Recommendation for full body goose decoys.

[Adam Stevens]

Another vote for DSDs. And you don't need that many to be effective, done alot of hunts with 5-8 decoys and still smashed them but I understand in some areas bigger spreads are needed. We have 4-5 dz mixed honkers and lesser decoys 4 specks for fun haha

The biggest change was an huge increase in wintering population of little geese here. Lessers and cacklers. When they came nobody and I mean no one had an answer for decoy them. Some guys still don't bother hunting them becuase they're too smart/wary/too many eyes they eat must guys up. Plus they play games like follow the leader or flock infront and circle circle circle foy away.

We looked to how others on this coast were getting it done and we made the switch to hunting edges, best concealment possible and a spread of the most realistic decoys possible. And it solved our problem. I can guarantee on our local forum nobody else posts pictures of limits of little geese, becuase they're just that hard to finish.

And keeping birds in the decoys seems to be an occurrence every season a time or not. I had a video of us done after a 4 man limit was done. A lesser and honker wouldn't leave. I had to walk them like 200 Yrds out of the spread before they'd leave.

 

[noweil Mike]

I keep hearing the talk about using smaller spreads with certain brands of decoys. I have been doing this since January 1996. I started hunting over 2 Big Foots that year for the last week of a 90 day goose season with great success on very high pressured geese. When everyone else was running 100's to 1000's of decoys. I been hunting over 2-6 Foots in the field and 4-11 floaters on the water for 16 years. On the water small spreads of Flambeaus, G&H, Big Foots, and Carry-lites have all worked. Attached is a picture of the spread I used for early season this year.

View attachment ATT_1348188437169_decoys 091512.JPG

 

[Paul Scott]

Gentleman, thankyou very much for all the info, stories and pictures. It has been very intresting to hear. I only shoot over small groups of decoys as I have to carry everything in across rough wet muddy ground. Thanks again.

 

[CAnderson]

I just got a supplemental Cabela's catalog advertising a sale that begins today and goes until the 23rd. It seems there have been several suggestions to go with Bigfoot dekes. Cabela's has a set of 6 Bigfoot field dekes on sale for $119.99. The normal price is around $189.99 if I read the add right. That sounds like a bang up price. Perhaps worth looking at. I plan too myself!

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[Andrew L.]

Hello chaps and Dani.

I want to buy a set of full body decoys to take back with me from my visit with Fred Slyfield in January as we don't have them over here in the uk. There seems to be a mass of different types. I think I need specks as our feral canadas and our grey lags would decoy to them. I think I won't fall size ones? Canada's here only come in one size.

Is big better? What make and who to get them from? I ask because I will have to buy blind from Internet. At the moment am looking at Ghg make and final approach, fa seems to be cheaper, is there a reason for this?

Thanks guys.

Paul,

I did not have a chance to look at everyones responses but going on 4 seasons now are my GHG Lesser Full Body Canada Goose Decoys and I will never buy a full size decoy again. IMO bigger is not better. I run 30 of these all year, until late when I join in with others for bigger spreads, and they are great. Lighter for walking in, can fit more in the truck (I get all 30, a layout blind and rest of my gear in the short bed of my Dakota). An added bonus is most people do not run them, so when I do hunt with others the spread looks even better with bigger and smaller geese mixed together. I have yet to have any downfalls from having a smaller decoy. I hunt over them ~35 times a year and for a GHG decoy they have held up well. I reflocked the heads this year and touched up 3 or 4 with some black paint on the backs.

They ought to be less to ship as they are much lighter as well.