Magnet Question

[Darren h]

I've purchased a magnet from UK Shootwarehouse but where is the best place to put it, at the front of the decoy pattern or to the rear?

 

Cheers,

 

Darren

[Bluebarrels]

I find its best to place it to one side of the pattern,it works for me BB ie to a flank

Edited January 29, 2010 by Bluebarrels

[chrispti]

Iv had good results placing it about 10 yards to the left or right (depending on wind direction) of the hide

[rad334]

I always put mine at the back of my patten of decoys, sort of in the far corner of my horse shoe, if that makes sense. It seems to work for me.

[stubby]

have always put it at the front of the pattern, thus pidgeons come in behind

[Cookiemonsterandmerlin.]

This reply is not in anyway negtive so dont take it that way but in the last 6 months I have found the best postion for the magnet is in the shed.

 

Flappers is been the best thing to use to gain movement on the pattern I still think there is a place for magnets but just not like when they where first used.

 

And going back to question I have place the magnet 10 yards infront of the pattern but also had good days with the magnet just infront of the hide 5 yards out.

 

Good luck but dont be put off if the birds have a lack of intrest in your magnet when the day comes it will amaze you at there pure pulling power.

 

Regards OTH

[rigwallet]

When you see pigeons comin to land in a pattern where do they land ? question answered and as above reply best place far mag skip, ebay or sell it on pw. good look

[petera]

I used to think the same as some previous comments and left the magnet at home. I started to use it more over the last 4 months and tried placing it in various positions. I tend to place it 5 yards to one side and no more that 5 yeards out from the hide. If they do decide to flare off, on most occassions it will be too late for them.

 

I had been using the conventional magnet on which you can use dead pigeons. I have invested in the ultra lightweight from UKShootWarehouse which only takes the hypa flap sillosocks. As the arms are far more flexible you get a lot more movement up and down in the wind than with the normal magnets. (Also a lot lighter to carry)

 

I was out this morning and the pigeons were flying to the magnet, not into the decoy pattern which inculed floaters and a flapper. I shot 23 this morning and most were picked up not too far from the magnet. The advantage I think I have is there is not much pigeon shooting around the area I shoot and therefore the magnet is a new experience for them.

[motty]

When you see pigeons comin to land in a pattern where do they land ? question answered and as above reply best place far mag skip, ebay or sell it on pw. good look

 

 

No,no no. Magnets are great pieces of kit. It is only on the odd occasion that i don't use one. I live in an area where lots of people use magnets, so there are plenty of chances for pigeons to "get used to them". I conducted a little experiment over a standing sugar beet field a couple of weeks ago. I had a fair few shells decoys and dead birds in the pattern plus a magnet to the right of it and a flapper to the left ( both shootwarehouse products).The wind was at my back and i was shooting under a tree in the middle of the field.I used a fairly standard u pattern in front of me. Most of my pigeons were shot as they fluttered over the magnet. I swapped the positions of the magnet and flapper and still the birds were drawn right to the magnet and ignored the side the flapper was on. I shot a reasonable 55 birds.

I never have the magnet much further than 25 yards out for the reason that i get so many birds coming straight to it.

[Catamong]

Yes, spot on Motty, I wouldn't leave home without the magnet, no way, they are absolutely essential over Winter rape, particularly at this time of year when birds can feed off the entire area of the field.

 

It all depends on your attitude to the sport, if you're a "Bird Watcher" and quite happy to shoot 5 or 6 birds in a whole day whilst freezing your nuts off crouched in a hedgerow, then fine, don't bother, but if you want to shoot a decent bag of birds, and impress the farmer with your fieldcraft skills, then take a magnet, or better still, two of them, put them ideally no further than 15 yards from the hide.

 

Use the longest arms you can get with a fairly brisk spin speed, and I guarantee you'll have more birds coming in (over rape), than you would with any number of static deeks.

 

Cat.

[Lez325]

I agree

 

I usually palce my magnet with a couple of Hypaflaps - close in to the hide, as not to spook incoming birds - they seem to target the magnet and are drawn into the pattern- In my limited experience - Im finding if theu fly close to or over the magnet they very soon realise its not a couple of Pigeons and take off in the opposite direction

 

all about trial and error I guess

 

Les

Edited February 6, 2010 by Lez325

[wils]

I have only shot using a magnet a handful of times. It is more challenging shooting using a magnet because as stated above birds getting in close to the magnet tend to veer off fast. they pull birds in amazingly well tho. Next time im gonna have the magnet closer to my hide so pigeons are well within range before they get to close to the magnet....

[anser2]

You are right Lez , you can control pigeons to some extent with a magnet. I had a day last year when the pigeons were shearing off 40 yards out over a magnet that was 20 yards from the hide. I moved it within 5 yards of the hide and the pigeons were almost trying to land in the hide. Its also worth having a magnet close to a gap or gateway in the hedgerow. They will often draw low pigeons from the field behind you that would otherwise passed by.

 

I use a magnet for 90% of my decoying , but there odd days when the pigeons will not respond to them. On such days I just use them as a bouncer. I usualy set the decoys out 20-35 yards out into the field and have the magnet between the decoys and the hide. The pigeons seen the movement of the magnet from some way off , but as they come closer transfer attention to the decoys.