Decoying gear waste of money?

[ditchman]

a while ago HARNSER was involved in a thread regards decoys....he maintains that dead birds are the best....he used to dry and preserve dead birds ...in salt or formaldehyde...then set the feathers flat using his wifes hairspray...............

 

 

think i will have a go at that this year,............................

[chrispti]

20 odd dead birds and a magnet with dead birds on close to the hide works well for me...

[colin.y]

I think the best piece of decoying equipment you can buy is a second hand working freezer. Fill it with the best decoys you can get(dead birds)

[Smokersmith]

There's nothing I've bought that I've not found useful some of the time.

 

Put another way .. everything I have has been useful at some point, but not all the time.

Edited February 24, 2017 by Smokersmith

[kenholland]

my missus said she will order a skip when my number is called .

[daveboy]

my missus said she will order a skip when my number is called .

Be careful mate,She seems pretty confident you're going first....Does your food taste funny?

[flippermaj]

Marsh man, where is the Geoff Garrod video you refer too?

 

Cheers

[flippermaj]

Found it!

[marsh man]

Marsh man, where is the Geoff Garrod video you refer too?

 

Cheers

 

Found it!

Hi flippermaj ..... I have got 3 or 4 Geoff Garrods d v ds , but at the moment they are packed away as we are due to move over the next couple of weeks . I know one of them is Geoff and Will Garfit sharing the same hide and the bag is over a ton . a good down to earth d v d .

 

When I unpack , or if come across them first I will let you know what they are called and who produced them . M M

[cooooper1]

i use mechanical flappers,peckers and magnets all with dead birds on them with half dozen dead birds on cradles works brilliant most to all days out.

[Old Boggy]

You have only to read PCs detailed write ups to note that a magnet and dead birds ( normally about a dozen) invariably works very well for him.

Also, from his excellent write ups, you will note that he rarely shoots the same field two weeks running on the basis that pigeons become spooked, but after a couple of weeks perhaps their memory forgets that two birds on a rotary represents a danger.

 

I've learnt much from PCs posts but have yet to experience the same level of success, all of which is down to his experience, total dedication and perseverance.

 

 

 

OB

[zipdog]

With the correct fieldcraft and time to study bird/land there is no need for any decoy equipment what so ever! Unfortunately most of us aren't lucky enough to spend a couple of hours each day studying where pigeons are feeding! Instead we arrive Saturday morning have a quick look round and take a punt on a field/particularly spot! It's in that situation mechanical decoying gear helps to make a bag if you've got your location slightly wrong!

[motty]

I disagree with the above post. On many occasions I have been in the best spot whilst decoying. The addition of magnets etc has at times instantly improved the percentage of pigeons that commit fully to the pattern.

[kippylawkid]

Yes, I've got to agree that. Whirlies and flappers are an essential part of my kit, even on days where you're in the right spot they increase the chances you get - provided they're used correctly.

Why not use the technology?

[Towngun]

ALL THE GEAR AND NO IDEA

 

Many guns do not have extensive permissions. This means they are obliged to shoot irrespective of pigeons feeding and this I fear is where an over reliance on gadgets comes from.

 

 

If pigeons want to eat your crop then they will do so in spite of you, your white face plus gun. In these cases limited gear will suffice. If on the other hand they don't want to eat, then you have to be cleverer than they are and trick them.

 

All the gear is fine until you need to carry it across a muddy field and then back again plus hopefully some dead pigeons.

 

My advice is to spend your time, not your money. Three days reconnaissance for one day shooting. Train hard fight easy. Travel light and get under the flight line.

 

 

[motty]

Towngun, maybe you missed my post.

[E.w.]

ALL THE GEAR AND NO IDEA

 

Many guns do not have extensive permissions. This means they are obliged to shoot irrespective of pigeons feeding and this I fear is where an over reliance on gadgets comes from. [/size] [/size]

 

 

If pigeons want to eat your crop then they will do so in spite of you, your white face plus gun. In these cases limited gear will suffice. If on the other hand they don't want to eat, then you have to be cleverer than they are and trick them. [/size] [/size]

 

All the gear is fine until you need to carry it across a muddy field and then back again plus hopefully some dead pigeons. [/size]

 

My advice is to spend your time, not your money. Three days reconnaissance for one day shooting. Train hard fight easy. Travel light and get under the flight line.

 

Excellent post, I don't think anyone can add to that, proper job.

[motty]

E.W, I feel you are yet again being antagonistic. Towngun's idyllic notion may work in fantasy land.

[Cranfield]

I have used artificial decoys over the years in their many forms with great success.

Shells, full bodied, flocked, unflocked, they have all worked on their day, as have dead birds.

The introduction of rotarys and flappers was a great advance, especially in attracting birds from a great distance, some days its almost like magic how they work.

 

Back in the 60's when we had very hard winters, kale covered in snow and the birds were starving, you only had to find a field with some green showing and you could kill as many pigeons as you wanted to.

Decoys weren't that necessary and if they were really hungry you could dispense with a hide.

Those days have long gone, we don't get winters like that any more.

 

I don't use decoys when flightline shooting, but setting up on a field where birds are feeding, without any decoys, I would consider a waste of time.

Thats just my opinion and I respect people that have different opinions to me.