I'm basically done with one of my off season projects and thought I would share it with you guys. Garret helped me with the coots. He was given some old decoys that Gdogg found floating in the bay last year, and I added a few more of my own to it. They were very beat up so coot decoys are what we came up with. There's 20 total with 4 different brands including some GnH.

I painted an old feeder butt, and decided to make good use of one GnH that was missing the head by turning it into a sleeper coot. Why not i said. Some of these were once Pintail drakes. Now they're coottails. Why not again.

Washed em, sanded em, painted them with Kryolon, and have let them cure for over a month. I plan to add a very light coat of clear Krylon for added strength unless enough people tell me it's a bad idea. can't have any sheen.

While I was at it, I decided to make a tribute to the late Laborador Duck which went extinct around 1887 due to overhunting and loss of habitat.

Since this is a tribute I wanted to do it right. I took a brand new GnH Canvasback Hen decoy (sine I think of them as classy birds) I bought a dozen of after last season was over, called GnH and to make sure I used the right paint, and got to work. I could not find the paint they recommended anywhere in Austin and used Krylon instead. I am having problems with it flaking off, which it's not doing on the coots. Oh well, I can add some more coats. I also have not painted the beak yet but included it in the pics here anyways.

This is not the greatest duck to ever live, this is just a tribute. You gotta beleive...

We plan to use these in teal season, probably opening day. Why? Because we can't think of a reason not to! It will be interesting to hunt big ducks with these late in the season. We shall see.

So I guess this is also something we centex boys get into and when were not shooting limits of spoonies this fall, we may be shooting limits of coots. Talk about taking shooting trash birds to a whole new level.

nice work. lemme know when and where to be

limits over coots...it will be something that I laugh/brag about for years to come

you need to paint the feeder feet green

laugh it up boys. Coot decoys work.

ooooh purrrrty

? why not cut the tail off the pintail drake dekes? I'm just curious. Thanks.

we liked the idea of a hybrid pintail/coot

talk about beer goggles!!!!

cootails
pinoots
mudpins
poots

...poontails

they look good

and if you cut the tails off, you have to patch a hole.

Momma says coots are the devil.....

I used to bass fish a lot and a few years ago I had located this nice green patch of grass that was under the water and it was holding fish and no one had found it. Well a week later I go back and the coots had destroyed that grass bed. I HATE coots and have ever since that day.

I haven't had the opportunity to kill any but I don't think I could pass on one even if I stomped it in the mud (joking of course for the internet GW's)

EDIT - Oh and ever since that day hearing a coot bounce off the bottom of the boat at 80mph never sounded so good

I was going to say the same. Don't ask me how I know.

Something I've always wanted to do, shoot a limit over coot decoys with a single shot 12 gauge. Just to see if I can. Good work man

I like your style

Thanks, I didn't have any green paint but I'm sure I can scrounge some up at the lease. There was a couple weekends last year when we had close to 200 coots come through our place. Other than that there was usually just a few dozen. I didn't make these decoys for nothin.

If you get into them that good I might have to come help.

10 that's awesome. I don't know anyone who has shot a limit in one day. I will give it a try, then donate the meet somewhere.

not much meat on those ugly bastages.

just add it to your sausage pile, cause it will be hard to donate to anyone except maybe a stray dog or some coon azz.

looks good!

i'm stocking up on my coot decoy stash myself. we hunt some private lakes that are loaded with coots and the ducks really work into them. i don't think i'll break them out til later in the season though, i don't want them to lose their effectiveness too early in the season.

gets slow you can always shoot the decoys. Be sure to paint some claws on those nasty critters. worse run-in I have had duck hunting so far was with a half dead coot with razor sharp talons That dude left a nasty scratch.

Always killed me they would land 100 yards away and swim over to you .. then you can perfect the "skillet " shot.