TMiles Posted May 1, 2020 Report Share Posted May 1, 2020 (edited) Good morning all, I am a British translator working on a French client's text about woodpigeon shooting, which will ultimately be read by enthusiasts in English-speaking countries. Some of the more specialised terminology has led me to appeal to the shooting community. I am struggling to find the correct English term for a device which pretty much looks like this: Its key characteristics are: Its role is to cause the decoy to move so as to imitate a landing woodpigeon and attract other birds. By setting your decoy on this X and pulling on the cord, the pigeon moves and flaps it wings. This attracts birds from a distance. Folded size: 60 cm Dimensions when extended: 1 m The French name for this item (at least in the catalogue) literally reads as 'ground pump' which seems wrong to start with. Thank you for any input you may have. Edited May 1, 2020 by TMiles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokersmith Posted May 1, 2020 Report Share Posted May 1, 2020 Going by the text description, this would be a type of 'manually operated flapper' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted May 1, 2020 Report Share Posted May 1, 2020 I would add that is meant for a live bird to be sat tethered on and and the string allows the shooter to disturb the bird so that it flaps its wings and attracts others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted May 1, 2020 Report Share Posted May 1, 2020 It is a tether for live birds at Tightchoke says. It is used by Palombieres in France and would be strictly illegal in the UK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalkedUp Posted May 1, 2020 Report Share Posted May 1, 2020 (edited) As @JDog and @TIGHTCHOKEstate it’s a falling live bird tether, if I recall these were (possibly still are) common in the Pyrenees in the 20thC. Illegal in the UK, I appreciate that the book relates to French shooting but it may be worth an editor’s note. From the appearance a tug on the cord lifts the upper tube and perch plate upwards before release of the cord drops it under gravity, causing the tethered bird to flutter to regain its balance. Green is leg tether, grey is a wood pigeon, orange is movement. Edited May 1, 2020 by WalkedUp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted May 1, 2020 Report Share Posted May 1, 2020 Don't bring the Americans in to it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalkedUp Posted May 1, 2020 Report Share Posted May 1, 2020 🤣 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMiles Posted May 1, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2020 Thank you for all your help. I have indeed come across mention of many different regulations which obviously differ from country to country (and no doubt state to state). I think that there is a case for making the client aware of this, even though this falls outside the translator's strict remit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted May 1, 2020 Report Share Posted May 1, 2020 A pleasure, we do not normally get an update. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgy dave Posted May 2, 2020 Report Share Posted May 2, 2020 love the drawing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enfieldspares Posted May 2, 2020 Report Share Posted May 2, 2020 (edited) Perche avec cordon pour ouiseau vivant. Edited May 2, 2020 by enfieldspares Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalkedUp Posted May 2, 2020 Report Share Posted May 2, 2020 7 minutes ago, enfieldspares said: Perche avec cordon pour ouiseau vivant My schoolboy french is a little rusty, but I believe you may have misspelled oiseau? ☺️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enfieldspares Posted May 2, 2020 Report Share Posted May 2, 2020 I think you are correct. Like caoutchouc it's one of a number of French words I always can never remember how they spell correctly. Like necessary in English. Tow many "o"s and "u" to remember what goes where. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMiles Posted May 4, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2020 (edited) Excuse my ignorance, but how does a contraption like this work? It is clearly lower than the flapper, but is the arm supposed to move? No doubt someone can instantly name this thing! The original French word ("devastator") sounds either like the brand name or a nickname. Edited May 4, 2020 by TMiles additional info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalkedUp Posted May 4, 2020 Report Share Posted May 4, 2020 It’s another pigeon-botherer 🤣 From appearance: At the top of two low spikes is a footplate you press into the ground with your boot. The rest us just a lever to agitate the bird into fluttering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMiles Posted May 4, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2020 Would you call it a 'ground-level flapper'? From your lovely diagram it seems to do pretty much the same as the first contraption. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalkedUp Posted May 4, 2020 Report Share Posted May 4, 2020 That seems a reasonable description, as long as it is clear that it is for live birds 👍 In the UK we use live corvids as decoys, but are not allowed to agitate them and cannot use them for shooting only trapping. I believe the French trap a lot of pigeons too rather than just shoot them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMiles Posted May 4, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2020 There has not actually been any direct mention of live birds (or trapping them) - a lot of decoys though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filzee Posted May 21, 2020 Report Share Posted May 21, 2020 I believe in France your not allowed to use dead birds as decoys hence why they use live ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted May 21, 2020 Report Share Posted May 21, 2020 its terrible........just imajine sitting on a perch being made to flap and watch all yer mates dying in-front of you ...as if they have been hit by a vietkong bloody sniper........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenholland Posted May 24, 2020 Report Share Posted May 24, 2020 I saw this type of thing on youtube did not appeal to me one bit, but that's the way they are over there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalkedUp Posted May 24, 2020 Report Share Posted May 24, 2020 (edited) It does look bad, but I am sure some of what we do seems barbaric to the French. This is alien to us but part of the culture there. I do not judge the Spanish for bull fighting or the Balinese for cock fights. Edited May 24, 2020 by WalkedUp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky Shot 1958 Posted June 5, 2020 Report Share Posted June 5, 2020 On 01/05/2020 at 12:23, TIGHTCHOKE said: Don't bring the Americans in to it! 🤣 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalkedUp Posted August 25, 2020 Report Share Posted August 25, 2020 Seems odd... https://www.decathlon.co.uk/pigeon-shooting-ground-level-id_8597827.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbrowning2 Posted August 25, 2020 Report Share Posted August 25, 2020 2 hours ago, WalkedUp said: Seems odd... https://www.decathlon.co.uk/pigeon-shooting-ground-level-id_8597827.html Interesting posts, learn something new every day, guess not illegal to sell them in the U.K. only to use them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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