Building Goose Decoy Silhouettes

Bganz · #1 08-01-2016, 01:52 AM

Hi everyone!

Hope you all had a great weekend! I'm new to hunting, and really want to get into waterfowl this year, and try to trick some geese in a field shoot of some kind. I know I'll need to put some Kms on the vehicle and scout a ton, but that's a hole other can of worms.

I've got 12 floater mallards, but I don't have any goose decoys and wanted to build some of my own. Money is tight so was thinking some homemade goose silhouettes.. Any suggestions on material? I've googled and looked at past posts, but didn't find much recent. I'd love to get my hands on corrugated plastic sheets but it's pretty pricey. Has anyone used hardboard? Would it hold up in the weather? Also any suggestions for inexpensive stakes? Steel would last longer, but maybe some wood trim cut down?

Thanks for any and all advice. I wont mind putting in the time to build them, but just looking to do it for as little cost as possible.

Thanks again!

shakeyleg02 · #2 08-01-2016, 07:17 AM

Ive used the corrugated plastic then ripped stakes on the table saw ..not sure about hard board but dont see why it wouldnt work they wont be out in the weather that long .
Dont think ive spent more than about 4 hours in field for a limit sometimes only an hour
Good luck

Pikebreath · #3 08-01-2016, 09:27 AM

5/16 or 3/8 plywood, not the lightest but you can cut the bottom into a point to stick into the ground. I started making plywood silos back in the mid 70's and by the late 80's had up to 200 made. Worked great back in the day. Very durable. Every 3/4 years just would need a fresh coat of paint and were as good as new.

Gave most away, but still have a few which occasionly get put out for nostaglia sake and they still work fine.

densa44 · #4 08-01-2016, 10:16 AM

The key to making your own is that they are free and work. If you use scrap ply wood, try to design it so the head and stake are one piece. The shape of the head and the white flash on the cheek are what make them work.

I've seen plastic bags, black for honkers and white for snows, work well.

For ducks my buddy used to use carbon paper 8"x 12" that was scrap paper from work, another fellow had end pieces of shingles about the same size but they were too heavy in my mind.

They are 1000s of ways to do this and your imagination is the key, and what is handy and free.

You need lots of them, thus you need a friend or two to help make them and put them out. Get a magnet to help pick up your shells and leave no mess, that way you can come back.

There will be lots of geese so if you scout a bit and get permission on a pea field you are good to go.

The hide, burlap held up by those black plastic posts that Peavy Mart sells for electric fence are cheap and work just fine.

Practice calling. Welcome to the hobby.

Bganz · #5 08-01-2016, 10:41 AM

Thanks for all of the advice! I don't really have any scrap material of any kind, but will keep an eye out for something like that from now on. Thanks for the tip on the magnet, being safe, clean, and respectful are my absolute top priorities. I'll post some pictures from my adventures this year! Thanks again!

walking buffalo · #6 08-01-2016, 11:39 AM

When I was twelve, I made silhouette goose decoys out of cardboard.
Cardboard boxes, heavy duty stapler, wood dowel, split-pin paper fasteners and some spray paint.

The spray-paint did a good job in waterproofing.

They worked and they lasted for years....

Do what ya can with what ya got....

densa44 · #7 08-01-2016, 11:40 AM

They will have a box of "shorts" just use what you can get for free. Light as possible. Flat black and flat white paint!

The Flint&Fly Guy · #8 08-01-2016, 12:45 PM

I built three dozen last year for my first goose hunting, but I disagree with building the stake in one piece with the decoy for a few reasons.
1. When built out of really thin plywood they break easy.
2. Some fields have hard dirt and it's not really feasible to pound on the decoy to get the stake to stick.
3. Cutting the stake and decoy out of one piece yields fewer decoys from a sheet of plywood.
4. A fixed stake complicates storage and transportation.
So to counter these problems and to make these decoys work easier in combination with my bought decoys what I did is I cut several dozen spare stakes for my bought decoys out of red oak, which is hard enough to pound into the hardest of fields. To enable these stakes to be used with my plywood dekes I took some old jeans and cut rectangles from them. I then took the rectangles and stapled them to the dekes in such a way that they formed a tight pocket for the stakes.
Thus I could cut more dekes out per sheet of plywood,
I could stack them flat with no stakes sticking out for better storage and transportation,
I could easily pound on my stakes if the ground was hard,
My stakes are interchangeable between my bought and homemade dekes making maintenance and inventory simpler,
And finnally, by stapling the denim pockets a little looser than minimum size the decoys could move on the stakes much the same way as expensive dekes move on their stands in the breeze.
I'll try to post some pics.

tikka250 · #9 08-01-2016, 06:33 PM

For material i used chloroplast corugated plastic. I bought mine at a screenprinting shop for 25 bucks a blank white sheet. I cant remember the size of the sheet but i remember getting at least a doz oyt of it. If thats still too much go to the local chain mechanic and tire shops and ask for the old promotional billboards. I know fountain tire gets rid of at least 2 4x8 sheets almost every month. Make sure you make multiple shapes so that it looks natural in the field. I made 2 shapes and it didnt look right so i would suggest 4. Good luck!

NSDucknut · #10 08-01-2016, 09:32 PM

Corrugated plastic, 4x8 sheets home depot. This was a rush job over 2 days but did the job. I toned down the colours a bit with more gray after this pic.

It's the black and white the birds are really looking for in my opinion

Bganz · #11 08-02-2016, 12:16 AM

All of these are fantastic ideas and suggestions! Thanks so much for all the tips. I will definitely check the lumber yards and ask the tire shops if they have any old billboards I could have.

I've looked at the sheets of corrugated plastic and are still a bit steep for me right now as I've had to deal with some unexpected expenses.. Either way I'm going to keep at it and find a way to build some soon!

What did you all use for outline/stencils? I'm not very "artistic" so not sure free handing will work well for me haha. I will aim for four different outlines too, thanks!

Ps your sillos look great!

tikka250 · #12 08-02-2016, 12:45 AM

If your looking for stake ideas heres a few. The snows i bought off of a guy on kijiji he used 2 methods one was a H shaped metal stake pushed into the corugated plastic and the other was just long skewers bent through holes he put in the deke itself. My canada silos i used a stiff stainless wire i sourced from work but any stiff wire should work.

For outlines i juat freehanded it and kept adjusting my drawing until it looked like a goose.

Habfan · #13 08-02-2016, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bganz

Thanks for all of the advice! I don't really have any scrap material of any kind, but will keep an eye out for something like that from now on. Thanks for the tip on the magnet, being safe, clean, and respectful are my absolute top priorities. I'll post some pictures from my adventures this year! Thanks again!

If your close to Calgary, or want to drive, I have some plastic, corrugated sheets and a template you can copy. I'll give you enough for 30. PM me.

Diesel_wiesel · #14 08-04-2016, 02:42 AM

I used tar paper
7/16 plywood
Paint black white and grey
Worked great they weren't silhouettes but more like a shell type decoy
Over the years I've shot 100's of geese over them

Diesel_wiesel · #15 08-04-2016, 09:40 AM

here's a Cpl crappy pics

drake · #16 08-04-2016, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diesel_wiesel

here's a Cpl crappy pics

Those are awesome. Well done.

Bganz · #17 08-04-2016, 12:13 PM

Those are super cool! Do you have troubles with them blowing around in the wind?

Diesel_wiesel · #18 08-04-2016, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bganz

Those are super cool! Do you have troubles with them blowing around in the wind?

No the heads and necks just fit through the hole and are a steak
The way they are formed the wind doesn't catch them very well at all

Bganz · #19 08-13-2016, 02:14 PM

First of all, huge shout out to Habfan for gifting me some plastic sheets so I could work on this, and also Brian at Arctec for helping me get some cost effective welding rod that worked! Without those two I wouldn't have been able to get the job done.

This is the final result. I made about 30 total, but only of two different poses. I'd like to make another dozen or so resters or something else, but that will have to be a bit later. I used corrugated plastic sheeting, welding rod with the flux knocked off, and camo paint(ultra flat) from Walmart. It took a while to complete but I just used scissors to cut the shapes Out which took the longest. A bandsaw or something else would have been quicker if I had the tools.

Anyways thanks again for all the help everyone! Now I just need to save up for some form of ground blind, and I'll be out in the field before I know it!

ganderblaster · #20 08-13-2016, 06:35 PM

great work! If you can't finish birds with them try a different body color. looks great though thanks for sharing.

MK2750 · #21 08-13-2016, 11:19 PM

Your geese look awesome however they will probably be hard to see from a distance. Geese (actually all waterfowl) appear dark or even black from a distance. This is why black and white is effective for silhouettes or even tar paper. A little dark brown or black (I like the Krylon camo stuff) on the backs and your deeks will draw better, especially on a light brown field.

These are not mine (picture off the net) but look very good to me.

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Bganz · #22 08-13-2016, 11:29 PM

Ya good call you guys. I was wondering about the colour. I just looked up geese online and figured that one would work. Changing some of the colour up will be super easy and I will definitely do that! Thanks for the tips, I appreciate it!

Dieiamgi · #23 08-14-2016, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NSDucknut

Corrugated plastic, 4x8 sheets home depot. This was a rush job over 2 days but did the job. I toned down the colours a bit with more gray after this pic.

It's the black and white the birds are really looking for in my opinion

Just want to say read this thread and Your home made decoy's are pretty awesome! Also learned from this thread. TY to all.

Habfan · #24 10-15-2016, 09:22 AM

I was just looking at some old threads and noticed the decoys you made. I wondered what happened with the sheets I gave you ! Good job, I hope you get a good shoot in. Lots of geese around now.

bigskinner · #25 10-15-2016, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bganz

First of all, huge shout out to Habfan for gifting me some plastic sheets so I could work on this, and also Brian at Arctec for helping me get some cost effective welding rod that worked! Without those two I wouldn't have been able to get the job done.

This is the final result. I made about 30 total, but only of two different poses. I'd like to make another dozen or so resters or something else, but that will have to be a bit later. I used corrugated plastic sheeting, welding rod with the flux knocked off, and camo paint(ultra flat) from Walmart. It took a while to complete but I just used scissors to cut the shapes Out which took the longest. A bandsaw or something else would have been quicker if I had the tools.

Anyways thanks again for all the help everyone! Now I just need to save up for some form of ground blind, and I'll be out in the field before I know it!

need to be grey tho , not tan

bigskinner · #26 10-15-2016, 11:33 AM

l have about 4 dozen decoys that l made out of cement guides , the round kind for pillars .
They work great , $30 bucks a dozen , give me a shout

gloszz · #27 10-15-2016, 02:06 PM

I made some sillos and they worked ok but decided to just get the Tanglefree sock decoys on sale for like $50. Those do wonders since it adds movement to the stand still sillos.

To make your sillos getters, go to either staples or the dollar store and get the foamcore boards. I had a bunch from my architecture classes. Super light and easy to cut. Not too much either, $1.50 a sheet and you get 2 geese from it, depends how you cut haha.