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so with the season closing im getting ready for next year. this was our first year out with a few decoys and did well and enjoyed it so now its time to buckle down and get into it . I have been looking at decoys specifically full bodys im stuck on big foots or avian axps I find the avians have a much better appearance but the big foots are tried and true so im looking for opinions on each to help my decision along thanks
Never used avians but foot are good. Super bulky but looks good.
Ffd we used were good too but tough to get dirt and blood off the flocking.
I see a lot of people using big foots do you think the geese figure them out?
I just got these, DOA Decoys from Bandwagon aka Parr's Pro Outfitters. Fully flocked head and tail, one solid piece (which I love) pretty realistic in my opinion, my 20 month old son was trying to feed and pet them so that should mean something :)
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Higdon Alpha's get my vote! They look great and have a lot of motion to them. We use the standard and fully flocked, they both look awesome in the field!
Bigfoots are good except they dont have motion bases. The Higdons swivel on their bases so they add a little touch of realism to the spread.
Only down side is that to fit in a bag the bases have to be removed. A little more time consuming but worth it!
My dad and I had a dozen Bigfoots and sold them to buy a few dozen Alphas.
Call me crazy but there is no rule you can't mix and match. Big foot offer most visibility, others offer motion, don't ignore shells for numbers with limited storage space.
throw in some silhouettes too, good spread. I am going to buy some sleeper shells and some silhouettes to finish off my setup. They all work imo, maybe some better than others.
I like the Bigfoots originals myself, they can take a beating and they hold up. Not a big fan of the B2's... I don't like the metal bases on the other brands but some of them have a really nice look. I will be adding some silhouettes to my spread this coming season.
I'm a big fan of the Dakota lessers. Super tough, look great and fit in the bags with the bases attached. The other thing with Big Foots is they take up so much room. Unless you've got a trailer to carry them in good luck transporting more than about 18 in the back of a pick up.
everybody has very valid points I do plan on getting about 2 dozen real geese silos and lots of sleeper shells . the nice part about the avians is the bases collapse close into the shell for storage we should have about 60 full bodies in my group plus silos
I like a mix of brands. Some days, motion decoys suck....like real windy days. They blow over, and I wish the whole spread were bigfoots. Some days the wind is just right, and the whole spread of motion works mint.
Some motion decoys are a pain in the butt to set up and tear down. GHG with the detachable bases drive me crazy. They take forever to set up, and your always missing a base when you need it.
I really like the Dakota's. Great motion, hard to blow over, and they look great. So far, from what I've seen, they're tough as nails too.
Never used the avians, but I don't like them too much in hand. They look good close up, but I try to look at decoys from far away, that's when they count the most, and they just don't look right from a distance.
Flocked, or not, I really don't find much of a difference. If they're going to commit, your not going to stop them unless you get up and do jumping jacks in the spread. By the time they realize they're flocked decoys, they're dead in the air. They do help with frost or dew to a degree, but they still shine.
There is no one BEST decoy IMO. I like to run a mixed bag of everything to cover all the bases. We have bigfoots, higdons, GHG, and Dakota's. The foots get used every time......
If you want to talk water decoys, you need to start another thread lol
One thing for sure, you can never have too many decoys, or too many brands. I find being loyal to one brand can bite you in the butt sometimes.
S.
everyone has thier favourite. I really think that it doesn't matter to the birds all that much. these birds will decoy to cut tires - rocket surgeons they ain't.
I would decide based on your personal criteria. For example, if you are going to run more than 2 dozen foots you might as well get a trailer. They are big and bulky. Do you want to lug around a trailer? Do you have space for a trailer? do you have $ for a trailer? You can fit a lot of shells/silos/lesser decoys in the back of a pickup.
That's a good point GBuck. I'm just using my truck so space is limited. I haven't gone the trailer route and probably won't. I think some shells and a couple dozen silo's will do the trick for me. I plan to hunt with a couple guys with similar stock so there should be more than plenty decoys to make a good spread.
I have 4 doz. Bigfoot, 3 doz silos, 2 doz. windsocks and 6 42" shells. This assortment allows me to hunt under any conditions. I bought and old pop up tent trailer for a case of beer, gutted it and converted it in to a decoy trailer. The trailer has doors and shelves on the front to store full bodied duck decoys. The main trailer has a top and bottom. The bottom houses all my goose decoys and the top stores my layout blinds.
After my first experience hunting over the Zink decoys, I'll never buy them. Balance problem fixed or not, no thanks.
I run mostly GHG and they have always held up well, and we have no problem decoying birds. We normally run 4-6 dozen fullbodies, and a few dozen shells. That said, like Sinker, I too think the bases are a total PITA.
-Nick
ok good to hear all opinions and yes we have a trailer so no issues there. so ill be making a drive to Canadian waterfowl supplies for some big foots and higdon wobblers possibly some DOAs if I can find some . what would you guys recommend for a call that's fairly easy to use right no I have my flambeau flute
Thats a pretty vague question, short reed or flute? What is your budget? Preferred material? There are sooooo many call manufacturers out there and alot of quality calls are available, go somewhere with a good selection and try a few with an experienced caller.
get enough decoys, learn to flag and do a good job hiding and the call doesn't matter.Quote:
Originally Posted by jarret
not much is easier than a flammer flute. go with a short reed if you are interested in spending lots of time learning how to work the call.
Nick I have always thought you had a good grasp on the sport.
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After my first experience hunting over the Zink decoys, I'll never buy them. Balance problem fixed or not, no thanks.
At least until now! LOL ;-)
I knew someone was going to say something, lol!Quote:
Originally Posted by bardern
I like their turkey decoys still! Haha.
-Nick
whats the issues with the zink decoys. i heard some decent things about the square base ones and was going to pick some up.
I personally love the big foots ,
ghg stay away from the bases are a pain in the but ,
if your serious about buying dekes check out canadianwaterfowlsupplies.com pat will take good care of you , he carries both big foot and higdon .
The avian x dekes are sweet but way over priced ,
Consider the higdons you won't be disappointed ,
The original ones with the original bases had serious balance issues. They kept falling over while we were hunting over them, lol!Quote:
Originally Posted by GBuck
I've heard they've moved the balance point of the decoy, as well as added new bases to solve the problem. That said, those new DOAs are pretty sweet!
-Nick
I have a trailer full of Bigfoots - some of them 20+ years old. They've held up over time and we kill geese over them every year. I've had Avery (GHG), Higdons, Carrylite, Hard Core, Outlaws and Real Geese and the only ones I have left now are the Bigfoots and Real Geese.
I had the chance to hunt over DOA's this past fall in MB with Aaron of Parr's Pro Outfitters. These decoys are very nice, paint and colours are great and we didn't have any problem with tipping decoys and we hunted in some pretty serious wind some days.
My advice to the original poster is to buy the best you can afford. Bigfoots hold their value over time and can take daily abuse without bagging. Real Geese are great for carry-ins and for adding numbers to a spread. Sleeper shells are great for late season and hunting in snowy conditions.
I am not going to lie, suffice to say the first gen lookers did have a tendency to tip over on their beaks. the square bases fixed that issueQuote:
Originally Posted by Sprite
I actually hunted over the huge goose shells the last week of season, wanted to add to the spread , put out 9 dozen full bodies and 3 dozen of the shells , and birds were landing between them , I was surprised , they look like dragons .
And the avian dekes did have a lt of issues but as sprite said they did fix the issue , I have hunted over them and they look great and stay standing , just the price is to steap , they lower the prices to compete with the other decoy companies than I would consider it ,
Big Foots are great....toss them around, no bases to attach, pretty much bomb proof and they look good. The problem is for the average guy that just has a pick up truck you can't carry very many. In my short box GMC (no cap) 17 would fill the bed and wouldn't leave room for much else unless you're piling stuff on top and strapping them down. Then you have to have the room to store them when you're not using them. If you've got an enclosed trailer then yeah for sure. They are hard to beat. I now have 2 dozen Dakota lessers and 2 dozen Hidgon full bodies in bags that are easily transported and easily stored. They take up the same amount of space in my storage container as the 17 Big Foots because I can stack them.
I never found Big Foots overly stable in the wind. They were constantly blowing over. I haven't had a Dakota or Hidgon blow over yet.
I agree with everyone about the GHG/Avery bases. The fact that they don't attach to the decoy is a pain in the butt. To the OP...whatever decoy you decide on make sure you get something that where the base attaches to the decoy so you can pick them up and move then in one piece. Another tip to keep them looking good is don't put the bases in the bags with the decoys. They scuff them up quite a bit.
so it looks like bigfoots seem to be the way to go what about numbers as far as feeders vs walkers and such
10:3 is a good ratio, 10 feeders to 3 uprights.. works good for me.. I find it always better to have more feeders it makes them look more relaxed
If you have the room to transport and store them if you're looking at getting large numbers. That would be the biggest concern from my experience.Quote:
Originally Posted by jarret
Like others have said don't be afraid to mix and match. If you can pick up a dozen of any of the other makes mentioned at a good price (new or used) then go for it.
awesome thanks for everyones help what do you guys use for choke tubes? pattern master or carlsons? im shooting blindside just wondering if the tube makes a lot of difference?
It all depends too many variables. I'd say start with what tubes you have and pattern your gun first, try different shell brands and if you want to spend the cash buy some choke tubes and try them out. I have a Baikal MP153 and the stock screw in choke tubes work for me, the birds flop, life is good.
hey i know this is kind off topic now but have you ever considered silhouettes by real geese ??
If you are going to invest in a trailer for hauling your deeks, then get bigfoots 100%. That is the only problem with Bigfoots is the space they take up, but a trailer eliminates that issue. Bigfoots are indestructible and a solid one piece decoy once put together IMO. Here is a pic I saw on the internet this year and I now have the same set up for my bigfoots. With this set up I don't believe ill be buying new decoys again for many many years, as they wont be getting beat up.
Bet that gets some odd looks rolling down the highway!
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Originally Posted by IH8ATTN
That is the only way to go with Big Foots if you're going to have that many. Awesome looking set up but more than the average guy will ever have.Quote:
Originally Posted by Qwackaddict33
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Originally Posted by Qwackaddict33
thats like buying foots and asking what bag they should go in.
Yes I hear you on that, I don't need to hang them like this but it only takes a few extra minutes if that and ensures that there is no wear. You can definitely just pile them in the trailer which is what their none for. but eventually with that the flocking will show wear marks. It's personal preference I guess.Quote:
Originally Posted by GBuck