Homemade duck decoys

[lds]

This was my first year duck hunting and it was good but didnt have any calls or decoys. My budget is nil for decoy so this winter I have been making my own. I'm up to 6. They are just in the garage drying so If I remember and I can figure it out I will post some pics later but has anyone out there made their own decoys and do they work? I wouldn't mind seeing some pics of yours. I'm really enjoying making these.

[Redfrog]

I'd like to see pics.
When I was a lad we carved them from Cedar power poles. Old unservicable ones of course. They were crude, but seemed to work.

There's an old guy on the board here who does amazing carving. His name is WW Birds. Perhaps he'll post a few pics.

[jungleboy]

We used to make all our own dekes for hunting geese and they worked excellent we would often have geese and ducks land and walk around in them. We made the bodies from old inner tubes and the heads from plywood . we would nail the bodies to the heads with a couple roofing nails and use a welding rod to stick em in the ground. the contour of the inner tube made the body shape just right and a spot of white spray paint for wing tips. Not fancy but effective and cheap . Similar but not exactly like the picture

[wwbirds]

I started 40 years ago thinking I could save money making my own as well but since a mallard size piece of tupelo costs me $70 I am sure plastic dekes are much cheaper.

Mallard hen
[IMG][/IMG]

[wwbirds]

not to discourage you but there is nothing cheaper about homemade decoys
My working decoys are about 10 hours carving and 20hours painting
textured decoys for competition are 100 hours each carving and painting

Working bufflehead
[IMG][/IMG]

working ringneck
[IMG]
[/IMG]

working wood duck
[IMG][/IMG]

[Suka]

Ducks are incredibly easy to decoy. Simple fact is get some styrofoam(floats), shape it into rough duck shapes, paint them brown and ducks will decoy to them. Seriously, don't even need heads on them for mallards.
Geese, as the above post I believe the original plan came from a popular mechanics or similar.
Here's some more pics of ours:



Stick them in the ground at an angle to create feeders.

Here's a goose and a duck (3 ton tube and psgr vehicle tube)

From not much distance they look pretty good

Nice winter project, especially if you've got young hands helping as it's something they can almost do themselves.
Good hunting!

[wwbirds]

pintail drake
[IMG][/IMG]

common eider pair with atlantic brant
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pair of shovelers with hen pintail
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pair of wigeon
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family group of teal
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[jungleboy]

beautiful work WW.

[tikka250]

my goodness WW those birds look more realistic than LIVE ducks! great job!

[lds]

Here are my first 6. A bit crude but hope they do the job. Cost about $.25 each and got down to 45mins each. Not quite the detail as the ones some of you guys make but that's ok to me if they work.

[wwbirds]

Send or PM me your address and I will find some duck and goose calls you can have free
Rob

[slopeshunter]

Lds, those look great. What did you use to make them?

[jungleboy]

Originally Posted by lds

Here are my first 6. A bit crude but hope they do the job. Cost about $.25 each and got down to 45mins each. Not quite the detail as the ones some of you guys make but that's ok to me if they work.

I like it!!

[densa44]

I used to make silouettes out of the cheapest 1/4 inch stock we could find, paint dark brown, and a stick to hold them above the shallow water. I had a 1/2 floater on a weighted string that I could pull the string and the "duck" would dive.

When I got to Alberta it all stopped, there are so many and it is so easy, call and shoot, they will decoy to the dog when she swims for a shot duck.

I just us a mojo in shallow water.

I need the dog way more than decoys.

What Rob has posted is a high art form, those are NOT duck decoys!

[Rockman]

Excellent work, WWbirds!

And great decoys, Suka. Thanks for posting that. I'll take some time to increase my meager spread with something like that. It seems very doable.

[lds]

Originally Posted by slopeshunter

Lds, those look great. What did you use to make them?

I just used some old 8x8 beams and logs that I had and a saws all and machete

[gatorhunter]

WW Birds....your art work is FABULOUS! As good as any I've seen and far better than the vast majority. SPECTACULAR carvings! Thank you for sharing your photos.

[petew]

Originally Posted by Suka

Ducks are incredibly easy to decoy. Simple fact is get some styrofoam(floats), shape it into rough duck shapes, paint them brown and ducks will decoy to them. Seriously, don't even need heads on them for mallards.
Geese, as the above post I believe the original plan came from a popular mechanics or similar.
Here's some more pics of ours:



Stick them in the ground at an angle to create feeders.

Here's a goose and a duck (3 ton tube and psgr vehicle tube)

From not much distance they look pretty good

Nice winter project, especially if you've got young hands helping as it's something they can almost do themselves.
Good hunting!

I like the innertube body you use. It would stand up much better than the Tar Paper I used to make mine from. I might have to dig out those old heads and upgrade them to inner tube decoys now.
Pete

[Supermag]

Originally Posted by lds

This was my first year duck hunting and it was good but didnt have any calls or decoys. My budget is nil for decoy so this winter I have been making my own. I'm up to 6. They are just in the garage drying so If I remember and I can figure it out I will post some pics later but has anyone out there made their own decoys and do they work? I wouldn't mind seeing some pics of yours. I'm really enjoying making these.

Where are you located? I may be able to help you. You just looking for floaters? Maybe we can trade if you have some stuff that is surplus to your needs.

[Habfan]

Originally Posted by lds

This was my first year duck hunting and it was good but didnt have any calls or decoys. My budget is nil for decoy so this winter I have been making my own. I'm up to 6. They are just in the garage drying so If I remember and I can figure it out I will post some pics later but has anyone out there made their own decoys and do they work? I wouldn't mind seeing some pics of yours. I'm really enjoying making these.

If you want a dozen mallard floaters, I can give them to you if your strapped for cash !! Send a pm and we can hook up !

[Skybuster]

Holy cow guys, it is great to see the generosity of the people on this board. So many willing to help, and even give. Good on you.

And WW Birds, I have a Black Duck from your work, competition I believe. Fantastic work. I agree with the earlier poster, even your working decoys are too beautiful to shoot over. Certainly your competition dekes are simply works of art.

To the OP, great work setting up your own decoys. If you haven't already proven them to work, I'm betting they will work just fine.

[dty]

The feathers on that mallard hen are incredible Wwbirds! And Thanx for posting that how to do Suka, they should go on a sticky up top. Wonderful thread.

dty

[222rem]

Nice paint job .

[Ithaca Dog]

Originally Posted by wwbirds

not to discourage you but there is nothing cheaper about homemade decoys
My working decoys are about 10 hours carving and 20hours painting
textured decoys for competition are 100 hours each carving and painting

Working bufflehead
[IMG][/IMG]

working ringneck
[IMG]
[/IMG]

working wood duck
[IMG][/IMG]

Wow. Very very nice. Lots of time and skil. Must be extremely rewarding hunting over decoys you made yourself.

[wwbirds]

for kind comments. Skybuster if you have the black duck I think you do it was second in the World Championships in contemporary decoys in 2006 and first in Westlake Ohio and Winnipeg competitions.

Zach, couple things about homemade vs store bought decoys. Any shiny spot will flair birds. There are no flat spots (all round diffuses light reflection) on a duck and flat or squared blocks shine and flair ducks. I have had good luck with very light tupelo gum wood that floated high on the water like balsa wood giving a natural floatation like a real duck but most cedar and basswood decoys are heavy so must be hollowed so the interior air space creates the "loft of a real duck. Most decoys will require flotation testing in a laundry tub to determine the balance point and likely the addition of a weighted keel to assist in stability when floating.

[Mhunter51]

Yes wwbirds your duck carvings are much more than a carving, they are artistic creations. I was fortunate to purchase a canvasback carving and it was everything and more than I expected from the pics you sent me. Have had a LOT of awesome comments on the bird. A friend told me one time that carving a bird is easy. You get a chunck of wood, draw a duck on it and cut everything that doesn't look like a duck off. You now have a duck. He didn't carve many ducks !! Beautiful work Rob.

[tikka250]

Anyone carve decoys out of foam blocks? My parents in bc have a few foam chunks aprox 6x3 feet that i have been eying up for a while.

[edmhunter]

Awesome job on the carvings WW.

[lds]

Thank you everyone for your generosity and comments. It's much appreciated and love it when people who have been doing this stuff for a while help new people get started. I will absolutely pay it forward when I get some experience and supplies built up. Just can take years to get to that point.