Has The Pigeon Magnet/Rotary Had It's Day?

[Elby]

I don't think they work anywhere near as well as they did a few years back.

A good floater (no toilet humour) seems to work better

[zipdog]

completly disagree, a magent is still a essential piece of equipment, and from my experiences a magnet will always beat a floater has down.

[malkiserow]

completly disagree, a magent is still a essential piece of equipment, and from my experiences a magnet will always beat a floater has down.

 

I agree with disagreeing! there are times when they are essential and other when they just don't work. Last week i was out and tried to decoy without the magnet .... result was very very poor. Got the magnet out and the shooting started!

[bignoel]

I don't think they work anywhere near as well as they did a few years back.

 

why not whats changed the birds on the arms go round and round the birds on the arms go round and round all day long lol lol lol

[Elby]

I don't think they work anywhere near as well as they did a few years back.

 

why not whats changed the birds on the arms go round and round the birds on the arms go round and round all day long lol lol lol

This is true, but the pigeons get wiser.

[yickdaz]

they still have a place in my boot everytime i go out its not used every time i go out but its nice to have it with you and if its not pulling them in or scaring them off turn it off very simple;but if its pulling birds in from distant flightlines and making you a bag you are glad you had it with you.

[left & right]

I have seen woodys drawn from 150 yards away and tried to land with the rotary which i wouldn't of had a shot at other wise there is no doubt in my mind that its had its day and will be coming with me for a while yet

[motty]

I've had around 10 100+ days this year so far with a double ton also. Each time, at least one magnet has been used. In my opinion they are better than flappers or floaters if used correctly. They are certainly not past their sell by date.

[stealthlyninja]

Outstanding bit of kit.

Always works, no matter what i'm shooting over.

If they don't want to land in the pattern, they come in close enough for a look and by then it's to late.

[Jim Sarakun]

Seems the Rotary is still doing it's job then. Haven't used one here for a few months though, as they are still decoying with 7 or so normal decoys (rubber ones). Replaced with dead birds as soon as they are shot.

 

Prior to these few months, they would not come into a Rotary, or anything mechanical for that matter, hence the reason we stopped using them. Still have them in the shoot bus though, just in case.

 

Bags are down this year amongst all guns, though the pigeon population is certainly up and they can be seen in flocks already.

 

They are certainly evolving, a view shared by us all, consequently they are more difficult to shoot. This makes for a more interesting day, trying to second guess them.

[MM]

Seems the Rotary is still doing it's job then. Haven't used one here for a few months though, as they are still decoying with 7 or so normal decoys (rubber ones). Replaced with dead birds as soon as they are shot.

 

Prior to these few months, they would not come into a Rotary, or anything mechanical for that matter, hence the reason we stopped using them. Still have them in the shoot bus though, just in case.

 

Bags are down this year amongst all guns, though the pigeon population is certainly up and they can be seen in flocks already.

 

They are certainly evolving, a view shared by us all, consequently they are more difficult to shoot. This makes for a more interesting day, trying to second guess them.

 

 

Over the 20 or so odd years they have been around? I cant see them evolving that much. Would they understand what a rotary is? The ones that get close enough dont get chance to evolve.

[Billy.]

In theory, through natural selection, the pigeons should get wiser.

 

Well, I wouldn't say wiser, more like; those which are easily spooked survive, which in turn makes the offspring similar.

 

However, we shoot a small percentage of the actual population of pigeons, so I doubt the change will happen over several years.

[bignoel]

magnet every trip for me it never fails if it does you have it set wrong

[stubby]

Ive always found, on permissions that I have sole shooting rights too, the magnet works well, pulling them away from flight lines into my area, yet on permissions that has a number of shooters on, its then hit and miss, if you happen to get there before others, they do the job, if your there after overs, it seems like the pigeons are wise to the magnet and jerk away long before they are within range,

[Jim Sarakun]

Over the 20 or so odd years they have been around? I cant see them evolving that much. Would they understand what a rotary is? The ones that get close enough dont get chance to evolve.

 

Mmmm! Probably not quite the right choice of phrase, though it does appear that way more often than not.

 

You can see them turn for the rotor while still a long way off, OK, so it would appear that they have seen the rotor and are turning because of it, but then jink away just off range.

 

I think it would probably, there's that word again, but then I don't know for sure, so probably it is, take only a few days to learn that your mates die when they fly near a rotor, so stay back. Maybe their memory isn't big enough to comprehend this, but stay back they do. Until you lay it up for a while, then next time you use it, they are near suicidal again.

 

Maybe we are getting all the birds from the Wirral down here, who only get shot at, when they fly near a rotor, so live to pass on the gene. Probably....

[Warthog]

Used two the other day on Winter Rape and picked up 76, more than happy.

[Evil Elvis]

I hope you are wrong...i just bought a 4 armed one!!

[yickdaz]

worth its weight in gold again today pulled nearly everything in

[big yz dave]

my dad swears by his magnet it is out there in the field with pride, when i go out shooting with him i`m always prepared with cartridge belt & game bag!

i sit in the hide for about half an hour to an hour & watch which tree the pigeons are going to sit in whilst they watch the pigeon magnet then fly off in the other direction

i then go sit under the tree & shoot the pigeons as they come into land it`s just like roost shooting! sometimes the bag is 20-30 birds but i have had 100+ bird days just sitting under a tree on the other side of the field to a pigeon magnet!

 

personally i dont think they work anymore in fact they did not realy work that well to start with in my opionion they did work well on each farm for the first outing drawing them in from 3 fields away but the birds became spooked by the merry-go-round very quickly

 

heres 2 scenarios that happend this year

 

a couple of months ago me & my dad shot over a field of wheat stubble we were on the side of a wood, dad set up his magnet & the birds were spooked to a tree about 80 yards down the field side i was stood under it enjoying some good sport about 30 birds in an hour i was well pleased but the birds stopped coming to the tree & started landing into the decoy pattern i went to investigate the motor on the magnet had seized up & it had turned into a static bouncer & was drawing the birds in with confidence they came into the field kinked round into the wind & set their wings to land!

 

i dont own a magnet but i do have 3 rotary flapper & peckers which look like feeding birds as well as a couple of bouncers & i have found that this method draws pigeons in a treat me & dad set up in the same rape field the birds gave his magnet a fly by & turned set their wings and came straight into my pattern on the other side of the field my bag 147 birds dads bag 22 birds magnets DONT work well thats my opionion after the test describe above but my old man still wont go out after pigeon without his magnet & he still insistis on setting it up & scaring the birds away

 

pigeon magnets the marmite of the shooting world you either love them or hate them!! i hate em with a passion!!

[Elby]

magnet every trip for me it never fails if it does you have it set wrong

Can't agree with that, it definately spooks them on occassions

[motty]

my dad swears by his magnet it is out there in the field with pride, when i go out shooting with him i`m always prepared with cartridge belt & game bag!

i sit in the hide for about half an hour to an hour & watch which tree the pigeons are going to sit in whilst they watch the pigeon magnet then fly off in the other direction

i then go sit under the tree & shoot the pigeons as they come into land it`s just like roost shooting! sometimes the bag is 20-30 birds but i have had 100+ bird days just sitting under a tree on the other side of the field to a pigeon magnet!

 

personally i dont think they work anymore in fact they did not realy work that well to start with in my opionion they did work well on each farm for the first outing drawing them in from 3 fields away but the birds became spooked by the merry-go-round very quickly

 

heres 2 scenarios that happend this year

 

a couple of months ago me & my dad shot over a field of wheat stubble we were on the side of a wood, dad set up his magnet & the birds were spooked to a tree about 80 yards down the field side i was stood under it enjoying some good sport about 30 birds in an hour i was well pleased but the birds stopped coming to the tree & started landing into the decoy pattern i went to investigate the motor on the magnet had seized up & it had turned into a static bouncer & was drawing the birds in with confidence they came into the field kinked round into the wind & set their wings to land!

 

i dont own a magnet but i do have 3 rotary flapper & peckers which look like feeding birds as well as a couple of bouncers & i have found that this method draws pigeons in a treat me & dad set up in the same rape field the birds gave his magnet a fly by & turned set their wings and came straight into my pattern on the other side of the field my bag 147 birds dads bag 22 birds magnets DONT work well thats my opionion after the test describe above but my old man still wont go out after pigeon without his magnet & he still insistis on setting it up & scaring the birds away

 

pigeon magnets the marmite of the shooting world you either love them or hate them!! i hate em with a passion!!

 

Well if they don't work i obviously didn't shoot the eight 100+ and one 200 bag this year then when using them.

Edited October 1, 2010 by motty

[proTOM1]

my dad swears by his magnet it is out there in the field with pride, when i go out shooting with him i`m always prepared with cartridge belt & game bag!

i sit in the hide for about half an hour to an hour & watch which tree the pigeons are going to sit in whilst they watch the pigeon magnet then fly off in the other direction

i then go sit under the tree & shoot the pigeons as they come into land it`s just like roost shooting! sometimes the bag is 20-30 birds but i have had 100+ bird days just sitting under a tree on the other side of the field to a pigeon magnet!

 

personally i dont think they work anymore in fact they did not realy work that well to start with in my opionion they did work well on each farm for the first outing drawing them in from 3 fields away but the birds became spooked by the merry-go-round very quickly

 

heres 2 scenarios that happend this year

 

a couple of months ago me & my dad shot over a field of wheat stubble we were on the side of a wood, dad set up his magnet & the birds were spooked to a tree about 80 yards down the field side i was stood under it enjoying some good sport about 30 birds in an hour i was well pleased but the birds stopped coming to the tree & started landing into the decoy pattern i went to investigate the motor on the magnet had seized up & it had turned into a static bouncer & was drawing the birds in with confidence they came into the field kinked round into the wind & set their wings to land!

 

i dont own a magnet but i do have 3 rotary flapper & peckers which look like feeding birds as well as a couple of bouncers & i have found that this method draws pigeons in a treat me & dad set up in the same rape field the birds gave his magnet a fly by & turned set their wings and came straight into my pattern on the other side of the field my bag 147 birds dads bag 22 birds magnets DONT work well thats my opionion after the test describe above but my old man still wont go out after pigeon without his magnet & he still insistis on setting it up & scaring the birds away

 

pigeon magnets the marmite of the shooting world you either love them or hate them!! i hate em with a passion!!

Well you and your dad must be doing something wrong with it ,as i would not leave home with out 1 have shot thousands of birds with the rotary and im still sure it brings in more than it scares away !

[big yz dave]

Well you and your dad must be doing something wrong with it ,as i would not leave home with out 1 have shot thousands of birds with the rotary and im still sure it brings in more than it scares away !

 

 

we have shot tens of thousands of pigeon with the magnet in the last 15 years but i believe we would have had bigger bags without it! espically in the last 5 or so years

 

the orignial post is asking if we think the magnet has had its day i think that because now every pigeon shooter has a magnet the birds are now wise the movement brings them nearer but they have a look see the magnet & fly in the oppersite direction most of the time, this years young birds will come straight in but the older birds are weary

 

but 15 years ago the pigeons saw the spinner came over saw the decoy pattern set their wings & dropped in with out a second thought

 

as i said in my orignial post there a marmite thing you either love them or hate them i personally hate them now a days but you, motty,my old man and a lot of others love them not everybody has the same opinion

 

i have come to my opionion on the magnet by way of facts that i have seen personally whilst out in the field me & the old man spend 2 days a week every week shooting pigeons on 4 different estates in different districts totalling just over 24000 acres & i personally think that there are other things on the market which are lighter easier to carry & attract the birds in a lot better & with a lot more confidence just like they did 15 years ago with the magnet times change unfortunatly!

 

i sometimes even go back to basics & just set up a few decoys it all depends on the birds mood i will swap & change tatics & try new things & retry old things which have not worked in the past!

[big yz dave]

Ive always found, on permissions that I have sole shooting rights too, the magnet works well, pulling them away from flight lines into my area, yet on permissions that has a number of shooters on, its then hit and miss, if you happen to get there before others, they do the job, if your there after overs, it seems like the pigeons are wise to the magnet and jerk away long before they are within range,

 

 

 

if you are having to pull the birds into your area off the flight lines why not set up on or nearer to the flight lines?

 

theres no shame in having to up sticks & move hide & decoys to the other side of the field or 2 fields over what was a flightline when you was looking for somewhare to set up might not be a flightline 2 hours down the line which to me means moving to the new line as that will get me more oppertunities than siting tight & hoping that the birds will be drawn into my decoys!

[manxman2]

Ironic really, had its day, and they werent even around in my day, well at the end maybe..

 

They were in our minds, but making one was a different kettle of fish.

Edited October 1, 2010 by manxman2