Bandtailed tailed pigions

[slyfox]

I would like to hunt band tailed pigions but have no clue were to start looking i did here that there are some birds in squamish and mission areas.If any one has hunted these birds and would share how to hunt these birds and what to look for such as food or the habitat that they like and what shot would be the best for them and if you wait in an area for them like duckhunting or do you go and look for the birds and chase them like upland bird hunting any help would be much apreciated.SLYFOX

[Ian F.]

Sly,

Similar desire here and what little I know if from the writtings of worth mathewson. I know you need to get some altitude and locate their food source. If you'd like I can dig out my books and get the basics for you..

Additionally, I'm sure if you are willing to spend a few bucks on the phone a call to worth (www.sinkbox.com) will give you all you need! he is a bird nut!

Very best,

Ian

[johnes50]

They seem to like it up high on the mountains. They are fast birds and hard to draw a bead on. I've seen them occaisionally, but they're high flyers and disappear as fast as they show up. And unlike grouse, if you scare them they seem to take off to the next mountain, but sometimes come back. I haven't hunted them specifically, just happen to run into them once in a while. The season is Sept 15-30 with a daily bag limit of 5. I think you need a Migratory bird permit to hunt them, but I'm not 100% sure. That's about all I know about them. John

[Blacktail]

I have shot a few but as has been mentioned they fligh fast and high

[LeverActionJunkie]

What about Mouning doves? I've heard a couple calling around here in the city but haven't seen many, especially not in huntable numbers or areas?!?

[~T-BONE~]

In my experience I've noticed them to be high in elevation, usually where there's Blue grouse and blueberries you can almost count on seeing these pigeons in small flocks!

[quadrakid]

funny you should ask, i was driving truck this week into zeballos and ran in to a flock of about 20-25- band tails,they were right up at the summit as you cross over the mountains so i guess they like it high. i,ve also seen them at home here on quadra island,usually on the bluffs feeding on arbutus berries,good luck

[Jager]

I've shot 1....I had the necessary licenses but was after grouse at the time. If you do manage to get one be prepared to spend a ridiculous amount of time recovering your bird (unless you have a good dog). As stated before the seem to like higher elevation (even though my folks get them at the bird feeder @ 200ft) and I've noticed they love elder berry bushes. Unfortunately, the elder berries I come across here and in some ugly thick slash (hence the long search).

I don't have the new regs handy but last year I think it stated that BandTails were migratory (require a license) and on the next page it said you did not for pigeons or doves. Some confusion????

good luck

[Blacktail]

A migratory game bird permit is required to hunt them
Same as the one for waterfowl

[Ian F.]

Some more info for you..

I was out yesterday the other side of Chilliwack checking out a creek crossing for work (I work for BC Hydro - Environment) and one of the fellows with us was the Vegetation Co-ordinator for that area and we got to talking about fishing and hunting and I asked him about Bandtails.

He said numbers are up this year and that he seen a bunch near spazum or spoosum? (remember I'm new to the province) and around Harrison.

To put it in context, this fellow makes sure that no veg hits the lines in a large area and is on the ground or in a helicopter on a regular basis and really know the wildlife populations in his territory quite well.

Might help in your search..

Very best,

Ian

[slyfox]

Thanks for the help guys.

[FlyFishBC]

Band tailed pigeons gorge on red elderberry, garry oak acorns, arbutus berries as well as blue berries and huckleberries in the mountains. most people come across the up high in the mountains, usually in the interior, but i see them often close to the coast alongside rivers or clearings in the coastal forests that have any one of the said berries. a good place to find them in the fall is on coastal areas with arbutus and garry oak trees along the georgia straight. so most gulf islands and eastern vancouver island should have these birds during hunting season

[FlyFishBC]

if you come across a feeding area and shoot some birds stay there they will definately return to the exact spot even after being spooked

[c.r.hunter]

Yes, they are not only high elevation. Pigeons cove in Port Moody got it's name because it was a popular band tail hunting area in the old days. My old man spent much of his youth hunting birds down there. I've seen lots if them down low on the coast.

[Albafly]

I have seen them about when working in the bush, but never in very high numbers. What are band tailed pigeons like to eat?

[Tamahi]

Every spring (usually sometime in May) we get about a half dozen show up in our backyard to eat the berries out of our 2 holly trees and to eat the fresh growth on the robinea (sp?) tree.

They usually stay until early to mid-June. Never see them any other time of the year.

[stugatz]

Back in the late 70's to the early 80's my dad and i used to shoot tons of them in chilliwack, right at a qarry type of place where the highways department used to get their gravel for the roads. That place was very popular with hunters, and it seems that the pigeons used to love that place because there were literally thousands of them scooping in that area. Of course that place has long been closed.

[Big Lew]

Hunting band-tailed pigeons was one of my favourite bird hunting activities during the sixties. They were very numerous then, especially up on Blue Mountain and along Sylvester road in Hatzic Prairie. This time of year they can be found anywhere high where there's blue berries or black huckleberries. As others have said, they also love elderberries, and will swoop down in large numbers even in thick and dense bush to feed on them. Even with a good dog, they are sometimes hard to find after being downed, as they have little smell, and they hang up in the brush often above a dogs detection range.

[d6dan]

Lots of Band-tailed pigeons here in 1-06. They hang out in the 2nd growth timber..Fast and Flighty. Usually up in higher areas..

[Foxton Gundogs]

They gravel all the time on the roadside near the airport north of Boston Bar. Not sure where u would find to shoot (a lot of IR land there) But I have seen a lot of birds when I used to run thru there 6 times a week.

[ruger#1]

Hunting band-tailed pigeons was one of my favourite bird hunting activities during the sixties. They were very numerous then, especially up on Blue Mountain and along Sylvester road in Hatzic Prairie. This time of year they can be found anywhere high where there's blue berries or black huckleberries. As others have said, they also love elderberries, and will swoop down in large numbers even in thick and dense bush to feed on them. Even with a good dog, they are sometimes hard to find after being downed, as they have little smell, and they hang up in the brush often above a dogs detection range. You beat me to it Lew. We keep seeing them on the mountain, About the 1000' elev. They go by very fast. You can also here them cooing in the trees to locate them.

[Dutch Ppoacher]

my crew has been working in bamfield latly and we've been traveling the gravel road early in the am and we've been seeing lots of them picking pebbles road side amywhere from china cr marina to the west coast trail sign in. in numbers as small as singles to 15-20 in a group

DP