duck decoys

[rayguy]

Will be looking for a new spread of mallard decoys this summer. What have you guys had the best luck with as far as brand names and models? Are Herters still around?

[Quackaddict9]

Herter's are still around. I mainly hunt over GHG's with a mix of some G&H's. Every once awhile over Dakotas.

[The_Duckslayer]

G&H Magnum swivel heads. Been hunting over them for about 17 years now and they are just starting to show a little wear on the paint from traveling in the decoy bag all the time. Would buy them again and recommend them to any one. Take care and N Joy the Hunt././Jimbo

[BluePlater]

We have had some problems with the herters, they don't want to stay up right. Your best bet would be GHG but the paint isn't the best by any means. Check out Dakota's new floaters they look like the real deal

[BoxMN]

I agree with Duckslayer. G&H are theonly ones we will buy anymore. Never had a sinking or cracking prob (other than self inflicted shots, haha!) and the paint hold, and I just happen to prefer how they look and ride, and they wrap the best of any decoys I have used.

Have not tried Dakota, so can't say what I think of them. I am NOT a fan of GHG at all, especially the hot buys. The price is good, but that is all I can say for them. I know some really like them, but not us.

We have used tons of Herters and I think they look and ride great, but they are heavy and a pain to wrap once ice starts forming. We use them in our strings now, but down to only a dozen or so that get used still.

With that said, I love ALL decoys Duck hunter's stuff is so cool

[kittycatcher16]

GHG by far. As far as price wise and quality you cant beat em. I havent had one bit of problems with paint. I have 2 dozen mallards. Just dont buy the hotbuys, they might have an issue with paint. GHG has my vote.

[bigdog]

i like how the Herters ride in the water. i use Plasti-duk myself.

[Quackaddict9]

Yeah, the Hot Buys- I don't really like em but liked the life size and over size ones. Also the Cabela's real image decoys performed well and they look good to me.

[waterfowler10]

I use the herters millenium oversize mallards and love them on about half of them I got the flocked heads and they are extremely realistic, three years of use and one winter left In the slough and no signs of wear except on the heads of the flocked ones. They ride well in the water and are self righting and if you accidently shoot one it will still float

[duckhuntr21]

I have some G&H decoys that I bought 10 years ago and they are still in great shape. I have bought a few GHG dekes to throw in to change it up a bit. I like the way that they look in my spread, but they just don't hold up well(paint chipping and plastic cracking). When they are side by side taking the same amount of use and abuse, it is very clear which holds up better. I like the herters decoys as well but like mentioned above, it isn't very much fun to wind and rewind all the time. Like everything else, you get what you pay for.

[riverrat56]

I'd throw another vote out for G&H

[brittman]

OK... here is my thoughts ... key to success - LOCATION (right pond). Next is timing ... followed by LOCATION (proper side of pond - wind, etc). Then concealment. Followed up by calling (brand of call less important)and finally decoys -- number, species, brand.

Brand of call, decoy or camo is not that important if you are proficient and confient in scouting and setting up in the right location. The gear needs to be functional and durable.

G&H are well made decoys. Durable, float well on the water, colors realistic. I believe they are still built in the US in their own factory.

For what ever reason, G&H has not jumped into the marketing and glitz campaigns that other newcomer companies have done. No pro-staffs or other silly stuff that grabs the attention of .....

G&H seems less aggressive with the box retailers such as Gander or Cabelas in getting their product on the shelf. They probably are selling what they need at a good return ... not looking to grow, which you can do if you are a private company.

While GHG (Avery) is 1st a marketing company. They are in the business of promotion - themselves, their products, their HSOforum ... Not wrong, just different. I don't believe Avery manufactures their own products. They outsource to China to save cost. They may not be any more profitable, because of their high marketing costs and they probably sell their products to the big box stores for less.

[kittycatcher16]

GHG may be made in china but they are the best looking decoys on the market. Allthough the dakotas are very impressive as well. Im sorry but G&H look terrible. They look cheap and the paint doesnt cover well.

[carpshooterdeluxe]

GHG may be made in china but they are the best looking decoys on the market. Allthough the dakotas are very impressive as well. Im sorry but G&H look terrible. They look cheap and the paint doesnt cover well.

Avery/GHG might have some good anatomically correct poses, but you can't honestly believe that the paint is better on a ghg than a G&H? i have 6 G&H mallards that are nearly 15 years old and have more paint on them than the life size averys i bought last fall.

personally, i use duck decoys less and less, and have found that the best spread for mallards is a honker rig, so the only time i really toss duck dekes out anymore is for divers or wood ducks.

[duckhuntr21]

Originally Posted By: kittycatcher16

GHG may be made in china but they are the best looking decoys on the market. Allthough the dakotas are very impressive as well. Im sorry but G&H look terrible. They look cheap and the paint doesnt cover well.

Avery/GHG might have some good anatomically correct poses, but you can't honestly believe that the paint is better on a ghg than a G&H? i have 6 G&H mallards that are nearly 15 years old and have more paint on them than the life size averys i bought last fall.

personally, i use duck decoys less and less, and have found that the best spread for mallards is a honker rig, so the only time i really toss duck dekes out anymore is for divers or wood ducks.

You hit the nail on the head carpshooter. Like I mentioned earlier, I bought 6 dozen decoys with my graduation money(2 dozen cans, bluebills, and mallards) 10 years ago. I have bought many other decoys to throw in the mix and they have not lasted at all. I first bought some GHG decoys 2 years ago and bought some more before last season. By the end of this season there is barely any paint on the sides of the GHG dekes from being in the boat and decoy bags. The paint on some of my G&H decoys will need to be touched up for the first time before next season. For terrible looking decoys, they have fooled alot of ducks into making bad decisions.

[brittman]

The 2000+ mallards and other ducks that have dropped dead in my G&H decoys did not understand these decoys were not anatomically correct ...

GHG / Avery has pro-staffs and marketing that attract the younger hunter ... many will fall for that no matter how durable G&H is .. or how effective ... in the end it don't mattter G&H decoys are too much like dad's Buick.

[carpshooterdeluxe]

The 2000+ mallards and other ducks that have dropped dead in my G&H decoys did not understand these decoys were not anatomically correct ...

GHG / Avery has pro-staffs and marketing that attract the younger hunter ... many will fall for that no matter how durable G&H is .. or how effective ... in the end it don't mattter G&H decoys are too much like dad's Buick.

same goes for bigfoots when it comes to honkers. not the latest and greatest, but why change what obviously works.

[dan z]

M4M swivel head mallards made by G/H are the best a buck can buy. Been using them for years....

[Bdog]

I've been waterfowling 30 plus years, my opinions:

Herters- Model 72 is big, visible, and still the best riding decoy out there. The problem is they ding and scrape easily. I have some from back in the '70's and the foam was a brown color-doesn't show marks nearly as much as the newer ones-they are white foam and show every nick. I love the keel (or lack of). A breeze to wind up, just figure 8 and bag em. I tried some of the Herters blow molded plastics over the past couple of years-stay away-some leaked and all of them had trouble self righting.

Flambeau- Cheap, you can catch them on sale. I have owned lifesize, magnum, super magnum. Have had leakers in all sizes. Paint durability fair. My best luck was with supermag mallards. Really stand out on water. I have 3 doz. and have used them for ten yrs. They are starting to crack and the paint is going away. Down to 15-18 now. Caulked a few up last year. This relates to the older model Flambeaus. I have not tried new style ones that have come out in the last few years.

G&H- I have 3 doz. magnum mallards with swivel heads. If memory serves, they are at least 15 yrs. old, maybe more. All still in use except for a couple lost, and one my brother blew away. Paint still looks pretty good, no leakers whatsoever. Hey G&H-Want to quadruple your business? Update your body styles and paint schemes. You will corner the market.

GHG- I have tried only the lifesize. Mallards and Puddler packs. Great looks-Paint colors and body styles. Heavy for their size. Paint comes off too easily. I agree with earlier poster about the marketing hype. You need the expensive slotted bags they sell to save paint.

These are only my opinions. We hunt hard in tough conditions late season, and put out a large spread. When it is below freezing with a 30mph NW wind, speed and production are essential. We don't baby our decoys. Hope this helps.

[BoxMN]

Hey bdog, agree with everything, except the part about Herters 72's wrapping (figure 8) good when its freezing. With some ice on them, there is no place to grab them except the head, which by then will have about 1/4 inch of ice on them too. Also agree about the nics with white foam.

I love the G&H keel, good for grabbing when wrapping, and the little loop on front is perfect for when you have to quickly shorten the string - just do a half hitch around it and it is perfect. Not one crack in any G&H we have ever had.

Most of our hunting is divers.

[Bdog]

Hey BoxMN,

I have had hunting buddies say the same thing about the Herters in the ice. Just my preference I guess. +1 on the G&H keels!

[canman]

I had 2 doz G&H bills that I've had now for 10 years. Those dekes just plane work...They get just beat up over a season and still look great. Just need to wash off the mud/dust before I toss them out. The GHG dekes just loose paint so fast, but I like the color/shape, just have to baby them. IMO, I'll likely try some non-tradition options this next year.

[canman]

1 quick question, how do you all keep your white paint clean? I get sick and tired of washing them before every use. The white really helps divers find "HOME".

[dan z]

1 quick question, how do you all keep your white paint clean? I get sick and tired of washing them before every use. The white really helps divers find "HOME".

a can of flat white paint every so often helps them find "HOME" easier