Magpie decoy

[Walker570]

I'm probably teaching my grandmother to suck eggs here but a successful way of shooting magpies was born out by an incident I had about 10yrs ago. I was sat in a high seat and popping a few rabbits with my HMR. I dropped on out in the field about 50yrds away and it rolled on it's back belly up. Ten minutes latter I heard a Maggie chatter in the wood behind me and next minute it flits out and lands on top of the rabbit only to collapse wings outstretched without a twitch. I was just congratulating myself when another chatters behind, then also flies out with that undulating flight they have, lands about ten feet from his pal and walks over to have a look and also falls flat atop the rabbit, wings outstretched ... I just love these 17HMRs :-) ..... I was quietly chuckling to myself when another flies out from the wood, lands about 20yrds away and hops towards his palls stopping about a foot short and also fell in a heap. I have been at this game for eons but it never came to mind that unlike crows which will come and mob a dead colleague, maggies will happily land and come across to see what is going on.

Yesterday I tried something. I have a plastic Maggie decoy so I also had a small piece of sheepskin which I marked with red and orange marker and some brown marker. I knew I had at least three magpies using my wood, so I set this decoy in an open glade overlooked by a small cabin I have in there. Put the sheepskin with the decoy and sat in the cabin with the 22rf. Thirty minutes later I had one Maggie dead about a yard from the decoy, about twenty minutes later, I had two. I also had a squirrel, so yesterday I re set the layout and included the squirrel. Twenty minutes and I had my third Maggie. They all came in so brazen and cocky. I have a farm where I shoot and they have a LOT of magpies around the yard, so this weekend I am going to set up there and see if it was a fluke or if it really works.

[robbiep]

Yup. I use a sheep's fleece and some red ribbon to the same effect. Magpies come into it very happily. Jackdaws will come within shotgun range, but do seem a bit more wary.

[oldypigeonpopper]

I'm probably teaching my grandmother to suck eggs here but a successful way of shooting magpies was born out by an incident I had about 10yrs ago. I was sat in a high seat and popping a few rabbits with my HMR. I dropped on out in the field about 50yrds away and it rolled on it's back belly up. Ten minutes latter I heard a Maggie chatter in the wood behind me and next minute it flits out and lands on top of the rabbit only to collapse wings outstretched without a twitch. I was just congratulating myself when another chatters behind, then also flies out with that undulating flight they have, lands about ten feet from his pal and walks over to have a look and also falls flat atop the rabbit, wings outstretched ... I just love these 17HMRs :-) ..... I was quietly chuckling to myself when another flies out from the wood, lands about 20yrds away and hops towards his palls stopping about a foot short and also fell in a heap. I have been at this game for eons but it never came to mind that unlike crows which will come and mob a dead colleague, maggies will happily land and come across to see what is going on.

Yesterday I tried something. I have a plastic Maggie decoy so I also had a small piece of sheepskin which I marked with red and orange marker and some brown marker. I knew I had at least three magpies using my wood, so I set this decoy in an open glade overlooked by a small cabin I have in there. Put the sheepskin with the decoy and sat in the cabin with the 22rf. Thirty minutes later I had one Maggie dead about a yard from the decoy, about twenty minutes later, I had two. I also had a squirrel, so yesterday I re set the layout and included the squirrel. Twenty minutes and I had my third Maggie. They all came in so brazen and cocky. I have a farm where I shoot and they have a LOT of magpies around the yard, so this weekend I am going to set up there and see if it was a fluke or if it really works.

hello interesting write up, by chance could you put up a photo of the sheepskin, i understand when you mentioned the crows when i put one belly up i had shot waiting for rabbits it was mobbed.