Crow Busters Forum

Old Artilleryman · Guru

Collapsible or sectional poles for placing sentinel decoys.

Gadget Bob · Guru

Hi OA,

Touch base with your neighbor, Big Honkers... He hooked us up with a "Hot Stick". It is used in the electrical distribution industry and they sell them for a very reasonable amount when they are no longer delivering the proper amount of insulation value.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_stick

It extends out to 30 feet and work great for us in the Texas Crow Patrol.

Regards,

Nastygunz · Senior Member

Crikey i was looking at some and they are expensive !

Gadget Bob · Guru

Hi Nasty,

Big Honkers has a contact that sold me mine for $75 shipped last year. They are about $400 new, but this used one is perfect for our crow decoy placement.

Have you been using your .410 lately. The TCP has not had much luck on crows yet, but we set a record with 16 skunks one night in early September and have been using our newly suppressed rifles on raccoons with some success.

Regards,

Zeddicus · Senior Member

Hi OA,

I've used camouflage net poles:

Example:
http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewitem?itemId=120840072957&index=1&nav=SEARCH&nid=97665399611
Maybe you can find some without the extra gear and save some money. With those, sky's the limit. I had a decoy up 16meters and the ran out of poles... And you can always add, split up etc....

Those could work too:
http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewitem?itemId=190708148683&index=12&nav=SEARCH&nid=85764303103

I hope that'll point you in the right direction.

Regards,
Zedd

Old Artilleryman · Guru

Zedd:

I'm pursuing the hotstick angle, as I have a church friend who is in the electric power utility business. Should have an answer soon on a source for used ones. Meanwhile, I'm going to experiment with some light weight homemade sectionals and give a report on how they work. I know camo nets well, having wrestled with them in the field artillery for years. I know the eBay version you suggested would work fine and they are super strong, but (A) I'm looking for lightweight and (B) I'm "cheap." Did you use the camo net poles for your sentinel in this photo?

Thanks,

Craig

-- Edited by Old Artilleryman on Tuesday 9th of October 2012 01:06:33 AM

Zeddicus · Senior Member

Justhad another look on ebay. Guys you live in a dream country. That stuff is readily available and dirt cheap!!
Don't take the screw in versions...

nhcrowshooter · Guru

Zeddicus wrote:
Guys you live in a dream country.

It would be a wonderful thing if more of our own citizens recognized that instead of trying to fundamentally change our government and economic system. Seems it's easier to see from the outside.

Zeddicus · Senior Member

nhcrowshooter wrote:
Zeddicus wrote:
Guys you live in a dream country.
It would be a wonderful thing if more of our own citizens recognized that instead of trying to fundamentally change our government and economic system. Seems it's easier to see from the outside.

I hear you! There are many things I envy you for. I played America Football in germany, have family in the US and been to New England, NY, AZ, Texas, Tennesse, New Mexico, Florida... a couple of times. There's other things I don't agree with, just as everywhere in the world you have to take the bad with the good... We've got gooddoers and animal rights hypocritical whackos too. Gun contol "for legal owners only" etc.... We even had a strict gun control politician found to have a hand gun in her purse ffs! Take care, Zedd

Redditch · Guru

I use dedicated lifting poles, and these go up about 16 metres ( a metre is 39 inches). A complete set is made of 8 aluminium 2 metre sections and a "T" bar that fits on the top. Then you can place two decoys at the same time.
They cost me £44.00 and £4.95 P&P. that was he cheapest I could get a set.
Each aluminium section is swaged at one end so it fits into the base of the next one.

-- Edited by Redditch on Wednesday 10th of October 2012 05:12:41 AM These are the ones I use http://www.decoyingdirect.co.uk/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=68&category_id=9&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=80&vmcchk=1&Itemid=80

-- Edited by Redditch on Thursday 18th of October 2012 12:35:12 PM

Zeddicus · Senior Member

Yes, that's them.

Other than that I have a telescopic radio mast whis is 15 m long.

And yes, they are not lightweight, but I did not have to buy them ;)
So, at least they are light on the wallet ;)

Nastygunz · Senior Member

Gadget Bob wrote:
Hi Nasty,
Big Honkers has a contact that sold me mine for $75 shipped last year. They are about $400 new, but this used one is perfect for our crow decoy placement.
Have you been using your .410 lately. The TCP has not had much luck on crows yet, but we set a record with 16 skunks one night in early September and have been using our newly suppressed rifles on raccoons with some success.
Regards,

Howdy GB, funny you should ask but I have been hammering the squirrels with my .410 Contender & Comanche. I am going to go out crowing one day with just the 2 of them and a lot of ammo!

Buckshot1822 · Senior Member

Go to Lowes, Home Depot, or another hardware store, and look for extendable paint roller poles.........you can get the that go up to something like 16-20 feet, and they are fiberglass and aluminum, and fairly lightweight.....

Redditch · Guru

Here, these are what I use

http://www.decoyingdirect.co.uk/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=68&category_id=9&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=80&vmcchk=1&Itemid=80

Old Artilleryman · Guru

After finishing watching Felix Baumgartner's Big Jump from 128,000 feet (Wow!), I have a small update to my project. It works. However, the six foot long fiberglass snow sticks are flexible, as I thought they'd be (For those of you in non-snow areas, these are poles to give observant snow plowers the option of tearing up the lawn or observing the edge--marked by the sticks. Works most of the time...).

Due to the sticks' flexibility, this system will work only when it is supported by the tree branches/trunk in which they are placed. That seems OK, as it will place the decoy on top, near the center of the tree. Again, it seems to work well.

I made 8 X six foot sections yielding a possibility of about 45+ feet. Cost: $4.00 for two pieces of tubing as I had the other materials. I used PEX and CPVC tubing, along with Loctite construction adhesive to make six inch connectors. The 3/8" PEX fits almost perfectly over the snow stick and to add rigidity (PEX flexes a bit) I literally hammered, with liquid soap lubricant, the 1/2" CPVC over the PEX, making a rigid connector. I tried to find aluminum to cover the fiberglass directly, but could not. In hindsight, I think this is stronger and as the glass sticks flex so much anyway, it just doesn't matter.

Observations: (1) This doesn't work well in high wind due to the sections' flexibility once past two sections (it's very windy today). Since I don't chase crows in winds >10 mph, it should not matter. (2) This should work more easily during the winter, with no leaves, so one can see what's going on above. (3) There is a safety hazard if/when an upper section connector edge drags and becomes disconnected from the lower section; the loose section(s) could then descend quickly and could skewer the person(s) below. So watch out. Another good reason for not using in the wind. (3b) Afterthought: could be fixed by drilling a hole through each connector and stick and use a paper clip to prevent them from coming apart (?). Will see after further testing. (4) Best of all, forty-eight feet of height weighs about five pounds or less. Good deal.

My utility company friend has not yet found a suitable (i.e., condemned) hotstick but he's looking. So an alternate solution for placing a sentinel or two is still in the works.

Next MI season begins on 1 Feb. and lasts until 31 Mar. Time to do some more testing. I'll get a photo of the entire system when I fabricate an aluminum decoy for the top. Perhaps two on a crossbar. Meanwhile, here are some photos of the current batch of sticks under construction.

-- Edited by Old Artilleryman on Sunday 14th of October 2012 07:26:23 PM

-- Edited by Old Artilleryman on Sunday 14th of October 2012 07:27:31 PM

Lone Star Phil · Senior Member

OA:

Another field expedient solution to providing a sentry decoy is to bring a length of string (I use three foot length of Tandy black leather sewing thread) with a loop at either end. First two crow you put on the ground, slip their heads into each loop and fling them into the nearest tree. It may take a few trys but you can get them up 20 or 30 feet into a tree and that will work as a pair of sentry decoys for most crows.

Old Artilleryman · Guru

Lately, I've been only getting one or two per session! hmm

Redditch · Guru

Try putting more decoys out, and using a whirly, a flapper, and definately some floaters (I've found the floaters work best of all). A single or double sentry helps, but you DEFINATELY need a lot of decoys out generally of on fields as crows are gregarious creatures, and seek the company of others generally. Either use a horshoe pattern, or extended L pattern, or two clusters with about 5-10 yards between them.

-- Edited by Redditch on Saturday 20th of October 2012 10:29:19 AM

Redditch · Guru

Iwould talk to Winglocker decoys too, and get some of his silhouette decoys, they are only $1.00 each and would also help fill out your pattern. Also get some shell decoys or FUD's, or even full bodied plastic. The more crows you have to be seen on the ground the more will be drawn to your pattern Here's the link

http://www.winglockerdecoys.com/Crow_Decoys.html I use about 2-4 sentinels (trees and tops of hedges), a 4 bird whirly/rotary, two home made plastic winged floaters that follow wing direction, 3 flappers, 7 full bodied plastic flock coated decoys, 6 FUD's, and 5 shot bird floaters, and am planning on adding silhouettes, and or more FUD's to the pattern. Like I said, the more you have the more that come. Main thing is not to move till the last moment prior to shooting, as they can see you even through a net if you move quickly. Any movement should be very slow and measured prior to getting up for the final shot.

-- Edited by Redditch on Saturday 20th of October 2012 05:23:42 PM

Old Artilleryman · Guru

I'm making 6 more wooden decoys and one aluminum, all three-dimensional, to use when the season resumes in 103 days. That will make 12 on the ground/low-level and at least one sentinel. All the suggestions about tactics, wind direction camo, etc. are being taken to heart. Thanks!

Old Artilleryman · Guru

Good ideas. I don't think I could make the silhouettes from Windlockers at that price. I'll try some. As for the other ideas, I'm working on them. By the time the next season rolls around, I'll be ready, equipment-wise. Hopefully I can get some trapshooting practice in as well--I need that most of all.

Waidmansheil!

Redditch · Guru

Yep, or skeet depending on how close the birds come

Those silhouette decoys I've been thinking about getting too, but the shipping the companies charge to the UK is astronomical. The decoys cost me $50.00 for 50, but he wants $110.00 dollars to ship them. That means hey would come over the import duty limit, and would cost me another $80.00 in import duty.

Old Artilleryman · Guru

Hmmmm, on second thought perhaps cutting out 2-dimensional plywood silhouettes isn't such a bad idea after all. I can find plenty of free scrap 1/4" plywood around here.

I confess I did not know what "FUD" meant, but after a Google search turned up the answer I figured it out. Another grand idea. Ain't Capitalism wonderful!

Redditch · Guru

Lol, yep. The FUD's are handy, but very expensive although they do work, and very well too