FA Canvasback decoys

Dave Diefenderfer

Dave Diefenderfer

Well-known member
Sponsor
Anyone have any experince to share? I am looking for some Cans, and want drakes and hens. The pictures on the Knutson's website show the FA as the best looking hens. Anyone hunted them? How does the paint look in person, and does it hold up to hunting?

Thanks,
 
I hunt plastic decoys, I'm almost embarrassed to admit it around here,,,I've used a variety of different brands and have found that G&H decoys are the very best in every possible way that I can find,,,I've got some canvas back G&H's and they look great, I don't know what else you could want from a plastic decoy as far as looks go? I've never used the FA decoys though so I can't tell you first hand how they hold up, but I can tell you that G&H's hold up fantastically,,,They are made of heavier plastic than the other decoys I've used and the paint sticks great,,,,They are also made in the USA/
 
In terms of duck decoys, I think that Greenhead Gear and Final Approach have the nicest consistency in every species. I am surprised by how many positive feedbacks G & H has on the Cabela's site. I have looked at the G & H cans on the Knutson's site and wouldn't spend my money on them. The hen Pintails and Gadwells seem very dark. The price is also about double for what you would pay for other brands. But, durability is an issue too. Grenhead Gear paint seems to rub off easy. G & H gets raves reviews by many for it's paint durability.
 
G&H...tough,long lasting,great paint adhesion,good customer service...
USA MADE
You can give them to your grandchildren to hunt with
Theres a reason they cost more
We take lots of road trips and have hunted great places with great guides.
When we hunted up in Quebec the outfitter had hundreds of decoys... of the ones he didnt make himself he relied on G&H
Down in North Carolina sea ducking...G&H
Arkansas flooded timber..you guessed it...G&H
At home on our own marshes i run a cork and G&H rig
 
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I bought a few oversized GHG Cans this year. I think they look great. All my deks are GHG.
 
Dave,
Hunted with a friend for divers this fall using both his and my decoys on long lines. He has all GHG and his Cans looked great. They came all drakes and they were visible from a very long distance. I can't speak to the durability since they were new, but you could really see them. I will be adding some of them to my lines as they are much nicer than the Flam-bombs that are on there now. I only live about 35 miles from Knutsons and try to get down there at least once before the season. It is a neat place.
Good Luck with your choice
Ron
 
I also have a bunch of G&H, some of them are over 10 years old. They still hold their paint and look great. Their cans and redheads are fantastic.

No need to apologize for hunting over plastic decoys, other than the foamers I made this last year, thats all I hunt over.
 
I personally love G&H divers and gadwalls.
The gadwalls may not have the "realistic" paint job of GHG but they sure are durable and the gadwalls like them too.
Their cans look great on the water.
But its the durability that makes them worth the extra money. The are tough and hold paint. Like I noted above, I have some that are over 10 years old and still have not been repainted.
 
I have some that are over 10 years old and still have not been repainted. Same experience with the G&H here. I bought some of their standard size redheads long ago, I've used them hard ever since, and they still look great! I'm considering buying 12 to 18 of their super magnum divers for next season. A friend of mine has them in his spread and they look good on the water.
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Even though I don't hunt over them, (aside from 6 GHG wood ducks), I don't think plastics have the stigma they used to have. The detail has really progressed over the years from what they used to be. No shame in hunting over plastics anymore.
 
Guys, I appreciate all the enthusiasm for the G&H decoys, and I have a couple odd G&H decoys myself. I was hoping for some first hand experience on the FA Cans. I just need a couple pr for something I am working on, and liked the looks of the FA Cans in the pictures. They are cheap enough, I'll give them a try, and report back after next season.

Thanks,
 
Even though I don't hunt over them, (aside from 6 GHG wood ducks), I don't think plastics have the stigma they used to have. The detail has really progressed over the years from what they used to be. No shame in hunting over plastics anymore.
Click to expand...

They have come along way. Some of the old plastics looked more like cartoon ducks than decoys......
 
Dave I have some GHG and Some FA. The FA's shine like a spanked babys ass compared to any other decoy on the market. I like the GHG's BUT, I really wished I had bought G&H
 
dave, i bought 2 dozen FA bills on clearance last fall, i only hunted a dozen times this season and i have 6 of them out of commision. 3 of them leaked and sank right out of the box. they have a little spot in the binger where it looks like the injection process takes place, they leaked there. the other 3 took pellet hits that did not phase my g and h blocks but went through and through the FA's. i really liked the molding paint and size but was not impressed at all with hteir durability. I can post up pictures of the flaws if you like
 
John, with your experience, and Howard's comments, I will save my money and pick up some G&H... I have 1, so maybe I'll look for 3 ore used on-line somewhere first. I appreciate the feedback.
 
to be honest, i have never liked the looks of my g &h blocks, the head stands so tall and proud. i really like the resting and other positions the ghg and fa offer but they just don't hold up. the birds don't seem to mind the g&h, I guess i'm just an easy mark?
 
Dave - Because I float my own blocks, I don't have any experience with them. However, being patterned after Marty Hanson's blocks, you'll never hunt over a better looking can. If I hunted plastic decoys, it would be the decoys I'd hunt over. Marty carved me a pair of hollow cans once. They were flat out amazing!

Check out his work... http://www.hansondecoys.com/hanson_decoys.html
 
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