difficulty in attracting pigeons

[ditchman]

I'm always up for a bit of logical, reasoned debate. I am yet to hear anything about how the pigeon scouting system works. Anyone?

 

 

call yerself a naturist.....dont you know....................................the scout bird comes back and does stuff like bee's do....they waggle their bum this way for 2 or 3 sec's...then they do the funky chicken...for 2 secs...and what this does is lay down a map as plain as day ...as to where the best nosh is on that day....and what combine they were using..

 

you learn something every day on here.. .

[GingerCat]

 

 

call yerself a naturist.....dont you know....................................the scout bird comes back and does stuff like bee's do....they waggle their bum this way for 2 or 3 sec's...then they do the funky chicken...for 2 secs...and what this does is lay down a map as plain as day ...as to where the best nosh is on that day....and what combine they were using..

 

you learn something every day on here.. .

But only in odd numbers......

[vampire]

So say i am sitting under a flight line,i let the scout birds go over, visable by the uniform,then shoot the line of birds following,what time do the scout birds go over because i never set up early so i might just crack on as they probs already been over.

This pigeon decoying is more complicated than you think

What a load of tosh.

[kitchrat]

I'm always up for a bit of logical, reasoned debate. I am yet to hear anything about how the pigeon scouting system works. Anyone?

Entering into the spirit of things, I will expand on my observations, in spite of the ridicule that results from those who have not noticed scouting.

I'm trying to shoot pigeons over winter rape. They really want to be in a corner I cannot shoot, school, paddocks, houses etc. So all I can do is set up 2-300 yards away, where there is SOME pigeon damage and try to pull them over. Far from ideal but you have to make an effort.

During setting up they all leave of course.

Some while later, about 6 birds fly up the valley past the favourite choice location and park up in a wood about 800 yards away. One bird immediately heads for choice location, does a wide lap of honour and returns to the wood. All 6 birds head straight over a drop in. Thereafter, any passing birds see the Safe Six and dive in, so I have to put up a shot to clear them off.

Go back to the last paragraph and repeat.

Go back to the last paragraph and repeat.

Go back to the last paragraph and repeat.

At this point I put flags and bags etc in the choice spot and passing birds do just that and pass on by.

OK, I know, I'm in the wrong place, if I were at their choice point they would have dropped in, I would have had a decent day with a decent bag and seen no scouting. Being forced out of position made me an interested spectator.

I must point out that my area is heavily shot so caution is important to the local pigeons.

[kitchrat]

 

 

call yerself a naturist.....dont you know....................................the scout bird comes back and does stuff like bee's do....they waggle their bum this way for 2 or 3 sec's...then they do the funky chicken...for 2 secs...and what this does is lay down a map as plain as day ...as to where the best nosh is on that day....and what combine they were using..

 

you learn something every day on here.. .

Whilst I appreciate a bit of sarcasm, you will agree that pigeons have good eyesight and can tell from the actions of others what's going on. A bird sitting in a tree can see another, maybe a mile away? drop happily onto a field. He can then follow confidently. Another bird, maybe another mile away, sees number 2 head confidently to the destination and he can follow too.

I'm sure you have been watching a possible field for an age with no sign of birds, then suddenly, they are dropping in like raindrops from all directions and in 10 minutes 200 birds have arrived. Not a flock or flock-string arriving but an assortment of local birds.

OK, this is not scouting but "bird watching" by birds, (they could be using social media, whatever Facebook is.) In fact it is a form of social media, just another way of "posting" information - visually not electronically. (not bottom waggling)

[fortune]

Naah. If they don't come in to the pattern you are in the wrong place. I know that it can be frustrating when you set up and birds sail right over the pattern and ignore them but they have got their sights set on a different field. There was a thread on here some years ago about how some bloke insisted that you had to cut the eyelids off of the decoys because the birds coming in would see that the decoy birds had their eyes shut and the incoming birds veered away because of it. Yeah right!! The fact that the shooter was being seen by the incoming birds didn't seem to have entered the equation. Weird ideas abound.

[TIGHTCHOKE]

So far we have had;

 

The SCOUT theory

 

The ODD NUMBER theory

 

The TOO CLOSE TO THE WOOD theory

 

The IN THE WRONG PLACE theory

 

The EYELID theory

Edited August 16, 2017 by TIGHTCHOKE

[JDog]

The 'Scout theory' has some standing with me too. I always shoot the first bird which comes into the pattern which may explain my average is one pigeon per outing.

[fortune]

Naah. If you shot the scout and he didn't return from patrol, how would the waiting assembly of pigeons know what had happened to the scout. He might have stopped off at the red lion For a swift half and be fast asleep up some tree or gotten waylaid by some female pigeon of the night and be stuck up to the axles in the feme fatale. Just observe the fact that the pattern is in the wrong place, set out wrong or that the hide and shooter are so visable that the incoming birds fly straight past.

[dead eye alan]

Scouts? I do find it hilarious. I don't believe geese or pigeons employ scouts. There are so many questions to answer. How do pigeons relay any information they have gleaned on their scouting missions? What if the scout gets shot? Do they then have to go through some kind of recruitment process to find another? Does every wood have a scout? What about urban birds - do they have a scout for every garden?

I could go on. The whole notion of scouts is truly laughable.

 

Told you!

[dougall]

is there a special badge for shooting the Scout pigeon?

[kyska]

The 'Scout theory' has some standing with me too. I always shoot the first bird which comes into the pattern which may explain my average is one pigeon per outing.

😂Same here, I've been doing it wrong by the looks of it

[yod dropper]

Apply this scout theory to that of 'sentry' and feeding birds (just like you buy your decoys) and the comments could be exactly the same. I would bet this is actually about collective behaviour for the good of the group, so that the behaviour of the flock means that at any time some are on the lookout for predators, some scout before the flock commits and so on. Is it not also possible that some birds are less cautious than others and hence appear to scout?

[ditchman]

Hi all am i the only one who thinks that groups of pigeons sedn a few pigeons out infont of the rest of them to be scout pigeons??? whilst out shooting last week it seemed like id see a few pigeons come infront of a main group. might be being stupid but wondered if anyone thought the same as me.

 

 

 

Cantremember.................i do apologise for my poor humour... at the end of the day this is a forum where people ...learn...discuss...have a larf...............

 

this is not the first time this subject has been mentioned....im sure the scout pigeon thing....is very enticing.....and sometimes the way birds find their way to the pattern makes you think...........

 

its very like modern physics.....they ponder the problem and make up an answer that fits..........until it is busted....

 

 

pigeons have good eyesight and they can see the flash of the wing bars and movement at great distance...........watching a field......preparing the whatever pattern...placing the magnet...........is all part of the skill.............

 

in one of my posts recently i (for me ) had a good day out....what i didnt say was the effort i made in watching that field twice a day for 5 days....watching the numbers build up...and i clapped them off several times, so they got used to being moved off...............the day me and my mate set up....we drove across the field...the birds lifted and circled and dropped in behind the landrover to start feeding again........

 

im not for the scout thingy............but if you are then stick with it...

[old'un]

ditchman you might not be for the scout thingy but this bird was spotted in Norfolk last week....

[vampire]

Entering into the spirit of things, I will expand on my observations, in spite of the ridicule that results from those who have not noticed scouting.

 

Don't take it to seriously mate,its only banter

Think less scout birds more like sheep,if one drops into pattern then more chance of following bird to do same,if it flys by the next will do same,you can see this every day in the hide.

With regard to your particular field,they will not decoy 100s of yards from where they want to feed,you either need to be under the flight line ideally or the next place they dropping into.

Or you could train your own scouts