"I also cull. You may call it murder, killing or whatever, but it has to be done. Culling is not a disgraceful thing to do, it is a must. If you do right by your birds, then you must cull...".
This really struck a chord with me... how could I have been so negligent in "not doing right by my birds" for all these years. Could I really be this selfish? So, as usual, I set out to understand the whole process of culling pigeons... the results were delightful. There were so many questions/things to understand, like how many pigeons do you have to kill for it to count as a "cull" OR what killing methods can legally be employed? The answers came from a true field naturalist, and modern master known as none other than Ronald St. Germain, who once proudly exclaimed that: "In the summer, when the days are as hot as your barrels, pigeon shooting comes into its own". Really Ronny...you don't say...
He was clearly passionate about this and steadfast in his assertion that shooting was in fact the only way to get this done properly. However, it must be said, he is not fond of pigeon shooting in the winter. Still, I was skeptical, what does a guy named Ronald know about anything? To prove he was in fact a true pigeon sharp shooter, he took me to his morning haul... as you will see below... shocking:
Undeniable evidence... this guy is good. I am now fully bought into what he is selling. To help with my future in the hobby, he explained two core rules to observe when hunting pigeons (think of the old Chinese dude in the antique store in Gremlins #1)
- First, Don't let them moon-blink you - most think this is just a hoax created by those bastards that made the film: The Legend of the Guardian: The Owls of Ga'Hoole. If you actually believe that, the hoax is on you my friend...the hoax is on you. Not only do owls use this tactic to trick other owls into being subservient by forcing them to stare at the moon for 12 hours straight, it is also a well known pigeon defensive tactic employed against only the most serious of pigeon hunters... frankly I'm suprised you didn't know that already. Although not a pigeon (rather a barn blinking owl), this photo will give you an idea of what it is like to be truly moon-blinked. So, don't let pigeons trick you into looking at the moon...
- Second, Picture the Kill & Execute the Basics: picture this, you are driving home on a summer's afternoon when you pass a recently harvested field; a god-like voice calls out from the wooded area below, triggering an instant feeling of "this is my time". One moment there was just a fresh cut field. The next, the air is full of grey and white birds twisting and turning in the sky, just waiting for you to shoot them. This is where you come to life and go through the lessons of Ronald Ste. Germain:
- build your "hide" - you can buy a good hide at any local hunting equipment store, or build one from random sticks and leaves.
- setup your decoy - again, better to bring your own, but you can make decoys out of wooly grey and white socks stuffed with leaves.
- consider their flight line and the wind speed - pigeons tend to zig-zag in the sky, anticipate the angles my friends.
- pull the trigger and watch that sucker fall...
I thanked Ronald for his advice and immediately drove to a family members home. I knew he was having trouble with pigeons and had offered a bounty of $3/per head (don't think less of me, I was short on cash and needed to pay some bills). Well, a few hours and $30K later, "pigeon culling" became my loving mistress... here is the video footage:
Yup... what the fuck?
The End.
The End.
