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Decoying problem


Markt3815
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Cor blimey Kitchrat your certainly got some clever pigeons round your way, have they got a degree in detecting danger, you didn't mention cutting the eye lids off like Kenzie Thorpe used to, still its nice to see your getting better and hope your new hip is working fine.................All the best .....M M

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Cor blimey Kitchrat your certainly got some clever pigeons round your way, have they got a degree in detecting danger, you didn't mention cutting the eye lids off like Kenzie Thorpe used to, still its nice to see your getting better and hope your new hip is working fine.................All the best .....M M

Thanks MM! Yes, I think they are overshot round here and not that numerous either. I know I am paranoid but after setting all the stuff up I may only get 20 chances to shoot all day I don't want to miss a single chance due to him spotting something he doesn't like!! Never thought of the eyelids.... May not bother with it though!

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I would take a walk out into the field about 100 yards and walk back towards the hide on the flightline and see if there is anything that looks out of place that might spook the birds. If everything looks ok the first thing I would move would be the magnet either move it or remove it see if that helps.

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It's difficult to give an answer without seeing the birds reactions, but with the little information I have I would have pulled my decoys in closer to the hide. If you move them 10 metres in and the birds continue their pattern, then they'd be spooking away at 30 yards which is a more comfortable distance to shoot.

 

If the birds were avoiding the decoys and going over my right shoulder just out of range, I'd move the pattern to the left. Again if they continue their pattern they'd then be flying closer to they hide and in shooting distance.

 

Watch the birds, not just until they stop coming toward you, watch what they do when they turn away. See if you can spot any patterns in their behaviour and see if there is anything you can change and to counter act that pattern with the aim to bring them closer.

 

Like you, I'm new to decoying. I was lucky enough to spend a day shooting with Cosd a little while ago. He certainly knows his stuff and I watched him put the theory into practice to great effect.

 

Best of luck.

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I went out at 3.30pm yesterday for an hour just put 8 decoys down no magnet and they came in a lot more freely so just need to find out if it was my small car battery that spooked them or he magnet itself..

Just because they came better this time, doesn't mean it was the magnet that was putting them off last time. You were out on a different day with a different set of circumstances.

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I went out at 3.30pm yesterday for an hour just put 8 decoys down no magnet and they came in a lot more freely so just need to find out if it was my small car battery that spooked them or he magnet itself..

 

With all the objects which lay in fields, then your theory of the car battery spooking pigeons, they would just fly around the edges and not over.

There is no real test as Wane said each day is different....A friend spent money on camo taping his rotary and both his battery's while mine are not...

And when we have shot together using both machines the birds drop in with no difference, also we have shot using his and mine separately with good and bad days on both machines...

If there is food in the field and the birds are switched on, then one square blob will make no difference at all...

 

TEH

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I went out at 3.30pm yesterday for an hour just put 8 decoys down no magnet and they came in a lot more freely so just need to find out if it was my small car battery that spooked them or he magnet itself..

 

Over time experience tells you that every day is different, therefore knowing different techniques and the theory behind those techniques allows you to adjust and adapt to a given situation.

 

Some days the magnet can scare them, same as a flapper, bouncer etc etc, but sometimes the placement of the magnet (even moving 10 yards) can make all the difference. Unless you try different methods on that same day you will never now know why something didn't work on your last outing.

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I cover everything I can, to the point of being ridiculed by posters on here. Especially on a day when they are giving trouble. (most days round here).My magnet has a kind of loop just below the bearing for the swivel. Long rass goes through here to hide the motor. I hide the battery and the wires. Clear up big heaps of feathers. Hide all kit such as trolleys, pole bags etc. Don't let anything show outside the hide, even spent shells (More riducule!) I'm told pigeons are a bit colour-blind (like me) but don't know how much. Someone posted that they had used a red hide without trouble, that would decoy me too. But they have some colour vision, otherwise they wouldn't have yellow bills. White is clearly important to them - neck and wing marks. I'm also told that UV light is more important to birds - hence the white. Blue also shows up well in UV, so blue shells on the ground??? Don't know but I clear them up anyway, you have to at the end..

I know I will get comments on this but do recall reading Archie Coates' book years ago. He advised hiding the cut ends of branches where you made your hide by smearing mud on the white cut bits... What's good enough for Archie.....

OK, on a good day, none of this is required but if you can turn a blank into a 10-20 bag or a 10-20 into a 50, that's justification.

During the winter rape season, with all the problems of low bird numbers etc etc, I never blanked this winter, worst bag is 8.

QED!!

 

At min 4.10 is the bit I like...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4MIBpsU5Q4

 

TEH

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Just because they came better this time, doesn't mean it was the magnet that was putting them off last time. You were out on a different day with a different set of circumstances.

THIS we can agree on!!

 

With all the objects which lay in fields, then your theory of the car battery spooking pigeons, they would just fly around the edges and not over.

There is no real test as Wane said each day is different....A friend spent money on camo taping his rotary and both his battery's while mine are not...

And when we have shot together using both machines the birds drop in with no difference, also we have shot using his and mine separately with good and bad days on both machines...

If there is food in the field and the birds are switched on, then one square blob will make no difference at all...

 

TEH

It's a very big IF that starts your last line. True though!!

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motty, on 09 Apr 2014 - 08:16 AM, said:snapback.png

Just because they came better this time, doesn't mean it was the magnet that was putting them off last time. You were out on a different day with a different set of circumstances.

THIS we can agree on!!

:yahoo::yahoo::yahoo::yahoo::yahoo:

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At min 4.10 is the bit I like...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4MIBpsU5Q4

 

TEH

Great Vid and great dog! Any dog I've had with me always picks up the decoys 1st!!

However, the vid is from a different part of the country and a different era, towards the end he admits as much. The set up there would struggle to work on my "Essex Birds", except on the occasional magic day.

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I only cover my battery's up because they are the white Lucas type and to me they stick out like a sore thumb on a freshly drilled field, I either put clumps of soil round them or get some old tights and wrap them round a few times if the battery's were of the black type I probably wouldn't bother.

 

Dave

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Are we getting a bit carried away with all this covering up lark, its down to common sense really , if you are using a large battery or any thing else that shines by all means cover it up, if im using my small battery I leave it how it is , and if im using my bigger one, the sack I take my dead pigeons in that I use on my magnet I just lay it on top.....job done. at the end of the day all I want is that pigeon to come into range and then its up to me weather I am good enough to kill it. I am there to shoot pigeons but I am also there for a bit of sport , were doing enough to deceive them now with all the gadgets on the market so lets us go back to good ole common sense and see if that works.

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Are we getting a bit carried away with all this covering up lark, its down to common sense really , if you are using a large battery or any thing else that shines by all means cover it up, if im using my small battery I leave it how it is , and if im using my bigger one, the sack I take my dead pigeons in that I use on my magnet I just lay it on top.....job done. at the end of the day all I want is that pigeon to come into range and then its up to me weather I am good enough to kill it. I am there to shoot pigeons but I am also there for a bit of sport , were doing enough to deceive them now with all the gadgets on the market so lets us go back to good ole common sense and see if that works.

 

You don't think there is a need for camo cabling then?

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I do think people go to far with this decoying as long as you've got a half decent hide set up that you can move around in with ease ( not getting barrels snagged in the net ) and you don't stick out too much and keep still when you see oncoming birds then all should be fine ! I've never tried not covering the battery so perhaps I'm looking too deeply into it myself ? It's just a white/ grey battery does stand out a bit on a freshly drilled field.

 

Dave

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