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We are at a farm near Fyfe.
It is in a bit of a pigeon pickle
and I have come here
to stir things up.
Oi!
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Thousands of ferals are enjoying
the free food and shelter
on offer at this dairy farm.
Life is good. But with the help
of this sub-12 ft lb Daystate Air Wolf
we are going to knock down
as many birds as we can.
So what a fantastic shed this is.
This is the perfect place to
shoot some pigeons.
I know and you can see
all these big rafters,
plenty wide enough for them to sit on,
nest on, beautiful bit for bedding
for them and everything
And fresh feed everywhere.
Yes. It is an absolute pigeon paradise.
So how did you come across
this bit of hunting then?
Contacts, contacts.
[laughs]
So many birds and so many barns to deal with,
it's difficult to know where to start,
but the milking shed is a priority.
On this freshly washed floor
near all of this equipment
there are plenty of calling cards.
It is not until you come into a place
where hygiene is really important such as
this
that you really get the scale of the problem
here.
The birds are nesting in here
and there is poo all over the place
and keeping this milking equipment clean
is essential.
Now we have been in here
for about five or six minutes and
we have already shot six birds.
So not only were we providing
a very much needed service,
it's also great fun.
I bet Gilchrist couldn't get through there!
Having said that I only just squeezed through
myself.
The pigeons have really gotten a hold here.
Too much farming to do
and never enough time for pest control.
Around each corner there are birds on offer
and I am never too far away from a
convenient rest to get a shot off.
There is a pigeon sat on a nest up there,
but right in front of its head is a
very thick power cable that must be
going to these lights or some machinery in
here
so I can't actually take the shot.
So I'm going to try and get round
the other side of it and
come from the underneath.
Sneaky little blighter.
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You can run, but you can't hide.
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So the best thing about shooting pigeons
on the nest is not just the fact that you
are
taking out the next generation,
but they also scritch themselves up
into a little ball which means they
pull their head and their neck
over their chest area so if you do
take a chest shot you are either going to
hit them in the chest itself or the head
or in this case a neck shot.
Either way it is fatal.
We leave the livestock sheds and have a look
at where the pigeons are giving the farm equipment
an unwanted re-spray.
Now this is where it is a real problem,
expensive machinery, feed, equipment.
Pigeons nesting up here are causing
a mess everywhere.
He is going to be pleased these two are down.
I tell you what: it is an athletic business
pulling these fellows out.
It's fallen right between these bags down
here, but another one for the bag.
The bag is building nicely and the Air Wolf
delivers enough power and accuracy, without
putting holes in the roof.
This is the bird that Ian just shot off the
nest and as it dies it's laid an egg. You
don't see that everyday do you?
It is going to take more than one bloke with
an air rifle in a single morning to really
make a dent in this population, but what a
great morning it has been.
We have had another cracking day on the ferals,
so good in fact that I have had to employ
a barrow boy. Come on Andy take her away.
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