My first set of pigeon decoys were homemade. The kitty didn’t stretch to the fancy, rubber, inflatable ones, which were pretty much the only commercially made option available. Mine were fashioned from cartridge paper, cut into pigeon profile, stapled at the bottom and painted with poster paints. They didn’t shine and could only be used if the weather and ground were dry. But they did pull in the pigeons, as did those formed from grey, plastic gutter pipes made by friends with better DIY skills.
Today, I have a sack of modern, flock-covered decoys that I dutifully throw into the back of the Suzuki Jimny because that’s what you do. Their profile is excellent but I judged the colouring incorrect, so I trotted off to the local Homebase with a dead pigeon and asked them to run up some paint that was an exact match. The shop assistant was too polite to say ‘weirdo’, but I saw it in her eyes.
A bloke in the hedge
I wish I hadn’t bothered. Now I think they’re too light, but then real pigeons en masse can look pale or dark depending on how the light catches them. Whatever the reason, they don’t work, and worse, I suspect they actually signal to the pidge, “Don’t come anywhere near here as there’s a bloke in the hedge with a gun.”
Even so, I always take them because I’ve read Archie Coats’ books too many times and always hope that one day the pigeons will be ‘suicidal’ and just pour into my decoy pattern regardless.
Denne historien er fra June 07, 2023-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
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Denne historien er fra June 07, 2023-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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United we stand
Following United Utilities' decision to end grouse shooting on its land, Lindsay Waddell asks what will happen if we ignore our vital moors
Serious matters
An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning
They're not always as easy as they seem
While coneys of the furry variety don't pose a problem for Blue Zulu, he's left frustrated once again by bolting bunnies of the clay sort
Debutant gundogs
There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting
When the going gets rough
Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
In this excerpt from the 60th anniversary edition of the BDS's Field Guide To British Deer, Charles Smith-Jones considers the noise they make
A step too far?
Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work
Two bucks before breakfast
A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem
Stalking Diary
Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill
Gamekeeper
Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside