Homer decoys- righting themselves, tricks?

Nick Zito

Nick Zito

Active member
I have 2 dozen Homer geese, and man for the life of me I always run into a situation where they don't right themselves. It's usually only one or two in the spread. Just curious if anyone has any tricks or tips as to how to correct this? They're all single strung. The weights are in them. It's especially common if I'm tossing the decoys out instead of placing them. My other decoys don't look as nice, but never had an issue with them standing right up even if I launch them.
 
Try marking the ones you have trouble with to see if it is a reocuring problem with just a few or if it is somewhat random.
 
Probably. I used the ones that came with the foam. Or a heavier weight. Ken I will try that as well.
 
Very nice job on finishing them. Think i,d try a temp deeper weighted keel on a couple and pitch them how you normally do just to see if it will do the job. Thats if water depths you sit up in allows use of such.
 
Those are nice! Good work on those. Adding an extra weight to the keel (like a weight screwed to the keel) or a keel extension with the extra lead hidden would be what I'd do. If you aren't set up to melt lead, I am.
 
Over here in the Dixie of New England we don't have the shallow water issues. It's more of "how much line do we need? I do mostly tidal hunting, some swings are 8'!

Noted on both. Will give it a shot
 
I'll go with Todd on this one. More weight, low down. To try maybe your local tire store has some used wheel weights you could clamp on and try? Most of the shops in my area cant wait to get rid of used weights! Once you figure out how much weight then you can make a mold.
And where is the Dixie of New England? That's a new reference to me! I'm in Southern Maine but I'm not sure that's Dixie.
 
I,m guess about a 6" total keel weighted in bottom will let them self right on a poor throw. You need to practice the pitch flat with weight thrown from opposite hand approach. New game for waterfowlers in place of corn hole, LOL. All joking my Homer style duck decoys do about the same thing with factory unweighted keels. Problem is where I hunt sometimes its 3' of water and others tide leaves them sitting on bottom so a flatter keel has to suffice.
 
You may look at a swing keel that stores up next to the body when not deployed. Some versions ive made are just a stiff wire with a blob of lead in the center
 
Nick~


Wonderful job of those Canadas! (I think I detect some influence from Washington County, NY....)


You may know that those Homer "small geese" started out as Brant. I carved the masters for both the head and body. Later, Tony asked me to carve a Canada head for the Brant body (and later a Snow/Blue/White-front head).


This is the master I carved - mounted on a Homer Brant body.



Homer Canada head on bench 03.JPG



One thing I learned from this process is that the heads particularly "swell" quite a bit from the molding process. The plastic heads are much beefier than my wooden one.



Back to your original question, though. I have not experienced the righting problem - but I'm always setting them by hand from a canoe. I did try to remove the ballast once - for a customer who wanted Al McCormick-style flat keels on his. The ballast appears to be steel, is oriented in a vertical plane, and extends from within the keel up into the body. So, slicing off the extruded keel and cutting through the ballast was impractical. The job would have used up a big bunch of Sawzall blades. (I wound up swapping some of my old flat-bottomed Model 81s to him.)



BTW: I also gave Tony Homer a "swimmer" head for Canadas - leaning forward but not dipping like a feeder because such postures often ice up in January. For the life of me, I cannot find a photo of that head. The company was sold shortly thereafter and I believe the Swimmer was never manufactured. I wish I could see it just one more time.....


All the best,


SJS


 
Steve,

I did get some other heads in different positions I plan to Mount onto half of these to see if anything changes. They're wood, so they won't be as indestructible, but better than righting a whole bunch every hunt! One day when late goose ends I'll get to it
 
Exhibit A and B. I know the windy is nasty today here in New England, but the non homer geese right themselves just fine. We eventually gave up and left them in the dead goose poseCB046D41-456D-481A-B0E5-5D4AB454296A.jpeg8E84208B-63FD-4BE1-813E-049ACDF794DF.jpeg
 
Yep, horrible out today, pretty stout of you to get out.

Add an extra keel on there with lead hidden inside, that will fix them right up. Heads are too heavy for the depth/weight of the keel.
 
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