Crazy Diver Decoy Idea Or Not ?

Fred McIntire

Fred McIntire

Active member
As crazy as this sounds, I have been toying with the idea of getting empty 1 gallon Clorox bleach jugs, mounting a keel board to the bottom using a toggle screw, and spray painting the black body/wing detail onto the white jugs using a template. I'm thinking 96 diver decoys for $100 and my time !

The 1 gallon size would ride high on the water and be very visible from a long ways off. I figure by the time the ducks decide "Hey, something ain't right here ?" the last thing they'd hear would be KABOOM !

What are your thoughts ?
 
Not that crazy. Painted bottles have often been used for divers in the past.

Tim
 
Fred, that idea has its merits. I don't hunt divers however about 3 years ago I took all of my Herter 72 mallards and spray painted them flat black. That is from the tip of the beak to the tail. I also use a half dozen black ducks I bought from Cabela's two years ago that have since lost some of the original paint. They were also painted with the flat black. The ducks continue to fly into my spreads.
Al
 
Last edited:
Good morning, Fred~

Clorox bottles and black spray paint enjoy a long (proud?) history!

Instead of perforating those pristine bottles with screws, though, I might use a construction adhesive (PL, etc) to mount the keels.

I look forward to the completed rig.

All the best,

SJS
 
Why go to the expense of keelboards when the handles will suffice for line attachment. Also, if you mess with a loop of wire of even cord, you can use the handles to store your new found decoys.
We used large numbers of them back in the heyday of sea duck hunting.
Easy to find decoys-just rummage through laundromat dumpsters, or even take a trip to your local recycling bin.
 
As others said, don't waste a lot of money preparing them. We used them years ago as cover for the layout boat, put a bunch real close around the boat. Real decoys are deployed downwind where the birds are expected to be approaching from. Simple black or black/white paint patterns will suffice, just tie them together by the handle on one line. Simple and cheap. Oh yeah, and a dab of silicone work wonders to seal the cap and pellet holes. If one gets peppered drain it, patch it and back in the water next trip.
 
When I was introduced to duck hunting in high school my buddies dad had an all black rig he was very proud of. He said all the old timers who were real hunters around here only used black decoys. I got a tip on some wooden decoys that were going to be sold at a garage sale. I got there a half hour before the sale only to find an antique dealer had bought the 20 some of them for a buck apiece! They were all Masons that had been painted flat black. That's my luck, John
 
You can often pick up old plastic decoys for a buck or less and paint them black. They already have keels etc. I even have some I could get rid of, so check out craigslist in your area. Somebody likely has some to sell.
 
Fred, hunted sea ducks for years with painted clorox bottles. Check pool companies for empties. Used a broom handles to hold the bottles with a snap shackle to attach to the anchor. Use a large lobster pot buoy on the anchor line to keep the front bottles from sinking. Used 3-4 sets. Worked really well and easy to set out letting them slide off the broom handle. No keels...
 
Fred, hunted sea ducks for years with painted clorox bottles. Check pool companies for empties. Used a broom handles to hold the bottles with a snap shackle to attach to the anchor. Use a large lobster pot buoy on the anchor line to keep the front bottles from sinking. Used 3-4 sets. Worked really well and easy to set out letting them slide off the broom handle. No keels...
Click to expand...

Rich;

How and where was the snap shackle attached ?

Thanks !
 
Used them as my first big water rig on Sandusky Bay in 1979.

Had the entire neighborhood collecting bleach bottles for me.

We didn't use any keel board, just hit them with some black spray paint & tied lines to the handles.
 
Last edited:
Fred, I used snap shackles on buoy to anchor line, shackle to decoys etc. Made every thing modular so You could use it on any string. Loop the bottles through the handle [can replace sinkers], stack on broomstick leave about 4-5' of line each end. Tie the shackle on the front, loop back and tie a loop and attach shackle to the loop. Makes a nice handle. Anchor lines, buoys and rigs all have snaps. Anchors separate also. Totally modular.
Used electric cord spools to wind all anchor lines on one spool. Easy to move from boat to boat. Easy to store...
 
In high school 20+ years ago I used to collect 2 liter bottles from family and friends. Paint the bottles black with 1 white strip. We were really cheap but my friends and I would use cheap 25 lb fishing line and anything from rocks, sections of bricks I collected working for a brick layer, and what ever metal scrap as weights. You will be suprised how many bottles you can collect in one week. I believe my junior year we had about 150 of these bottles that we hunted over on one marked blind spot we had on the lake systems where I grew-up. We left them out all season and I am sure alot of other people hunted this spot because by end of season when we picked them-up and tore down the blind there were 100s of shells people left in the blind from wiggling their way down through the oak tree branches and other debris we had piled on the blind. To get them to stay on their sides we would use elmers glue with a long piece of tube to squirt on the inside of the bottle from where the radius of the neck stops to the bottom of the bottle and then fill with a couple tablespoons of sand to shake into the glue. Let dry in the sun and then paint. Some of us would make 30 or 40 a summer and just repaint the same bottles every year.


My grandfather used two coffee cans he soldered together with an eyebolt bolted into the bottom of one can. Painted black with a white stripe. During the offseason he used the cans as jugs for catfish. I hunted several times with him growing-up over 50 of those he used and in the spring would float the Ohio for catfish with the same cans.


On Reelfoot Lake in Tennessee some of the handed down family blinds on the lake have gas tanks, foam and in fact you name it painted black to make massive spreads with the actually decoys in the holes where they want the birds to land.


The cheap decoys will get the birds attention and easily put them into shooting range. It is an unorthodox technique but it does work. People will look at your funny but you will have birds in the boat with little expense.

More traditional concepts in making your own would be to look into Y-Boards, sleds, or even sillohuettes with wide bottoms you can make from wood which will last much longer when shot...Of course wood and cork carved decoys is the sure thing!!!!


Regards,
Kristan
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top