I've got a few things you can try if you're looking to get into it. This album contains many pictures of my various decoy projects. If you have questions on the specifics in the pics, let me know.
- foamers - easy to carve, more work to finish. If done right, very durable and can take pellets without issue. About $5-8 per decoy when it's all said and done - I posted a tutorial on this forum.
- v-boards - more shaped like a y, but called v-boards. These hold 3 silhouette decoys apiece. Most commonly used for magnum divers and geese. Really easy to make if you're not a putz with a jigsaw or bandsaw and drill. A bit bulky, but can just use a few with usual spread to boost visibility. If you get off-cuts of ply and 1-by, you can make a single v-board with sillys for $5-10.
- canvas over wire - these are really something else. The resulting decoys are something to behold. I've only done 2, but they are some of my favorite DIY decoys yet.
Some things I haven't done:
- wood and cork - both require more skill to carve than foam and cork can be pricey
- molding - Big Lake Decoys is the guy to talk to about this. You can make a lot of very durable decoys without the work of carving. Will be somewhat limited in poses compared to carving, but can make some alterations.
- a different type of v-board - Can stack many of these together and are very easy to deploy.
lancecooper on here had some interesting floating sillhouettes and other handmade decoys. Search and you will find. Also, Lowflyer's foamer rig makes mine look like a drop in the bucket!
The best resource for decoy making is workingdecoyforum. Also, there's a lot of pattern and painting books at the public library or on eBay.
If you are going to get into carving (foam, burlap or wood) and aren't planning on knifing it for nostalgia, then look for a used foredom. It's a HD version of a dremel that can handle the load and turn a much larger kutzall bit. I did some with Dremels, but they always burned out and the tiny bits are slow for carving blocks. The foredom was a game changer.
One of the best things I've done to cut the cost of making decoys is to "freecycle" whenever possible. I've picked up lots of the blue foam from job sites. I use trex keels which aren't cheap, but I've also got that free. Some tile guys won't use the 2nd half of their mastic tubs. If you know people in construction, you can get a bit here, a bit there and cut the cost a bit.
I'd say start with the y-boards to ease into it and then progress to foamers as diverduck suggested.
