Making a pigeon corpse into a decoy

[jpw99]

The books say serious pigeon shooters keep a few in the freezer, bring em out put em back until the carcass is of no futher use. I would like to go a stage futher and do a bit of DIY taxidermy to avoid the obnoxious smell that will certainly come. Has anyone tried this and if so what did you do? I'm not talking professional mounting of a bird, just a basic method that would get you by and fool his friends and relations and to be able to keep for some considerable time without stinking the place out.

 

Hope someone has tried it, and thanks in advance.

 

Jim the Geordie.

[Cranfield]

I remember reading a very ancient Shooting Times article entitled "Make your own natural decoys" (or something similar).

This seemed the answer to a young, impoverished, pigeon shooter's dreams.

 

However, it involved the complicated process of skinning the bird, whilst trying to keep all the feathers on it.

Lots of salt was then involved.

Something about making a pigeon sized body out of an old cotton sheet stuffed with dried peas, came next and I stopped reading about then.

 

Painted glass milk bottles sufficed, until I could afford tin decoys, plastic ones came much later.

 

I currently always have about 8 birds in the freezer for my rotary, flapper, or floaters.

I replenish them at the first opportunity.

The old ones go "over the hedge" for the fox. B)

[jpw99]

Cheers Cranfield. I thought it might be a tad tricky. I was just planning to open the chest, remove as much as possibe, fill it with rags or wool or something, sew it up and just hope the rest of it lasts as long as possible - ah well it was just a thought. As a matter of interest i just did a quick search on google "making your own natural decoys" and guess what came up on top of the list - Pigeon Watch Uk Pigeon Shooting. Small world isn't it

 

Jim

[Fisherman Mike]

My Grandfather used to gut birds and dry the carcasses with the wings either folded or outstretched mounted on a board.

 

He did this in fine very dry sawdust which he used to dry by putting it in a old steel oil drum and lighting a fire under it, keeping it moving to stop it burning.

 

He also used to dry the birds by hanging them in the sun in his game cupboard, again after gutting them.

 

It does take a long time to dry them, and they do not appreciate getting too wet after, but they are obviously very effective.

 

I think you will find that Pigeons are amongst the most difficult birds to stuff as they loose pumage very easily.

 

FM.

[Teal]

A guy on here made some using formaldehyde IIRC. They looked like they would work very well. It was one of our members from abroad- have a search.

[invector]

I use the freezer method and, just like Cranfield, leave the well used ones for the foxes and badgers. Years ago I would take out the breasts and, as my mum was a nurse, inject them with a hypodermic syringe and a 10% solution of formaldehyde. You inject every piece of flesh you can, with loads in the entrails, then set them aside to cure.

 

Leave them to dry out for a week or so and don`t be surprised if you still get some maggots!! The biggest problem is carting them to the field in a suitable box so they don`t get damaged, and they don`t like getting wet!!

 

The freezer is the way to go and these days I rarely use plassy deeks. B)

[ernyha]

I always take some from the freezer to use on the rotor,flapper and sometimes on the cradles as well.

Also I always cut one of the legs off to make sure a pre-frozen bird doesn't get mixed with freshly shot birds when collecting up at the end.

 

The birds that have come from the freezer are then thrown in the ditch for mr fox and never used more than once.

[jpw99]

Thanks lads, it looks like this was not one of my better ideas. Looks like more trouble than it's worth. The freezer looks like the answer. You guys must have really understanding wives or do you have your own dedicated freezer like i have a dedicated fridge for my maggots? Question? When you freeze them do you put them in the position they will be used for or just folded up and open them out when defrosted? and bearing in mind defrosting tome, if you are going shooting the next day would you still put them in the freezer or just stick them in with the sausage etc in the fridge if you have a really understanding wife ? (not many of them about) B)

 

Jim the Geordie.

[reddeer 40]

In february I posted a topic "roosting pigeons" in the section sporting pictures, there you can see the pigeons I prepared with formaldehyde, they looks almost alive, it is very simple, you take the guts out like you do with ducks and you give injections in the resting meat with formaldehyde. Later this year I'm going to do some more experiments with this decoys, and will poste the results here.

[stupidsalmon]

I have made what i think is quite an effective floater from the wings of the pigeon, which I removed and left to dry for a month or two.

They are attached to an old deek with some lengths of fencing wire and can be removed for easy storage. B)

I havent tryed it yet. You reckon it'll work??

 

 

Edited July 9, 2005 by stupidsalmon

[digga]

nice one! try it , let us know how ya get on u should get a result, if ya do im going to copy it B)

[Cranfield]

Good tip from Ern, on cutting one leg of your pigeons from the freezer, so you don't get them mixed up with fresh birds .

 

I have a small upright freezer, ( about as big as a washing machine), which I use for fishing bait and pigeons.

Some friends of mine have obtained old ice cream freezers for nothing, from shops who are replacing them.

I have never been so lucky, but its something to keep your eyes open for.

[invector]

I too have a dedicated freezer for pigeons etc. I don`t bother too much how they look when they are frozen because they are thawed out overnight, the kinks come out, and they look like recently shot birds. I use them about three times before giving them to Charlie or Brock and always have extra birds ready for use as decoys. This way you only have to buy one set of plazzy deeks ha! ha! Of course another pigeon shooter could give you a few dead birds to start you off then we wouldn`t need to buy any deeks at all!!

[jpw99]

Nice one stupidsalmon. Looks good to me. Seems like a good 50/50 way to go - 1/2 plas 1/2 real, - plus you have the bonus of being able to eat the breasts as well. Its a win win situation. Get that patent in as soon as possible before anybody spots it

Reddeer40 - tried the archive but it only went back so far so unable to spot your pics.

Seems like a separate freezer is the way to go. It's a pitty my garage is full to capacity with house freezer,tumbler, maggot fridge, and stacked to the gills with diy stuff. It would have to sqeeze into the shed which is already overloaded with garden stuff, fishing tackle, and shooting gear - plus if it was in the shed it's likely to be running all the time as it's hot in there.

I suppose in my case i could shove a few in with maggots in the fridge if going out in the next day or so. Have just tried this and after 2days they came out like new, no smell and quite supple.

Just an after thought - anyone run a freezer outside with the cable running in through a wall? B) .

Thanks for all input - much food for thought

 

Jim the geordie

[pete k]

gut them then fill the inside with poly foam or expanding foam might work

[Highlander]

All too much trouble for me...good (flock coated) decoys work for me everytime. No mess, no flies (a real bonus at this time of year). OK maybe a cost involved but then if you love your sport whats a few quid.

 

Good effort stupidsalmon BUT why an old fashioned plastic decoy???

 

I also take old potato sacks to put dead birds into (stops the flies getting to them) and at this time of year a few bags of ice or those freezer blocks to keep everything cool.

 

From all this you might imagine I don't travel light, I've a truck load of kit but then I think trying different things out is all part of the sport.

[stupidsalmon]

It was just an old one i had laying around.

 

I can quite easily convert it for use on a FC one, just dont want to go drilling holes in one just yet.

[new to the flock]

We call them stuffers over here, and they are deadly. Most often made from Canada Geese, but I have also seen them made from turkeys, crows and pigeons. The decoys once they are finished are quite tough, but care should be taken while handling so as not to miss place the feathers. A NUMBER of years back, while still in college I did make a pigeon stuffer in a taxidermy course, by skinning the bird boraxing the skin, building a body, adding leg and neck wires and glass eyes. It was not that difficult, and only took about2 hrs not counting curing time. Also made a cotton tail bunny standing up mounted on a spring , so that it would wobble in the breeze or when you pulled a string. I made it as a coyote confidance decoy, problem was the first time I used it the yote liked it so much that he snuck in and stole it while I was taking a pee..... :thumbs: . Oh and the pigeon was attacked by the parents cat around 1 am one morning....... Feathers everywhere.

If ever I can figure how to post pics from my digital camera I will see if I cant put together a step by step guide....right after I do the dog training pics that I promised to will ages ago.....

[scolopax]

Okay it might just be me but I find something not quite right about using dead birds as decoys then lobbing them in a ditch at the end of play.

 

Sorry but I don't thinks its on, just a terrible waste of good food and disrespectful for a sporting quarry. Its only one step away from throwing the whole bag in a ditch because there not worth the cost of the petrol to take them to the gamedealers.

 

Why not simply debreast the birds before freezing them to use as decoys? Or even after they have been used as decoys? But to throw away a whole bird, not on in my book.

 

The same goes for shooting a bird and then making no attempt to retrieve it because it fell in standing crops, how do you know its actually dead and not a walker? If you have not got a dog and know the bird cannot be retrieved why shoot it? Anyway rant over, back to work now.