Clearcoat duck decoys??

[beginnerhunter]

I've repainted all of mine at least once, but I'm not an artist- maybe I'm just self conscious, but it feels like the ducks can tell that too.

Still better than 2 liters! Actually, given that ducks aren't used to seeing 2 liter decoys, they might work better...

 

[marshman]

Slight tangent, why aren't there decoys that don't lose their paint? I mean like really high end lifetime guarantee ones? I need to upgrade my flock and I just can't find anything that promises long term durability

I have been having good luck with Tanglefree fully flocked Mallards.
A bit spendy, and my kid laughs at me fussin and bagging the damn things to keep them nice.
But he also kills a lot of ducks over my fuzzy decoys.

 

[Nick87]

Dakota and Avian x hold up pretty well

Dont have any dakotas my avian floaters have held up pretty good.

 

[Irrelevant]

How good is pretty good? Like # of uses/ years?

@marshman @nick87 @Doublecluck

 

[Doublecluck]

How good is pretty good? Like # of uses/ years?

@marshman @nick87 @Doublecluck

I have 20 dozen Dakota signature series full body goose decoys that are between 2-5 seasons old, 20-30 hunts a year and still look good and work. They are stored in a trailer but we literally throw kick and toss them in. No bags, just a pile of decoys riding down the road rubbing up on each other over every bump. You won’t find a more durable full body goose decoy than dakotas. If they had more head positions it would be the only decoy I ran. Avian x are a close second and that’s the other full body you would find in my trailer. Other than stands they are just as good, slightly more paint/flocking damage on those guys.

The unflocked Dakota duck decoys are not quite as durable as the goose decoys but still one of the most durable duck decoys on the market. I have some that are 3 seasons old and are Texas rigged, drug em across sand bars/gravel bars, thru bushes, tossed in the bed of trucks and thrown in the trailer, still look good.

I have 2 dozen Dakota fully flocked mallards that I fully bag and treat like babies, they look like new after 3 seasons and kill the crap out of even the most pressured late season birds.

IMO for just your average waterfowler who’s gonna go out and hunt ducks a few times a year, as far as floater duck decoys are concerned , you can’t beat avian x. They look amazing, keels hold up, don’t leak, not gonna crack in hot or cold, and reasonable price for a quality decoy. I could see a set of avian x decoys lasting your average waterfowl hunter 10-20 years if they were taken care of.

Another good choice might be lifetime decoys, I have not used them personally in the field but the industry guys I know are pretty excited about em. Time will tell but at first glance they got a great idea going. I am curious how the design holds up in heavy winds but since I’ve been in Montana we hunt mostly small water or fields so that’s not really a concern. Some of the big water guys might be able to speak for them, but they look great.

 

[Nick87]

How good is pretty good? Like # of uses/ years?

@marshman @nick87 @Doublecluck

I echo what @Doublecluck said. Dakota is hard to beat. Had those avian honker floaters for 3 seasons iirc. Probably about 30 hunts or so with them. Still look pretty decent. I bag all of my dekes though. Are you looking to buy floaters or full bodies?

 

[Irrelevant]

I echo what @Doublecluck said. Dakota is hard to beat. Had those avian honker floaters for 3 seasons iirc. Probably about 30 hunts or so with them. Still look pretty decent. I bag all of my dekes though. Are you looking to buy floaters or full bodies?

Floaters, I have a set of full bodies already. They only get used when we ice up... which seems to be pretty rare anymore.

 

[marshman]

How good is pretty good? Like # of uses/ years?

@marshman @nick87 @Doublecluck

Check out the looks these are 3 and 4 years old