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My modified decoy shells


lakeside1000
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I did a mod to my shells a while back and have been very pleased with the results so I thought I would share a few photos, first I threw away the pegs that come with half shells, then shaped a length of stiff wire to lay inside the shell and protrude at the underside of the head to form a mounting peg, finally for taller crops I drilled some grp tent poles to take the wire so I could raise the shells up above crop height, in a good breeze the decoys move from side to side with a walking type movement, I fit all my shells with sillosock covers which act like windsocks to enhance the movement,

 

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Great job.

I also get some car grey primer and spray over the white ruff around the neck (just leave a bit of white showing). White is the danger signal for pretty much all animals and birds and can bee seen for miles. Pigeons stick their heads up if alarmed and this shows more white. Think of rabbit tails and deer tails also.

I also mentioned this to a bee keeper a few years back as all his  new queens were being killed by the hive, this particular year they all had dabs of white paint on them to identify them.  They change the colour every year to easily identify the queens and to denote the year the colony was started off.

Just my own twopennywoth.

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1 hour ago, Flyboy1950 said:

Great job.

I also get some car grey primer and spray over the white ruff around the neck (just leave a bit of white showing). White is the danger signal for pretty much all animals and birds and can bee seen for miles. Pigeons stick their heads up if alarmed and this shows more white. Think of rabbit tails and deer tails also.

I also mentioned this to a bee keeper a few years back as all his  new queens were being killed by the hive, this particular year they all had dabs of white paint on them to identify them.  They change the colour every year to easily identify the queens and to denote the year the colony was started off.

Just my own twopennywoth.

White is a danger signal? Really? What is the point of a pigeon flapper, then? I paint the necks of my decoys with more white than they had originally. I still seem to shoot pigeons ok.

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39 minutes ago, Flyboy1950 said:

I was given the tip 50 years ago and it has worked for me. Whether you chose to use the information or not is your prerogative. 

I have only ever used shells and that is what the thread is about.

Never heard that tip before, wonder why professional pigeon shooters don’t use it?

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4 hours ago, lakeside1000 said:

I did a mod to my shells a while back and have been very pleased with the results so I thought I would share a few photos, first I threw away the pegs that come with half shells, then shaped a length of stiff wire to lay inside the shell and protrude at the underside of the head to form a mounting peg, finally for taller crops I drilled some grp tent poles to take the wire so I could raise the shells up above crop height, in a good breeze the decoys move from side to side with a walking type movement, I fit all my shells with sillosock covers which act like windsocks to enhance the movement,

 

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DSCF4004.JPG

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Sorry mate, Its just more junk to carry across the field.

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I paint the white bits bigger too .

Adult birds have big white bits, juveniles  dont have any white .

If your an adult do you hang around the inexperienced kids to find food .? 

Or if your a kid do you find the adults to find. Good feeding area.? 

 

Juveniles of any animal or bird are usually always  Drab and camouflaged  so they don't stand out to predators .

Adults are usually well coloured .to attract other birds 

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7 hours ago, lakeside1000 said:

I did a mod to my shells a while back and have been very pleased with the results so I thought I would share a few photos, first I threw away the pegs that come with half shells, then shaped a length of stiff wire to lay inside the shell and protrude at the underside of the head to form a mounting peg, finally for taller crops I drilled some grp tent poles to take the wire so I could raise the shells up above crop height, in a good breeze the decoys move from side to side with a walking type movement, I fit all my shells with sillosock covers which act like windsocks to enhance the movement,

 

DSCF4003.JPG

DSCF4004.JPG

DSCF4005.JPG

Looks good Lakeside! I'll give it a try. what adhesive do you use? I also add more white. Neck bars really seem to stand out on the woodies feeding under my bird table/feeders at the mo.  NB 

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18 hours ago, motty said:

White is a danger signal? Really? What is the point of a pigeon flapper, then? I paint the necks of my decoys with more white than they had originally. I still seem to shoot pigeons ok.

I increase the white neck bar, this is a recognition signal to other pigeons, I also use ultra violet white paint on all white areas, works for me,

19 hours ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

LS1000 do they still stack okay?

Yes they stack really well, I carry 30 under one arm and just pull one out and stick it in the ground one handed , very quick and easy to lay out a pattern.

OLD'UN- its not more junk its less, no loose pegs to fiddle with,and in a good blow my decoys dont take off across the field like they used to when flopping about on pegs, you take decoys with you anyway so why not have them easier to place ??

NATURE BOY- I have a commercial hot glue gun which is ideal for this job, as it cools and sets really fast and if they do come loose its easy to refix.

Thanks everyone for the interest, these ideas and tips are bound to invite both positive and negative feedback, but at least it shows we are all trying things out to improve our results, PW is a great platform to share ideas and thoughts but you are not forced to take any notice , 

 

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