Shooting and hunting hides for pigeon decoying, foxing, wildfowling and wildlife watching: anywhere you need to stay out of sight and comfortable for several hours.
Which type of hide?
- Pop-up hides. The BushWear Double Bush is a two-person pop-up, and the TP Hide is the single camouflage pop-up. Both go up in seconds, which matters when the birds are already moving.
- Chair hides. The Bush combines seat and hide in one unit for one gun. It is the most comfortable way to sit out a long flightline or a foxing session.
- Net hides you build yourself. Hide poles plus camouflage netting let you work with an existing hedge, ditch or wood edge. That is still the most natural-looking hide on most pigeon fields. The BushWear Stealth Net and the Jack Pyke nets come in several sizes and patterns.
- Waterfowl blinds. Blinds such as the Avian-X G-Blind, for the foreshore and flighting ponds.
What to check before you buy
- How many people. A two-person hide lets you take a guest or a dog. A single hide is lighter to carry and quicker to tuck into cover.
- Height and gun room. You need to sit comfortably and still mount the gun without the barrels catching the net or roof.
- Pattern for the season. Green leaf for summer drillings and rape, browns for stubble and winter hedges. Seeland's Winter/Snow net is for snow cover.
- Set-up time and weight if you are walking in.
Siting the hide
The two things that give a hide away are movement and a hard outline against the sky. Back it into cover, keep the top below the skyline, and leave yourself room to mount the gun. For pigeon, keep the wind at your back with the decoys in front, so the birds come in over the pattern facing you.
Add a seat, a mat and poles from hide accessories. Pair the hide with decoys and the rest of your pigeon shooting kit. For deer, see high seats and seat sticks.
