# Duck decoys



## stick&string89 (Jun 21, 2012)

What duck decoys does everyone feel look the best and are the highest quality? I would really like to change my spread this year.


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

I personally think AvianX has the best realism look to them as far as paint scheme and body pose. I'v Always bought GHG and love them however, if I didn't have so dang many GHG duck decoys I would jump over to AvianX.

but, all my GHG ducks are surface feeders and that makes for a good looking spread. regardless of how many dozens of decoys i have, 90% of the time i only use 4-6 decoys. when I hunt over small spreads like that I try to look as most realistic as I can.


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## stick&string89 (Jun 21, 2012)

I also like to hunt small pockets so I think realism out weighs numbers.


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## Hawk87 (Apr 4, 2014)

I like avian x. I am not going to run out and replace my whole spread, but any future purchases will be them.


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

stick&string89 said:


> I also like to hunt small pockets so I think realism out weighs numbers.


Avian X is the way to go. I threw out 6 on a small creek last year. I heard a splash and counted 7 decoys. I sat there for a minute to figure out which was the real drake. They're expensive, but awesome! I dropped GHG because I got tired of paying $100 for decoys that had no paint by the end of the year.


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## MuscleWhitefish (Jan 13, 2015)

Cheap Mallards.

Sand and Paint into Divers. 

Fill with foam optional.


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## lablover (Jan 27, 2014)

We ran Tangle free foam filled deeks last year "Ducks" with GREAT success!
For one thing at the end of the season they all had the paint on them and when
they get shot which they will they still float! ;-)
Just another option for you.


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## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

I'd rather buy a few nice motion dekes that put some movement in the water for the same price as an awesome new spread of ducks that don't move....


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

tangle free decoys are great on price and last a long time. im working on switching over to them.


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

dkhntrdstn said:


> tangle free decoys are great on price and last a long time. im working on switching over to them.


I got 12 Buck Gardner Tanglefree mallards and 5 of them sunk into the pond the first time out so I haven't gone back. Which model are you using and how's the paint? I've been wanting to call them up to see if they could send me 6 pintail sleepers.


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## SidVicious (Aug 19, 2014)

I've been using GHG for a lot of years and really like them. I have had some paint issues, but nothing major. Especially for how hard I am on them. They are pricey, but I still like them the best.


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

JuniorPre 360 said:


> I got 12 Buck Gardner Tanglefree mallards and 5 of them sunk into the pond the first time out so I haven't gone back. Which model are you using and how's the paint? I've been wanting to call them up to see if they could send me 6 pintail sleepers.


im using there newer ones. im just got some teal right now.Give them a call and they will work with you on it.


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## Mojo1 (Sep 8, 2007)

I've slowly been switching over from GHG to G &H, I'm about 50% complete on the changeover now. G&H's are just tougher than the avery offerings now and American made to boot

Before season this year I'm gonna get me a dozen Higdon super battleship mallards to use specifically for timber/slough hunting applications. They are big and foam filled


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## lablover (Jan 27, 2014)

Why would you use Higdon foamers over TangleFree ???
Oh ya I see your from the south!:mrgreen:


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## amrich17 (Jan 19, 2015)

I also would choose avian x decoys especially know that they produce more than just mallards.


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## SR-1 (Jan 9, 2011)

avian x we ran the mallards and pintails last season and they worked awesome and the paint held up great. I will be buying more in the future along with their goose decoys.


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## Mojo1 (Sep 8, 2007)

lablover said:


> Why would you use Higdon foamers over TangleFree ???
> Oh ya I see your from the south!:mrgreen:


It's simple, those hidgons are very visible and most of the spots I hunt don't require more than a doz dekes to get it done, in fact large numbers of decoys do more harm than good.


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## silverkitten73 (Sep 20, 2007)

G&H decoys are by far the most realistic and durable duck decoy out there. At least in my not so humble opinion. I bought three dozen of them 10 years ago and they are still going strong today. I will admit that they are tough to find compared to the other decoys - but you can find them online and at Cabelas. I really like the swivel heads on the mallards and think their pintail decoys are the best out their. Their paint isn't the high gloss crap you find on a lot of decoys.


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## Hawk87 (Apr 4, 2014)

silverkitten73 said:


> G&H decoys are by far the most realistic and durable duck decoy out there. At least in my not so humble opinion. I bought three dozen of them 10 years ago and they are still going strong today. I will admit that they are tough to find compared to the other decoys - but you can find them online and at Cabelas. I really like the swivel heads on the mallards and think their pintail decoys are the best out their. Their paint isn't the high gloss crap you find on a lot of decoys.


I am willing to accept that they are super durable, but I wouldnt call G&H the most realistic. I think they are probubly realistic enough, but I dont think they are anywhere as realistic as the avian x or GHG (and I won't buy any more GHG).


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## Mojo1 (Sep 8, 2007)

All those ultra realistic decoy work far better at atracting hunters wallets than they do at outperforming most of your run of the mill decoys. 

I have a doz of G&H mallards I have had for almost 30 years, I killed a lot of ducks over those blocks last season, probably won't be the last ones either.

You can also buy straight from G&H, they will ship to individuals. If your military yet offer a discount too.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

I buy whatever is on sale. The ducks don't seem to care what brand the decoys are or where I bought them. I will say this much about decoys, as far as durability goes there is no comparison to G&H quality. I have the first dozen G&H mallards that I purchased 25 years ago and they still look great, and none of them have split open like all the cheap expensive decoys on the market today.


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## MuscleWhitefish (Jan 13, 2015)

Mojo1 said:


> All those ultra realistic decoy work far better at atracting hunters wallets than they do at outperforming most of your run of the mill decoys.
> 
> I have a doz of G&H mallards I have had for almost 30 years, I killed a lot of ducks over those blocks last season, probably won't be the last ones either.
> 
> You can also buy straight from G&H, they will ship to individuals. If your military yet offer a discount too.


I dunno, I think you could throw out painted milk jugs and bring them in.

People use white garbage bags for swans or socks over the goose decoy heads and it really doesn't get lower quality than that.

The key is to match your spread to what the ducks are doing more than it is having a dozen of $300 premium extremely well painted mallards.

Having decoys that have a lot of white and black will bring them to the spread quicker than an awesome paint job.

My 2c


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Hunt.../Ne-4294738570?WTz_st=GuidedNav&WTz_stype=GNU

So these are new. I'll be getting me a set for small water hunting.


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## Mojo1 (Sep 8, 2007)

For the next five days Mack's Pw has free shipping for all orders. I believe the promo code is "getdads" .


Edit it's "shipdads"


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

Mojo1 said:


> For the next five days Mack's Pw has free shipping for all orders. I believe the promo code is "getdads" .


A promo code "hidefromwife" would make more sense. Thanks for the info!


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## Mojo1 (Sep 8, 2007)

JuniorPre 360 said:


> A promo code "hidefromwife" would make more sense. Thanks for the info!


Lol, depends on the wife; mine doesn't care what I buy to hunt with.


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## capncash (Jun 12, 2015)

Don't discount Dakotas. Have 1.5 dozen mallards as well as .5 dozen Dakota pintails in my main spread with a few teal, gadwall, and widgeons. Most days, I've found that "less is more" and have had really good luck with 5-9 decoys and 1 spinner. Have quite a few GHG dekes and am looking to switch over to Dakotas exclusively. Avian-X is doing quite a job on their dekes and I really like the early season mallards.

I've also found that all is for not if you don't have motion. Get yourself a good jerk cord and keep the motion going consistently. When you aren't seeing ducks, yank away. When you're working them, small pulls or nothing if they're spooky.

Cash E Hogsett
https://birdsandbucksoutdoors.com/colorado-goose-hunting/colorado-duck-hunting/


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

capncash said:


> I've found that "less is more" and have had really good luck with 5-9 decoys and 1 spinner.


 I'd say that depends on the situation. If you're hunting a public refuge, everyone is going to have maybe 12-24 decoys and at least one spinner. Ducks see the same and pass right over the spread. When I hunt a larger refuge, I take around 10 dozen decoys and not a single spinner. As long as I don't have people hunting off my decoys and calling, or have a boat come and park next to me, I usually don't have a problem bringing them in to a big spread.

If you're hunting private property or a "forgotten" refuge, then you could probably get anything to land in 6 decoys.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

Sometimes I wonder about decoys....and the people who buy them. Growing up we probably had at least a dozen different types of decoys in our spread of about 80 dekes. We had some hand carved wooden decoys, paper maiche decoys, some made out of styrofoam and at least 8 different brands of plastic decoys. All of them had been painted over multiple times. I have even seen guys using 2 liter plastic soda bottles painted blackish gray to mimic a poule d'eau (aka coot). Just the slightest breeze will move them around quite nicely. Back years ago a lot of the snow goose hunters down south would buy tons of white cloths, towels, diapers etc and hang them on a stiff wire pushed into the ground that just had a goose head on it. I thinks it's more realism and movement than how pretty or ugly your decoys look but hey, I could be wrong.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

If you are set up where the ducks want to be it won't matter what brand or how fancy your decoys are. People in marketing will have you think otherwise. Why do you think some decoys cost $90 a six pack, and you need the fanciest camo out there? Marketing geniuses I tell ya.;-)


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

Fowlmouth said:


> If you are set up where the ducks want to be it won't matter what brand or how fancy your decoys are. People in marketing will have you think otherwise. Why do you think some decoys cost $90 a six pack, and you need the fanciest camo out there? Marketing geniuses I tell ya.;-)


Bingo...but I do have to say, according to my long departed grandpa, using live decoys was awesome. He hunted back in the day when people used live decoys. If my memory serves me correctly they raised 3-4 dozen ducks to use as live decoys and would put them out every morning and pick them up each evening.


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## MuscleWhitefish (Jan 13, 2015)

JuniorPre 360 said:


> I'd say that depends on the situation. If you're hunting a public refuge, everyone is going to have maybe 12-24 decoys and at least one spinner. Ducks see the same and pass right over the spread. When I hunt a larger refuge, I take around 10 dozen decoys and not a single spinner. As long as I don't have people hunting off my decoys and calling, or have a boat come and park next to me, I usually don't have a problem bringing them in to a big spread.
> 
> If you're hunting private property or a "forgotten" refuge, then you could probably get anything to land in 6 decoys.


It depends on what you are seeing.

I on occasion throw out a mondo 8/9 dozen spread to try to out-compete the coots. I think if you had a spread with 10 dozen coot decoys and 2 wigeons or gadwalls you would just kill it especially at the coot capitol of Utah, Public Shooting Grounds.

In the early season when ducks are not in big flocks. I'll throw out 5 decoys 3 shovelers and 2 drake pintails (White) decoys. Shovelers in a feeding group and the pins out the on the outskirt of shooting range on a jerk cord to bring the ducks in from distance.

You really can roll either way.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

Another thing guys can do is find inexpensive used decoys and paint them. Heck a few times I have purchased decoys new and took them home and re-painted them right out of the box. A dozen FA brand wigeons come to mind. Get your wife, girlfriend or kids to help. My kids love to paint decoys, and sometimes my wife jumps in to help.


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

Fowlmouth said:


> Another thing guys can do is find inexpensive used decoys and paint them. Heck a few times I have purchased decoys new and took them home and re-painted them right out of the box. A dozen FA brand wigeons come to mind. Get your wife, girlfriend or kids to help. My kids love to paint decoys, and sometimes my wife jumps in to help.


I bought a bunch of GHG's that ended up losing their paint and 3 dozen flambeaus when they were $20 a dozen. I now have a couple dozen coots, some redheads, canvasbacks, buffleheads, all from some $.97 acrylic paint and a few cans of bed liner. Greatest thing I've done! I have some more coot and goldeneye on the way!

As for realism, have any of you guys come across a spread of white balloons when swan hunting? A few old timers at the refuge still use this trick and apparently always get their birds.


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## MuscleWhitefish (Jan 13, 2015)

JuniorPre 360 said:


> I bought a bunch of GHG's that ended up losing their paint and 3 dozen flambeaus when they were $20 a dozen. I now have a couple dozen coots, some redheads, canvasbacks, buffleheads, all from some $.97 acrylic paint and a few cans of bed liner. Greatest thing I've done! I have some more coot and goldeneye on the way!
> 
> As for realism, have any of you guys come across a spread of white balloons when swan hunting? A few old timers at the refuge still use this trick and apparently always get their birds.


Painting decoys is the way to go.

I have around 7 dozen divers that were something else.

When you paint the coots do you sand/trim the bill to make it look more cootish or do you just paint the tip of the bill?

I have seen white Garbage Bags filled with air out at the refuge at the dike and they work - They move like a son of gun too. I bet balloons would do the same thing without the risk of drowning a bag.


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

MuscleWhitefish said:


> When you paint the coots do you sand/trim the bill to make it look more cootish or do you just paint the tip of the bill?


My coots have a big white bill with a red dot at the tip and at the top of its bill. Doesn't look like a coot bill, but having 25 of them mixed with divers and some sleepers seems to work very well for me. I'll have to upload some pictures of some of the divers and coots I've done.


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## Cazador (Sep 4, 2014)

You should give these a try instead of getting new expensive decoys. 
http://www.waterfowlmats.com


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## Gee LeDouche (Sep 21, 2007)

Cazador said:


> You should give these a try instead of getting new expensive decoys.
> http://www.waterfowlmats.com


Thats very odd..


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

Cazador said:


> You should give these a try instead of getting new expensive decoys.
> http://www.waterfowlmats.com


So these are a fake reflection in the water for your decoys? A more realistic reflection and shadow?


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## Pumpgunner (Jan 12, 2010)

Gee LeDouche said:


> Thats very odd..


I agree......it seems like it's one of those ideas that's either incredibly stupid or incredibly brilliant, and I can't decide which. It reminds me of the time I saw a dude driving around in a huge, lifted to the sky Chevy diesel that said "IM YOUR HUCKLEBERRY in foot-high letters across the windshield. It was either the most awesome or the most stupid thing I had ever seen.


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## lablover (Jan 27, 2014)

I'll I can say is "WTF" is that???
I have now seen it all! LOL


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## Cazador (Sep 4, 2014)

I know the guy that runs the company. I have not yet hunted over them. I'm kinda like you guys at this point I just don't know whether this is a brilliant idea or another gimmick. I guess I will get out and hunt with him and see how they work this fall and let you all know.


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

Pumpgunner said:


> I agree......it seems like it's one of those ideas that's either incredibly stupid or incredibly brilliant, and I can't decide which. It reminds me of the time I saw a dude driving around in a huge, lifted to the sky Chevy diesel that said "IM YOUR HUCKLEBERRY in foot-high letters across the windshield. It was either the most awesome or the most stupid thing I had ever seen.


I'm guessing if you were to throw out some of these mixed with the mats, you'd have a one-of-a-kind spread!

http://reviews.cabelas.com/8815/227584/greenhead-gear-field-corn-reviews/reviews.htm


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

I have a dirty little secret:spy:......All this talk during the off season has got me itching so I just sold all my GHG surface feeders and I bought a couple doz AvianX. 

Really it was the mallard pinners that did it for me:lol:


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

If you don't like to paint then maybe these skins will work for you. Of course at $40 for 6 I would just buy new decoys. Check out the fowltrax machine, watch the video.
http://www.fowlfactory.com/#!online-store/c1ytu/!/Skins-only-packs/c/13589012/offset=0&sort=normal


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

Fowlmouth said:


> If you don't like to paint then maybe these skins will work for you. Of course at $40 for 6 I would just buy new decoys. Check out the fowltrax machine, watch the video.
> http://www.fowlfactory.com/#!online-store/c1ytu/!/Skins-only-packs/c/13589012/offset=0&sort=normal


 I actually really like the way these look. But a little too expensive for my blood. The downside would also be ripping the plastic they are made of.


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