DIY Decoys

[mnCountryBoy]

I was wondering if anyone has had any experience or luck with making duck decoys. I have access to many, many crab pot markers that wash up on shore where I work and I've heard of guys cutting them in half and painting them. I was thinking about going as far as to make some heads and maybe a few other wing/tail details out of scrap material too.

To those of you who have actually tried/hunted over something like this first hand: Do they work alone or are they only effective as fillers for larger spreads? Do they work on divers and dabblers or just one? Will ducks finish on them?

I am not going to have a lot of time to hunt ducks in CA this year but I want to try it if I can convince myself and a friend or two that we might have a chance at success. All of my waterfowl stuff is in MN and I don't really want to invest much in it out here is why I'm asking. That and I have a lot of spare time but not a lot of spare cash. (Don't ask how I have a lot of spare time but can't go duck hunting. It hurts me too much to talk about, haha.)

Thanks for the advice!

 

[Huntndogs]

I'll take a crack at this one....I am sure with some imagination that those floats could be made into decoys. That said, I have had some of my best hunts over a half dozen decoys. In most cases you don't need a huge spread and an inexpensive dozen from flambeau would work fine.

 

[NBK]

I have had some of my best hunts over a half dozen decoys. In most cases you don't need a huge spread and an inexpensive dozen from flambeau would work fine.

Indeed!

 

[mnCountryBoy]

Thanks, guys. I'll give these DIY guys a shot (pretty much just to keep myself occupied after work), but you're probably right about the Flambeau deeks. That's plan B.

 

[El Matavenados]

Sorry I didn't see this sooner. About a year and a half ago, I decided to greatly expand my decoy collection, but I didn't want to pay money for them- go figure. Long story short, I spent far, FAR more trying to make them myself than I would have if I had simply purchased them outright. I still have a lot of the supplies, and some lessons learned. The buoys can definitely be made into some nice decoys. The cheapest way is to collect Styrofoam, and coat it with burlap and/or what's called restle coating (sp?), but even this is not cheap these days. If you want to get into it, here are some useful links:

http://workingdecoys.net/workingdecoysforum/index.php
http://www.refugeforums.com/refuge/forumdisplay.php?f=66
There are more, but that should get you started carving/creating just about any decoy you want.

Here are some that I made. can you see the progression?

This is the first one I made as a proof of concept. Styrofoam, covered in burlap and mastic, composite decking material for the keel.

Attempt #2, Styrofoam/burlap/mastic. Word to the wise- when using a clear matte coat, use a VERY LIGHT coat, or it shines.

Fully flocked, Styrofoam/burlap/mastic.

This is the last one I did. Fully-flocked, glass eyes, Styrofoam covered in a 2-part plastic-type stuff (that took forever, layer upon layer upon layer....). These decoy carvers do a swap or two every year, and I built this one as my submission for the swap. The guy that received it REALLY liked it, and said it's going in his Man-Cave. ;D

I also did some 2-part expanding foam (in a home-made mold) bodies and heads, and covered them in the 2-part plastic for durability, but never finished them.

The reason I quit making them was that I found that it is FAR cheaper to get used decoys for free or cheap from friends, or strangers on the internet, and repair/repaint them. I started looking, and now I've got more decoys than I know what to do with, and once they're painted, they look great. Sorry, no pics of those handy.

The other major reason I quit making them is this: can you imagine taking a decoy that you spent hours putting together and flocking, and using it in the Wister mud???? No way!!!! Compare that to free repaints...you see what I mean.

 

[mnCountryBoy]

WOW! I can definitely see the progression but they all look pretty good. That last one is amazing.

Since I posted this I have gone home to MN for a hunting trip and a friend and I bought some used mallard decoys for cheap and touched up the paint. They looked pretty good on the water (too bad I was a bit early for the migration). We decided that they would work until we felt like upgrading, then we would convert them all into bluebills. That might be my new plan for California; just buy cheap and repaint them and probably sell them after the season. I'll post some pics if I do end up getting bored enough after work to start the DIY deeks though.