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hidgeon fully flocked decoys?

3.6K views 34 replies 8 participants last post by  goldfish  
#1 ·
any of you guys ever used the hidgeon flocked mallard decoys floaters? they are kinda expensive but i ordered some the other day because they look amazing. also, anyone used the dakota or tanglefree flocked mallards?

just trying to see what decoys everyone prefers. this forum is pretty dead and we only have 38 days til opener!!!!!!!!
 
#2 ·
I don't have any experience with the higdon, but I have a dozen of the dakota mallards. They are nice decoys but not worth the money IMO. The keel is small and you have to loop the cord to put ot less line in shallow water. The GHG "clip" is much better. They might look a touch nicer than several other brands, but when it comes down to the subtle differences movement is more important. I'd take several other dekes with some movement in the water over the dakotas...and if you go with somehting else you can afford it.
 
#3 ·
my hunting partner got a dozen dakotas a few months ago on sale, they do look great. it would be nice if they did have a clip like the ghg. as far as movment in the water goes do you use one of those motion decoys that shoots water or something? ive looked into those but the reviews are always horrible and we usually hunt lakes so even a slight breeze usually makes the dekes move.
 
#4 ·
It depends on the weather and location for me. If it's really calm and I don't have a large spread a couple shakers seem to work. Mind you, it won't pull them in from a long ways off but if the birds are circling I tihnk it helps. Sometimes I'll use a spinner. My favorite is probably some kind of swimmer, and a jerk string will serve the purpose in a pinch. If it's windy I don't worry much about motion dekes other than maybe pulling out a spinner.

With all that said, I'll take being in the spot they already want to be over anything.
 
#6 ·
those decoys looks legit. only thing that sucks is the more flocked decoys you have the more slotted bags you need and they take up a ton of space compared to the usual decoy bags.

beretta: since a swimmer is your favorite have you used one of those hidgeon swimmers? or is there another brand im not familiar with? i have never really got into motion decoys besides the spinners because usually when we are hunting shallower water its a spot where the ducks want to be already. its the big lakes where you need to compete to draw them in.
 
#7 ·
You might laugh, but I still use an old wonderduck now and then...without the wings. It moves just a little water but the orange feet are noticeable from a little ways away. I've been looking at some other options but haven't pulled the trigger yet. I use shakers on a regular basis when there's no wind, but they don't seen to hold up well without adding some silicon to seal 'em, and might be more of a pain inthe ass than they are worth.
 
#10 ·
i also have storm fronts and hot buys. but now that i have run out of things that i "need" for duck hunting, i have started replacing cheaper stuff with the "better" stuff. guess ill see if at actually makes a difference this year, if not i can just be the guy at duck camp that brags about his expensive decoys.
 
#13 ·
just picked up the hidgeons at cabellas, my buddy has the dakota deoys and they look great but these hidgeons are much better due to the fully flocking imo. on the other hand its 100 bucks for just a 6 pack. when we have the dakotas and hidgeons out together this year i dont see how any duck could resist, lol
 
#16 ·
therewillbeblood said:
does anyone have diver decoys that arent ghg? we have a bunch of ghg and i think they are good decoys just seeing if there is a brand out there im not aware of.
Cabelas has g&h oversized for 130 a dozen cans I believe if you want to spend a lot of money on divers there is a few companies out east that make foam divers but you pay a lot for them big water decoys that has an add on the site has very nice decoys but again pretty expensive and if you can find them online herters are always a good choice
 
#20 ·
I agree that the Cabelas Real Image blue bill decoys look nice. I actually really like them but hard to get because they are always on backorder and a little spendy. Was a great b-day present.

I saw it mentioned in one of the posts and something I'm really learning is that having some sort of movement is crucial.

Anyone ever use quiver magnet h2o's? Have seen good and bad reviews on the internet.
 
#22 ·
If you're going to use quier magnets it needs to be dead calm for them to really be noticeable, and the O-ring seals don't last long if you don't put a litle oil or something on them. I think there are better options, but it's hard to beat their price. It's also something that gives birds just a little more confidence when circling (assuming you're well concealed), and isn't going to pull them from a distance. just my 2 cents.