Texas Hunting Forum

Duck decoys

Posted By: Unc

Duck decoys - 12/21/14 07:29 PM

Which 2 of these are these brands are most worth buying? Best value for the money. don't want to replace often.

Redhead
Cab Northern flight
Hard Core
Flambeau
Game winner
Tangle free
Final approach
Avian X
Posted By: Waterfowlhnter

Re: Duck decoys - 12/21/14 07:46 PM

Greenhead gear
Posted By: Duck Buster

Re: Duck decoys - 12/21/14 08:17 PM

Herters
G and H
Posted By: Wood Duck

Re: Duck decoys - 12/21/14 08:17 PM

Greenhead gear and Cabelas have been the most durable for us.
Posted By: trash2

Re: Duck decoys - 12/21/14 09:31 PM

Tanglefree
Posted By: Leonardo

Re: Duck decoys - 12/21/14 09:38 PM

I really like my Avian dekes
Posted By: Bird-Dawg

Re: Duck decoys - 12/21/14 09:43 PM

GHG and Avian have worked well for me.
Posted By: beaversnipe

Re: Duck decoys - 12/21/14 09:45 PM

Dakotas

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Dakota-De...2662&rid=20


Just buy a slotted bag and 2 extra greenhead heads.

They look so real.
Posted By: Ty Webb

Re: Duck decoys - 12/21/14 09:49 PM

Nothing looks more like an actual duck than Dakota's mallards and pins.
Very durable...halfway through 3rd season for me.
Posted By: Jeff Elder

Re: Duck decoys - 12/21/14 09:57 PM

Originally Posted By: Duck Buster
Herters
G and H
Posted By: Moto382

Re: Duck decoys - 12/21/14 11:49 PM

Avian X all the way!!
Posted By: Erichugh22

Re: Duck decoys - 12/22/14 12:05 AM

Not red head or game winner for sure. I'd go with avian x.
Posted By: wal1809

Re: Duck decoys - 12/22/14 01:36 PM

None of the above
Posted By: 940AC

Re: Duck decoys - 12/22/14 02:38 PM

Buddy of mine hunts over 45 days during the season. Has some Avian X decoys that have held up very well, and are on their second season.
G & H are durable also.
Posted By: nacgoat08

Re: Duck decoys - 12/22/14 04:45 PM

I have GHG dekes and they have held up really well, but I've only had them for 3 seasons....so far. But I noticed they didn't make The List.
Posted By: MAJKF

Re: Duck decoys - 12/22/14 06:31 PM

Gamewinners worked well for me during early season. Cheap though, don't expect them to last long. Lately ducks aren't decoying for anything...or flying at all for that matter.
Posted By: _Scooter_

Re: Duck decoys - 12/23/14 07:06 AM

I have a mix of Tanglefree, Hard Core, and Game Winners. I hunt a lot and I've not had many issues with decoys being broken, but the Tanglefree paint is bunk. Chips off all the time and my old GWT dekes are faded black like coots now. I still shoot ducks over them... somehow. I actually like the promo HardCore's from Academy- bought them this year and I've hunted the dicken's out of them. Paint still looks good after about 20 hunts and no cracks yet. Best looking and moving decoys I've ever used are the Cherokee Fusion inflatables... The Ringneck dekes are just an absolute diver magnet, but one shot on them and they're toast.
Posted By: wal1809

Re: Duck decoys - 12/23/14 07:22 AM

My brother has some G and H Mallards that are a couple years old but used only twice. The paint is chipping right off. That is crap.
Posted By: Dave Speer

Re: Duck decoys - 12/23/14 10:57 AM

Originally Posted By: wal1809
My brother has some G and H Mallards that are a couple years old but used only twice. The paint is chipping right off. That is crap.


We have this mutual buddy hunting a hollow Canvasback I built for him this year, I stopped by the other day it was all beat up on the paint from the decoy weight slapping it around. I was admiring one of his lathe decoys and I think our signals got crossed because I was saying something about how I wasn't sure the can got so beat up, I think he thought I meant his shelf rider that sees no action was more durable so I got some sort of smartarse comment about decades of decoy making vs a couple years laugh

Plastic decoys are tough on paint sticking, from whatever I've "learnt" on the internet it is due to poor surface prep before painting, but they also flex and have other things that cause paint problems.

One of the saddest days last season was during teal when Elder and I both got our good decoys all beat up, mine a bag of foamers, his a bag of Jobes, on the ride back from a hellish marsh march. We piled the decoys up in the mule trailer for the ride back and the sand on the decoys scratched the paint off them all! He paid good money for his and I paid good labor for mine, it sucked!
Posted By: Duck_Hunter

Re: Duck decoys - 12/23/14 05:05 PM

Originally Posted By: _Scooter_
I have a mix of Tanglefree, Hard Core, and Game Winners. I hunt a lot and I've not had many issues with decoys being broken, but the Tanglefree paint is bunk. Chips off all the time and my old GWT dekes are faded black like coots now. I still shoot ducks over them... somehow. I actually like the promo HardCore's from Academy- bought them this year and I've hunted the dicken's out of them. Paint still looks good after about 20 hunts and no cracks yet. Best looking and moving decoys I've ever used are the Cherokee Fusion inflatables... The Ringneck dekes are just an absolute diver magnet, but one shot on them and they're toast.


I'm happy to hear you like the Hard Core dekes. I just bought some on sale at Cabela's and I haven't used them yet.
Posted By: BradyBuck

Re: Duck decoys - 12/23/14 05:13 PM

I've got GHG and Avian X.

I like the way the GHG look and I like the way the Avian x are built. The Avian decoys have a rubber feel. They were both new to start the season. The GHG are starting to show some wear on the edges and bills. The Avian x aren't showing any wear. But like I said the GHGs look sweet.
Posted By: _Scooter_

Re: Duck decoys - 12/24/14 06:37 AM

Originally Posted By: Duck_Hunter
Originally Posted By: _Scooter_
I have a mix of Tanglefree, Hard Core, and Game Winners. I hunt a lot and I've not had many issues with decoys being broken, but the Tanglefree paint is bunk. Chips off all the time and my old GWT dekes are faded black like coots now. I still shoot ducks over them... somehow. I actually like the promo HardCore's from Academy- bought them this year and I've hunted the dicken's out of them. Paint still looks good after about 20 hunts and no cracks yet. Best looking and moving decoys I've ever used are the Cherokee Fusion inflatables... The Ringneck dekes are just an absolute diver magnet, but one shot on them and they're toast.


I'm happy to hear you like the Hard Core dekes. I just bought some on sale at Cabela's and I haven't used them yet.


Don't get me wrong, they are a far cry from what I'd consider good quality, in fact, they're pretty thin and brittle feeling- but they have survived so far without a scratch and they move well in the water from what I've seen. Gotta give them as many seasons as my Tanglefree's and that will be the judge and jury. Not sure which model you got though- the model up from the Academy Hard Core Promo's are definitely built better.
Posted By: brennansgrandpa

Re: Duck decoys - 12/24/14 09:05 PM

Game Winner has two series, the wood carvers series are awfully nice for the money.
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