For me pigeon shooting offers some of the most exciting and challenging sport available. The combination of fast, unpredictable birds, changing conditions and the need for careful planning and decoy setting makes every outing different.

Sharing a hide with a friend is one of the pleasures of pigeon or indeed duck shooting. Not to mention helping farmers protect crops and harvesting a sustainable source of wild food. But good company often makes a day in the field even more enjoyable. However, when two or more guns are shooting from the same hide, safety has to come before the bag.

Most experienced shooters have shared hides countless times without a problem, but it only takes a split second of confusion for things to go badly wrong.

The photograph above is a perfect example. Two new shooters were sharing a hide when birds appeared on opposite sides. Both instinctively swung onto their targets and, in doing so, their guns crossed. The result was a badly damaged shotgun. Thankfully, nobody was injured, but the outcome could easily have been much worse.

It highlights why it's so important to agree on safe shooting areas before the first shot is fired. Each shooter should know exactly where they can and cannot shoot, and once those boundaries are set, they should never be crossed, no matter how tempting the bird.

If you're taking someone new shooting, keep things simple. In many situations, it's safer for only one person to shoot at a time. If two guns are being used together, think about separating the shooting positions or fitting a raised hide pole between them. It's a simple visual reminder that helps stop one gun swinging across the other and keeps everyone shooting safely within their own arc.

Another hazard that's often overlooked is using different gauge shotguns in the same hide. If one shooter is using a 12-bore and another a 20-bore, cartridges must be kept completely separate. Never share cartridge bags or leave loose cartridges lying around the hide.

Most shooters know about the danger, but it's worth repeating. A 20-bore cartridge can slip into the chamber of a 12-bore gun and become lodged in the barrel. If a 12-bore cartridge is then loaded and fired behind it, the barrel can burst with devastating consequences. It's a rare accident, but when it happens the results are often catastrophic. Keeping cartridges separate is a simple habit that removes the risk entirely.

At the end of the day, no pigeon or duck is worth taking a chance for. A few minutes spent discussing safe arcs of fire, keeping cartridges organised and communicating with each other will make the day safer, more enjoyable and, in many cases, more successful.

The best shoot is the one where everyone goes home safely.