Everyone knows, we've shot ducks over really shitty, really cheap decoys, and we've shot ducks over really expensive decoys. We care more about how the decoys look than the birds do.

No need to call people names, now. Just because someone doesn't like G&H decoys doesn't make them a cheapskate. I own G&H decoys and even some Dakotas, and they are more than expensive than G&H. There is nothing wrong with someone having a different opinion, so lets not stoop down to insulting people because we disagree about which fake plastic ducks we should buy.

speaking from experience (not something I read along the way) ducks dont care how life like a decoy is like. If they did why would they land in my spread with those crappy G&H decoys I run?

Flash catches their attention.

They are looking for movement, water ripples, other ducks feeding, ducks swimming etc...not coloration differences. Ducks molt. Toss in light refraction and the color changes it causes, you can pretty much toss out needing to be being a worldly artist.

If life like painting was needed, wooden blocks would of died years ago.

Lack of wind/ movement is the spread killer not artistic presentation. IMO

Flash catches their attention.

They are looking for movement, water ripples, other ducks feeding, ducks swimming etc...not coloration differences. Ducks molt. Toss in light refraction and the color changes it causes, you can pretty much toss out needing to be being a worldly artist.

If life like painting was needed, wooden blocks would of died years ago.

Lack of wind/ movement is the spread killer not artistic presentation. IMO

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I don't think anyone would argue that other things are far more important (finding the x, decoy movement, hidden blind, etc.)
But I do think lifelike decoys improve your chances on wary late season birds. Even if its only a little bit compared to other things.

I don't think anyone would argue that other things are far more important (finding the x, decoy movement, hidden blind, etc.)
But I do think lifelike decoys improve your chances on wary late season birds. Even if its only a little bit compared to other things.

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We all need advantages in late season that's for sure. Not that the more realistic hurts or any thing. I just think it's over emphasized. I'll take how the desk rides in water over presentation. Slap of the water on a plastic deek drives me nuts.

Ducks see as well as some hawks minus the binocular aspect, the upside being a 300+ degree field of view, the downside being less depth perception.

The argument about which deke looks more realistic is kinda silly when you take into consideration the fact that ducks see UV wavelengths which humans do not. Regardless what a painted piece of plastic looks like to human eyes, a real duck looks entirely different to its brethren and nothing at all how our eyes perceive it.

Though I don't buy into the "realism at all costs" mantra, I do enjoy looking at a spread of realistic looking dekes as long as someone else is buying. Looking back at some of cartoonish looking decoys I've hunted over years past and the great success we had hunting over said dekes, it's apparent that expensive realistic looking duck dekes are intended to decoy wallets out of pockets by appealing to the buyer more so than a duck hunters potential quarry.

Feathers are a work of art that plastic and paint cannot duplicate at any price. God certainly knew what he was doing when he created them

I guess the the goofy cartoonish ones only work on trash ducks

Who puts decoys out that far?



I'm still waiting on your check to cover the boat.

Some of my go-tos are good ole Game Winner.

Two seasons ago I did a study for a discussion like this that I had with another hunting buddy. He said realistic looking deks dont matter. So over close to a dozen hunts, Half the spread would be G&H and the other side GHG progrades. I'd say that close to 80% of the time the birds that finished did so on the side of the GHG's. That was throughout the season, with different wind conditions and spreads...
Having said that, I've seen birds killed over 2 liter bottles... I also switched to Dakota's this year, and after the awesome customer service I received I will be a lifelong customer! Decoys may be more to fool the hunter than the ducks (I think I said that right) but I take pride in my spreads, and I like good looking blocks!

What issue did you have that needed customer service?

Im not certain what it was between the dog jumping on top of the decoy bag or me falling on it a few moments later but upon deployment I discovered one of my drake heads was cracked nearly in half. I called Dakota after the hunt was over and explained I wasn't exactly positive what had happened, but I was sure at falt, and wanted to know how much it would be for a replacement head. All he asked was what position head, and whats your address, I told him and he said two more are on the way. Got them two days later!

That is great customer service!

I dont believe you even own a boat...still haven't seen that thing