preys slowly, with your back against the sun. Step silently 2-3 steps at a time. Open your eyes to catch unpressured squirrels that did not sense your coming.

4. The Ultimate Companion: A Good Dog

A good hound dog can sense squirrels from far away and rush to location to circle them. With the pressure of the dog’s bark, the scared squirrels instinctively flee to the back of the tree that is facing the dog. To escape, they tend to move around the trunk and branches and this is the opportunity for the hunters. If the shot does not kill the preys, hound dogs can help capture them if they fall down.

5. Typical Squirrels For Hunting

Fox Squirrels
Mostly found from Pennsylvania into the Great Plains states, fox squirrels are the largest of all tree squirrels. They have gray fur in the back and tangerine orange fur in the belly and tail. They often live in small woods that have some open areas.

Gray Squirrels
Gray squirrels are the most common of all tree squirrels. The eastern gray squirrels live across New England to the Great Plains while the western gray squirrels live in Pacific Coast. The eastern gray squirrels can be found in both forest and urban areas. They have medium size and the fur color varies from gray, black, white or brown.

Abert’s Squirrels
The Abert’s Squirrels live mostly in ponderosa pine forests in the western and southwestern USA. They have long and gray-black ear tufts and unlike other species, the Abert’s Squirrels do not store food. Instead, they broaden their food sources by eating all different parts of pines such as needles, bark, cones…

Pine Squirrels
Pine Squirrels can be found in the western part of the USA. This group composes of red, pine and Mearns squirrels and is the smallest in the family. They often store seeds and pinecones beneath the den tree. One thing you should know that these little fellows are pretty noisy, which means if your cover is revealed, they can alarm all other neighbors.

6. Best Pellet Guns For Squirrels Hunting

The uncompensationable companion in squirrels hunting is a good airgun. Buy the best air rifle you can. The following suggestions are the four best pellet rifles you can look for.

Crosman PCP Challenger Pellet Gun: This air rifle has been approved as legitimate for usage in Sporter Class air rifle competition by the National Three-Position Air Rifle Council’s committee. Click to read more.

Crosman PCP Challenger .177 Caliber Pre-Charged Pneumatic PCP Air Rifle with Sight

Gamo Buckmasters Squirrel Terminator Air Rifle: This Spanish made air rifle is famed as the Jackie Bushman airgun, which features the latest technology of Gamo: the Turbo Stabilizing System which give you more control and velocity. Read more about its features here. Click to read more.

Gamo Buckmasters Squirrel Terminator Air Rifle

Hatsan 95 Air Rifle: The Hatsan model 95 air rifle is the best pellet gun in the cost-effective tier which is great for plinking and pest control –and squirrels are no big deal! Click to read more reviews.

Benjamin Marauder Pre-Charged Pneumatic Air Rifle: The Benjamin Marauder PCP Air Rifle is one of the best iconic hunting pellet guns everyone probably ever heard or known of. It is beautiful and strong with PCP mechanism. Click to see more.

All you need is a great pellet rifle, some good hunting gears and a hunting field. Remember to check local air gun laws before doing anything.

Choose The Best Pellet Gun For The Hunt

It is obvious that that you will need a good pellet rifle. You need have an air rifle that has enough power and accuracy to kill the target, or you will waste both of your time and the game. There are many best pellet rifle and gun reviews which worth reading, however the term “best air rifle” is a personal thing. Read and choose the pellet gun that suits you best. Read the tips to choose the most suitable airgun here: Click to read

Air Rifle Scope And Pellets

Most scopes that come with the airguns from the purchase are only suitable for target shooting. You should buy another good pellet gun scope for hunting. The best air rifle scope for hunting is the one that have the magnification setting ranges from 3-9. This combination will allow you to check the field with lower power settings and switch to higher setting for the final shot.

It is essential to choose a suitable type of pellet for hunting. Most hunters will agree that round headed pellets (also called domed head pellets) are great for all-around shooting because of their aerodynamic properties. In hunting, they give great knock-out power which help you have more chance to get the kills. It is not necessarily to buy the top-notch pellets, but make sure to buy proper ones. Benjamin Marauder Pre-Charged Pneumatic Air Rifle is one of the best versatile one.

–> Read more

Perfecting Your Aim And Shooting Skill

It is important that you practice your aim before going rabbit shooting, and this is mostly the main factor you will need. Even equipped with heavenly equipment, unskilled shooters can only come back empty-hand most of the time. Of course good tools give you advantage but without proper aim, you earns nothing. That is said, go practice before engage in real situation.

Before you even think about shooting at a live animal, it is essential that your practice your aim. The best way to do it is to print or buy a target.

–> Buy a good target here.

Find a place that is at least 50 feet away from a road for practicing. Be extremely careful: make sure there is no one around your training field.

It is best to put the shooting target at floor high and to shot it lying down to get the rabbits easier. Begin with the target about 30 yards away because this is the best shooting range. You can move further away when your aiming is improved. When will you be able to hun? Once you are capable of hitting the center of your target 5 times in a row from 30 yards (groups of 5), you are a hunter now.

Hunting gears

A good set of camouflage is very useful while hunting rabbit with pellet rifle. Another important factor when stalking rabbit is clothing. You should choose the type of hunting clothes that are both durable and blend in the environment, even rabbits do not have good eyesight. The camo color of the clothing will help break up your “human shape” and make the rabbits less cautious. It is a recommended to cover up all of your skin and face by wearing gloves, hood or hat. If possible, camouflaged your exposed skin, too. In short, cover all of your exposed skin except a small slit for the eyes.

Remember that rabbit have good hearing (just you see, their ears are not for show). Choose the type of clothing that does not make rattling or crisp shuffling sound. Most water proof clothing was covered in wax or sort of plastic outer which are noisy. It is best to go with something soft and comfortable, for instance, like cotton.

The last thing to be considered is smell. A neutral smell is good. A muddy, dirty and smelly hunting clothe is ok, too. Just do not perfumed yourself with deodorant or soap before going air rifle hunting. Also, do not wash your clothes unless you really have to. If you do, make sure to air dry them so the soap smell goes off completely.

Journey On The Field

If all things are set up, it is time to go hunting. You have your airgun, calibers, gears and a good aim. You have to find a field with bunnies and ask the land owner’s permission first. The best time for air rifle hunting is in the late afternoon (when rabbits feed) and a few hours before sunset.

You should already know the approximate position of the rabbits. You can use your scope or if possible, a binoculars to check the area. If you spot a prey, it is time to play the hunter game. Check wind blow and try to move upwind side, even if it takes longer to the chosen place. This action will cover your scent and reduce the noise you make.

As you enter a decent range, get onto the ground and crawl slowly using your elbows and knees. A careful, steady and silent approach is the best way to get close to rabbits in order to make an accurate shot. Be patient, slowly and carefully approach the tasty bunnies. Do not crawl around hedgerows or under trees because you will snap dried twigs and crush leafs.

The best shooting distance for pellet gun is around 30 yards. Once you enter this range, move very slow, hold onto the air rifle and be ready for a shot. Do not stiffen your body. Instead, relax and focus on the shot. Zoom your scope, aim for the spot just behind the eyes, between the eyes on the front (or between the ears from the back). Yes, you are aiming for the brain. Once you are ready, pull the trigger to take your shot. Normally, the best pellet gun shot would kill the prey instantly. However if the impact is not enough, finish it with a second shot or with a knife. Once the bunny is downed, rush over to the animal to do a finish blow if necessary. Sounds brutal but it is one of the most humane way to catch the rabbits without any suffering.

If you are unable to find a chance to shoot or fail to approach to the bunny, it is possible to find their holes wait for them to get out. This is a slower and less fun method, but it can help you catch a bunny. It is better than nothing! Keep calm and happy air rifle hunting!

1. Remember to choose a rifle that fits you physically. Both length and weight of the air rifle are important. The best fit pellet rifle is the one that you can comfortably hold it stable at ninety degrees to your body without the need of resting it on anything.

–> See our Comparison Table to choose a suitable air rifle

The most powerful air rifle is the one that fits you well.

2. A good method for home sighting is to bore-sight it. A break barrel air rifle is recommended to practice this move. First, break the barrel just a little until you can see down the barrel and look down it, and then aim at a fixed target. Remember that never look down from the end of the barrel since it is possible to cause eye injury. Once you have decided and aimed at your target through the barrel look through the sights and line them up with the same thing while keeping the barrel aimed at the target. You may want to see some more pictures about brake and barrel in this Hatsan 95 Air Rifle.

3. Try to push the stock into your right shoulder to see if it feels comfortable or not. If you are left-handed and find this position uncomfortable, just buy the left-handed rifles to suit your need.

4. Lay your dominant hand on the grip and your fingers are still kept off the trigger at this time.

5. Measure the distance from your shoulder to the grip and place your other hand under the body of the rifle with the same distance forward. Do not place your hand on the barrel.

6. You do not have to move your eye down to the rifle but you can hold the rifle across your body instead. This position makes you stand side-on to the target which enables you to sight along the barrel just by slightly leaning your head. This is the most controlling air rifle shooting position.

7. When sight on your target, remember to read the rifle’s manual to understand how to use its specific sight. Normally you will see at the closest end sit a small, notched piece of metal a vertical stick (stand alone or within a ring) on the end of the barrel. This popular type of sight is used as follow: first, you must line your air rifle up to adjust your target point into the centre of the notch. After that you have to bring the barrel up to make the stick fill the notch with the top of the stick on par with the top of the notch. Some new types of good pellet rifles have two red dots on the side closest to you and a green dot at the end of the barrel. Actually, the steps are the same. Repeat the last steps the same way of using notched sight. So in short: Back sight, front sight, and target.

Follow the most effective air rifle tips for sighting to make a perfect aim.

8. As you hold your air rifle, breathe in deeply. The pellet gun should rise slightly as you do so. At this time keep the sights lined up then breathe out very slowly and smoothly. As the rifle gradually sinks down, the sight will slowly come down and soon meet your target. As the sight reaches the spot you are aiming at, gently squeeze the trigger and BANG!

9. Calculate where the shot hit the target. No sight will be perfect for the first try, so just adjust. If it landed too high, aim a little lower. If it landed over to the right, aim for left a little. You will quickly learn where and how to sight well at first shot with your experience. Learn by your mind and body alike.

10. Keep practicing to polish your skill. Every time you see someone make a great shot, it is not a miracle but it is the result of honing skills. Practice makes perfect – as the old saying said.

There is no secret in precise shooting. Practice makes perfect!

The steps above are parts of the most powerful air rifle shooting correct position. If you are new to pellet gun shooting, they are good tips to develop your skills. Even experienced shooters can use this guide to solve their problems such as sighting or simply how to place the correct stance. The best air rifle is the one serve you best, go check our store to find out what you need.