First time when you used a magnet

[landofficer]

Does any one remember the first time they used a magnet

I had got a home made magnet by chance and the bloke said they are deadly, I had to have it and this was in 2002. After reading about them in various magazines the £50 I paid seemed ok as they were something like £200/300 in the adverts

i remember settting it up in the garden and turning it on but seeing it fling round at a rate looked totally stupid and I had the farmer taking the mick out of me saying I had been had.

I set up on the swathed rape not knowing what it was all about and I remember that by the time I walked back to the hide and stood up I saw a pigeon going round it. I got around 50 on the day and the farmer said a few days later that someone was shooting the other day, well he didn’t know what to say when I said it was me. 

i dont think many people were using them in my area and the results were great and am still using it to this day.

 

 

[oldypigeonpopper]

hello, yea i put the battery to near and ended up on my a**e sorry rear end😀

[motty]

I can remember the first time I used one. It was back in October or November 2001. It was on a ploughed field that was next to an unharvested pea field. It was to be the first time I got over 100 pigeons in a day. It was also the first time I shot over 200 in a day. We followed up with another bag of over 200 the next weekend, plus another 100+ a few weeks later. 

I had to carry my car battery from my Ford Sierra across the plough in order to use this homemade magnet which I had borrowed. It was bought shortly afterwards. 

Incidentally, that field had well over 1000 birds killed over it in just over a month, between my mate and I and a pair of other shooters. 

 

[clangerman]

not sure of the date think about 2003 followed the drill for nine days shot so many pigeons slung it on the scrap pile cursed the day i made it never used one since 

[Walker570]

I was using a home made magnet back in the late 1980s running off a car battery and powered by a 12v hand drill. 

[Centrepin]

I've never used one, too much to carry and too heavy. I made a lightweight one,  but the arms weren't strong enough, it's still on the garage floor.

My son uses them, I wonder if that's why he decoys better than me?

[Cranfield]

I used homemade floaters and hand worked flappers for many years before using a rotary, their movement was very effective against just static decoys.
I later added a home made "rotary" type without any motor, it relied on the wind to move it , more to and fro, than round and round.
It seemed to be an asset, but difficult to tell.

Next came a very heavy homemade motorised job and adding the large battery and industrial cables, it was a beast to carry and set up.
I first used it over a short crop of rape and I shot good bags,  although not a fair trial as the field I shot over was a "good" field.
Because it was so unwieldy I used it rarely, I also thought it was too fast and sometimes spooked birds and as I was doing well with my other moving decoys, I took the lazy route and left it at home.

When a pro produced lighter unit first became available early 2000's I had access to a prototype to try.
This was easier to use and was slower revs, it seemed to improve the pulling power of birds from a distance and I had many surprisingly good days.
I became confident of using it and it became an integral part of the kit.
As pro produced models improved I upgraded accordingly, the best innovation was firstly the smaller battery, then the speed controller. 

[oldypigeonpopper]

15 hours ago, oldypigeonpopper said:

hello, yea i put the battery to near and ended up on my a**e sorry rear end😀

hello, i dont do much shooting these day and never use the magnet now its just a few deeks and a bouncer, i did make some long telescopic poles with a kicker for full body deeks go from 5 to 8 ft,   2 of them help any shooting over higher crops,

[semi-auto]

Yes, I remember it well. My shooting partner was in the States on business, and I thought why not? He came back on the same day as the magnet arrived. It had cost in excess of £100 and when he saw it, he fell about laughing, saying I had been ripped off. Off we went, only to find the birds feeding on a drill on the next field over, which we could not shoot. I suggested we try the magnet and pull the birds over to where we could shoot, probably 200 yards or so. He thought it best to look elsewhere. After some argy-bargy, I won the argument and he helped set up in bad grace constantly muttering that it was a waste of time. Five minutes in the hide and two birds came over for a look - their last. Needless to say, the magnet worked like a dream. In fact my mate was so excited that he shot the battery lead! Total score that day was 104. Nowadays, I like to shoot without a magnet or flapper if at all possible - old style!

 

[marsh man]

I find the magnet is liking it to being hooked on drugs,  not that I have ever been hooked on drugs , wild fowling yes but not drugs  once you start using one you tend to put it out every time you go even though half the time you are altering it about from one side to the other and from close to your hide to being well out in the hope it is going to pull them in as soon as one in the distant start heading towards your hide . this nowadays is no longer the case , we have all had many days where over taller crops they are an advantage and days where they are a complete waste of time , the hardest part of being a owner of a magnet is knowing when to put it out and when to leave it at home , and for a lot of us , that is easier said than done .

[kitchrat]

4 hours ago, Cranfield said:

I used homemade floaters and hand worked flappers for many years before using a rotary, their movement was very effective against just static decoys.
I later added a home made "rotary" type without any motor, it relied on the wind to move it , more to and fro, than round and round.
It seemed to be an asset, but difficult to tell.

Next came a very heavy homemade motorised job and adding the large battery and industrial cables, it was a beast to carry and set up.
I first used it over a short crop of rape and I shot good bags,  although not a fair trial as the field I shot over was a "good" field.
Because it was so unwieldy I used it rarely, I also thought it was too fast and sometimes spooked birds and as I was doing well with my other moving decoys, I took the lazy route and left it at home.

When a pro produced lighter unit first became available early 2000's I had access to a prototype to try.
This was easier to use and was slower revs, it seemed to improve the pulling power of birds from a distance and I had many surprisingly good days.
I became confident of using it and it became an integral part of the kit.
As pro produced models improved I upgraded accordingly, the best innovation was firstly the smaller battery, then the speed controller. 

As people have said, some days they work like a charm and some days they don't. I think that's got a lot to do with how many times they have seen them and associated them with danger, how hungry they are, how long their memories are plus loads of other factors I expect!

However, it's the speed controller I'm interested in. I've never had one, mainly because I don't know what speed is good. I don't think magnets work so well when the battery is going flat and they are getting slow. Is it radial velocity or actual speed of the decoy birds (which can be adjusted by arm length) that you think matters most?  Please advise!!

Many thanks

[Cranfield]

1 hour ago, kitchrat said:

As people have said, some days they work like a charm and some days they don't. I think that's got a lot to do with how many times they have seen them and associated them with danger, how hungry they are, how long their memories are plus loads of other factors I expect!

However, it's the speed controller I'm interested in. I've never had one, mainly because I don't know what speed is good. I don't think magnets work so well when the battery is going flat and they are getting slow. Is it radial velocity or actual speed of the decoy birds (which can be adjusted by arm length) that you think matters most?  Please advise!!

Many thanks

There is no set science to it, its all about personal "feel".
Too fast and too slow are both bad in my book, I prefer a mid speed that is slightly slower than a real bird.
This also seems to suit most wind conditions.
On a windy day I have had some of the old fast rotarys almost take off, they certainly at least become unstable, with the birds looking as though they are on a roller coaster.

I suspect others have differing views on best speeds, but as I say its a personal choice.j

 

[kenholland]

I have got one , heavyduty jobby , bought when they first came out from Weston park, the midland , but got that much tack rarely use it , but some people cannot be without there's so if it works for you , all well and good.

[marsh man]

1 hour ago, Cranfield said:

There is no set science to it, its all about personal "feel".
Too fast and too slow are both bad in my book, I prefer a mid speed that is slightly slower than a real bird.
This also seems to suit most wind conditions.
On a windy day I have had some of the old fast rotarys almost take off, they certainly at least become unstable, with the birds looking as though they are on a roller coaster.

I suspect others have differing views on best speeds, but as I say its a personal choice.j

 

I fully agree with what your saying , yes it is personal choice , after all these years no one can say for sure what work and what don't , one day there method will work for them and another day it won't .

I used to be a lover of a speed control for my magnet , after burning out a couple and blowing a fuse I rang the the guys who I bought it off and they said they will replace it , they would have sent it but I told them I would pick it up at the fair , the East Anglian Game Fair was about a month away so I used the magnet without the controller , to be honest I didn't find it any different and when I got my new one I didn't bother to fit it to the magnet and ended up selling it on the forum , and I still use it as it is .

[KillStone]

I remember as a kid probably 14 id think don't know where we had been but me and dad had called in to a chippy on a late summer afternoon sat on a top of a hill overlooking a stubble eating our lunch quickly before we were meant to be somewhere. Across the field we spotted what unknown to us was a magnet being used by someone decoying perhaps 150-200 meteres away. we thought looking at it how much it caught the eye and a few pigeons committed straight to it that matey despatched. fast forward a few months and I had saved up enough to purchase one of the very early ones. Used it constantly for a few years with deadly effect especially once I added hypa flaps to it when those came out. Still use that first one! however rarely as I find as they became over used the birds were actually scared off from them and would sharply about turn at around 80-90 yards if I had the magnet out. I find the flapper does a better job now as the birds are happy to come right into the pattern still with that going if its laid out right....and a LOT lighter to carry!

[dead eye alan]

I have 2, one from the sponsors with long arms, one from A1 short arms, both work well in the right conditions no speed controllers on them as i find thy burn out very quickly, and serve very little purpose. At times their more of an hindrance frightening birds as thy approach. On acations i have put them out in an adjacent field with streamers on to prevent birds to feed. In short some times an asset some times not so, i tend now to only start with a flapper and 6 silo-socks for movement, and 12 FUDs works for me most times, and light to carry. 

[marsh man]

9 hours ago, dead eye alan said:

I have 2, one from the sponsors with long arms, one from A1 short arms, both work well in the right conditions no speed controllers on them as i find thy burn out very quickly, and serve very little purpose. At times their more of an hindrance frightening birds as thy approach. On acations i have put them out in an adjacent field with streamers on to prevent birds to feed. In short some times an asset some times not so, i tend now to only start with a flapper and 6 silo-socks for movement, and 12 FUDs works for me most times, and light to carry. 

I would say on tall crops like Peas in pod . Laid grain fields , Bare patches in rape fields and Rape / Maize stubble/s they are an advantage , on short crops you can easily do as well with static decoys and a flapper in you need some movement 

[JDog]

This chap used one to start with then took it in when the pigeons were flaring off.

[Keith oakey]

1 hour ago, marsh man said:

I would say on tall crops like Peas in pod . Laid grain fields , Bare patches in rape fields and Rape / Maize stubble/s they are an advantage , on short crops you can easily do as well with static decoys and a flapper in you need some movement 

Gotta agree with Marsh man, although I do tend to use mine 99% of the time, for 2 reasons think it pulls more birds towards the hide and hopefully make the shooting more sporting and make me a better shot

[Centrepin]

Just had 2 magnets with upgraded batteries delivered today.

I'm planning on using them with either dead thawing pigeons or crows, depending on what's about tomorrow. 

I've never used magnets before, but my lad has.

Quite possibly we'll have an Easterly wind into our face. Hopefully not!

Barley, just sprouting.

Any advice?

[kippylawkid]

Bought my first over 20 years ago around June time. First time I used it was on a field where crows were flattening a barley field. I shot 2 crows and set them up on the magnet. I have never had birds respond like it since, they were literally throwing themselves at the magnet. I reckon it was the first time a magnet had been used in the area. Shot over 100 mixed crows that day. I agree they can sometimes scare pigeons but if you get it right, they are an invaluable bit of kit.

[Mightymariner]

Do you know what I noticed from that video JDog posted, he didn't wear any hearing protection.

[oldypigeonpopper]

22 hours ago, Mightymariner said:

Do you know what I noticed from that video JDog posted, he didn't wear any hearing protection.

hello, it does look that way, we did not worry in the 1970s/1980s much to my detriment of my hearing now

Edited April 29, 2020 by oldypigeonpopper

[chesterse]

I bought one in about 1995. I think it was a Pinewood make. I took it to try out one Saturday morning and set up on the edge of a massive field of rape. Didn’t set a hide up or put any other decoys out  but got down out of sight in a dyke.

I was absolutely amazed as pigeons started to come for it from what seemed miles away. I only stayed for about an hour and shot 11 but I thought I’ve cracked it!

Anyway next time out with a proper set up I hardly got a shot.

Over the years it was a very useful tool but when it didn’t work I would bring it in and try something else

One thing I did learn that on bright days the arms could catch the sun and put the birds off - I solved that by wrapping them in cammo tape.

[aga man]

4 hours ago, Mightymariner said:

Do you know what I noticed from that video JDog posted, he didn't wear any hearing protection.

Would be nice to think he uses his safety catch though, the muzzle of that loaded gun was right below his chin at times!!