A glutton for punishment.

[JDog]

I chose the other alternative this morning so didn't leave the house until ten.

20 mph winds were forecast but when I arrived at the fields it was almost double that. I couldn't set up where I wanted otherwise I would have been blown away. Instead I chose the shelter provided by a thick bramble bush.

Not a single bird decoyed. Instead groups of pigeons came up into the wind and most veered off before I could get a shot off. Some came within range and seventeen paid the price.

 

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Well done for at least getting out there.   

[GavG]

Well done under the circumstances. In your opinion how big a benefit is the rotary?

If you hadn't used rotary and only used dead birds in pattern how many do you think you would have picked up?

[oldypigeonpopper]

Well done Jd, That looks a nice pic of the Gloucestershire countryside, The pigeons seem to have flown from the Vale even with plenty of rape fields

[old'un]

Well done on getting 17 in difficult conditions, I had a walk round a rape field for an hour and that wind was bloody cold.

 

23 minutes ago, GavG said:

Well done under the circumstances. In your opinion how big a benefit is the rotary?

If you hadn't used rotary and only used dead birds in pattern how many do you think you would have picked up?

Its possible the rotary was spooking the birds, seen it plenty of times when they get pulled by the rotary but as soon as they get closer they veer off.

[JDog]

27 minutes ago, GavG said:

Well done under the circumstances. In your opinion how big a benefit is the rotary?

If you hadn't used rotary and only used dead birds in pattern how many do you think you would have picked up?

As it happened I didn't need the rotary nor decoys as the pigeons were on a flightline. 

Anyone contemplating shooting winter rape without a rotary will put themselves at a disadvantage in my opinion. 

[mossy835]

well done you all ways seem to find some.

[Mike170874]

4 hours ago, JDog said:

As it happened I didn't need the rotary nor decoys as the pigeons were on a flightline. 

Anyone contemplating shooting winter rape without a rotary will put themselves at a disadvantage in my opinion. 

I never use a rotary on rape 24 deeks with 2 bouncers and 2 terminator deeks on rods .works a dream I then add dead birds as I shoot them .I've always found a rotary spooks em .

[JDog]

26 minutes ago, Mike170874 said:

I never use a rotary on rape 24 deeks with 2 bouncers and 2 terminator deeks on rods .works a dream I then add dead birds as I shoot them .I've always found a rotary spooks em .

Yet your post on 31st December reads....... ‘I have over a thousand acres (of rape) with some huge woodland and plenty of birds but they will not decoy at all ....’.

[pigeon controller]

Well done JDog, showing us how it should be done again. That wind was very strong and took down two ivy clad trees on the canal this afternoon. Still lots of pigeons on the ivy berries.

[Mike170874]

10 hours ago, JDog said:

Yet your post on 31st December reads....... ‘I have over a thousand acres (of rape) with some huge woodland and plenty of birds but they will not decoy at all ....’.

As someone who shoots pigeons ??you should know no outing is the same as the last ?They are a wild bird Saturday you can shoot 50 Sunday they don't come near your pattern ! Doesn't matter what set up you have .I take it your a Newby to pigeon shooting. 

[JDog]

1 hour ago, Mike170874 said:

As someone who shoots pigeons ??you should know no outing is the same as the last ?They are a wild bird Saturday you can shoot 50 Sunday they don't come near your pattern ! Doesn't matter what set up you have .I take it your a Newby to pigeon shooting. 

Yes I must admit to being a relative newcomer to pigeon shooting and I am always happy to be deferential to those with more experience like yourself.

[WalkedUp]

🤣

Similar to the response when people ask me “how old is a dog when it is fully trained?” and I tell them that I wouldn’t know. Despite numerous awards, all of my dogs have died before reaching that stage 🤣

Edited January 21 by WalkedUp

[old'un]

14 hours ago, Mike170874 said:

I never use a rotary on rape 24 deeks with 2 bouncers and 2 terminator deeks on rods .works a dream I then add dead birds as I shoot them .I've always found a rotary spooks em .

How do you know it spooks them if you never use one?

[marsh man]

5 hours ago, old'un said:

How do you know it spooks them if you never use one?

For those who do use one , what is the reason why they are no longer drawn into a rotary as they once did , anyone of our age or even a little younger will know they came into a magnet as if it was a five course meal , maybe that was where the saying ( Magnet ) came from , even other times of the year the Pigeon decoyers tend to use them less and less as the majority have found that they are no longer effective , in the Summer on a clear day we blame the arms are glinting , but in the Wintertime the sky is mainly dull like it is now outside , we will get one or reasons why this should be , but deep down , do anyone really know the answer  ?

We hear that they get used to them , but surely there are young Pigeons about who have never seen one operate ? , one way or the other , I really believe that the hey day of the rotary is now well and truly over .     MM

[Wilts#Dave]

1 hour ago, marsh man said:

For those who do use one , what is the reason why they are no longer drawn into a rotary as they once did , anyone of our age or even a little younger will know they came into a magnet as if it was a five course meal , maybe that was where the saying ( Magnet ) came from , even other times of the year the Pigeon decoyers tend to use them less and less as the majority have found that they are no longer effective , in the Summer on a clear day we blame the arms are glinting , but in the Wintertime the sky is mainly dull like it is now outside , we will get one or reasons why this should be , but deep down , do anyone really know the answer  ?

We hear that they get used to them , but surely there are young Pigeons about who have never seen one operate ? , one way or the other , I really believe that the hey day of the rotary is now well and truly over .     MM

I remember Dad buying one of the first ones when Phil Beasley started marketing them. Very expensive and heavy we took it out the first time and didn’t think much of it initially, but quickly worked out how much closer it needed to be and from then on using one transformed our shooting once we got used to how differently they came in. Rarely shot bigger bags prior to the magnet but the 100 plus days went up sharply so as you say they really were mustard back then! 
Personally still get on just fine using one and would rarely not use it or rely solely on decoys if I didn’t need to.
On the occasions where it’s either broken or the battery ran out the pigeons have noticeably slowed up being pulled as well to the pattern but that’s just my findings and as many others do I’ve shot plenty of pigeons so not a ‘newbie’.
Likewise I’m not a fan of flappers, never had much success with them over the rotary where as others swear by them…..everyone does things differently and as long as you’re happy with the results you get who’s to say what’s right and wrong when it comes to decoy set up? 

9 hours ago, JDog said:

Yes I must admit to being a relative newcomer to pigeon shooting and I am always happy to be deferential to those with more experience like yourself.

You’ll get there Jdog, we all started somewhere. Perhaps I could accompany you sometime to tell you where you’re going wrong? 

[ditchman]

9 hours ago, JDog said:

Yes I must admit to being a relative newcomer to pigeon shooting and I am always happy to be deferential to those with more experience like yourself.

remember everyday is a skool day...you are never too old to learn new tricks  

[JDog]

9 minutes ago, Wilts#Dave said:

I remember Dad buying one of the first ones when Phil Beasley started marketing them. Very expensive and heavy we took it out the first time and didn’t think much of it initially, but quickly worked out how much closer it needed to be and from then on using one transformed our shooting once we got used to how differently they came in. Rarely shot bigger bags prior to the magnet but the 100 plus days went up sharply so as you say they really were mustard back then! 
Personally still get on just fine using one and would rarely not use it or rely solely on decoys if I didn’t need to.
On the occasions where it’s either broken or the battery ran out the pigeons have noticeably slowed up being pulled as well to the pattern but that’s just my findings and as many others do I’ve shot plenty of pigeons so not a ‘newbie’.
Likewise I’m not a fan of flappers, never had much success with them over the rotary where as others swear by them…..everyone does things differently and as long as you’re happy with the results you get who’s to say what’s right and wrong when it comes to decoy set up? 

You’ll get there Jdog, we all started somewhere. Perhaps I could accompany you sometime to tell you where you’re going wrong? 

I would enjoy that. There might be an opportunity on spring drillings.

[marsh man]

8 minutes ago, Wilts#Dave said:

I remember Dad buying one of the first ones when Phil Beasley started marketing them. Very expensive and heavy we took it out the first time and didn’t think much of it initially, but quickly worked out how much closer it needed to be and from then on using one transformed our shooting once we got used to how differently they came in. Rarely shot bigger bags prior to the magnet but the 100 plus days went up sharply so as you say they really were mustard back then! 
Personally still get on just fine using one and would rarely not use it or rely solely on decoys if I didn’t need to.
On the occasions where it’s either broken or the battery ran out the pigeons have noticeably slowed up being pulled as well to the pattern but that’s just my findings and as many others do I’ve shot plenty of pigeons so not a ‘newbie’.
Likewise I’m not a fan of flappers, never had much success with them over the rotary where as others swear by them…..everyone does things differently and as long as you’re happy with the results you get who’s to say what’s right and wrong when it comes to decoy set up? 

 

I have got a very old Shooters Warehouse promotion video showing both the two arm version and the four arm one that have got a cog on top ,so not only do the four arms go around in circles it also go up and down like a fair ground ride , no doubt they picked the most likely field so they could promote the video but my god , they came to it from every angle and a lot of the Pigeons were decoyed by the amount dead birds lying about , they no doubt sold many tens , if not 100s 

Nowadays a lot of people use then every time they set a decoy pattern knowing they can draw them in from a good distance , but you then get a lot of decoyers state they flair off just before they come into range , so it's horses for courses .

I don't no longer shoot a fraction of the pigeons like I have done in the past , mainly I am getting to old and if I did manage to shoot a biggish bag then you are lumbered with the birds as there is still very little demand for game and Pigeons in general and that isn't going to change anytime soon .

In the late Spring and the Summer last year I went with the minimum of gear , light nets and mainly flock haft shells decoys plus a few wire cradles to set the dead ones up , when you get it right I had Pigeons come without a care in the world , if they came across the field and saw your decoys they would come in without any signs of flairing off , like you say every ones set up is different , I have got a magnet and I find they work well on tall rape stubble and rape when it kick off after it have been treated around late March , early April .    MM

[old'un]

2 hours ago, marsh man said:

For those who do use one , what is the reason why they are no longer drawn into a rotary as they once did , anyone of our age or even a little younger will know they came into a magnet as if it was a five course meal , maybe that was where the saying ( Magnet ) came from , even other times of the year the Pigeon decoyers tend to use them less and less as the majority have found that they are no longer effective , in the Summer on a clear day we blame the arms are glinting , but in the Wintertime the sky is mainly dull like it is now outside , we will get one or reasons why this should be , but deep down , do anyone really know the answer  ?

We hear that they get used to them , but surely there are young Pigeons about who have never seen one operate ? , one way or the other , I really believe that the hey day of the rotary is now well and truly over .     MM

 

Must admit I still find them very effective but will also say that on a few occasions, mainly winter, they do not always work, summer time I have had young birds trying to land on the arms of the rotary.

Why they sometimes shy away? Perhaps they learn that when they see a number of birds (decoys) laid out in a certain way and two birds flying in a tight circle, then someone pops up from a square box and takes a shot at them the layout soon becomes a danger signal for those birds that get away, as most of us know winter pigeons are a totally different bird to summer pigeons, their survival instinct is more heightened during winter and pigeons do learn from experience.

[marsh man]

31 minutes ago, ditchman said:

remember everyday is a skool day...you are never too old to learn new tricks  

Maybe you are not to old to learn how to spell school  , now come on Simon please pay attention 

[ditchman]

21 minutes ago, marsh man said:

Maybe you are not to old to learn how to spell school  , now come on Simon please pay attention 

im very poorly ejumcated......all i wus gud at skool at was gymalastics and phisicle jerks............

[stockybasher]

16 minutes ago, ditchman said:

im very poorly ejumcated......all i wus gud at skool at was gymalastics and phisicle jerks............

I guess you are just down to the jerks now ??  💦   

[marsh man]

34 minutes ago, ditchman said:

im very poorly ejumcated......all i wus gud at skool at was gymalastics and phisicle jerks............

All I was good at school was absolutely nothing 

18 minutes ago, stockybasher said:

I guess you are just down to the jerks now ??  💦   

Now , now behave yourself stocybasher , as Simon have got some very important neighbours and word in the flatlands can spread like wildfire 

[landofficer]

What I see now with the magnet is it’s good on early stubbles or flat crops and maybe once on an area of winter rape but after that I need to use a flapper, once the magnet has been used a bit you can watch pigeons just fly past it when before it worked treat.