[skyball]

I'd like to pick up a couple dozen this summer, whats the best crane decoy on the market for the money?

Thanks! :beer:

 

[GooseBuster3]

Carrylite makes one hell of a fullbosy, but they want $$$ for them. Outlaw also makes a good to.

 

[cooter]

We hunted with outlaw crane decoys last year in Sask. and they worked great. We took some nice pics of them landing in the decoys. Limited out every day 5 a piece.

 

[djleye]

How many dekes did you set up for them. I would love to see the pics if you couold post them!!

 

[specklr]

Yea I would like to know as well we used a dozen on and around our dark goose spread last year and we get some but not what I would like to have had come in

 

[bioman]

edited.

 

[nodakoutdoors.com]

Here's Bioman's pic:

 

[bioman]

Thanks Chris, I had no clue on how to post a pic on the thread side (or for that matter the photo gallery) . Any pointers would be great!

 

[nodakoutdoors.com]

Check out the Image Tutorial. It includes a download for shareware imaging software if you don't have any.

I'm going to update the forum with some more features later this month, including in this case an "attachment uploader", where you can post a link to your photo (which will be stored on my server).

Hope this helps.

 

[djleye]

God I think that would be fun to hunt those B52's over decoys. I have pass shot them by accident before but to see them come into decoys must just be awesome!!!

 

[bioman]

DJ:

I will take shooting 3 cranes over decoys over and above all other types of waterfowl hunting. There is nothing in waterfowling that compares to shooting three 15 - 18 pound cranes at 40 yards, wings set, with nothing but waves of cranes filling the skyline and their piercing/haunting calls filling the wind swept morning on the prairie. One limit over decoys and you will be forever changed.

 

[stevepike]

Bioman,
No offense but 15-18 lb cranes sound like the 20 lb honkers people shoot "all the time". Not very realistic.
We have been taking the measurements from the cranes we get and they are usually 9-10 lbs with some of the greaters in the 11.5-13.5 lb range. I would love to see some as large as you mentioned but I have only hunted cranes in ND...
Do you actually weigh them or is this a guesstimation? I know they are big and a blast to hunt (pretty tasty too) but I think you may have overestimated their size a bit.

 

[bioman]

Steve:

Thanks for information, I was only guesstimating and it appears that I was high.

I looked up the biology in the my Audubon Encyclopedia and here it is...

"Sandhill crane ... 34 - 48 inch long, wingspread 6 - 7 feet..."

"Weight - Adults weigh from 5.7 pounds to 14.4 pounds, depending on the subspecies."

 

[stevepike]

Those things look like their 30lbs when they are coming by up close. I always likened them to Pterodactyl's. Especially with their eerie call when coming outta the fog.

 

[bioman]

Steve:

I am constantly amazed at how few people actually hunt these birds. The biggest bonus is that other waterfowl species will always utilize a field crane are using for feeding. I guess nothing says protection to a mallard or a Canada goose, like a field of 500 three to four foot sentries.

Mandan huh? Are you a local or a transplant? I am a former N.D. resident who spent the formative years in the confines of the walls and halls of the Mandan Public School District (even an alumni of Mandan High 8) ).

 

[gooseman32]

We hunt cranes in Sask., Ca. We used homemade decoys. made out of plywood and conduit with real nice paint jobs. Last year on the last day of the hunt we set up for dark geese. Well when morning came the dark geese didn't show up. But we were set up about a 1/2 mile away from a crane roosting area. We had a few crane decoys set out for confidence. We killed a big bunch of cranes a big hand full of light geese and a few darks. We ended up with about 50+ birds. A great way to end the week!![/img]

 

[djleye]

So....How many dekes do you need and if you set them up with others, darks, ducks, snows, can you set them close or do they need to be a ways away??? I am getting more interested in this as I go. If you set up only crane decoys what other species will come in or do you need the other decoys too??

 

[gooseman32]

We have more luck having cranes fly over our spread of geese. We have not had any luck pulling geese or ducks into a all crane spread. We will use a few crane decoys as confidence decoys outside our goose spreads.

 

[nodakoutdoors.com]

We have more luck having cranes fly over our spread of geese. We have not had any luck pulling geese or ducks into a all crane spread. We will use a few crane decoys as confidence decoys outside our goose spreads.

Just out of curiousity...are you referring to crane hunting in Ohio? If so, what types of numbers do you see out there?

 

[KEN W]

I heard Outlaw filed for bankruptcy.