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Decoy distance from hide


Fredwalton
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try them a bit closer than that..........think about where the wind is coming from....birds "tend" to prefer to land going into the wind.....if you put the deeks out at 30 yds they might drop into the pattern 10 yds away making the shot 40yds..........which is getting to be a hard shot..........

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Thanks. At the moment the wind will be pretty much coming from directly behind me and having seen the forecast this is looking the same for Saturday when I will actually be shooting. I was just worried that if I had them too close as they fly over the trees they won't have time t see the decoys on the ground especially as we are forecast pretty strong winds

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Guest cookoff013

try them a bit closer than that..........think about where the wind is coming from....birds "tend" to prefer to land going into the wind.....if you put the deeks out at 30 yds they might drop into the pattern 10 yds away making the shot 40yds..........which is getting to be a hard shot..........

 

+1

close deeks.

if the birds are decoyed and shot successfully on the way in and on top of the decoys, they can be successfully shot on the way out,

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I've got a new permission and been having a look the last few days. The pigeons are flying over some trees where I will be positioned under, but land about 60 yards out. If I put my Decoys about 20-30 yards out am I likely to decoy them in?

 

This is very difficult to address without actually seeing the trees and the field but in general the taller the trees the harder it is to decoy beneath them particularly if the birds are flying over and away from you initially.

 

I would much rather find a different position but if forced will try and find a gap in the trees close to the main flight so as to enable the approaching birds to see the main pattern. Placing two close bunches of decoys way out, together with a floater or two may just help to catch their eye initially to make them turn and if they then see a good spread of birds closer to the hide you might still end up with a good day. Failing that if the birds are trafficking regularly enough then just flight them as they go over ?!

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This is very difficult to address without actually seeing the trees and the field but in general the taller the trees the harder it is to decoy beneath them particularly if the birds are flying over and away from you initially.

 

I would much rather find a different position but if forced will try and find a gap in the trees close to the main flight so as to enable the approaching birds to see the main pattern.

Failing that if the birds are trafficking regularly enough then just flight them as they go over ?!

.As above but how many trees are you talking about? If there are just a few I tend to set my hide about twenty yards out to one side so that the birds that come and land in the trees can be seen and shot as they land / take off. It you put the hide under a tree sometimes the birds will come in and you cant see them above you and as soon as you move to shoot them they fly out the other side. I tend to use 7’s for decoying but I change to 5’s to knock them out sitting in trees as they tend to fly off and fall away somewhere with the smaller shot size. If you are a right-handed shooter the best side is the left side of the tree/s facing the field as the swing is in a natural direction for any shot. Consider setting up a couple of sitters in the tree on your side if you have lofting poles or the ability to launch a large nut or something with weight and pulling them up with a cord.

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.As above but how many trees are you talking about? If there are just a few I tend to set my hide about twenty yards out to one side so that the birds that come and land in the trees can be seen and shot as they land / take off. It you put the hide under a tree sometimes the birds will come in and you cant see them above you and as soon as you move to shoot them they fly out the other side. I tend to use 7’s for decoying but I change to 5’s to knock them out sitting in trees as they tend to fly off and fall away somewhere with the smaller shot size. If you are a right-handed shooter the best side is the left side of the tree/s facing the field as the swing is in a natural direction for any shot. Consider setting up a couple of sitters in the tree on your side if you have lofting poles or the ability to launch a large nut or something with weight and pulling them up with a cord.

 

There aren't Many trees just a couple dotted along the hedge line, I can't really move elsewhere as would get too close to one of the houses but where I will be positioned is safe enough. I have a couple of bouncers that I will be putting up about 20-30 yards behind my decoys.

Also I only have one dead bird to use to start with am I best to put it in a bouncer or on the rotary machine.

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There aren't Many trees just a couple dotted along the hedge line, I can't really move elsewhere as would get too close to one of the houses but where I will be positioned is safe enough. I have a couple of bouncers that I will be putting up about 20-30 yards behind my decoys.

Also I only have one dead bird to use to start with am I best to put it in a bouncer or on the rotary machine.

ideal situation to have the hide just away from the trees. Dont put it under a tree or they will come into it above you. set the decoy pattern just out in the field between the trees and the hide about twenty > thirty yards out into the field. They will either come straight into the decoys or land in the tree. perfect in either case

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I never get there that early because I let the birds decide to use the field. By the time I get out in the field set up it's more like ten. by then there are or not birds using the field. It is no point setting up and nothing is using the field. It is generally a bit warmer and it gives you a bit more idea of how the day is going to pan out. this is where your field reconnaissance comes into play. IF you are lucky enough to have big packs coming in keep showing yourself and they will break up and flair off away but they will generally come bck in ones and twos. Good luck.

Edited by fortune
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Also plan to start at 7 30am hopefully before they start to feed, is this correct?

we set up on a rape field at 1pm last sat and shot 53 not saying that should be the norm but first light shooting just puts them off early on that particular field

let them get a first feed early in the morning, they will come back for a mid morning snack, then a feed before going to roost

Edited by yickdaz
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Also plan to start at 7 30am hopefully before they start to feed, is this correct?

If you start early in the morning you will shoot the birds coming out of roost , they will then learn to avoid you and find another field. If you can go a mid morning they will have had a quick feed and will return all day to allow you to bag up. That's my experience over the past years . We would set up at dawn shoot till ten then move to another farm and shoot all day, now we find the birds after the morning feed and set up for the day.

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we set up on a rape field at 1pm last sat and shot 53 not saying that should be the norm but first light shooting just puts them off early on that particular field

let them get a first feed early in the morning, they will come back for a mid morning snack, then a feed before going to roost

 

 

If you start early in the morning you will shoot the birds coming out of roost , they will then learn to avoid you and find another field. If you can go a mid morning they will have had a quick feed and will return all day to allow you to bag up. That's my experience over the past years . We would set up at dawn shoot till ten then move to another farm and shoot all day, now we find the birds after the morning feed and set up for the day.

The above seem to be the general thing. I don’t set up at dawn because A> I don’t like getting up at x hours to go and sit out in a cold & wet field with no birds and B> I like to have a bit of a look round first to see if they have changed where they are feeding and how the weather conditions are effecting them. This in turn allows me to set up the pattern with regard to how close they are on the ground and the shape of the pattern in regard to the trees Ect. If they are landing a way out in the field I might even set up hide out in the field aways using the trees as a sort of screen so that I set up the pattern way out in the field and stand facing the trees and take them either as they land in the tree or come over the top like a driven bird. It will be interesting to read how you got on today.

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Fortune and PC have nailed it,,the only time i set up very early is if i,m out after rooks and crows,, with pigeons your better mid morning ,although i have had some good days arly morning but have had to move as PC said through the day

 

good luck saturday

 

atb Evo

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Didn't have a good day, the pigeons have now decided to feed at the other end of the field. A few flew over my pattern but didn't want to come in, the only good thing of the day is the pigeons didn't see me. They were landing in the middle of the field, plenty of them and a steady flow every half hour or so they would be back. Anyone ever set a hide in the middle of the field if so how?

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