Looking at decoys

So this was our first wing shooting season and the wife and I enjoy duck hunting quite a bit. Bought a couple of calls, have been looking at dekes but lord are they expensive. Trying to figure out what direction I should go as I cant invest alot of money towards these. We hunt near Brookshire tx on a creek with mainly teal and wood ducks, and far north east Texas near the town of linden on ponds. Have killed mixed bags in Linden: teal, gadwall, merganser, mallard, and a couple I havent figured out yet. What type decoys should I be looking to purchase? If someone has used ones theyd like to sell for little money im all ears!

Thanks fellas

I'd get some mallards for sure, since you most likely bought a mallard call and will use it to hail birds. Throw in some Greys and Wigeon and call it good. If you find yourself hunting a pintail hole, then pick up a few of those too.

I think the Game Winner Carvers Edge series at Academy is the best among the cheaper decoys out there. Give them a couple layers of matte clear coat and they should get you in the game. I've been surprised how durable mine have been this year.

There's a saying "I'm too poor to buy cheap". Buy 6 nice decoys (Avian X or G&H) at a time as you can afford them. It will pay off in the long run.

I live right down the road from you if you're in Brookshire. I got a dozen Flambeau decoys and a bag you can have. You come get them and I will pour some weights and Texas rig them out for you. text me at 713 530 9182

That's a hell of an offer.

You're a good man.

WTG Wal!

Thanks Wal! I will get ahold of you this evening.

Text is best. We live in the river bottom so I get telephone signal about half the time.

Also Academy has their decoys on sale.

You're just starting out so no reason to try to get the most expensive decoys. Most of us started out with a dozen or half a dozen some old duck hunter gave us. It sounds like you got a dozen coming to you so that's a great start. Start looking at craigslist especially after the season. You can get some good decoys for very cheap. Good luck.

This is the way I look at it after having done the whole buying cheap decoys thing for literally my whole hunting career (12~ years) up until I decided enough was enough this year. (I am counting GHG as cheap decoys, not because they are inexpensive but because they cheaply made).

If you don't have the funds to buy quality decoys then you can just stop reading here but if you do then keep reading.

If you buy a dozen nice decoys to start out with and you end up loving duck hunting you will have those decoys for a long time. If you buy cheap decoys to start out with and you end up loving duck hunting you will either have to or want to buy new (better) equipment in a couple years.

If you buy a dozen nice decoys and hate duck hunting you can sell them for a good price because the nicer decoys tend to hold paint better, not crack as easily, etc. If you buy cheap decoys and hate duck hunting you are going to end up selling them for a fraction of what you paid for them because they are going to be scuffed up, paint chipping off, leaking, cracking, etc.

This is just my 2 cents.

I still hunt with my original Flambeau's from 1983. Missing eyeballs, faded paint and shot to hell. " I really like the solid brown Mallard hens with orange beak". This being said I continue to kill as many ducks with them as the new ones I own. Wal1809 is the man. Sounds like you have some decent hunting spots. Just don't get caught up in the hype. You don't need fancy calls, waders, guns and other stuff marketed toward the modern duck hunting crowd. Have fun keep it simple and just set up where the birds want to be.

I agree 100% The g and H decoys are right at $25 per decoy. I sold off my old flambeau deeks (Rigged) for a $1 a decoy. For used G and H decoys they are going anywhere from $10 to $15 per decoy.