DIY Cow Decoy

[JDH]

In my effort to save a little money before my first trip out west I decided to make my own cow decoy. We named it Bessie...before we realized it was a steer. :W:
Anyway, for someone looking to save a little bit of money I will throw some pictures up of what I did. All it took was 4 sheets of corrugated plastic, two yard sign stakes, and a few other things I had laying around.






I used a piece of clear plastic to project the image on the plastic and cut it out. Then I taped the seams and cut two viewing holes out and covered them with screen. A little spray paint and I had a decoy that got three people within 50 yards of a herd of pronghorn.

 

[vanish]

Where did you get the corrugated plastic? That stuff is useful but my only source for it is political signs

 

[JDH]

Where did you get the corrugated plastic? That stuff is useful but my only source for it is political signs

Home Depot has it around here.

 

[LCH]

That's cool! I considered making one out of plywood, but the plastic would be a much better option.

Have any trouble with the wind wanting to grab it?

 

[1_pointer]

Wonder how well/long that stuff would hold up as walls for a box blind? That for sheathing and 2x2 studs would make for a light setup that'd be easy to move.

 

[JDH]

That's cool! I considered making one out of plywood, but the plastic would be a much better option.

Have any trouble with the wind wanting to grab it?

I would fold it in half while stalking through any gullies and then open it before I would step out into the open. One thing I forgot that you can't see from the front is the two horizontal rods that keep the front and back half straight that I added when I was testing it out. I used zip ties to secure it and managed not to lose either rod. It didn't want to stand up straight before I added them. The wind definitely wanted to push it over but the stakes were just tall enough to prevent any major bending by keeping the force above the legs . It may be a little more difficult keeping it upright if you are hunting solo though.

 

[JDH]

Wonder how well/long that stuff would hold up as walls for a box blind? That for sheathing and 2x2 studs would make for a light setup that'd be easy to move.

That's a good idea...You could punch some zip ties through it to give yourself some loops for securing native vegetation.