Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a very well preserved example of a Gyro Pigeon which is a contraption that would be compared to a clay pigeon thrower that throws sheet steel “pigeons.” The idea is the sheet steel pigeons are inserted onto the prongs of the thrower which is staked into the grown or could be held in the hand. This specific example of the Gyro Pigeon uses a pull string in order to trigger the pigeon to release. The thrower is wound up in order to provide the spring tension to rotate and create a helicopter of a sheet steel pigeon in the air. The pigeons are reusable.
“These machines were manufactured circa 1880 and were marketed by J. Woodward & Sons. The device is screwed into the ground, the angle set, the spring wound, a target is placed on the fork and when the shooter calls “PULL” the string is pulled and the target spins off into the air. Some sources indicate the targets can fly 150 yards. The targets are made of sheet metal and can be bent to change their flight path. Comes with a winding handle, pull string, extra spring, wooden case and 98 original targets.”
Lot 3254: Bussey’s Patent Gyro Pigeon Target Thrower with Storage Case and. (n.d.). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved October 25, 2021, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/60/3254/busseys-patent-gyro-pigeon-target-thrower-with-storage-case-and.
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