Imperator SKB Posted November 20, 2015 Report Share Posted November 20, 2015 Back in 1985 I was given a first edition signed copy of Archie Coats Pigeon Shooting book for Christmas. I read it over and over and it got me into Shooting Pigeons. I was 15 years old at the time and had been shooting since I was 8 with my Father and Uncle. I always wanted a set of Hide poles made to Archies specifications and finally after all these years my Cousin made me a set and they are fantastic and I use them all the time, I did have a set of ally ones but they got broke many years ago! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7daysinaweek Posted November 20, 2015 Report Share Posted November 20, 2015 pictures? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldypigeonpopper Posted November 21, 2015 Report Share Posted November 21, 2015 hello, snap i bought the same book about 16ish and started shooting at 15 (410) and was in a engineering trade apprenticeship made a set of poles just like archies. bought some oldy rubber deeks/ lofty poles and army camo net, oh happy days!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milo Posted November 21, 2015 Report Share Posted November 21, 2015 Love to see some pictures, if you have time. Very much enjoy re-reading books by Archie, Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey, Gough Thomas and others that I have had since I was a nipper. They knew what they were talking about but I'm not convinced the same can be said for some of those authors who came after them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbk Posted November 21, 2015 Report Share Posted November 21, 2015 (edited) I've just bought the same book, but at 36 y.o.! Though I've not read it yet, I'm pretty sure that once I have I'll wish i'd have bought it when i first started shooting 25 years ago.I think I'm just as excited about receiving it as I would have been then, Edited November 21, 2015 by jbk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imperator SKB Posted November 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2015 pictures? Will take some pictures and put up soon. £20 for the set two at 5ft 6inch and two at 6ft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted November 21, 2015 Report Share Posted November 21, 2015 Coats was a master decoyer but matters have moved on somewhat. Rape had just been introduced when he was shooting and the pressure on pigeons was much less than it is today. I have the book and I have read it countless times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milo Posted November 21, 2015 Report Share Posted November 21, 2015 Will take some pictures and put up soon. £20 for the set two at 5ft 6inch and two at 6ft. I would be interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HIDENSEEK Posted November 21, 2015 Report Share Posted November 21, 2015 I can't remember what it's called, someone on here will know, but his biography was interesting, think it was by Prue Coats. As JDog says, things have moved on, I wouldn't want to hump solid steel poles very far! but then the great man had an old land rover, and after his hip operation a wife who helped him get set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the hitman Posted November 21, 2015 Report Share Posted November 21, 2015 I met Archie at the CLA when it visited Floors castle Kelso in the late 80s . Proper gent who had a queue longer than the beer tent waiting to ask him a question . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted November 22, 2015 Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 I met Archie at the CLA when it visited Floors castle Kelso in the late 80s . Proper gent who had a queue longer than the beer tent waiting to ask him a question . I also met him at one of the C L A Game Fairs on the Eley cartridge stand which no doubt sponsored him , at the time he had put on a lot of weight due to his hip problems , and when he spoke you could tell he was a Major in the army , maybe one of the best ( if not the best ) at pigeon shooting at the time he went but he wasn't the type of person I would have liked to have spent a night out down the pub with ,....... To abrupt for my liking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudpatten Posted November 22, 2015 Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 I have to agree with Marsh man. He was based not too far from me and I met him two or three times. None of those meetings was especially pleasant. Having said that, he was one of the first "modern" pigeon shooters and we all owe a lot to him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imperator SKB Posted November 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 I can't remember what it's called, someone on here will know, but his biography was interesting, think it was by Prue Coats. As JDog says, things have moved on, I wouldn't want to hump solid steel poles very far! but then the great man had an old land rover, and after his hip operation a wife who helped him get set up. I will weigh them, don't feel heavy to me, but I'm 6ft 4 n 17 stone so……. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imperator SKB Posted November 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 (edited) Coats was a master decoyer but matters have moved on somewhat. Rape had just been introduced when he was shooting and the pressure on pigeons was much less than it is today. I have the book and I have read it countless times. Couldn't agree more, when I starting decoying seriously in 1985 on they decoyed much easier then than they do today. People say its because more people shoot them today but in my part of the world and in my lifetime less people shoot full stop! Several of the shooters I knew are dead! Some have given up recently due to the high Cartridge prices and some gave up years ago. Of the Twenty or so Shooters I knew as a kid, only Three are still at it and one of them is in his mid Seventies!! Edited November 22, 2015 by Imperator SKB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milo Posted November 22, 2015 Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 Coats was a master decoyer but matters have moved on somewhat. Rape had just been introduced when he was shooting and the pressure on pigeons was much less than it is today. I have the book and I have read it countless times. Do you think the pigeons have changed their behaviour more due to the activities of pigeon shooters or to the combination of different weather and cropping? I can't say I know the answer but my gut feeling is that the weather/cropping has had a big effect on pigeons since the mid seventies when I first started chasing them around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted November 22, 2015 Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 Couldn't agree more, when I starting decoying seriously in 1985 on they decoyed much easier then than they do today. People say its because more people shoot them today but in my part of the world and in my lifetime less people shoot full stop! Several of the shooters I knew are dead! Some have given up recently due to the high Cartridge prices and some gave up years ago. Of the Twenty or so Shooters I knew as a kid, only Three are still at it and one of them is in his mid Seventies!! I would be very surprised if there are less people shooting pigeons in your area than in the 80s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjimmer Posted November 23, 2015 Report Share Posted November 23, 2015 Back in 1985 I was given a first edition signed copy of Archie Coats Pigeon Shooting book for Christmas. Back in 1965, I chose it as part of a college course prize. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted November 23, 2015 Report Share Posted November 23, 2015 Do you think the pigeons have changed their behaviour more due to the activities of pigeon shooters or to the combination of different weather and cropping? I can't say I know the answer but my gut feeling is that the weather/cropping has had a big effect on pigeons since the mid seventies when I first started chasing them around. There are more pigeon shooters now than in the 70's that's for sure. I am not sure if pigeons have changed their behaviour too much. One thing for sure is that due to the growing of rape more pigeons survive the winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imperator SKB Posted November 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2015 Out of interest, how much on average do people get for their birds? Here we get on average 25p per bird, that will go down to 20p come Christmas. Thats at the local Game Dealers. If you use Eley Grand Prix even at the top price you loose 1p every kill. I mainly shoot for sport but at these prices theres not much else to shoot for!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bevs Posted November 23, 2015 Report Share Posted November 23, 2015 i get 50p all year round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sitsinhedges Posted November 23, 2015 Report Share Posted November 23, 2015 40p all year round and they collect from my house so no fuel costs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imperator SKB Posted November 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 pictures? Made from 10mm Mild Steel, so a bit more stable than old 3/8 rod as in the book, Total weight 11lbs n with the two Floaters I sometimes take that goes up to 13lbs, so near a stone in weight. but they never fail to go in the ground and the wind can blow as hard as it wants, they stay PUT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imperator SKB Posted November 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 Will take some pictures and put up soon. £20 for the set two at 5ft 6inch and two at 6ft. Oh and Pencil Pointed as well. Had these Poles set up out in the middle of a 60 Acre Field a while ago in a 50 mph wind and once put in I never had to re set! I walk long distances to set up sometimes even though I have a 4x4 truck, most Farmers don't appreciate you rutting up Headlands, but they are worth their weight in gold to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbk Posted November 29, 2015 Report Share Posted November 29, 2015 Hmm nice hide poles indeed, proper solid ones. 2 early Christmas presents to myself, one courtesy of Archie the Coats, can't wait to get stuck into it: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dad Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 40p all year round and they collect from my house so no fuel costs. is that frozen or fresh and who do you use if you dont mind me asking, i only get .15p frozen its too far to drive unless you have a 100 for fresh at 25p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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