Should I paint lots of white on my pigeon decoys?

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Should I paint lots of white on my pigeon decoys?

When a pigeon is feeding, that white patch is constantly moving, reassuring other pigeons that all is well.

By Peter Theobald

Monday, 10 May 2010

When pigeon decoying, I was told not to overdo the white paint where a pigeon’s white neck bars are concerned, as the markings act as a warning to real birds.

Yet last month I read someone saying you should make them as prominent as possible when giving faded decoys a new coat of paint. Who’s right?

Pigeon shooting
PETER THEOBALD
I’m with the ‘make them prominent’ camp on this one. Few people argue against the white bars on a pigeon’s wings being a powerful signal to other pigeons, but the neck bar is just as important.

When the bird is feeding, that white patch is constantly moving, reassuring other pigeons that all is well.

Admittedly, when the bird is frightened and suspects danger, it will stretch its neck upward, fully exposing the white patch, as a warning to his pals that all is not well, and get ready to get the hell out of here.

But pigeons will still decoy to birds on the ground who are in this ‘alert mode’, and is the reason why, when we set up shot birds, we put a peg under their chins to show off the white markings.