Changing magnet positions.

[anser2]

After three difficult days with over 600 acres of rape checked and god knows how many acres of drillings without any worth wile numbers of pigeon I found 500 yesterday on a stubble that had been covered with dung. Got on the field at 9.00 and the usual story , not a bird in sight. So off on a grand tour of the fields across 5 farms , but found next to nothing. About midday I was going to pack up , but though I would drive 5 miles back to the stubble field. I am glad I did as it was covered with pigeons and the signs looked good as they were reluctant to leave the field.

 

There was a wide conservation strip that meant the decoys would have to be set 35-45 yards out into the field with the magnet set 30 yards in front plus a bouncer. At once the pigeons responded to the decoy set up , but they kept breaking off 45 yards out in front. I tried moving the magnet closer , but that did not work. I got some cracking 45-55 yard shots , but my cartridge return for kills was very poor. An hour later I had 20 for 60 odd shells. I then hit on the idea of setting the magnet in the field behind me . I set it up 30 yards out in the field so the pigeons could see it over the hedge and it worked like a charm. It drew the birds a lot closer with quite a few passing right over head. A good steady flow of birds developed coming out of the woods with 3-4000 birds flighting past. After the miles I have travelled searching for them god knows where they came from or where they were going to as the majority of birds flighted past me heading west. Ended with 60 for about 120 shots. It might have been better , but I ran out of Rio shells and for the first time used “ Proper pigeon shells , by the Proper cartridge co “ and my average fell right off , killing just 2 birds for a whole box of shells. I do not like to blame the shells , perhaps they just do not suit my Browning Gold with open chokes , but I kept knocking clouds of feathers out of the birds without bringing them down. Maybe they were just slower that the Rio shells. Two hard hit made the wood behind me 400 yards off. My black lab watched them both go down in the wood. As soon as I started to pick up she shot off like a shot to the wood even it was over an hour since I had hit them. Within 5 mins she found one and came racing back across the field with it. After clearing up the remainder of the birds I took my eye off her as I was packing up the hide. When I was ready to go she was gone. I whistled on and off for 10 mins and then had a cup of tea from the flask. Still no sigh of her. I loaded the gun and fired 2 shots in the air followed by more whistling. Still no sign of her. I waited a further half an hour and had resigned myself that I was going to have to drive into the wood to search for her when a tiny black dot appeared at the far end of the field galloping back with the missing pigeon.

 

By rights I should have given her a good telling off for disappearing for so long without being ordered to retrieve , but how can you when she had shown the determination to get a bird she knew was down and come back with it!!!

Edited March 28, 2010 by anser2

[proTOM1]

I have often thought of putting the magnet in the field behind but did not really no what would happen ,nice to know it can work and good shooting after all that looking around

[yickdaz]

After three difficult days with over 600 acres of rape checked and god knows how many acres of drillings without any worth wile numbers of pigeon I found 500 yesterday on a stubble that had been covered with dung. Got on the field at 9.00 and the usual story , not a bird in sight. So off on a grand tour of the fields across 5 farms , but found next to nothing. About midday I was going to pack up , but though I would drive 5 miles back to the stubble field. I am glad I did as it was covered with pigeons and the signs looked good as they were reluctant to leave the field.

 

There was a wide conservation strip that meant the decoys would have to be set 35-45 yards out into the field with the magnet set 30 yards in front plus a bouncer. At once the pigeons responded to the decoy set up , but they kept breaking off 45 yards out in front. I tried moving the magnet closer , but that did not work. I got some cracking 45-55 yard shots , but my cartridge return for kills was very poor. An hour later I had 20 for 60 odd shells. I then hit on the idea of setting the magnet in the field behind me . I set it up 30 yards out in the field so the pigeons could see it over the hedge and it worked like a charm. It drew the birds a lot closer with quite a few passing right over head. A good steady flow of birds developed coming out of the woods with 3-4000 birds flighting past. After the miles I have travelled searching for them god knows where they came from or where they were going to as the majority of birds flighted past me heading west. Ended with 60 for about 120 shots. It might have been better , but I ran out of Rio shells and for the first time used “ Proper pigeon shells , by the Proper cartridge co “ and my average fell right off , killing just 2 birds for a whole box of shells. I do not like to blame the shells , perhaps they just do not suit my Browning Gold with open chokes , but I kept knocking clouds of feathers out of the birds without bringing them down. Maybe they were just slower that the Rio shells. Two hard hit made the wood behind me 400 yards off. My black lab watched them both go down in the wood. As soon as I started to pick up she shot off like a shot to the wood even it was over an hour since I had hit them. Within 5 mins she found one and came racing back across the field with it. After clearing up the remainder of the birds I took my eye off her as I was packing up the hide. When I was ready to go she was gone. I whistled on and off for 10 mins and then had a cup of tea from the flask. Still no sigh of her. I loaded the gun and fired 2 shots in the air followed by more whistling. Still no sign of her. I waited a further half an hour and had resigned myself that I was going to have to drive into the wood to search for her when a tiny black dot appeared at the far end of the field galloping back with the missing pigeon.

 

By rights I should have given her a good telling off for disappearing for so long without being ordered to retrieve , but how can you when she had shown the determination to get a bird she knew was down and come back with it!!!

yes its trial and error and experimenting thats how you learn i meself have moved it 5 or 6 times to find best position including behind me but you need to be able to shoot behind as well though because it will enevatabley draw birds from behind and not to you sometimes but you are going right way about it

[cocker3]

might try putting it behind me this week great shooting m8

[anser2]

I would always start with the magnet infront of of my hide and only move it behind me if the birds were shearing off wide infront. Remember if the magnet is behind you , you are between the pigeon and the magnet . You will need to be very well hidden otherwise or its likely the birds will notice you.

Edited March 29, 2010 by anser2