Deako Posted July 2, 2002 Report Share Posted July 2, 2002 Spoke to Mike today, from N+S shooting supplies, and he tells me they will shortly be producing an electrically powered flapper, along the lines of the things that used to be string powered, but without the string and the hassle. Mike reckons it'll be a real killer........going to have a look on Thursday, so I'll put a post on after I've seen it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted July 3, 2002 Report Share Posted July 3, 2002 I bought one many, many years ago, I think it was made by Debden. It was made of plastic, with a wheel and rotary arm on the outside,which turned and opened and shut the wings. They supplied it with about 30 yards of wire, so that you could sit in the hide and turn it on when you saw a pigeon. The battery was too small to leave it on for long. It wasn,t cheap, but it wasn,t strong. When my friend sat on my sack containing my cammo netting,decoys and plastic flapper, it disintegrated. I hope any new ones have "the works" inside. My old one was always stopping because a piece of grass, or something similar, got caught in the wheel. Look forward to your comments Deako. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deako Posted July 4, 2002 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2002 Right, checked out the flapper today and it looks pretty good. Basically a wire cradle which holds a dead bird, or a foam decoy.The opened wings are secured to a bar of spring steel going from wing tip to wing tip, with the steel passing under the bird and secured with crocodile clips. The tips of the wings are then connected to 2 short lengths of steel trace which in turn is attached to a cam and motor. The cam pulls the wings down and the steel returns them, in a fairly realistic flapping/landing motion. The thing should run for about 2 days on a 7 amp hour battery and will retail for about £50.The whole device weighs a few ounces. Only saw it with a foam decoy, but should be even better with a dead bird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted July 5, 2002 Report Share Posted July 5, 2002 Are the mechanics/moving parts inside the decoy, or stuck on the outside ? Have you seen his Pigeon Floaters ? He advertises a one piece for £9 and a two piece for £10. Do you know how long they are? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deako Posted July 5, 2002 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2002 Cranfield, the cam and motor are underneath the dead bird/decoy and will be housed in a shielded unit on the retail model to keep it free from damage and debris. I don't know about the floaters as I've still got a few pinewood ones which have plenty of life in them. I also bought a couple of packs of the newer shell decoys which are very good..........but I can't believe the 'Oxfordshire boys' are charging £35 for them!........my, those full page adverts must be real pricey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted July 5, 2002 Report Share Posted July 5, 2002 Thanks Deako, I will have to ring him about the Floaters. You are right about the Oxfordshire boys prices. If I read their advert correctly, they want £35.00 for 5 shell, flock coated birds. N & S Shooting Supplies sell excellent ones for £24.95 for 5. It certainly pays to shop around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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