decoys over rape

[dead-eye-dick]

:grumpy: I am new to pigeon shooting and after reading meny web and magazine articals I thought I was ready for a trip to one of the 7 'rape' farms I have permission to shoot over.  On arrival at the first field I saw a group of around 6 pigeons fluttering around in a short patch of rape, I hid myself away and waited, after 1.5hrs without seeing a pigoen i moved to another field.  I found a field with maybe a hundered  birds feeding in 3 large short patches on the other side of the field, I once again set up camp 30 yards away from them in some cover, this time I didn't use decoys (someone said if you put them down wrong is will do more harm than good) much as I scaned the sky I could'nt make out any 'flight-lines', the odd bird flew across very high occasinally.

Should I have used decoys to atract them? or had they gone for good when scared off.

as I couldn't see any flight lines how would i go about setting up my decoys - the odd bird i did see came from behind me.

how meny decoys do i put out - how far apart should they be??   how well hidden should i be??

any info greatly recived - after 4hrs 0 birds is not good.  

[Steve]

Welcome to the forum Dead-eye, and welcome to the frustrating world of pigeon shooting.  There's a lot of stuff to take in when starting out, and a lot of info to sort through.  There's a couple of forums on here that discuss decoying over various crops and decoying in general.  There's also a bit about decoying on the website.

 

For a beginner, the classic horseshoe shape set out about 30 yards from your hide is probably the best to start off with.  The trick is definitely a bit of a recce around your shooting grounds to find flightlines, roosting woods, favourite feeding places etc.  I know you're dying to get shooting at some pigeons, but patience and good preparation will help you to get the best results.  A lot of beginners seem to just set up decoys and expect huge flocks of birds to come to them to be shot - then get real disappointed when that does'nt happen!

 

I think you're doing the right thing by asking questions and getting as much info as possible on shooting.  Like anything in life it's down to practice, practice, practice (and in my case plenty of luck).   :laugh:  :laugh:

 

Stick with it mate, and don't be afraid to ask plenty of questions - if we can help at all, we will.

[dead-eye-dick]

Thanks, I had watched the field, there was a flight coming in along the edge of the wood and into a tree which is in a wooded patch at right-angles to the main hedge row. the patch they were feeding on was at the foot of this large oak tree.

 

once i was in the field nomore pigeons flow over me.

 

was this not a flight line,  where they only coming cause other birds were there,  would i have been better to put decoys out,   im sure i wasn't easly visable.

obviosly wind direction dictates which way the patten is put, would which way the pigeons are flying have any bearing on it ??

[Steve]

Pigeons will always land into the wind and so if the wind was blowing from the rape field towards the big oak tree, it's possible the pigeons may not have been able to land as the trees were in their approach path (especially since the patch they were on was at the foot of the tree).

 

If you had seen pigeons feeding there before you arrived, I would have tried some decoys out.  You seem to be a bit reluctant to use your deeks since being told they might scare birds off.  If you stick to a simple pattern, face the deeks into the wind, and leave enough room for birds to land behind your pattern (your kill zone) - there should be no problem using decoys.  Besides, you'll never learn to put deeks out right if you don't try it.

 

Don't be too disheartened about 0 birds in 4 hours, I've been shooting for 15 years and I still have days like that.  It's part of pigeon shooting mate!  

[dead-eye-dick]

  how meny decoys should i put down??

how far apart should i have each decoy??

when i have had them down befor birds have come in low,

but bulked off again, maybe they were having a look.??

how bigger gap do i leave for the birds to enter???

 

if birds are feeding and are scared off - but no birds are flying

through, will they be waiting for the coast to clear so they

can return - i.e although i couldn't see flying birds i should put decoys out to bring passing birds in.

[Cranfield]

Welcome dead eye ****, Crumbs, you certainly have a few questions that need answering.

 

Obviously what you will get is only one persons opinion and opinions can differ, as I am sure you appreciate.

 

My opinion then,

Spend some time watching the fields you want to shoot over.

Pigeons flying are more important that pigeons on the ground.

You need to know where they are coming from and going to.

Ideally your hide and decoys need to be on that route.

 

Or you can do what a lot of other people do.

See the pigeons feeding.

Walk them off the field, don,t shoot at them.

Set up a hide covering the area where the birds were feeding.

Depending on which way the wind is blowing, set out your decoys.

Remember pigeons will want to land facing in to the wind.

 

Assuming the wind is coming from behind you, set your decoys facing the wind (the hide) in two lines.

Line 1 will be 15 paces to the left of the hide. with the first decoy 20 paces out in to the field, 2-3 paces behind that decoy put down another one,etc, untilyou have 4/5/6 decoys out.

 

Line 2 will be 15 paces to the right of the hide. then the same as Line 1.

 

The basic idea is that pigeons will come in and try to land between the two lines.

You shoot them.

 

You will have to modify this approach depending on the wind direction.

All you need to do, is to take that "decoy pattern" and move it to suit the wind.

You are always trying to direct the pigeons to fly between two lines of decoys IN TO THE WIND.

 

The danger of taking this approach, rather than spending time looking, is that you may well find you have "set up" in the wrong place and all the pigeons actually fly over an adjoining hedge and land at the other end of the field.

 

Your fault for being impatient.

Pick up all your gear and move.

It happens to the best of us.

 

I hope all that helps.

[PC Futrett]

Cranfield, Where do you get all this from??

If you read all the books when do you get time to go shooting...LOL :laugh:  :laugh:  8)

[lazza]

You've had some good advice from the others. The only thing I could add ,is to make sure your deeks are being spotted, by either getting them high in the crop, or to try & put some movement into the pattern. This can be done however you want to do it, spring sticks,hanging birds, or one of the various rotating machines, or even throwing out dead birds if you have any. There are plenty of topics that have been discussed, which give peoples opinions on pattern movement. Have a browse & see if there's anything that could help you. And for the record, what happened to you, happens to all of us, some times you just can't win!

[PC Futrett]

Well said Lazza

If st first you dont succeed pull your......oops!! wrong website again .......STEVE..... :laugh:  :laugh:  8)

[Cranfield]

PC, its experience, most of it hard earnt.

 

All I could tell dead-eye,( without sending him to sleep), was the basic idea of a decoy layout.

Hopefully he won,t set them out like soldiers, but stagger them a bit and also put the odd decoy in front of the hide, thereby completing the standard "horseshoe" shape.

I assumed that he had no floaters or rotary devices.

 

I also tried to recognise that shooters with limited time opportunities, won,t sit and watch fields for days.

 

Once he is confident that pigeons will come to his decoys, he can ask some more questions and try some other ideas.