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

[proTOM1]

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!

Well each to there own as you say .But for me they are still the best attractor on the market . I did a test with the magnet last year on a field of rape the conditions for all three days were the same ,first day i had just decoys out and shot 26 birds ,2nd day i had decoys and flapper plus 2 floaters and shot 21 birds ,3rd day i had decoys and magnet and shot 86 . The magnet worked like it is ment to by bringing the birds to have a look which in most cases bring them with in range .

I also love the magnet for bringing birds off a flightline , I had this the other month where i was unable to get under the line and was over 200 yards from it i tryed both with and without and when the magnet was spinning they pulled off to have alook . Dont get me wrong ive had a few days where it does not work but these days were when nothing really worked . I am still a big fan and untill there is something better out there it will always come with me !

 

Tom

[manxman2]

Does a one bird or 2 bird cradled rotary make a big difference lads.

 

ps pidgeons are stupid, but even they learn after time.

Edited October 1, 2010 by manxman2

[manxman2]

Ive just watched a video of a magnet, looks like they would be absolutely lethaL with 2 jackdores up for rooks/jacks.

 

Would it not all come down to lighting conditions having a big say in success with them.

Edited October 1, 2010 by manxman2

[big yz dave]

manxman

 

believe me pigeons are not stupid!!!

 

 

we have always used a 2 arm spinner if you use 1 arm it off balances & up roots the machine! we built a 4 arm machine but it looked silly & scared the birds off quicker!!

 

 

they do work with jackdors attached but they dont work more than once or twice on the same farm as the crow family are even more waery than pigeons!!

[big yz dave]

Well each to there own as you say .But for me they are still the best attractor on the market . I did a test with the magnet last year on a field of rape the conditions for all three days were the same ,first day i had just decoys out and shot 26 birds ,2nd day i had decoys and flapper plus 2 floaters and shot 21 birds ,3rd day i had decoys and magnet and shot 86 . The magnet worked like it is ment to by bringing the birds to have a look which in most cases bring them with in range .

I also love the magnet for bringing birds off a flightline , I had this the other month where i was unable to get under the line and was over 200 yards from it i tryed both with and without and when the magnet was spinning they pulled off to have alook . Dont get me wrong ive had a few days where it does not work but these days were when nothing really worked . I am still a big fan and untill there is something better out there it will always come with me !

 

Tom

 

 

 

tom try the battery powered flapper & pecker they also do a rotery version theres a guy selling them on ebay nomally around 30-35 quid complete with battery & wires you only need to buy 1 as they are easy enough to make as it is only a wire frame with a small electric motor attached (avaliable from maplins for less than a fiver for a good strong one) they are more lethal than a magnet & i have tried it in the same field patterns about 2-300 yards apart on several occasions one set up with flappers one set up with magnet & the birds mostly choose the flapper pattern!

[manxman2]

Dont worry dave i am not trying to belittle your quarrie.

 

Ive no doubt they are smart in their own way, i just dont have much experience of big bags with pigeons, only ever had one sittings where i got over a ton best i can remember.

 

There just wasnt the population of birds here, loved reading about it tho,

[yickdaz]

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!

you can;t always get near a flightline if its off your boundary and birds want to feed there but a magnet will at least grab some attention and get you some shots by pulling them away from the neighbouring farm.. statics or floaters won;t drag them hundreds of yards from choosen field. or flightline

• 
  

your right about moving to a better spot do it very often 3 times in a day if needed even using the magnet;due to flightlines changing during the day.

[Fisherman Mike]

If the birds are feeding where you are decoying.... magnet, flappers floaters or shells doesnt make a **** of difference.

 

The key to good pigeon decoying is Hunger.

 

Yes Pigeons have got wary of the rotary and it probably takes them less than two or three months, they are amongst the most intelligent and cautious of birds.

 

Pigeons eyesight is brilliant ( someone said it draws them in for miles so it must be) even if you shot the one nearest the rotay the others which see the decoy pattern hear the shot and probably wonder why its mate fell out of the sky and yet all the other static pigeons didnt flight is going to wise up pretty damn quick. What does a flock do if you let of a gunshot ? Answer... it takes to the air. Safety in numbers let the peregrine pick a dinner out of 100 plus whirling birds.

 

They have got used to recognising rotaries has they have raptors, seed drills, combines, and gas guns.!

 

The birds which regularly fall victim to the powers of the rotary are normally first full season or young inexperienced birds.

 

I definately opine that the rotary is nowhere near as effective now as it was 14 1/2 years ago when I got my first. No where near at all.!

 

The first one I used I set up in a feild of winter rape on a cold january day and I shot 186 birds. Money well spent I thought... only to have my mate ring me the next evening having shot 235 on the same field from the same hide using a dozen of the worst shell deeks you have ever seen...

 

Sometimes it works agreed.... but more often than not the bloody thing is a hinderance.

 

I have not often seen pigeons consistantly pulled of a flightline with one, particularly at peak feeding times. If you see pigeon at altitude head down going like the clappers its either on its way to or returning from a feed crop somewhere and probably once in 50 times it might veer of course to take a reccy.

 

The magnet is a bit of Placebo in my opinion, if it makes you feel confident lug it around, but and I say this without fear of contradiction if you are set up where the birds have established a feeding pattern over several days you will shoot pigeons. Even Brad Pitt starkers, spinning around on his d**k would bring any more birds in.!

[proTOM1]

you can;t always get near a flightline if its off your boundary and birds want to feed there but a magnet will at least grab some attention and get you some shots by pulling them away from the neighbouring farm.. statics or floaters won;t drag them hundreds of yards from choosen field. or flightline

• 
  

your right about moving to a better spot do it very often 3 times in a day if needed even using the magnet;due to flightlines changing during the day.

 

Like said you can not always get under a flighline due to land being someone elses or roads and footpaths to near .

 

I have used my magnet to great effect in the past to bring them off a flightline the day i remeber the most was nearly 2 years past , a good flighline at far side of the field but near a road was set up over 150 yards from it and tryed just static decoys and had nothing come near in over 1 hour put magnet on and could not get the carts in fast enough ,and yes they were pulling off the line ,you could watch them going along the road then spot the rotary and make a sharp turn for it . That day i shot 145 birds and im sure with out the magnet it would of been nearer 10 .

 

There not as good as when they first came out but i still shoot many a good bag when useing them and i shoot less when i dont (most of the time ) Got my first magnet 12 year ago and first try was on the way home in a strawberry pick your own car park it was pulling loads in ,even jo public to see what it was . First time out in the field i shot 86 but had it in the wrong place ,when i got it in the right place i shot my first 200 plus day and shot my record bag over it just over 5 years ago . will have a look at this roter coy pecker flapper thing tho

[yickdaz]

will have a look at this roter coy pecker flapper thing tho

bet it dosn;t work as well as the magnet just a guess :

[woody swacker]

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

maybe but not everytime. i think that the trouble is most shooters put them out regardless,and i believe that when woodies are on they will come to static decoys, the great thing about magnets is you have a good chance of drawing a woody that would probably just fly straight by.

[big yz dave]

If the birds are feeding where you are decoying.... magnet, flappers floaters or shells doesnt make a **** of difference.

 

The key to good pigeon decoying is Hunger.

 

Yes Pigeons have got wary of the rotary and it probably takes them less than two or three months, they are amongst the most intelligent and cautious of birds.

 

Pigeons eyesight is brilliant ( someone said it draws them in for miles so it must be) even if you shot the one nearest the rotay the others which see the decoy pattern hear the shot and probably wonder why its mate fell out of the sky and yet all the other static pigeons didnt flight is going to wise up pretty damn quick. What does a flock do if you let of a gunshot ? Answer... it takes to the air. Safety in numbers let the peregrine pick a dinner out of 100 plus whirling birds.

 

They have got used to recognising rotaries has they have raptors, seed drills, combines, and gas guns.!

 

The birds which regularly fall victim to the powers of the rotary are normally first full season or young inexperienced birds.

 

I definately opine that the rotary is nowhere near as effective now as it was 14 1/2 years ago when I got my first. No where near at all.!

 

The first one I used I set up in a feild of winter rape on a cold january day and I shot 186 birds. Money well spent I thought... only to have my mate ring me the next evening having shot 235 on the same field from the same hide using a dozen of the worst shell deeks you have ever seen...

 

Sometimes it works agreed.... but more often than not the bloody thing is a hinderance.

 

I have not often seen pigeons consistantly pulled of a flightline with one, particularly at peak feeding times. If you see pigeon at altitude head down going like the clappers its either on its way to or returning from a feed crop somewhere and probably once in 50 times it might veer of course to take a reccy.

 

The magnet is a bit of Placebo in my opinion, if it makes you feel confident lug it around, but and I say this without fear of contradiction if you are set up where the birds have established a feeding pattern over several days you will shoot pigeons. Even Brad Pitt starkers, spinning around on his d**k would bring any more birds in.!

 

 

well said

 

what alot of people dont understand anymore is it is all about fieldcraft not who has the most fancy kit with whistles & bells on it know your quarry have a good reccy round & see which field the birds are using & what area of the field they are feeding in

and if the birds move halfway through the day move with them!!

[motty]

You don't NEED to use a magnet to shoot big bags of pigeons. A friend of mine often shoots 100+ and often starts the day with just a couple of dead birds. However, i am certain- like Tom has said- that without a magnet alot of the good bags i have got would not have been possible. I don't agree with the statement that the magnet only draws pigeon into range for them to then be spooked away. My last good bag on rape stubble this year (176) was shot within a couple of weeks of getting a couple of other 100+ bags in the same area. Some might have expected these birds to be wary, having been disturbed a bit, but it was quite the opposite. The birds were hovvering over the magnet all day, looking for a spot to land. This was easy shooting- getting left and rights consistently and a few triples.

Magnets have definately NOT had their day, i think some people ( not all) who use them haven't got a clue how to go about shooting pigeons anyway ( going by some decoyers i have witnessed), and then moan that they don't bring birds in.

In the hands of people who know where and when to deploy them, i truly believe that this piece of decoying equipment has no equal.

And i still believe that too many people credit pigeons with incredible powers of reason. For someone to say that a pigeon getting shot over a magnet and any other pigeons hearing the bang and seeing their mate drop, will wonder what has happened, is incredible. Does anyone on this forum actually believe that pigeons know what is happening when they are being shot at?

Edited October 3, 2010 by motty

[yickdaz]

just another big up for the magnet... shot over it last sat and tuesday with good results again ..on the saturday we were out walking for parts and pheasants;but i spotted birds flighting to a stubble.. so at dinner time;we had a chat what we were going to do rest of the day . the old fella and his mate decided to carry on walking after the game i decided to have a go at the woodies but i didn;t have any dead birds for the rotary so put the hide up. 16 shell decoys out and waited..took me 1/2 an hour to shoot 2 birds.and they were just flying past.stuck them on the rotary and shot another 38 in under 2 hours.

Edited October 6, 2010 by yickdaz