Home Forums Birds & Dogs Waterfowl what brand decoys do you use?

The cheapies i have look like crap compared to the avian x ones, but they are pricey. Looking my old ones over, i have some cracked keels, chipped paint, and just wear and tear, that seems excessive for how i took care of them.
What are you guys using?
Looking to buy just a dozen of some good, life like, durable, mallard decoy.
Spend the money on the avians?
Looked at dakotas, and was not impressed. Colors are wrong, and body dimensions, and pose's just didn't look right.

I have a hodgepodge right now. Most of my mallards are older Foiles decoys (this was before his whole ordeal, I'd never give Foiles a cent of my money now). I have a GHG puddler pack, GHG green wings and GHG blue bills too. My divers have held up really well over the last 3-4 years or so. I've only had the puddler pack a year and a half and they're already losing paint. My next set of decoys will be from Dakota or Avian, or if I can't quite spring for them, G&H...you really get what you pay for with decoys

Quack Decoys have the best of everything. Durable, ride like a duck, light enough, and look as good as you need them to.

But I still love hunting over hand carved cork decoys.

Most of mine are GHG right now they seem to be holding up well

My decoy spread is a hodge podge of various manufacturers; I started with Carry-lite back in the late 70's when their quality control and paint didn't suck. When they started going south, I started buying Flambeau and have been generally pleased...my only complaint is that the plastic they use is somewhat stiff and becomes brittle and cracks if it gets too cold.
Lately, I've been making my own out of scraps and garbage(left over 2x4 scaps, styrofoam packing sheets, old surgical gauze, ect). These dekes are great in that they are light, float well, continue to float when hit by stray shot, and were made by ME!

Here are some mallards & blacks that I made a few years back:


Some green wing teal:


One of my home made hens on a pond:


My spread with some of my fakes added; the hen and drake in the front are ones I made:

I carve my own.

Beautiful work Killerv.

Wow! very nice.
How much for one with a hollowed out center that can be resealed so when the day comes I have to put my buddy down I can put his ashes in it and have him still hunting with me?

Urns are very popular... I hope you have many more years with he/she before you have to worry about it. Wouldnt be any more than a standard hollowed wood gunner though.

I am hoping i have many, many years ahead. Both of us!
Shoot me a pm with a price for a drake mallard.
Id like to use it, so it would be a part of us over the years.
Yes i love my dog, but also know i may live longer than him.
See my thread in gun dogs.

Love the Gadwall

Excellent work!

I still use mostly flambeau. A lot of areas I hunt we need to put out 8-12 dozen dekes to run a chance.

If I could get by with 1-2 dozen I'd spend the money on the expensive ones...

BUT then again, we kill ducks over our cheap ones all the time. Limit out most times too if birds are in the area.

So I'm not so sure that its all that important...

Jeff

I have been using Flambeau dekes for the last few years, but just this AM I scored a great deal on a box of FA Mallards so this year will have a mix of dekes. The FA's sure look good.

For ducks, FA brand and Flambeau.
For geese, Dave smiths and avery pro-series.

G&H's that are now probably 20 years old. A good cleaning and some touch up paint every few years and they still look great. For newer ones the GHG with a clear coat sprayed on top are hard to beat. Plus when it floods you don't get as upset losing a $40/dozen decoy.

Still use the older G+H and Carrylite but all our new purchases lately have been GHG..the company has been great with replacement heads and stands.

The only thing I really don't like about older G&H is the removable heads that end up breaking off anyways. The mallard ones especially.

GHG pro grades and oversize. Their paint seems to hold up very well Early season i use mostky hens and most of them are F/A brand.

Goose decoys i use mostly are bigfoots. I have some GHG goose decoys but thier paints are the worst I have ever seenand seem to flake off just from opening the box. I also use about 6 dozen sillo socks and a couple dozen sillouettes. We also use a few reel wings flyers. And I love em

Mostly herters for me mallards, and divers. For the walk in hunts the rest are G&H with rig em rights. Those burlapped herters get heavy on those walk in hunts