foggy11 Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 Hi all... For a long time now i have religiously re- painted the wing bars on all my decoys a nice bright white..... But have you ever taken note of a flock of birds feeding,,,,, no white is visible on the wings hardly at all.... So does it make a difference........if were trying to make a realistic picture for incoming birds , would it not be better to have no wings bars and nice fat and bright neck bars..... Let the debate begin..... Cheers.... Nik..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 your absolutetly right . The wing bars are folded under the wings when the bird is feeding . However i allways paint white wingbars on my coys . All so remember that the birds will get a much better view of the decoys from 100 feet up than you will get at ground level . Harnser . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foggy11 Posted May 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2009 So no one got anything to add.... Good or bad......there only opinions...... What do ya reckon........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rigwallet Posted May 12, 2009 Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 to right im repainting my decoys big neck bars and no wing bars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted May 12, 2009 Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 your absolutetly right . The wing bars are folded under the wings when the bird is feeding . However i allways paint white wingbars on my coys . All so remember that the birds will get a much better view of the decoys from 100 feet up than you will get at ground level .Harnser . So no one got anything to add.... Good or bad......there only opinions...... What do ya reckon........ I agree with Hanser. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbel-brad Posted May 13, 2009 Report Share Posted May 13, 2009 A good point and i must say it has nver crossed my mind it will be interesting to see how the decoys thay rigwallet is repainting perform. Regards Andrew Bradley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenhunter Posted May 13, 2009 Report Share Posted May 13, 2009 I've often thought too much is made of the 'folded' wingbars on decoys. You can see them if the real things are perched above you but even then its not a huge amount. Most neck bars on standard plastic coys are too small and not bright enough so I always paint mine up a bit. They are much more important according to John Batley(just read it again) and I am going to try putting feeders out more as a bird with its head upright and its neckbars in full view is about to take off. Which is not what an incoming bird wants to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highlander Posted May 13, 2009 Report Share Posted May 13, 2009 At this time of year with pretty well all the crops getting taller by the day (except in drought struck EA) if you watch a flock of feeding pigeons all that’s visible is the white neck area, it really does stand out. Watching pigeons feeding you’ll not see white wing bars on those birds just walking about picking up whatever but only on those that are arriving/leaving the field. Successful decoying comes from mimicking that scenario. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anser2 Posted May 14, 2009 Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 Of course its true that wood pigeons do not show much of their wing bars when feeding , but that does not mean they are not important when trying to decoy them. Often its what is in the eye of the beholder rather than reality that is important. As pigeons land and make short flights to a better feeding patch the white wing bars attract attention. You are trying to catch the eye of a bird that may be some distance away and the white wing bars will help you to do this. Its similar to the white fore wings of a cock wigeon. I now paint enlarged ( about 4 times larger than shop bought decoys ) white patches on their wings and find it has greater pulling power than factory decoys. I even add the white bars to some female decoys for use in the early season before the drakes develop full plumage and again it makes the decoys really stand out. It’s a bit like using magnum duck decoys , white on pigeon wings just improve decoy visibility and for that reason alone are worth having. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rigwallet Posted May 14, 2009 Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 WELL BEEN OUT TODAY WITH MY REPAINTED DECOYS BUT CANT COMMENT ON THEM AS ONLY A COUPLE OF PIGEONS CAME OVER BUT MUST SAY WITH THE BIG WHITE BARS I PAINTED ON NECK THE REALLY STOOD OUT IN THE RAPE AND MY MAGNET CONTROLLER BLEW ITS FUSES AGAIN .BUT HAD ONE BONUS BIGGEST CROW IVE EVER SHOT HAD TO TAKE A SECOND LOOK AS WE HAVE MANY BUZZARDS HUNT FAR PIGEONS IN SAME AREA AS ME AND I WASNT TO SURE AS IT WAS THAT BIG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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