[mallard]

After a tough go of it later in the season I thought about flocking the heads on my bigfoots.Have any of you guys tried this?If so did you notice a difference at all in how the geese decoyed?

 

[Decoyer]

One thing you have to keep in mind with flocking is that it rubs off very easily. You will have to really baby the heads if you do this.

 

[goosehtr4life]

Not sure what flocking is, but what works for us is putting the geese in small familes from 6-10 in a spread and have about 10-15 familes in the spread. We use silouette's and have had a lot better success than with Bigfoots. Also we use the final approach blinds and cover them with mud to take any glare off they might have. Also especially late season you must have some sort of movement in the decoys and the more people calling the better. I hope this helps, we shoot the majority of our geese after Dec.1 every year.

 

[Austin Bachmeier]

Flocking is coating the black on the head with fuzzy material so it doesn't shine. It is also done to the butt, and there is white available for the cheek patches.

 

[nodakoutdoors.com]

I've thought about flocking mine many times, but for all the work and money I'm not sure it's worth it. Like Decoyer said, the paint will rub off and I don't want to do it over and over again. But I'm taking this opinion only off what many others that flock have said.

My .02

 

[Decoyer]

Scheels in Fargo used to have a flocked head set up. I didn't really think it looked all that impressive. I don't think you will get what you are looking for out of a do it yourself flocking kit. I think the really good flocking jobs are custom done.

 

[Qwack]

I think it looks really good but it is expensive and it does come off easily. I read on another forum that hobby shops sell stuff to flock the inside of jewelry boxes that works well and is a lot cheaper than the stuff sold specifically for hunters.

 

[mallard]

goosehunter,I have done everthing that you mentioned with decoys and blinds etc.I was shown the basics on how to hunt by Doug and Chris.I was hunting some very decoy shy geese.One thing a friend of mine has thought of is to take my goose shells and set them up like the higdon full body stackables,the ones that are movement decoys.He is a handy man kind of person that is going to experiment while he is laid off this winter.He also is going to work on making a homade saunders flapper.Chris,last time I talked to Randy he flocked most of his decoys,he has a heck of alot of them.Maybe it would be worth getting hold of him to see how durable the stuff is.

 

[Madison]

If you want a couple of more ideas for adding movement to the spread, I've talked to some experienced goose hunters who actually tape black balloons to the backs of their full bodies for movement.

Also, in Macks Prairie wings there are some very realistic moving heads that replace the heads on bigfoots or higdon full bodies, they kinda bob up down depending on the wind. I first saw these at the MN sportsman show and was like WOW! these are at the top of my christmas list for sho!! Sorry I cant think of the name but its something like "wildlife heads"??? If anyone has used them or seen them let me know how they have worked for you..OH and never forget the flag if you need movement!!!

Keep it reeel
madison

 

[MNhunter]

I would HIGHLY recommend flocking the heads. All my Foots are Flocked.....(10 doz) Really helps on bluebird days, you can really see a diff with the flocked and unflocked when the sun is out. Yes you do have to baby them a little, have heard of fellas putting socks on the heads. I just toss em in the trailer, my gear gets used hard. We will need to touch em up but thats life.

Flock em'! Youll thanks me later! :beer:

Kill em all! :sniper:

 

[MNhunter]

Check out this site for flocking kits

http://www.goosebusterdecoyflocking.com/

 

[mallard]

Have the day off and started flocking my big foot heads. WOW!Boy do they look good!Nothing like the crappy ones that are in the Fargo scheels.I I used a wire brush on the grinder to scuff them up before applying the material as I was told it makes a big difference in durabilaty.I was also told that transporting the heads in a separate bag helps.God do they look awesome!

 

[Decoyer]

I understand that you can remove the original heads pretty easily, but I thought you aren't supposed to remove the heads from the feeders?

 

[Decoyer]

I forgot to ask, mallard, what brand flocking are you using?

 

[mallard]

Decoyer,I bought the velvet feathers at scheels but I think they are all about the same as far as price and quality goes.I didnt know about the feeders where you are not supposed to remove the heads.I guess I will have to get a bunch of tube socks to protect them.The heads are going back on and not coming off if that is the case.I have another dozen to go and also have to paint the white patches.

 

[T Shot]

The flocked heads in Scheels were not done correctly, the guy that did them didnt rough up the heads or get enought on to get a decent look. IMO they look very good when done right and last quite a while, I have my bigfoots and silos flocked and man does it make a difference. Decoyer, havent seen you in the store for a while, you must come on days when I'm not working. Stop in sometime.

 

[Pluckem]

I flocked my BigFoot heads at the beginning of the season. It looks awesome! It does take some time and some touch ups at the beginning of every season but I enjoy doing that kind of stuff it gets you in that hunting mood and there is only a few things better in life than hunting. I used a flocking kit from Donjer http://www.donjer.com and i think it worked great and held up nice. I got the 3 ounce bag of fibers and the 8 ounce bag of glue. I did 1 dozen heads with that and had enough to do six more. Cheapest stuff I have found, check it out.

 

[mallard]

pluckem,I have a pamplet from donjer.Did the fibers fade at all?What color did you get(dont know if they carry more than one shade of black for colors).They are a heck of a lot cheaper than velvet feathers.Also do you do any thing to protect the heads when you are transporting them?

 

[Pluckem]

Mallard, I think they only have one shade of black, I know I got the plain black. The glue also come in the same color as the fibers you get so the glue will be black also. Mine didnt fade at all. I keep the heads in a camo cloth bag about the size of a normal backpack and the feet and bodies in the deke bag. Works great, I just handle the camo bag with a little more care. The directions say all you have to do is put a coat of latex paint on them but I would suggest you sand the heads too. Any other questions let me know.

 

[Matt Jones]

Forget flocked full-bodies! They don't look that real and will soon become a thing of the past.

If you want realistic decoys...just check these Bad Boys Out!!!

http://www.partridgecreek.ca/decoy/nonedekes.html

Man, I'm going to start making a spread for next year. I'm thinking a dozen or two of these and I'll have those late season wary honkers landing in my Lap for sheezy! :wink: