decoys opinions

[GBuck]

whats the issues with the zink decoys. i heard some decent things about the square base ones and was going to pick some up.

[mojo stick]

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 ,

[Sprite]

whats the issues with the zink decoys. i heard some decent things about the square base ones and was going to pick some up.

The original ones with the original bases had serious balance issues. They kept falling over while we were hunting over them, lol!

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

[STUBBLE BUM]

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.

[bardern]

The original ones with the original bases had serious balance issues. They kept falling over while we were hunting over them, lol!

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 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 issue

[mojo stick]

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 ,

[LondonDave]

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.

[jarret]

so it looks like bigfoots seem to be the way to go what about numbers as far as feeders vs walkers and such

[Super_Nova]

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

[LondonDave]

so it looks like bigfoots seem to be the way to go what about numbers as far as feeders vs walkers and such

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.

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.