Vortex Rotating spinning wing system

R

rfberan

Active member
I know there will be an immediate reaction by the mechanical decoy haters, so let me be clear that I am not advocating their use, I am just curious as to the experience of anyone who has hunted with one. Positive and negative. And I thank those who want to share their reasons for success, location, camo, etc, but that's not what I'm looking for. I would be interested hearing from anyone with first hand experience with one of these devices to rotate spinning wing decoys.
Thank you for your experience.
 
I've only ever hunted snows with them. Just adds more motion. Can't say that we killed more birds because of it though. Guides always place them behind the layout blinds to conceal and create movement taking the focus off the shooters.
 
John, thanks for your input. I'm always trying to understand ducks better and how they react in different situations. I would hate to transport the device, pay for it, or hassle with recharging, but it is intriguing to me to know how ducks react to it. Probably same way they do to any thing, depends on multiple variables in each individual situation. It is hard to ever do any controlled comparison as every hunt has it's own unique combination of factors.
Again, appreciate your reply.
 
I was going to suggest sending a PM to Tod, he is the resident expert on all mechanical decoys. How many of these rotating vortex units did you have running in your spreads last year Tod?

(the above is written very sarcastically)

No first hand experience. Funny thing, I was talking hunting the other day and someone brought these up. They loved them and thought they were helpful. Personally, it would drive me nuts. Might even make me sick watching those things go round and round and round and round......

Mark W
 
My son uses them when he has not lost a wing dropped them in the salt water or left a part home. He has had success with divers with the floater.
 
Skip the spinning wings and go for the Sillosock fliers...No other flying non-mechanical decoys will create that much motion lifelike motion...Believe me I have test several flying decoys in the past year in Texas...We hunt two dozen over 30 dozen decoys...Even in the lightest of winds they create lots of motion...Set them up in 4 foot sections that can be linked from two to three to reach 8 to 12 feet. Easy to transport and put out...Plus they don't need batteries or get damaged when they get wet...Of course 99% of the spread are snow geese with only a dozen or so mixed handcarved birds in the sweet spot...Check praire wind decoys...They have these also in mallard fliers as well...Super ligth weight...I can foresee having several 4 ft sections in open water over a duck spread workin well...Unfortunately never tested over calf deep rice fields but I am positive they will work...I shoot a lot of pintail over these fliers...

Regards,
Kristan
 
Kristan,
Thanks for the suggestion. Never tried the flyers for ducks but sounds like worthwhile and minimal effort. See how it works.
Robin
 
When are you heading out, Ray
Al
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Al, taking off wednesday to finalize stuff, and then driving to Tok early thursday morning. Check in with 40 Mile Air thursday afternoon and make sure my pack does not exceed their 50 pound max limit. Then dinner and a restless night at Fast Eddy's before flying out when ever the weather lets us on friday.

Todays long range forecast predicts that the Eastern Alaska Range will be raining on friday, and snow is likely that night. Lovely. However, that could drive some sheep down lower to feed and right into my lap come saturday morning.

There is a fire on the Tok - Delta highway right now that is in the vicinty (north across the Tanana) of where walk in hunters park their rigs. DNR may be restricting use of those trail heads which could mean fewer walk in hunters north of the area we will be in. Hopefully the wind pushes the smoke north and allows us to fly on friday with only light sprinkles. The spot we plan on landing at requires the correct wind direction so we may still be stuck in Tok for a day or two before we can get in. No matter what happens I have to be back at work on the 19th so we have to start trying to get out on the 17th. It should be enough time to find a legal sheep in this area. The few guys I have talked to that have hunted this drainage all had a sheep down within 3 days or less.

Here is a link to a hunt from 2012 that took place in the same drainage that I will be flying into. This guy did not offer up much info when I asked him, but you can click on each photo and he has a small description of what was going on that day or in that photo.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dlieb45/sets/72157631375118768/

I wonder if sheep will come into a spinner? Caribou probably would.
 
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