The Art Of Decoying

Introduction

In 2001, BASC published a document called " Woodpigeon Shooting Survey ". The survey covered a four year period from 1995 - 1998 and the findings were both detailed and comprehensive.
Interestingly, the survey finds that approx. 70% of pigeon shooters kill their quarry over decoys as opposed to other methods such as roost shooting or shooting on flight lines. In fact decoying accounts for 89%of all pigeons shot in the UK.
The survey states that average bags shot over decoys vary from 6 to 25 birds per session, depending on the time of year with the largest bags being shot from July to Sept.
Given that so many of us now recognise that this is the most effective way of pigeon shooting, we have decided to dedicate part of our website to this subject.

The Decoy Pattern

The prime objective of setting out your decoy pattern is to attract the birds within range of your gun. If you set your decoys correctly, taking into account the type of crop you are shooting over and the wind direction, you stand every chance of achieving this objective. The following information will, we hope, be of some help.
Firstly, it's important to remember that when shooting pigeons, no two days are ever the same. Just because they came to your decoys with total commitment last week, it doesn't mean that you'll fool them again so convincingly this week. This is not to say that your decoys look wrong , it may just be, that for any number of reasons, the birds will be more cautious today.
There will be times when the birds just can't wait to get right in there with your decoys and will actually "touch-down" among them. REMEMBER, this is a bonus, not the norm. The objective was only to bring them within range of your gun !
It is far more likely that the birds will fly over your decoys, take a good look, then decide whether to come for lunch or move on. What ever they decide, if they come within 35 yards of your hide, you have set your decoys well.
I recently had two young men come for an afternoons decoying. During a hectic four hours they fired almost 250 cartridges. As we cleared up at the end of the session, one of them said " they didn't decoy very well". It's not often that i'm speachless, but words failed me. I think he wanted them all to touch-down, but i figured that if you're averaging one shot every 60 seconds, they are decoying very well.

Decoying Hints

  • Always set you decoys head into wind but not in a regimental fashion, turn the birds at angles left and right with a general head to wind direction. Birds land and take off head to wind, but twist and turn when feeding. If your decoys are too regimental, they may look like a startled flock about to take flight.

  • Leave space in your pattern for incoming birds to land in. Your pattern should be inviting new comers to " join us for a feed ".
    Make a horse - shoe or crescent shape with the centre space as the "killing ground". This space should be directly in front of your hide.

  • Try to position yourself with the wind on your back. By doing this, the birds will approach from the front, presenting you with easier shots.

  • Try to set your decoys on a flight line. You'll often have more success decoying on the flight line even if the field does not contain a crop that would attract the birds. They will often sit on ploughed fields or meadows to rest or digest thier food and they can be decoyed here with good results.

  • When decoying on any kind of drilling, put plenty of space between your decoys. Pigeons move quickly accross a drilled field looking for seed laying on the surface. This results in birds spread out over a large area.

  • When using a rotary, should the birds flair away as if startled, move the rotary, normally to the front of the pattern. If this doesn't help, remove it all together.

  • When setting out your decoys, place one 40 yards from your hide. Use this decoy as a marker / range finder. Any birds above or beyond the marker are out of range and the shot shouldn't be taken.