LL Bean Main Coastal decoys.

B

Bill Ferrar

Well-known member
Does anybody hunt with these decoys now a days.
I remember years ago seeing them in shooting rigs.
What can you tell me about these blocks. Did they hold up well. From what I see on the net they seem to have a real basic paint job.
Can anybody post any pictures of working LL bean decoys.
 
I've used a rig of LL Bean black ducks for the last 8 years, and the rig has been in the family for at least 30. The older LL Bean decoys have a really nice silhouette. I've used a group of LL Bean birds opposite a group of some of the more expensive "hand carved" decoys out there and the ducks pitch in on the Bean decoys far more often. So in a word YES they do work. However, in recent years Beans has changed whoever they contract with to make their dekes. The quality as far as wearability is the same but the form of the decoys has gone to hell in my opinion.
 
The new LL Bean corkers are not worth the money. If you can find some of the older ones, buy those and hunt over them. Or, get some nice corks from a local carver. Jim Higgins of sneakboxdecoy.com makes a great cork black duck gunner for $65. His higher quality birds go for $110 - well worth it for a nice cork bird. I'd go with his birds for sure, and he is from Maine so you get a little bit of New England nostalgia. There are a few guys here on the page who make nice cork birds too.

Nate

www.sneakboxdecoy.com
 
i would have to say the same. hunting with the new beans would be like taking a kitchen sponge with a duck head on it and putting it in the water. ive never seen a decoy so thirsty. i think big sky carvers makes them now and they dont seal them well enough or at all. i have a friend that has about 2 dozen of the old whistler dekes along with 3 dozen or so mallard/blacks, all of which have been resealed and repainted over the years.

we've actually started picking up old beans sealing and repainting them.

imo if you pick some up glue a bottom board on it put a real keel with screws instead of the staples in them now, seal them and repaint them to what ever you like.

eddie
 
Thanks for the replys. I have a chance to pickup
10 LL Bean duck decoys, 3 goose decoys. Two LL bean canvas decoy bags. All the decoys need paint and a little tlc. For $180
Should I jump on the deal?
 
I would certainly take the deal. I sold last year, 18 LL Bean's to a friend that were originally bought in 1964. I had repainted them twice and they certainly stood the test of time. I presently have one LL Bean goose that my wife bought me 25 years ago, and I hunt this bird all season long. Mike
 
bill i would buy them and paint them up. seal them good first if your going to use oil paint do the boiled linseed oil treatment and them go at it. if your going with acrylics you could gesso the crap out of it or use one of the goldens sealers like gac 700 or gac 100 and then paint.

i would inspect the keels on them carefully along with the tail boards as these tend to be problem areas. personally i would take the keel off and get some 1/2'' lumber trace the bottom of the decoy onto the wood then cut that with a band saw glue it to the bottom of the dek and clamp it let it dry for a day or so then trim the wood put the keel back on or make your own keel. glue and screw that keel to bottom board, paint and hunt.

the bottom board protects the edges of the cork where it gets damaged the most. with the wood being there the cork dosent flake off as bad

if you want you could go with a 1" bottom board and get that dek out of the water so it more visible, i noticed tonight while i was visiting the friend with the beans that they're not a tall decoy.

eddie
 
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Dear Bill,

As stated already, these are some of the finest production decoys ever made. I still have 3 dozen divers and 3 dozen mixed Mallards and Blacks. I have a few of the Coastals, but most are their deluxe oversized decoys. I bought them new in 1976. Painted many times, we have hunted them very hard, treating them no better than we treat ourselves, especially in harsh conditions.

If you don't buy them, I will. My advice... jump on them!

God Bless you and yours, this New Year.
 
AS a carver I like quality work which L L Bean decoys are not I had some maney year ago and the cork over time all crumbled up.If you can't carve your own decoys or to poor to buy good decoys defenaly buy L L Bean's best of luck Bill
 
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