Frank Underdown's home and hunting ground are in the Garden of England and, at 80 years of age, he has seen many changes, both in terms of technological advances and the expansion of the populace. A keen countryman, keeper and wildfowler, his real passion is pigeon shooting with his trusty FX Cyclone .177 air rifle. One reason he tends to use an air rifle rather than a shotgun is anonymity, especially after witnessing urban encroachment into what used to be green belt. He realises that these newcomers are often unsympathetic towards the skills and trades that manage the green and pleasant land that they expect to enjoy on their walks or days out.
Frank has a "not seen or heard" style and philosophy when it comes to pigeon shooting, much like my rabbiting. He was keen to illustrate that when it comes to pigeon shooting, precision, patience and fieldcraft are the essential ingredients for a fruitful foray — but it is an acquired taste, and patience is the main ingredient.
To be able to bag a few woodies I had to learn about the art of decoying. The fashion we were shooting in meant that we had to decoy the pigeon in and get them to land within range of our rifles, which sounds easier than it is. Frank's reconnaissance pointed to several stubble fields and after driving past countless Oast houses we arrived at our destination.
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