mad scientist number three moment

[stubby]

some of you may remember early "mad scientist" posts of mine, were Ive tried making decoys, not only to get different quarry's closer in, but mainly to save money,

well after see quite a few post's on crow decoy, using different decoys with good results, I wanted to get in on the action, a new permission of mine has a very large amount of crows passing over it, so last week I popped out with some plastic crow deeks, and failed miserably

 

so back to the drawing board, I remembered reading a few posts on using a plastic decoy fox or stuffed fox, to get the crows "mobbing" it, and therefore within shotgun distance

 

but there was no way on this earth, that I was going to part with £80 that the picture below was asking for

 

 

I looked on u tube and saw a clip where some guys had made a paper mache fox, but did'nt think Id have the artistic streak enough to do that, I then pondered on the idea of skinning a dead fox and tring to preserve the skin before putting it over a wire bodied frame, but then thought Id try this next one, re-modding a stuffed toy

 

checking out evil bay, I picked up this for 99p a couple of miles from home, collected it this morning, then set about turning it, into a fox

 

 

 

first we (the missus helped) cut off the mane and tail, trimmed the feet, added wire into the neck to hold the head up, and the ears too, then added a preserved fox tail, from a distance, it looks very fox like, so Im hoping the crows will think that too, going to try it out sunday afternoon, so I'll let you know, but at a total outlay of £4, if it don't work, Im not too worried, but if it does

 

 

do you reckon I should just try it in the middle of open field, or on an edge

and should I place a plastic crow 20 or so yards away, to look as though the fox is creeping up on the crow

[Paul223]

love it can't wait to see how it goes

[Fatcatsplat]

What was the comment about there being a fine line between genius and madness?

 

Top work Steve!!

[pigeonblasterian]

Priceless

[utectok]

Wot!! Good luck!!!

[Lampwick]

Love it! I really hope it works and if not still love the enterprise.

My wife even enjoyed the thread!

 

Good luck

[scolopax]

Nah, won't work like that, what you need to do is motorise it so it goes around in circles infront of your hide, movement thats the secret, deffo work then.

[leeds chimp]

thats a classic idea tho

[anser2]

I had a student a few years ago who was looking at the reaction of garden birds to various preditors. She used a decoy hawk on a string that she would fly from the bedroom window across the lawn and a stuffed toy cat that she put on wheels and pulled on a string across the lawn . Both worked well , but I think the people overlooking her garden thought she was potty after all its not every day you see a cat on wheels being pulled across the grass !!

Edited December 12, 2010 by anser2

[poontang]

 

I've just done a little wee looking at that.

[scolopax]

Seriously, Ive just noticed what is wrong with it, it just needs a dab of black on each ear and another couple on the sides of the muzzle and you are on a winner. I would not be at all surprised if it actually works. Good luck and I look forward to the report from your first outing with it.

[stubby]

dig out some good fox pictures and Ill try spraying "basil" a bit better, well popped over my permish today mainly to set some mk6 fenn's in the warrens, as the rabbits are hammering the rape fields, first tried putting basil in the corner of a field, about 25yds in, and must say, it got the crows angry, but not to a point of mobbing, I then moved him to another field, but put him on the edge, coming out of the long grass and placed a plastic deek around 30yds away, again, sent the crows into angry mode, but nothing came too close, this could be a number of reasons, firstly Id only gone to lay traps and watch, so had no hide built, just squeezed into the hedgerow, maybe they spotted me too

 

so what I need to know from you guys is,

 

has anyone used a fox decoy with any success

 

if so, certain month of year

 

are crows more prone to mob, in say the breeding season, or when theres young crows about

 

all is not lost for basil, Im going to add a bit more black as suggested and have another trip out, maybe next weekend and give him another go, but with a proper hide this time....

I'll keep ya posted

[JohnM1979]

Heres a message i didnt make earlier lol

 

Well what an interesting idea...all those hours watching blue peter certainly helping there

Im wondering if there are any actual life size replica's.

If not you may have to get a copyright/patent on that

 

Hope it does work.

 

 

cheers John