Spring stick shell decoys

[Lucky Shot 1958]

Purely for my information,does anyone know what the hooks are for on the ends of the spring sticks for shell decoys ?

 

Thanks

Luck shot

[mossy835]

hang decoys in trees.

[Cosd]

Stops them flying off in strong winds

[vampire]

So they stay attached to shells when folded and stored.

Suffolk,where abouts are you from mate.

[Lucky Shot 1958]

Thanks for your reply gents,now I know.

[getthegat]

Is it just me or does anyone else find the decoy flops over to one side with a sprint stick, as though the spring is too weak. My sticks came with the deeks (crows) so it's not as if they were bought from two different places.

[HIDENSEEK]

Is it just me or does anyone else find the decoy flops over to one side with a sprint stick, as though the spring is too weak. My sticks came with the deeks (crows) so it's not as if they were bought from two different places.

Have you tried closing the gap by screwing the pieces together?

[oldypigeonpopper]

Is it just me or does anyone else find the decoy flops over to one side with a sprint stick, as though the spring is too weak. My sticks came with the deeks (crows) so it's not as if they were bought from two different places.

hello, SPRING STICK UPGRADE !!!!!, most spring sticks come with a spring not realy fit for the purpose, the wide loop and thin wire will over time fail as you have mentioned become to floppy so not giving an accurate likeness to a bobbing feeding pigeon, my suggestion would be for those that use these is this, it should not be to costly, ok having found my 6 deeks the same i went to my local ironmongers and bought 6 springs, same internal diameter to go on the stick, but thicker wire and closer coils, cost just over £2, NOTE on the bay you can buy stainless spring in various sizes and lengths and thicker wire and closer coils as i bought, it is just a matter of checking a supplier that sell the right one, and if you buy in a length you can cut to size. good luck

Edited October 1, 2017 by oldypigeonpopper

[mossy835]

Have you tried closing the gap by screwing the pieces together?

 

 

 

+1

[GingerCat]

I've given up using the sticks. Not any difference either.

[motty]

I am not convinced of the effectiveness of spring sticks on decoys.

[TIGHTCHOKE]

I have been using some spring steel that is used to secure stuff to pallets for delivery.

 

A narrowed section bent over to 90 degrees allows movement and so far they have lasted very well.

[ShropshireSam]

Used half shell decoys since I started decoying 4 years ago. Bought mine from AA decoys and they work well if you have a decent breeze to give them some movement. Look particularly good on new drilling when the stand out from the bare soil really well. Always build up a pattern with dead birds but as not out very regular I do not have a stock of dead birds as decoys apart from a couple of weeks over harvest.

 

I never knew what the hook was for and found it a nuisance to remove sticks from the decoy so broke the hook off. Only issue is they can blow off the sticks in high winds.

[Walker570]

Use full body plastics and half an old hacksaw blade set in a piece of wood 1/2 inch square. put a couple of small white plastic vanes cut from WD40 can tops on either side of the neck. Even in a slight breeze they peck away happily. about 4 inches of blade between the pieces of wood works fine. Costs nothing only a bit of spare time.

[lakeside1000]

I use up to 30 shells at a time, but I have thrown away the spring sticks, I tried the metal springy banding pegs as well but in winds the shell ends up on the other side of the field, after buying some pinkfoot sillosock decoys with head mounted wire pegs that keep them facing into the wind and realising what a potentially great idea they were, I modified all my shells with a stiff wire peg, hot glued into the shell and protruding out under the head, I can still carry 30 stacked together under one arm but don't have to fiddle with pegs anymore, simply choose a spot and stick them in, even in very hard dry ground and in windy conditions the shells automatically keep heads into wind and they never blow away, for taller crops I carry 30 short fibreglass tent pole sections which have a hole down the middle for the elastic, these go into the ground first then the wire peg goes down the middle , the wind effect is the same keeping them heads into wind and by varying the height of the tent poles I can keep them visible at any crop height even up to standing wheat or barley where I set them up down the edge of the tramlines,

I use the same tent pole idea for my turbo flappers , just a heavier pole, so it looks like the flapper is trying to balance on top of the crop heads, works like a dream.

[Walker570]

I admire a fellow innovator. Great idea.

[NatureBoy]

What are the best flocked shells around at the mo?

 

NB

[mossy835]

i use sillosocks and they work well for me.

[lakeside1000]

To save on the cost of new shells I purchased the sillosock slip on covers for all my shells, they still allow shells to be stacked, but once placed out in the pattern the wind fills and expands the body section resembling a full body decoy, the covers have a great colour and realistic pattern, with built ultra violet for added attraction, they work great for me with many birds old and young actually landing inside the pattern, but as always once I have enough dead birds on cradles I take in all the shells, nothing beats a full pattern of dead birds.