What am I doing wrong?

[Cosd]

Went out Sunday with my friend, as some might already know we have been shooting for less than a year. Had our best day to date, shot 27 woodies and went home grinning like the cats that got the cream. Our previous best was a measley 10 :yp:

 

Set up at just gone 7am and put up my new net (2 ply stealth camo) and 12 plastic decoys in a U shape formation on some laid barley. First shot, I missed an absolute sitter and was really disapointed in myself. Second shot, one decoyed perfectly and bang he was down. Quickly ran out and put him on a home made bouncer and sat in my hide again. Shot a couple more, missed a few and almost had my first left and right. Two came in together and was about to land, I held off as they were off the ground about 4 foot and almost looked like I could get both in one shot. I waited a split second but they didn't cross and decided not to land and took off splitting apart; I took the left one quickly and in truth should have got the second as well but missed. If I'm totally honest a bit of panic and excitement took over at the thought of a left and right which was probably my downfall to missing the second. Anyway shot and missed some more and so did my friend sitting a few hundred yards away in the next field, and we total'd 27.

 

At one point my friend set up his rotary, and yet again we felt it did more harm than good. We have both got Rotary's and have tried all sorts of formations with the decoys but we have never had any luck. I have tried everything I can think of, the foam wing decoys it came with, real birds, in front of the deeks, behind, closer, further. I have covered the arms in camo tape so I know there is no glare.

What is it we are doing wrong? I understand that these things will not allways work, but in our case they have never worked! Anyone have any suggestions and similar expeiences? Or should we just sell them?

[Catamong]

Why do you think you're doing anything wrong?

 

You can't expect to break the ton every time out, when you've only just started shooting.

 

With regards to the use of a rotary, it's difficult to comment without seeing your setup, but common faults by newbies include putting the rotary too far from the hide, (the birds will usually attempt to land just behind it, realise it's not what they thought it was then jinx away, presenting a very tricky shot if your rotary is too far from the hide), also the spin speed is often too slow, it needs to be going round quite fast, some of the ones I've seen are quite pathetic, the bird would have stalled at that speed. :yp: . Also, chuck the foam ones away, always use dead birds, keep a couple of gooduns back in the freezer every time you go out.

 

A 7am start is great in the Winter months, when the birds feed hard from dawn till dusk, but not necessary during the Summer, when better sport is had during the afternoon and early evening.

 

Also, you've been told this before, but it's worth saying again, put your hide where the birds are feeding, NOT where you hope they will feed. If you dash onto the field at 7am without doing a proper recce, you're likely to be in the wrong place, you MUST recce the field the day before or spend some time watching the field before you set up, don't be too eager to get banging away.

 

Good luck, keep going and let us know how you're getting on, the next few months are very often the most productive of the year.

 

Cat.

[Cranfield]

Thats all good advice and I would have said the same. :yp:

[magman]

See below :yp:

Edited July 23, 2008 by magman

[magman]

The only thing i will add if your using a magnet put the birds at a vertical position rather than a horizontal position :yp:

 

Edited July 23, 2008 by magman

[Catamong]

The only thing i will add if your using a magnet put the birds at a vertical position rather than a horizontal position :yp:

 

 

I'm sorry, that makes no sense to me, please explain..??

 

Cat.

[charlie 1]

I think you will find he means in stead of having the birds like you would on a floater with the wings out left to right try having it so the bird is tilting inwards so it looks like it is turning. the left wing should be down and the right wing should be in the air. this is if the magnet turns anti clockwise!

i also do this and can vouch it works much better i don't really get much luck if the birds on the magnet look like they are flying straight.

 

keep trying different things m8 i would genrally put the magnet on the outer side of my decoys so about 40yrds ish. so the birds will fly round it and come into pattern however if they are landing next to magnet move it closer.

 

good luck

[Cosd]

Catamong I apologise if I didn't explain clearly. When I asked "what am I doing wrong" I wasn't refering to the number of birds shot, I was chuffed with that; I was actually refering to the Magnet, and me not having any luck with it so far.

 

As far as setting up where the birds are feeding, our shoot is about 300 acres and only has wheat on it at the moment. Looking at other wheat fields I usually only see small proportions of the field being laid, but our shoot is about 50% laid. The pigeons are not concentrated in any one area. This is where I thought the magnet would draw them over.

 

The other issues I think is that there is plenty of laid barley in surrounding land so again, the woodies have loads of choice.

 

For the first time this weekend we found a flightline, it isn't the busiest but nevertheless it gave us some decent sport. This is like a crossroad/sitting area the woodies seem to like and they decoyed well.

 

My point with the magnet is I just haven't seen it actually do anything for me yet. On several occasions, I put out the decoys, change my patterns around and am now quite confident that I can set a pretty decent lure as they decoy in well; But when I get a couple and stick them on the magnet I don't get a sniff and either take it down or take one arm off and use the other side as a bouncer.

 

I will definitely try the placing of the pigeon at an angle so the pigeons don't look like they are flying straight.

 

I have the magnet set up at the highest speed setting so I think I am ok there.

 

I will also try placing the magnet closer to the hide, even though my problem isn't them landing anywhere near it.

 

I won't give up, I was just begining to lose some faith in the magnet.

 

 

Thanks again as allways guys, I will keep you posted.

[magman]

will definitely try the placing of the pigeon at an angle so the pigeons don't look like they are flying straight.

 

[Highlander]

Sounds to me like someone is just finding out how frustrating (but special) pigeon shooting can be! If only I had a pound for every bum pigeon shooting day!

[bob300w]

I have never had any success with decoys on a magnet, only with dead birds. The spinning wing decoys look more promising, but not at £50 a pair! Methinks that I shall be making my own.

[magman]

I have never had any success with decoys on a magnet, only with dead birds. The spinning wing decoys look more promising, but not at £50 a pair! Methinks that I shall be making my own.

 

 

The spinning wing decoys are ok two get you the first two birds bob ,but when you get two switch them over as there's nothing like the real thing

 

Ps, would i buy them again in hindsight NO

[Highlander]

Spinning Wing decoys (assuming the real pigeon things and not the dove conversions some sell) work...up to a point. From a distance they look just like a bird dropping in with wings aflappin' but IMO once the birds get closer they're spooked by them so you need to be good at long range shots!

[biakalblaster]

I made my own spinning wings decoy, it looked great to me from 60m away, and it worked well on the pigeons too!, no spooks at all, but i shot them once within 30 yrds away

although my DIY effort needs a brisk wind to get the wings spinning (made from Mackies ice-cream tub - MKII version to use corrugated plastic roofing)

Axle was made from copper pipe though the decoy body and aluminium shaft through this with wings attached, and two M12 washers to prevent wings snagging on decoy body

[Harnser]

The two most important points when using a magnat in my mind, is having the magnet close enough to the hide to be able to shoot the jinking birds and you must be prepard to move the magnat as many times as is necessary to draw the birds to your decoys . Harnser .

[Cosd]

The two most important points when using a magnat in my mind, is having the magnet close enough to the hide to be able to shoot the jinking birds and you must be prepard to move the magnat as many times as is necessary to draw the birds to your decoys . Harnser .

 

 

Using different internet sites for examples of magnet placement, I have tried locating the magnet as shown in diagrams, so tried ahead of a v formation, behind and to the side of the v formation, but one thing these diagrams don't show is how far ahead or behind....I have also used the L shape formation, again placing the magnet ahead and behind to the side.

No luck using any of the above though I don't actually think I have had a single bird decoy at all whilst the magnet has been out.

Reading some of the comments, should I be placing the magnet further away from the decoy formation?

[bignoel]

today i tried something different V with magnet at the head pigeons. 5 yards to the left of this and about 5 yards in front of it i set a ramdon patten of rooks with magnet at the head and what mixed days shootingi had 44 pigeons and 36 rook/crow never thought this would work as being so close to each other but there you go. not much spooking or jinking bluddy hot and plenty of flys set up at 10.30am packt up at 3.30pm .O and broke gun ?