Oh boy, it feels like Christmas in July! I'm sitting here on a rainy day, waiting on a new hawk decoy to be delivered. I ordered it from Home Despot online this weekend. and they notified me that it was shipped yesterday. I've got a plastic owl decoy that works good, but I believe the locals are beginning to associate it with dense anti-aircraft fire. I figured I might do a change-up with the hawk, after I touch it up to resemble a red-tailed hawk as much as possible. We have several red-tailed buzzards in my vicinity, and boy do the crows hate their guts and livers. The price for the plastic hawk decoy was only about $25 after tax, title, and destination charge, or whatever they tack on to the asking price. I found it in the gardening section, and it portrays a hawk sitting on a post. Others I've found on other sites portray a swooping hawk, and they were around $80. Swooping hawks don't look very realistic hanging from a tree limb, stationary, or sitting on the ground next to a fubar'd dead crow. I think I may incorporate ketchup in my bag of tricks this year as well. A friend of mine related that you could filch one of the kid's stuffed raccoon toys or even a "Pound Puppy" and put it out on a snow field with ketchup liberally splattered over it and the surrounding area. Apparently crows think it is road-kill, and they swoop down for the all-you-can-eat buffet. I figure I will add the ketchup to the dead crow in front of the decoy hawk, and possibly mislead them into believing that the situation is more urgent, and that they should throw caution to the wind. Oh well, I'd stake out a live camel spread-eagled with a fake arrow through his head if I thought it would entice some scout crow to come close enough for my magic Mod. 1100 to reach out and give him a special delivery. Wish me good luck.
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"When you have shot one bird flying, you have shot all bird's flying. ...the sensation is the same, and the last one is as good as the first." E. Hemingway "Fathers and Sons"
Well the UPS guy came by yesterday or the day before, and gave me the bird. I'll tell you what, for 20 bucks, it looks pretty darn good. I'll have to coat it with a flat paint finish to keep the plastic from shining, but the colors, size, and especially eyes are great. It was funny to watch the dogs when I took it out of the box. The littlest one barked, and the biggest one growled. The black lab didn't know whether to retrieve it or bury it in the yard. I'll take it down to the killing grounds when the weather cools off some, and see how the experts respond to it. Til then, I'll just keep my fingers crossed.
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"When you have shot one bird flying, you have shot all bird's flying. ...the sensation is the same, and the last one is as good as the first." E. Hemingway "Fathers and Sons"
What was I thinking??....OK, here the bird. He's a little bigger than a live red-tailed hawk, but bigger is always better. Pic's are made with a cell phone because none of my children have condescended to teach me how to use the new digital camera. Oh well, they'll be the ones wheeling me to the killing fields someday in my wheelchair (on their way to the nursing home).
"When you have shot one bird flying, you have shot all bird's flying. ...the sensation is the same, and the last one is as good as the first." E. Hemingway "Fathers and Sons"
