Tips For Selecting Goose Decoys

Summary: The majority of goose decoys on the market today are capable of helping you harvest more geese, with some decoys being much more realistic than others. With that being said probably the bigger decision is what type of decoy should a hunter purchase, or own to have at his disposal to match the conditions he faces through out the season.

Silhouette Decoys

A very simplistic design first used by early goose hunters, this decoy remains a very viable option for goose hunters and also remains the most portable option for hunters. Because geese generally fly and circle a spread of decoys lower than ducks, this type of decoy silhouettes are much more effective for geese than ducks. While some hunters may say silos don’t work near as well as full bodies they may not setting up the silos in the best fashion. When geese are directly overhead of silhouette decoys they will disappear, because of this the hunter needs to put more distance between groups of silos than let’s shells or full bodies. By doing so the hunter can actually creates the illusion of movement. While decoys directly below disappear, others remain visible, and then seconds later, the decoys that once weren’t visible now become visible again.

Silhouettes can be made yourself from ¼” mahogany (luan) plywood or purchased from several different manufactures. When purchasing silhouette decoys try to avoid smooth plastic decoys are this type of surface tends to shine on sunny days. Decoys with a layer of fabric applied before the image of a goose will have a textured surface and will not shine even in bright sunlight when goose hunting is often the best.

Shell Decoys

Goose shell decoys are a three dimensional decoy like a full body, but with the belly missing. Unlike silhouette decoys shell decoys remain visible to above and approaching geese at all times. Modern shell decoys are constructed from very durable polyethylene plastic. From overhead shell decoys look very realistic due to the feather texture molded into the plastic and detailed paint work. Shell decoys are also very portable as the missing belly portion allows the hunter to stack the decoys. By being stackable 3-4 dozen decoys will fit easily into most decoy bags, versus a hunter only being able to carry maybe 6 full bodies. Another option possible with shell decoys is the use of motion stakes. With a light breeze the decoys will wobble and turn slowly giving the illusion of real waddling geese. Another advantage of any stake is that it gets the decoy off the ground so that it becomes much more visible to passing geese.

Full Bodies

Without a doubt the most realistic goose decoy type is the full body. These decoys are also constructed of very durable polyethylene plastic and are an exact replica of a live goose, even the feet in most cases. Over the years manufacturers have also added several different postures to their line up. As with the shells, full body decoy bodies have excellent feather detail molded right into the plastic and feature detailed paint work, some more so than others. One limitation of the full bodies versus the shells is motion. Full body decoys are typically built on stands including the big black feet, because of this there is no motion. A hunter can modify this setup by detaching the decoy from the stand and using a motion stake. Because full bodies are not stackable permission to drive a vehicle, perhaps with a decoy trailer, is almost a must.

In Conclusion

There really is no one best decoy. It depends on your hunting style and the conditions you hunt in. For example during a wet hunting season no farmer is going to let you drive a truck and decoy trailer on his fields, so having some shells and silos at your disposal is a plus. And of course every hunter’s individual budget is also going to play a significant role in what decoys they decide to purchase. Also, if you only hunt geese a few times a year why purchase the most expensive decoys? I would recommend you purchase the best you can comfortably afford. Remember there’s a lot of other gear and even gas to buy through out the hunting season.

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