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hi everyone just looking for a few pointers and tips


daithi
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hi all dave here joined the forum today after getting a few tips on the site over the weekend

i just had my first days decoying today and it didnt got to badly it was on a field of cut rapeseed and i shot 3 birds should of had a few more in a 2 1/2 hour period

 

it started well and i should have had 6 or seven shot in the first hour.. a couple of birds came in ones and twos and a few groups of tens and twelves

but after the hour it just dyed off and a lot of birds were landing in ash trees around the edge of the field etc...

haven been doing some reading around since i came back i think what let me down was

my hide... it wasnt badly camouflaged but protruded from the ditch a bit so it looked out of place

 

the wind was coming from left to right and my pattern was placed correctly.. however the layout might not of been correct

i had six shell pigeons in it well placed apart

 

so ive a few questions for ye

1 how wide should the horse shoe be and how deep

2 how far should it be placed from the hide and how many birds in it

3 should birds be high off the ground or down low there jack pyke ones with the spring stands

4 i used eley olympic trap 28g 7 1/2 are these good enough my under and over is fixed chokes

5 what extra gear do i need i have 12 shell decoys 2 bouncers and im starting to make a magnet

 

id appreciate any help

 

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Hi Dave,

 

Welcome to the site mate, there's some very experienced lads on here who I'm sure will help out were they can! This sports not rocket science pal but it defo gets you ahead if you take time out to learn a bit about bird behaviour, field craft and crops etc...

 

To get you started I'll give you my basic ideas on a decent horse shoe spread but first off,, on the gear side of things I'd defo invest in a rotary or flapper! Both if possible, these I would say are part of most pigeon shooters bag of tricks..

 

Horse shoe.. Based on wind left to right for example..

 

Birds facing into the wind always

 

Use sprung sticks if you have them (Movment Kills)

 

I would put the decoy that's at the point of the horse shoe about 25 good paces out from the hide, then build back over either side to create your u patern! The closest decoys to the hide my be around 17 paces or so... The two rear decoys that make the entrance to your kill zone should be nice appart giving the bird a easy/inviting entrance, if it's to tight they may flare away and not commit.. Play with this if needed as the day goes on...

 

I think an investment in a few more decoys would help also, try and get another 6 to make 12. When spacing them out keep them around a meter or so appart but don't be afraid to clump a couple together, think natrual! One thing I always will do is leave a large gap in one side of the spread, this is to give birds a "exit route" out of the horse shoe! This can give the Decoying bird a little more confidence..

 

Keep your kill zone tidy and uncluttered so the bird has an easy landing site! These basic tips should help out I hope mate, setting things up the way iv said should give you a kill zone at about 25 yards which hopefully will be comfortable shooting.. Biggest tip is don't be scared to play around with your pattern through out the day if things arnt working! Adding and taking away decoys etc etc to find what works on that given session..

 

Good look and you'll find others will add to this and help you further 👍👍

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Welcome to the forum Dave, i would say the type of pattern you use is not so critical at this time of year, just be sure to leave landing gaps/killing areas as Lg1 says and head into wind if it's windy.

Add dead birds to the pattern as you shoot them and build the pattern, and a few off the ground on floaters or simple canes can work well.

I place my decoys 15 to 35 yds from the hide and kill most birds 25 ish yds. Your choice of shell is fine for this kind of decoying.

A magnet isn't a must but it will no doubt improve your bags.

 

All said and done, there must be pigeon activity/ traffic heading to or passing your chosen field. You simply can't decoy birds that are not there!

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thats good basic advice in 2 posts....your are not far out first time...as the 2 posts said key points are i rekon

 

 

  • more decoys
  • introduce movement
  • play around with decoys

 

ive used 7 shot on occasions and it is deadly at the right range, im even toying with the idea of going back to 7 shot after 10 or so years with size 6......

 

....try out what LG1 and AGA Man suggest and let us know with feedback what happens

 

 

ditch

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cheers for the info lads

i had been keeping an eye on the field over a few days and there was good pigeon numbers on it

there was two big flocks of about 40 to 60 birds anytime i was there in two areas.. so i setup at one of the areas where they were feeding

it was after 12 today when i started and there was a good few birds on the field which flew away... i would of been there earlier only the weather was very bad this morning

 

il work on the pattern and il give it a go again next week when im off

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Before you chase them off the field, stop and watch them for a while. You will see that they are NOT all heads into the wind, as suggested, but will be side on and varied positions but maybe not directly tail into wind. Watch how newcomers approach the field and where they drop, in relation to those already down. If there is more than one 'flight line' to the field, where can you best position your hide. I would not put too much emphasis on the shape and size or even colour of the hide, I once shot over 3 figures just sitting at the base of a telegraph pole with no hide at all, but I did have the sun at my back and this prevented the incoming birds from seeing me until they were well in range. More pigeons will be spooked by movement in or over the hide than by it's appearance. Try to get at least 12 deeks and something which will add a bit of movement to your pattern. Be prepared to adjust your pattern to change where the birds are heading for and makes them easier to shoot. Try if you can, to learn to shoot whilst sitting down. I used to encourage pigeon beginners to shoot skeet whilst sitting, when I was involved with a shooting ground. As long as you are on the layout alone, I can not envisage a problem. Above all try and learn something from each outing and do not be afraid to try something new, you can always remove it, if it does not work. Oh, and learn to shoot straight ! Good Luck and enjoy.

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hi dave just been down one of the farms we shot today to have a look will be going tomorrow

i normaly take 30-35 shell decoys with me and another 25 silosocs but only use about half of them

as someone else has said movement is the key and set decoys where you know you can kill em

as for the hide a good camo net helps but saying that ive sat with my back to a hedge and shot good bags

you must keep still and wait till the bird are comited i cover my arms always and normally wear a face vail and cap as well

cartridge wise i like 30g or 32g 6,s but thats down to personal prefrence use what you have confidence in

trail and error and a big big learning curve im afraid hope you get on learn from guys on here and slowly the bags will build

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god mate there so tame if you grab some wheat in your hand and are quick enough you can grab them by there legs

saves messing them up with shot

sorry mate no this time of year if you can get them decoying properly there are a lot of young birds about that havnt been shot at

they seem stupid and will even follow the birds on the magnet as they rotate

 

The pigeons down here must be really tame I reckon I could stand in the buff and shoot them :lol::lol:

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Is there more food available nearby?-if so then over Rape the pigeons will clear off on the slightest whim and feed next door unless they really want your field-at this time of the year there is usually an abundance of food so decoying big numbers is hard. Make sure of any that do come near-over choking your gun is not good-SK and 1/4 with 6 or 7's will put paid to 99% of pigeons holiday plans and any that you do kill should replace your plastic jobbies.

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My answers to questions 1-5.

1. The pattern of decoys certainly doesn't have to be a 'horseshoe'. The pattern can be as large or small as you want, but the decoys should really all be in range of the gun.

2. I place my closest decoys anywhere from 0-20 yards from my hide, as a general rule. I normally would start with 20-30 decoys, depending on what I am shooting on and where.

3. Decoys should be high enough so as to be easily seen.

4. An ounce of 7.5 shot will be good enough to kill pigeons over decoys.

5. What extra gear you get is up to you. You have enough to start, though I would get a few more decoys.

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cheers fpr the replies lads

the local game fair is in birr at the end of the month and il get some grear there

i got a good few bargains there last year so hopefully the same again this year...

saying that the euro to pound exchange rate is a killer at the minute

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