Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is an air rifle safe?

Yes. Pigeons are shot with an air rifle. The small pellet doesn’t have enough power to go completely through the pigeon, but enough to immobilise it and send it to the ground.

Pigeons are shot when a solid backstop is in the background. While the pellet has enough power at close pigeon-shooting range, they would otherwise quickly lose speed and would soon resemble a falling pebble. The pellet won’t dent or puncture tin, wood, tiles, brickwork or concrete.

When pigeons are roosting under solar panels they are shot when they come out from under the panels. They are easy to coax out by tapping the gutters with a broom handle. Or by lobbing a small fist-sized ‘water balloon’ up onto the roof. Its also good to shoot the pigeons late in the afternoon while they are still sitting on the roof, before they go under the panels for the night.

Is an air rifle discrete?

Yes. An air rifle is discrete because it doesn’t make any noise. It takes around 6 seconds to remove three pigeons roosting together. Also, pigeons can be easily removed at night with a nightvision telescopic sight.

How accurate is an air rifle?

An air rifle is very accurate. Typically pigeons are shot from a distance of between 5 to 20 yards. At these distances, the pellets will hit the pigeon to within 10 mm of one another. In other words, the pellet group size (or the diameter of dispersal of the pellets) at 20 yards will be 10 mm. For example, when 5 pellets are fired at a target, each pellet will land within a circle with radius of 10 mm. 

This means that, if needed, a pigeon could be shot in the head.   

Will the pigeons come back?

No, not with an air rifle. See, its the same pigeons coming back each night. Not different ones. All the other pigeons around the neighbourhood already have their homes- which they won’t leave. Its just your pigeons coming back every night to their home.

So once your pigeons are removed with an air rifle, you wouldn’t expect any other pigeons to come. You’ll be pigeon-free again. You’ll be as likely to get pigeons in the future as your neighbours are.

Are there other options?

Not really. Pigeons possess a very strong homing instinct, so every day they’ll return. Once a pigeon family has moved in, that’s where they stay. They choose a single spot and then stick to it. It’s the same pigeons that keep returning day after day.

Plastic owls don’t keep them away. Ultrasonic noises don’t keep them away. Spraying them with the hose doesn’t keep them away. Clearing out their nests doesn’t keep them away. A limited amount of netting doesn’t keep them away. Installing some spikes doesn’t keep them away. And trapping them to set them free doesn’t work- they fly straight back.

How long does it take?

It take around 40 minutes to remove a dozen pigeons with an air rifle. This includes inspecting the premises to find and locate where all the pigeons are sitting. Then culling them. Then collecting them up once they’re immobilised on the ground. 

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