Decoy tips

[Wangeye]

Just found the forum and registered. 

My friend & I have been shooting clay targets for just over a year now & have decided to have a go at some pigeons. 

We shot on some chopped up cover last week and got 21 Corvids in 2 hours was well pleased!

The flight line of pigeons is about 50 yrds from our field they are constantly flying all the time we were there. We tried a magnet and have 10 half shell pigeon decoys but we couldn’t  get them to come down. 

Have jack pike Camo netting we checked we couldn’t be seen through it. 

Am looking for any tips of how to draw them in? Different decoys maybe or something else?

thanks for reading and any info you could help us with. 

Edited April 9, 2018 by Wangeye

[Longstrider]

You will find that the flight line of pigeons WAS about 50 yds away ... It will vary from day to day as the conditions change. They will flight on differing lines on different winds, and according to where they roosted and where they're feeding. Every day is a school day when you're trying to lure the birds in

Trying to bring pigeons in to your half dozen or dozen decoys simply won't be effective if there are a couple of hundred birds feeding hard a couple a of fields away. You need to set up where the pigeons want to be, and that's not always where you want to be, or where you can be.

[Wangeye]

Thanks for your reply, I have spend about 20min every day watching the pigeons flightline for the last week all at different times of the day and they are constantly flying to and from trees I just can’t seem to get them to drop down they show a slight interest but swerve off at the last minute. 

[old'un]

You will struggle to pull birds off that line, sometimes pigeons go decoy blind and no matter what you do they just fly over.

And as Longstrider said, especially if their mates are feeding undisturbed a couple of fields away.

[motty]

2 hours ago, Wangeye said:

Thanks for your reply, I have spend about 20min every day watching the pigeons flightline for the last week all at different times of the day and they are constantly flying to and from trees I just can’t seem to get them to drop down they show a slight interest but swerve off at the last minute. 

You have already been given the answer.

10 decoys in the right place is better than 100 in the wrong place.

[JDog]

I have found that pigeons do not respond well sometimes to decoys on the chopped up maize. If you have another go try putting the decoys on the adjacent field.

[Clodhopper]

Another way would be to forget decoying them and get underneath that line and shoot them as they fly by.

[Ultrastu]

I find that the birds at this time of year are all adults and are pretty savvy .

Ie they often cant be fooled by a few plastic pigeon shells. 

[Wangeye]

Thanks for all your advice, I haven’t got any permission with crops that they want to feed on yet so was hoping somehow to try and attract them down off there flightline. 

Maybe im trying the impossible!

[JDog]

7 minutes ago, Ultrastu said:

I find that the birds at this time of year are all adults and are pretty savvy .

Ie they often cant be fooled by a few plastic pigeon shells. 

I am not at all sure that your assertion is correct.

[Ultrastu]

Well thats how i see it. As is my experience .so for me. The abive is 100 % correct .you may have a different experience  and as such your opinion is correct for you .

Though others may agree with you and also me .strange that .? At least with all the infomation and different ideas the op might relate to different opionions .

[motty]

2 hours ago, Wangeye said:

Thanks for all your advice, I haven’t got any permission with crops that they want to feed on yet so was hoping somehow to try and attract them down off there flightline. 

Maybe im trying the impossible!

It certainly isn't impossible. I have shot bags of over 100 on fields that pigeons haven't been feeding on. Also, in my early pigeon shooting days, I have decoyed pigeons on any piece of ground I could set up on (having very little land to go on years ago).

 

All I can say is, try different tactics and see what works. Learn from your experiences.

[Wangeye]

Thanks for your advice Motty, thats why in my question I wandered if some types of decoys are any better than others, just trying to give myself the best chance of getting them to drop down, watched the flight line last night after work again and they are moving in both directions in small groups of 5-10. I have watched this line for 2 weeks now so I know they are there it’s just getting them down on my field!

[marsh man]

A strong wind can work to your advantage ( or disadvantage ) in a situation like yours with a limited amount of land , so the only way to find that out is spending time trying  different set ups in various places on the field , with static decoys it wont be that easy , so if you are serious about pigeon shooting it might pay you to invest in either a flapper or a magnet to create some movement amongst your decoys .

Why not follow the line of pigeons and find out where there feeding ? , find out who farm it and tell him , while you were keeping pigeons off Mr xxxxx land you noticed they were giving your Rape? some stick , would there be any chance of me having a day on there , you then have nothing to lose if he said no and everything to gain if he said yes  .            GOOD LUCK

[Cosd]

On 4/9/2018 at 14:54, Wangeye said:

Thanks for your reply, I have spend about 20min every day watching the pigeons flightline for the last week all at different times of the day and they are constantly flying to and from trees I just can’t seem to get them to drop down they show a slight interest but swerve off at the last minute. 

 

Is it possible that you are waiting for the birds to commit before taking a shot? How close are they getting before "swerving" away? I've had many decoy sessions where the shooting is based on birds coming within range but because I know they won't commit you are forced to shoot at a longer range or sooner than you would do if they were committing to land; I'm not suggesting shooting birds outside of your comfort range, but I have seen people not taking a shot because they are waiting for the bird to come in closer.

 

Ranging something in the air is harder than if it were on the ground, if you're a little unsure, put a couple of markers out in the field say 30 or 35 yards (everybody's shooting range will differ), that way it's easier to gauge that they are within your shooting range.

 

Also you haven't described the position of your hide, decoy pattern, magnet position, field layouts, flight line, wind direction etc, It's possible that someone could advise you to set your hide up on a different part of the field you have access to. It could be that you are setting up as close to the flight line as possible, but the birds have less time to see your decoys, therefore setting up further away would give the birds a longer time to see your decoys/magnet as they continue on there flight path.

 

I think it was Motty that mentioned previously, but try different things, be prepared to change it about and learn from everything you do and always take note on how the birds react.

 

[Wangeye]

Thanks for all your tips and advice, as a separate question I am considering getting a Hatsan escort semi auto just for rough pigeon shooting not everyone’s cup of tea I know! I like the black synthetic & the Camo one is there any benefit from the Camo one for in the hide? I think it’s about £50 more is it worth it?

thanks for any reply’s. 

[motty]

5 hours ago, Wangeye said:

Thanks for all your tips and advice, as a separate question I am considering getting a Hatsan escort semi auto just for rough pigeon shooting not everyone’s cup of tea I know! I like the black synthetic & the Camo one is there any benefit from the Camo one for in the hide? I think it’s about £50 more is it worth it?

thanks for any reply’s. 

There is no real benefit of a camouflaged gun. Buy which one you prefer.

[dead eye alan]

10 hours ago, motty said:

There is no real benefit of a camouflaged gun. Buy which one you prefer.

 Exactly what Motty said! Although i use a Hatsan black synthetic 28in i would recommend the 26in barrel version, as it's a little less cumbersome in a hide. 

[Longstrider]

I shoot almost my pigeons and crows with my Hatsan Escort these days. The synthetic stock at least allows for you to adjust the length of pull which is why I shoot better with it than most guns (I had to add all the spacers to make it fit me as I'm built like a gibbon) Cracking gun that is yet to let me down in any way.

It came with the black stockwork but a silly cheapo deal saw me change that to cammo. Saves on cammo tape if nothing else

Edited April 13, 2018 by Longstrider

[Wangeye]

Thanks for all advice, I like the idea of a 26 inch barrel for hide shooting, there seems to be lots of different variations of the Hatsan Escort, I have decided on a Camo version but on the web sites there are a few different choices I’m not sure of all the differences can any one help?

[Peej]

will take note of those tips

[marcel909]

As the wind is conveniently behind us we will start with our 15 dead pigeon decoys in two small groups about 20-25 yards out either side of the hide, leaving an area between where we hope the incoming birds will make for. A few decoys about 15 yards out between the groups will in effect produce a horseshoe shape. We will start without any of the toys we may need such as rotaries, flappers or floaters. All these can be important but more so when shooting over standing crops (like rape or peas) where static decoys are less visible. On the bare soil of a drilled field our decoys will show up very well and should be convincing enough to attract pigeons into our pattern coming well into range with confidence. As you shoot more pigeons we will go out and set them up to create a larger feeding flock but maintain the open killing zone in the middle that incoming birds will see as an easy place to intend to land.

Edited July 15, 2018 by marcel909