New home made gear

[Muthagoose]

It's been a life long addiction..

Big Country,your totally right there are not that many birds up here even on a good year.

I've always built most of my gear and during the winter with teaching taxidermy I find a hobby to do till spring.Decoys offered a excellent alternative that keeps me involved with the outdoors.

Im painting my mergansers tonight and will post pics when done...

[Joe15]

You do some great work

[Muthagoose]

Another addition to my ever growing spread. For some reason the heads look darker in the photo than they are. With being able to drop 5 more birds a day and the abundance of them in my area, so they were needed. This is also a attempt at feathering, I can always repaint them or darken...

Im thinking of putting them on a spreader so the group looks like it feeding.

[dan z]

nice looking mergies, wish i had the talent to do that

[onlydrakes4me]

wow nice work, wish i had the time to learn how make my own dekes

[Muthagoose]

They are easy to do.. Do a google search plenty of intell on how to do it. Its how I'm learning...

[onlydrakes4me]

Ok, I'll look it up, guess you gotta start somewhere.

[Muthagoose]

Only drakes drop me a email ...Ill send ya a couple links ...

[email protected]

[jigginjim]

Muthagoose you teach taxidermy at a school? How do you make your dek's? you mold with foam, or hand carve from foam? I would like to try doing it myslef. could help off-set some of the costs of buying them.

[Muthagoose]

Yep at Vermilion Community College in Ely..Might be adding a decoy carving course..

I carve from foam blocks and cast the heads from molds. It takes me about 10 minutes to have one carved out and with the head on. Then its burlap'n and paint that takes time. I really like converting the herters....

Here a few more I have in the works.. I just cant stop.Its truly addicting...

I started another 18 conversions. I should end up with around a 100 new decoys this year...

[Muthagoose]

Are there any artist in here? If so ever painted feathers?

For me its the by far hardest part of the project. Spent my free time studying and researching and its coming along. Any suggestions welcome...

[Sifty]

Very nice work.

I like the layout boat.

Sifty

[Muthagoose]

Did a trade for one of my Goldeneye's for a custom "Homemade" call......

Sings on the top end and says come to Mama on the low end...

Got another online for my son when he gets home from Korea..

Homemade all the way....

[fishface]

MG,

Artist doesn't even come close to describing you and your work.

Keeper of the art.

Priest maybe.

It's in my heart.

But it's been put aside due to many road blocks.

Thanks for posting your work!

I want that spark to flame up again before I head south.

Keep inspiring all the young guns.

That is what will save waterfowling!

Don't shoot till you see curlies!

[Muthagoose]

thanks for the kind words but Im just a guy who loves the outdoors and has been fortunate enough to be able to invest the time to develop my own gear.

Fish- I agree,its ALL about getting new blood into the sport.

[Gordie]

mutha do you have any plan or drawing to go by on the boat you built was thinking of building one theis yr

[Muthagoose]

No I don't.

I got a lot of ideas off the web.Do a web search for Devlin build plans. It was a huge influence...

[Muthagoose]

It didn't hit me till a couple weeks ago as a tiny cackler was leaving the shop that I needed to make a few of my Herters 72's into Mini Honkers.

Since they would be life size,figured I would try something new. Used a replacement head and modeling clay ya know the cheap stuff in a stick. Of course I didn't take any in progress shots but I do have a couple of them painted. I started altering upright now for a rester so it will give me 4 molds.And for mold I used wally world silicone..

Only planning on making 9 floaters, figured since the little guys fly through here and they are way better eating than the giants there was room for a few in my new spread...

So here is results of my first attempt at sculpting. Cant wait to get them on bodies........

[Gordie]

No I don't.

I got a lot of ideas off the web.Do a web search for Devlin build plans. It was a huge influence...

thanks mutha

[bemidjibasser]

Absolutely awesome work! I build my own rods and fishing lures, and know the thrill of catching fish on them is awesome. I can only imagine how sweet it must be to have a flock of ringers dump in on your hand created dekes. Your paintjobs look good to me, and as long as the ducks are dumping in, they are perfect.

Keep up the awesome work!

[Muthagoose]

My next batch of decoys will be better detailed,mallards,blackies,woodies and cacklers. Been doing a lot of practice painting and feel fairly confident The next will be better..

I picked up enough material to add 60+ full body mallards the same size and with the same heads as on my herters conversions.

Been studying a duplicator/copier for carving.May have to make one yet. Sure would speed up things....

I'll post up some pics next week of my latest Re-DO.. I bought a Monkey Wards Sea King deep Semi V from a friend that took care of things. He started to redo it and his wife came home and told him to go to town and pick up "HER" new boat.. That put the halt to his project and I got it.The 40hp tiller motor laying in a empty hull on a trailer is how I got it...

Put in floor,deck,gear and rod box,carpet,live well,below deck gas tank and all the gizmos. A 2 year project finally coming to use.

Hummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Might have to paint it camo and use it for tending.

[BoxMN]

Would love to see the rig mutha! You do nice work!

[Muthagoose]

I will get better photos of the redo..Asked the wife to take some for me and this is what I got.

Keep in mind this is a 1977 monkey wards fishing boat.This should give you a idea.....

Sure learned to NOT count on her to take pics for me.

Again I will have more soon..

So anyone been working on anything? Post er up..

[Muthagoose]

Well after a year I finally got to finishing them. Notice what they started from on top, I kept a pair of the 72's for my decoy collection. Think for gunners they will work.

Next are the girls a whole different game

Thanks to Don Mintz for all the help.

[leech~~]

Muth, long time no see. nice work on the birds. Have you done any more Duck boats since last year? You had talked about making a two man?