The best decoys ever .

[Harnser]

For many years i have used my own homemade decoys . No you dont have to be a master woodworker or sculptor to make them ,its very easy and i can vouch that they will draw the birds . Follow these simple instructions and you will have the best decoys that money carnt buy .

Take a dead pigeon and carefully gut through the vent ,its important to have the best looking birds that you can get ,no broken wings or necks and they must be well featherd ,adult birds are best . when gutted inject the entire body cavity with formaldahide (embalming fluid ) this is available from chemists or country store suppliers as it is also used as disinfectant . You then stuff the cavity with cotton wool or old rags ,sew up the incision . you then inject every part of the bird with the formaldahide ,head ,wings ,breasts ,everywhere . Now that you have done that ,you must set the bird in to a postion that you want the bird to be in when it has cured ,ie head up ,head down ,or what ever .

It will take about 2 weeks for the bird to cure and go hard . You must protect the bird from flys and moths and any thing else that might want to have a feed off them while they are curing . I allways have 10 of them made up and keep them in a small wooden box that i have made up . I can make one of these decoys in about 20 minutes from start to finish . I promise you these are the best coys you will ever have . Good hunting Harnser .

[the hitman]

I seen this in a book by John Gray , he set them on wires so they would rock in the wind. I am sure they are very good , and i might have ago myself. In the past i have glued pigeon wings onto full bodied decoys , and they are the business.

The only problem is they become tattie after a while and often get a few maggots on them.

[charliem658]

Think i am going to have a go at making them as they sound great

 

only problem is i have to kill pigeons first which may be a problem

 

charlie

[Sundowner]

Sounds a good job, I guess I'll give this a try, but tell me, how many deeks do you usually put out? 10?

thanks for posting

[Harnser]

Sounds a good job, I guess I'll give this a try, but tell me, how many deeks do you usually put out? 10?

thanks for posting

 

 

 

Yes i normally use just the 10 home made coys and a magnet . Harnser

[anser2]

BEWARE IT IS DANGERIOUS TO USE FORMALDAHIDE without protective gloves and do not allow it to touch your skin. We used to use formaldahide to preserve animal specimens in glass bottles at university ( we now use a saline solution ) , but this pratice is now banned at it has been found to cause skin cancer. You will need to where gloves when treating the skin and every time you set out the decoy. Treated birds may well make good decoys , but the risk of cancer outweigh the advantages.

Edited February 16, 2008 by anser2

[Ferret Master]

Sounds like a problem if your ever out in the rain or muddy fields?

 

FM

[Harnser]

BEWARE IT IS DANGERIOUS TO USE FORMALDAHIDE without protective gloves and do not allow it to touch your skin. We used to use formaldahide to preserve animal specimens in glass bottles at university ( we now use a saline solution ) , but this pratice is now banned at it has been found to cause skin cancer. You will need to where gloves when treating the skin and every time you set out the decoy. Treated birds may well make good decoys , but the risk of cancer outweigh the advantages.

 

 

Yes i agree that chemicals can be dangerous ,and if using them you should take all the necessary precautions ,like wearing gloves ect .The sun can cause cancer ,as to oil ,petrol ,diesel ,eating certain foods,tobacco ,booze ,sex ,ect,ect,ect .

Being alive kills you . Harnser .

[anser2]

Formaldahide can be absorbed through the skin too even when dry , Hanser so you will need to wear protective rubber gloves every time you set your decoys out. And the risk from cancer from formaldahide is many times higher than the sun causeing skin cancer.

 

I guess you have been lucky........ so far

[Harnser]

Formaldahide can be absorbed through the skin too even when dry , Hanser so you will need to wear protective rubber gloves every time you set your decoys out. And the risk from cancer from formaldahide is many times higher than the sun causeing skin cancer.

 

I guess you have been lucky........ so far

 

 

 

Anser 2 ,thanks for the advice ,it hasent fallen on deaf ears .I always was aware of the dangers of using formaldahide and any other chemicals .Some of the worst stuff that we as shooters are exposed to are the gun cleaning solvents .now this stuff i really do take care with . By the way did you know that formaldahide is used in creams for treating atheletes foot and for treating fungus infections in sheeps feet .Again thanks for the advice . Hanser .

[J.R.]

Formaldahide can be absorbed through the skin too even when dry , Hanser so you will need to wear protective rubber gloves every time you set your decoys out. And the risk from cancer from formaldahide is many times higher than the sun causeing skin cancer.

 

I guess you have been lucky........ so far

 

 

 

Anser 2 ,thanks for the advice ,it hasent fallen on deaf ears .I always was aware of the dangers of using formaldahide and any other chemicals .Some of the worst stuff that we as shooters are exposed to are the gun cleaning solvents .now this stuff i really do take care with . By the way did you know that formaldahide is used in creams for treating atheletes foot and for treating fungus infections in sheeps feet .Again thanks for the advice . Hanser .

 

Harnser,

 

You could use Borax powder as a preservatitive - dust inside and the feathers outside as well - flies will not go near the borax while they are drying.

[Harnser]

JR .Yes you could use borax powder or any other chemical that you would deem to be safer than using formalderhide .I use formalderhide because i know that it works and it dos the job quickly .I have used it for many years without any ill effect .There has been a couple of replies to the post seriously surgesting that formalderhide can cause skin cancer .I think that you must take into account these warnings before using it .If you want to make up some decoys try it with some thing you know to be safe to handle .It may take longer but the results may be the same . Harnser .

[dusk2dawn]

Harsners idea sounds good, but imo a better way is to freeze 10 good birds then use them and replace them with fresh shot birds each time.

ok you may sometimes draw a blank and have a bad day, but when that happens just fall back on normal decoys, then you might live to draw your pension :blink:

 

I can hear the "I eat all I shoot brigade" muttering thats a waste but it is pest control

 

D2D

[Harnser]

Dusk 2 dawn . That certinly is an option .But let me tell you these cured birds only weigh a few ounces as compared to dead birds ,and they are always ready sitting in their little box in case of the sudden spur of the moment need to go out decoying ,i am sure you know what i mean .By the way i have started to draw my pension and every day is a saturday .Dont know how i ever found the time to go to work .Concidering work carnt be all that good as you have to pay people to do it . Harnser .