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Goose decoy: best and worst

9K views 37 replies 20 participants last post by  hunter_908 
#1 ·
Hey y'all I need to get some new goose fullbodies and some shells. What are your guys opinions on Bigfoot b2 full bodies? And g&h shells? Thanks :hi:
 
#2 ·
G&H shells are awesome. Love the Supermags. Most of mine look great, some are over 20 years old. I like Bigfoot originals, same story. So far I'm not impressed with the B2s. We have some Specks, paint issues, broken feet. Seems the paint is less durable and the plastic more brittle than my old ones. No problem with our Snows though. Not sure about the Canada B2s though......
 
#3 ·
B2s are not as durable as the originals but are more durable than GHGs. And some batches are more durable than others. The ones I bought last fall are showing more signs of wear than the ones I bought 2 falls ago. If you watch the sales you can find the originals for the same price per decoy as the B2s
 
#5 ·
Screw the Bigfoot B2s. Small decoys that will chip paint faster then a jackhammer on your drywayll. Stick with the old bigfoots.

I would suggest looking as Brent said the Dakota Lifesize Series. One piece decoys, no paint issues, and EVA material like the older Bigfoots. Rogers sporting goods has them for $149 for 6 right now. Really good deal.
 
#7 ·
Big foots suck, doesnt matter B2's or originals. Too big to effectively carry a lot of them at once, especially if you're limited to hauling the in just a truck bed. Plus no motion.

I much prefer my dakota lesser (now life-size series) and they're very durable, take up less space, look better, and they move.
 
#8 ·
Ghg all the way. Bigfoots and g&h are durrable but they look like crap. If you want a decoy that consistently will finish birds and provide realistic postures combined with motion go ghg

Carter Klatt
AYFS

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#9 ·
SDduckhunter23 said:
Ghg all the way. Bigfoots and g&h are durrable but they look like crap. If you want a decoy that consistently will finish birds and provide realistic postures combined with motion go ghg

Carter Klatt
AYFS

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
GHG is durable? Do explain I can show you some that were bought new and the paint didn't make but maybe 5-6 hunts.

Oh and whats this...just in breaking news... GHG Newbold Lessers are shipping with chipped paint :fingerhead:

Back to you Bob
 
#10 ·
Have not experienced chipped paint on my B-2s. I do have a few with some pretty ragged wear spots from rubbing against the trailer walls. Note that those wear spots are on the high points of the plastic. I have 1/2 dozen GHGs which are always thrown on the top of the pile. They look beat up and 10 years older than the Bigfoots on the bottom of the pile.

Yes bigfoots are big...... which means they have good visability. For visability there are two options, a few big decoys or many small decoys. Except if t you hunt a lot of lessers, a pickup load of either is going to have about the same visability/draw.

Around here about 755 or more of your hunting is going to end up being cultivated, mostly black fields. In that situation bigfoots stand out far better than smaller decoys. If you hunt a lot of stubble smaller decoys will show up fine provided the stubble isn't to tall.......... FWIW many years back I experimented with my shells. I put them on 18" stakes and 24" stakes. When on the 24" stakes they generally drew more birds.
 
#11 ·
DMBgoosehunter13 said:
GHG is durable? Do explain I can show you some that were bought new and the paint didn't make but maybe 5-6 hunts.

Back to you Bob
When did I ever say they were durable? Can't recall that I did. I just said they were realistic, have Motion and will finish birds. Maybe you got a bad batch. Mine look great and they are going on 3 years, mallards and geese. My buddy has the new prograde honkers and hasn't had a problem yet. Havent used newbolds so idk what to say to that

I would take a realistic decoy over a less realistic but more durable decoy any day

Carter Klatt
AYFS

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#12 ·
I don't have near the experience as most on this site, but I like the new Avian-X decoys. They give you motion without having to mess with the bases. Simply push and store the base inside of the decoy. This is only my second season using them, but the flocking seems to be holding up better than my original big foots.
 
#16 ·
Motion is key for us. We wouldn't shoot half the birds we do if we didn't have motion. There's a reason for flags, spinning wing decoys, decoys on motion stakes, jerk strings for ducks, ect. Why is It that's it always seems that birds come in when you are picking up decoys or out walking around? It's because they key in on the motion from far away and it attracts them

Carter Klatt
AYFS

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#18 ·
I love flagging. It can be your best friend or worst enemy though if not done at the right times. You should flag when they are far off 200+ yards to grab their attention but within 150 yards if they are coming then we don't flag. If they start to slide off to one side flap it a couple of times and it should put them back on track. Within 100 yards just use a quick flick of the wrist or 2 to simulate a goose stretching its wings. You shouldn't full out flag when they r that close. To flag we start high above the head and do 5-8 flaps downward over your shoulder. By no means will flagging automatically commit birds but it does seem to help. We also really like the ghg decoys because they move in very little wind. It's just a bit of realism that we believe helps finish birds!

Carter Klatt
AYFS

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#19 ·
DOA decoys are AWESOME! motion system is great, and there is a 3 year paint warranty. Flagging system ...by far MOlt Gear's Magic Mike flagging system worked really well. It's very easy to set up, and i can operate it up to 40 yds away, which can take attention off your hide! :thumbsup:
 
#21 ·
Keep in mind that not all motion is the same....... Flagging for the most part is a long range attractant. It is visible from a long ways away. Decoy movement is more of a "finishing" type movement and is not always needed and on real windy days can be a deterent. Most decoy movement probably isn't going to be seen until birds close to 100 yards or less. I have on many an occasion watched a live flock for many minutes before seeing any significant movement and have questioned if they were decoys........ As such only a handful of motion decoys seem necessary when they are needed From my observations, the whole flock moving is often more unnatural than none of the flock moving.
 
#26 ·
jeffro9023 said:
Tealer said:
tornadochaser said:
Motion decoys finish hunters. Flags finish geese.
Flags = skunked here.

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Last I checked flags get the birds attention then gets put away. Flagging them in the last 50yds may be a new challenge. :huh: :huh:
Last 50 yards? Not if you know when and where. My first hots are always inside of 20 yards and I have and do flag regularly with geese inside of 50.
 
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