Question Do it yourself decoys

jwoutdrs · 02-08-2008, 01:48 PM

I have seen multiple times people have homemade foam decoys (mostly for snows). How practicle is this and is there any savings once you get past the initial cost. I am assuming this is from a mold and you add the 2 part foam mixture etc. Can you really mass produce the decoys and save money or is it more for a hobby. I am always looking to do things on my own especially for hunting. If anybody has done it what product do you recomend and where do you find it. Is it easy to do? Do they last? etc.

Also has anybody made homemade duck decoys with the foam beads.

gooseh8r · 02-08-2008, 02:00 PM

You are much better going this route.

DJ Decoy Company

I am just waiting for them to come out with a FB and floater Canada before I buy any.

Chasin 'eyes · 02-08-2008, 10:10 PM

EPS beads are the way to go for a cheaper decoy and lighter. duck decoys are just like the old herters dekes and hold up well. I have the field goose mold for canadas but you can make them into snows just as easy, ends up being more of a magnum deke.

livnlrn · 02-09-2008, 11:39 AM

Quote:

You are much better going this route.

DJ Decoy Company

I am just waiting for them to come out with a FB and floater Canada before I buy any.

Isn't there another guy in North O making decoys? We bought some from him last year or is this the same guy/guys?

Here's another option for making your own decoys.

dvd

jimbosan · 02-09-2008, 02:46 PM

Back in the days when I used to be a duck hunting addict we made our own decoys, that was in the 70's and 80's. In those days you could make decoys out of styrofoam beads much cheaper than if you bought them. We used to get the beads from a company in downtown Omaha I think the name of it was plastilite. I don't even know if that company is there any longer. We had a couple of decoy molds that we bought from a company in Clinton Ia. one was a mallard floater which I'am going to give to Ty once I get a chance and the other was a field mallard full body (dont know what happened to it). The only draw back was that the floaters were a little heavy because you had to mold a railroad spike into the body for ballast on the floaters, and sometimes the beeks would have a tendency to break. Other than that they were A#1 deke's. We painted the decoys flat or semigloss black. In our case we found that they worked better that color than if we painted them the actual color of a mallard and it saved time and money. My brother in law is an artist with an air brush so I did have him paint a couple authentically for my fireplace mantle they came out really nice.

**Ty Stromquist** · 02-09-2008, 04:32 PM

I bought all the crap to do it and basically it was just a hobby. Now im kinda sick of it.

parker20 · 02-09-2008, 05:57 PM

i made decoys in waverly for 4 years and decided there were easer and more profitable ways to make a living if you take the cost of investment {molds molding equpment and materials} plus the time you will invest you are better of buying what you want styrofoam birds are for permant spreads thay are to fragle to bag up all the time and the plastic birds are cheep and easy to use as for fullbodies thay have transportation problems if you want to make a good snow decoy call the denver sign company and get some 6mm white coraplast and some 3/16 cold rolled round steel and make some silhouettes with the right pattern you can make 1100 for about 675 and thats not bad we have shot a lot of birds over silhouettes thay are easy to make all you need is a jigsaw bolt cutters grinder (for the leggs) and some paint and you are hunting over a good spread

jwoutdrs · 02-11-2008, 10:38 AM

thanks to all. anybody have any molds they want to sell

Chasin 'eyes · 02-11-2008, 11:47 AM

Check ebay they usually have molds up for auction. Just type in decoy mold and do a search.

02-08-2008, 01:48 PM	#1 (permalink)
jwoutdrs Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Omaha Posts: 31 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Do it yourself decoys I have seen multiple times people have homemade foam decoys (mostly for snows). How practicle is this and is there any savings once you get past the initial cost. I am assuming this is from a mold and you add the 2 part foam mixture etc. Can you really mass produce the decoys and save money or is it more for a hobby. I am always looking to do things on my own especially for hunting. If anybody has done it what product do you recomend and where do you find it. Is it easy to do? Do they last? etc. Also has anybody made homemade duck decoys with the foam beads. __________________ "No, I'm not a good shot, but I shoot often." Teddy Roosevelt

02-08-2008, 02:00 PM	#2 (permalink)
gooseh8r Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Ne Posts: 480 Thanks: 0 Thanked 9 Times in 6 Posts	You are much better going this route. DJ Decoy Company I am just waiting for them to come out with a FB and floater Canada before I buy any. __________________ "In Duckhunting there are champion duck callers and champion duck killers...Im both." To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

02-08-2008, 10:10 PM	#3 (permalink)
Chasin 'eyes Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Cortland Posts: 272 Thanks: 2 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	EPS beads are the way to go for a cheaper decoy and lighter. duck decoys are just like the old herters dekes and hold up well. I have the field goose mold for canadas but you can make them into snows just as easy, ends up being more of a magnum deke. __________________ "Life's too short to drink cheap beer"

02-09-2008, 02:46 PM	#5 (permalink)
jimbosan Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Blair, Nebraska Posts: 1,513 Thanks: 8 Thanked 7 Times in 4 Posts	Back in the days when I used to be a duck hunting addict we made our own decoys, that was in the 70's and 80's. In those days you could make decoys out of styrofoam beads much cheaper than if you bought them. We used to get the beads from a company in downtown Omaha I think the name of it was plastilite. I don't even know if that company is there any longer. We had a couple of decoy molds that we bought from a company in Clinton Ia. one was a mallard floater which I'am going to give to Ty once I get a chance and the other was a field mallard full body (dont know what happened to it). The only draw back was that the floaters were a little heavy because you had to mold a railroad spike into the body for ballast on the floaters, and sometimes the beeks would have a tendency to break. Other than that they were A#1 deke's. We painted the decoys flat or semigloss black. In our case we found that they worked better that color than if we painted them the actual color of a mallard and it saved time and money. My brother in law is an artist with an air brush so I did have him paint a couple authentically for my fireplace mantle they came out really nice. __________________ GET EM CLOSE/happiness is a bloody arrow!

02-09-2008, 04:32 PM	#6 (permalink)
Ty Stromquist Moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: in a treestand Posts: 4,008 Thanks: 52 Thanked 24 Times in 19 Posts	I bought all the crap to do it and basically it was just a hobby. Now im kinda sick of it. __________________ "Go afield with a good attitude, with respect for the wildlife you hunt and for the forest and fields you walk. Immerse yourself in the outdoor experience. It will cleanse your soul and make you a better person." - Fred Bear

02-09-2008, 05:57 PM	#7 (permalink)
parker20 Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: waverly Posts: 59 Thanks: 0 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	i made decoys in waverly for 4 years and decided there were easer and more profitable ways to make a living if you take the cost of investment {molds molding equpment and materials} plus the time you will invest you are better of buying what you want styrofoam birds are for permant spreads thay are to fragle to bag up all the time and the plastic birds are cheep and easy to use as for fullbodies thay have transportation problems if you want to make a good snow decoy call the denver sign company and get some 6mm white coraplast and some 3/16 cold rolled round steel and make some silhouettes with the right pattern you can make 1100 for about 675 and thats not bad we have shot a lot of birds over silhouettes thay are easy to make all you need is a jigsaw bolt cutters grinder (for the leggs) and some paint and you are hunting over a good spread

02-11-2008, 10:38 AM	#8 (permalink)
jwoutdrs Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Omaha Posts: 31 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	thanks to all. anybody have any molds they want to sell __________________ "No, I'm not a good shot, but I shoot often." Teddy Roosevelt

02-11-2008, 11:47 AM	#9 (permalink)
Chasin 'eyes Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Cortland Posts: 272 Thanks: 2 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Check ebay they usually have molds up for auction. Just type in decoy mold and do a search. __________________ "Life's too short to drink cheap beer"

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