Homemade Hide Netting

[marsh man]

1 hour ago, Westley said:

I used to sit in my hide and during quiet periods I would be thinking up some weird and wonderful ideas to attract every pigeon in the County and the next County too, to my decoy pattern. I can recall many years ago, in what I think was Sporting Gun, reading about some top pigeon shooter or other, experimenting with the bright orange plastic netting used on roadworks, to make a hide. Guess what  ?.......................it worked. I would not decry any efforts you make to increase bag size or give you an edge, after all I have probably done most of them myself in the past. When you have gone as far as to develop a a glider decoy that slid down a nylon fishing line into the pattern, then beware the men in white coats  !  The only reason that I have abandoned all of these experiments  ?...............................I JUST GREW OLD AND WAS UNABLE TO CARRY THEM ALL  !     😂

I well remember going to one of the game fairs and the Cornish Countryman ( Chris Green ) was doing one of his demonstrations on Pigeon decoying , he had some gadgets that he chucked from the hide to attract passing pigeon , this must have been a mark two version of Archie Coates breaking the wings of a freshly shot pigeon and chucking that out , this was before the Pigeon's shooter gift from heaven came on the market , mainly called the magnet , this device made all the pigeon shooter's own inventions put away in the corner of the shed and never to see daylight again . 

[kenholland]

cut up 2 pairs of old german d p m pattern trousers into long strips , tied them to some backing mesh , tried it out on a crow session , worked o k so use it on every crow day, they seem to come from miles  around to have a look, lucky me.

[motty]

I have only ever bought nets. I probably have well over 20 now. Some I use more than others. Some I never use.

I have rarely felt the need to disguise my nets with natural foliage, as I feel it makes more difference to how we perceive how good the hide is, than how the pigeon does! Hides do not need to look natural in order to work, the same as decoy patterns don't.

[Old Boggy]

6 hours ago, motty said:

I have only ever bought nets. I probably have well over 20 now. Some I use more than others. Some I never use.

I have rarely felt the need to disguise my nets with natural foliage, as I feel it makes more difference to how we perceive how good the hide is, than how the pigeon does! Hides do not need to look natural in order to work, the same as decoy patterns don't.

Agree totally Motty. That has been proved as previously stated by someone experimenting with orange plastic mesh with no apparent disadvantage. Keeping still is the key.

However, if people chose to decorate their hides with natural foliage and it makes them happy and gives them confidence, then so be it.

I'd rather spend more time shooting during my short forays out than hide building. 

OB

[pigeon controller]

Just reading through this post again and it struck me that it's the movement we are all concious of. When I construct a hide under the edge of the foliage of a tree in the summer I always but a back on it to prevent any movement being visible.

When setting up on a hedge in winter I always look for a solid back , holly,Ivy or trees this is so movement is not perceived from the back or front. My hides look very thick due to the overlap of strips of fabric but in practice the base netting I make as a 50mm square with a 25mm strip tied over the knot. I stand to shoot with the peak of my cap over the edge of the net and peek over the net. 

It has already been stated that movement is the concern and that is the object of the hide to minimise.

[old'un]

3 hours ago, pigeon controller said:

Just reading through this post again and it struck me that it's the movement we are all concious of. When I construct a hide under the edge of the foliage of a tree in the summer I always but a back on it to prevent any movement being visible.

When setting up on a hedge in winter I always look for a solid back , holly,Ivy or trees this is so movement is not perceived from the back or front. My hides look very thick due to the overlap of strips of fabric but in practice the base netting I make as a 50mm square with a 25mm strip tied over the knot. I stand to shoot with the peak of my cap over the edge of the net and peek over the net. 

It has already been stated that movement is the concern and that is the object of the hide to minimise.

Or just put the fishing brolly up as a backing, during the winter I use the brolly if the hedge is a bit thin, never bother with it during the summer unless its raining or the only place to shoot from is a barbed wire or sheep wire fence, mind you summer pigeons are a lot more forgiving.

[pigeon controller]

1 hour ago, old'un said:

Or just put the fishing brolly up as a backing, during the winter I use the brolly if the hedge is a bit thin, never bother with it during the summer unless its raining or the only place to shoot from is a barbed wire or sheep wire fence, mind you summer pigeons are a lot more forgiving.

Yes the brolly gets used in wet or cold wind conditions

[marsh man]

5 hours ago, pigeon controller said:

Just reading through this post again and it struck me that it's the movement we are all concious of. When I construct a hide under the edge of the foliage of a tree in the summer I always but a back on it to prevent any movement being visible.

When setting up on a hedge in winter I always look for a solid back , holly,Ivy or trees this is so movement is not perceived from the back or front. My hides look very thick due to the overlap of strips of fabric but in practice the base netting I make as a 50mm square with a 25mm strip tied over the knot. I stand to shoot with the peak of my cap over the edge of the net and peek over the net. 

It has already been stated that movement is the concern and that is the object of the hide to minimise.

From a very early age I have shot either kneeling or sitting , kneeling in the tram lines on laid wheat fields in the summer was no problem as the stems of wheat were a lot longer than they are today,  you then had the advantage of getting in the middle of the field and using any wind direction to make life that bit easier .

When I found it to much for my knees I would then sit , this had advantages and disadvantages , sitting down create a lot less movement , but it also restrict the amount of shots you can take on .

I also look for a evergreen clump along the hedge in the Winter months, but this is to keep the cold wind off my back rather than to minimise my movement .

[Blackpowder]

On 13/01/2020 at 20:14, Suveran said:

Hi all

first post for me..

I'm looking to make a homemade /custom , second, outer hide net to hang in front of my existing ghost net for extra concealment.

ive looked through various different ready made nets and can’t find anything that really suits or satisfies my obsessive hide building condition.

im trying to create something that will blend with the lower part of the local hedge row flora and fauna, so would need to be a long grass, nettle kind of effect for the lower two thirds of the hide, if you get where I’m coming from. I know the obvious would be to use the natural vegetation but just looking to create something that will blend and can’t just be attached with ease and speed  for the shorter sessions.

Have been looking to create something using ghillie suit materials and other natural looking fibres on a black nylon net.

Has anybody ever had a go at this and was it worth the extra hassle..

 

 

 

Years ago i made a roll up hide from light hessian sacking which came then with sugar beet pulp.   With brown and green paint painted a hedgerow on the sacking then stiched on some clumps of fawn, green and brown raffia.  looked quite like a hedge but thrown out long since  during a house move.

Blackpowder

[Suveran]

Rafia  (natural colour) was one of the materials I was looking to add at the base to give a dead grass / straw effect along with rags and some ghillie suit type material.

As mentioned, The back net does work very well to block any light coming through the hedge and have used a friends net for this before.

There has been some great info on this thread guys so a big thanks for all your input and knowledge.

I think I’m going to attempt to make one when I get a bit of spare time, if nothing else it will be a good experience to see what can be achieved and Will post some pics when it’s done.

thanks all

 

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Just don't over think it.

The purpose is to "hide" you, it does not need to be camouflage for a sniping team.

 

Post some pictures of what you come up with please.