magpie_assassin Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 Hi all i'm relatively new to P/W and have been moochin through some of your post to try and understand the "pigeon" the way of the pigeon and to become one with the pigeon as so to speak. I was out sunday morning, found some cover in some scrub, (I'm used to cam'ing up and hiding in scrubs and making hides, it comes from being an ex-squaddie) I marked out my yards ie: 25,30,35,40 with little markers due to undulating ground.( My gat is a Airarms S410 Carbine .22, a chipolata compared with some of your weapons)This dosen't compare to some weapons i've fired in the past but shes mine and we are one! Setting out my deecs was ok but to what point is it wrong in the pattern? I used the horse shoe effect and made sure that the pattern was facing into the wind as suggested in forums on this site! But nothin happened. Well i say nothin i had 1 pigeon fly in low, take a look'see and carried on with his fly buy. The other almost landed sense something was wrong and flew off, both times never even a sniff through my scope to slot them.I then put a crow deec out further away from my pattern only to find that i was having more interest from crows than pigeons, and that was only one crow deec not 6??? My decoys are full bodied but just pegged into the ground, do i need any wobblers or bouncers? to make the pigeons move and make them life like? I have also sprayed them with matt varnish to take the shine away too. I'll wait out for all your feed back and look forward to hearing what you have to say. Regards Maggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_b_wales Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 Hi mate. Welcome to PW. Personally, I have never used any pattern with decoys. I know that many have, and it works well for them. I have found that shiny decoys can be a problem. Flock ones are best, although they are a bit more expensive. Movement will help though. Good luck. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardo Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 shooting Pigeons with an air rifle over deeks is not ideal - you'll have more luck using lofters in sitty trees and shooting them from below as they're far more happy to sit around for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magpie_assassin Posted March 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 Hi.. to you both! Thanks for your replys so far... i was wandering about lofters to be fair. Where i shoot there are lots of sitty trees and thier used regularly, but also they feed quiet a bit in flocks on the ground too. Is it worth using some bate like corn scattered around the deecs to draw them in? There isn't any better way than getting out there and trying all these tricks for real i know, but i just want some heads up and good info before i test the water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seanofselby Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 (edited) Hi welcome to the site ,as the previous guy said air guns and decoying can be hard work. On the other hand looking at your corvid tally for 09 its fairly impressive with a airgun. Keep trying with the deeks i have days where they get to 40 yds and bounce and then other times they come straight in landing amongst them oblivious to danger regards sean Edited March 30, 2009 by seanofselby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magpie_assassin Posted March 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 (edited) Hi Sean, thanks..... i find it strange to be fair that crows and magpies are the most cautious yet leave them selves open to ambushing ie: you slot one and the whole world around you darkens with noise and they all have to come and have a look! Magpies never learn either you hit their mate so they stay there and make noise to draw others in and hey presto!! you have several other kills under your belt. That all stems from one sole decoy crow sat 30yrds away from me, i have also bated the area to with a dead rabbit or squirrel. One thing i did try which work very well, was to use a decoy owl and crow within my radious of 30 yrds owl at one end crow at the other. Of course the crows question why one crow is in a field on its own and the owl the other end? It has a good effect, the crows become very ballsie and sit next to the owl while calling to the deec...or so it seems magpies are the same. Edited March 30, 2009 by magpie_assassin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonboy1 Posted March 31, 2009 Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 the trouble with decoys and air rifles is if you do get the pigeons to land they very rarely stay on the ground long enough to sight them up for the shot. Practically all pigeons shot over decoys are killed in the air, using the decoys to bring them into range for a shotgun rather than trying to get them to land . As has been suggested, i think you'll have more luck using lofters. Good luck anyway mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magpie_assassin Posted March 31, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 Yer, rgr your last jon, have acquired some lofters as well as some bouncers too... i'm thinking if i can draw them into the tress and have some movement on the floor, maybe scatter some corn about too it may just work? Ya never know till you try? nout better than getting out there. Regards Mags Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smig4373 Posted March 31, 2009 Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 EVENING ALL....I AM A NEWBIE TO THIS FORUM AS WELL,ALTHOUGH NOT TO SHOOTING....IN REPLY....IF SHOOTING WITH AN AIR RIFLE,PERHAPS ASK THE FARMERS IF YOU CAN STALK AROUND THE FARM YARD AREA,YOU'LL HAVE NATURAL HIDES AND SHADOWEY AREAS WHERE YOU CAN SKULK ABOUT,YOU CAN APPROACH FROM DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS IF THE SUNS IN YOUR EYES,YOU MITE EVEN GET SOME SPORT WITH THE RATS,JACKDAWS AND ROOKS ETC.....YOU CAN STILL USE THE LOFTERS IN THE FARM YARD.....THE FARMER CAN SEE YOU DOING YOUR JOB TO IF YOUR SHOOTING IN THE YARD TOO......COLLARED DOVES ARE NEVER FAR AWAY TOO.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magpie_assassin Posted March 31, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 Rgr that smig... have done some of what you have suggested already, to be fair the farmer has a keatrel deec hanging in one barn and they been clear out around the farm to. There were tell tail signs on the floor that they were lofting up in the barns, there are other shooters on the land too. So i tend to stick to the fields and work the hedges. Regards Mags Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.