Imperator SKB

I remember watching this on Channel 4 when it was broadcast, I still have a VHS Tape of Archie Pigeon shooting with John Batley. Not a bad video if you still have a VHS player of course!!

I have several books on the subject, one of my favourites is Pigeon Shooting by Richard Arnold I have a first edition of this book signed 1958, a great book and another one I like is Shooting Wood Pigeon by A.E.B Johnson 1961, this one not signed.

Yeah make your own, I make mine out of 3mm plastic coated wire n its green so perfect. I use a jam jar to wrap it around and make them various lengths. 25m of it for £6!!

Another nice afternoon on Acorns.

My old 4 gallon drum, had it for twenty plus years, and I cut a hole in the side and I carry sacks and a flask inside of it.

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.

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!

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!!

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 will weigh them, don't feel heavy to me, but I'm 6ft 4 n 17 stone so…….

Will take some pictures and put up soon. £20 for the set two at 5ft 6inch and two at 6ft.

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!

I bought 1000 "FOB Proper Cartridges" in 12 Gauge, from a local gun shop costing £180 and for a 30 gram load of 6 shot that seemed a good deal, as my favourite old cartridge Eley Grand Prix now cost a staggering £260 per 1000 I thought I would give these a try. I must say that the Proper Cartridges shoot great and I really rate them. I also bought 250 of the same make but a 28 gram load of 7.5 shot and over decoys they knock em down good and they were £160 per 1000. So next shopping trip I'm off to that shop and get some more of both.

Had a few this afternoon on Acorns and another 42 last Monday about 200 yards further along the Hedgerow, I do like em when they get stuck into Acorns! Started both shoots with just two dead uns on floaters!

Now that one has a lot more detail feather wise than the ones I made!

I did see a couple of HH decoys for sale amongst a load of rubbish ones on e bay…where else!! I asked the seller if they would sell me just those two. They agreed then promptly put the two up for sale and got near £20 each for them, and they both a bit perished and one was missing most of its tail. I have got just 5 original ones left, but I will make some more over the winter

I make Show Jumps for Horses throughout the Summer and sell logs in the winter, and in my spare time I make my own Pigeon gear! I enjoyed making the few HH copies and with the glass eyes they look good, been trying to get a pic on here of one I made, but will have another go when Im in the mood bloody computers!!!

Here in the heart of Kent its a very good crop of Acorns and the Pigeons are clearing them around the Hedgerows, only had one go so far n got 42, but as usual I can't get at the best ground thanks to Pheasant shoots and livestock! Seen a few on Holly berries and even Haws bloody early for them.

Some good pictures of HH Decoys in John Humphreys book Pigeon Shooting, he mentions David Morrison as the current manufacturer, but again thats back in 1988!

Thats a great bit of info thanks. Thats the bit I like the most, painting them!

I missed out last year. someone sold a load on ebay, Forty of em and they sold for approx £5. 50 each!! I asked if they would split it into two lots but they wouldn't. But now I wish I had bought the lot. The ones I made are good and with the glass eyes they look great, but taking out the last bird I dropped the Mould and smashed it, not had time to make another one. But over the winter I should get around to it and make some more.

I made a Plaster of Paris mould from some old HH decoys that my Father bought back in 1986, they were expensive but in my opinion the best Decoy ever made. Although after a while we got fed up with the balloons in them and filled them with expanding foam, so defeating the object of a compact full bodied decoy, but they still look good and I use them today. I bought some liquid mould latex off ebay and coloured it up with Acrylic Black to match the original Grey of the HH and was pleased with the results, and I bought glass eyes to put in them. But considering how much all the materials cost and the hours I spent and I had some go a bit wrong, the four I made must have cost £25 each!! But I always make sure I have at least a dozen dead ones in the freezer, but their is a certain satisfaction about decoying with stuff you make yourself and not just bought. If they came up for sale now I would buy some, or would love to see how the guy used to make them as I'm sure its a damn sight easier than my method.