Best Crow Decoy | DecoyPro If you want to use the mold you made it will either need mold release or to be super smooth. Removing the UpRight Weights transforms the decoy to an unprecedented level of ultra-light. Front and rear stainless steel Easy Attach Eye Bolts that will never fail. I started the heads while the mastic and burlap were setting, coating them in ultra-flat black, and hitting the beaks with flat white. Homer Decoys has been making decoys the old fashion way for over 2 decades, there isnt a style, way, shape or form we havent tried. Quick Paint Touch-Up for Mallard Decoys | Ducks Unlimited A timing system is used to sequence the . This site also has many instructional articles to help sort things out, should you get stuck. Foam filling decoys | Refuge Forums We used great stuff to fill up some diver decoys and they ended up absorbing the water and sinking. While fine feather details are great in hand, from a distance, they make absolutely no difference to the birds so dont get hung up on them if things arent perfect right away. These centerlines keep things proportional by providing a good reference line so parts dont become asymmetric. While carved decoys are certainly more expensive than manufactured plastic decoys, they add some nostalgia and a personal touch to an otherwise standard decoy rig. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. DIY styrofoam decoy - aminate the foam boards into a duck-sized block and start carving until it resembles the shape of a resting bird. It should be dry and ready for Steps 2 and 3 in two weeks. A real gobbler fan costs nothing and packs easilyand can be as effective as the full-blown fake. Chris Philpot [2] Drill four 1/8-inch holes in the butt end. It can be a challenge,. Sign up to receive Popular Science's emails and get the highlights. While there are many good resources on the internet, books available for purchase, and forums where carving legends can be chatted up, sometimes the best way to get started is to simply take the plunge and learn as you go. Series 72 Decoys While paying homage to the past, we take burlap wrapped foam decoys to a new level of excellence by using our tried and true wooden decoy heads, signature keel, and an upgraded airbrush paint job. She used the cover of a grass waterway in the field to help hide her outline, and stalked 250 yards to . Decoy Flocking Kits allow you to minimize glare, creating a realistic look from the sky. Homemade duck decoys can be painted to attract different varieties of ducks. Comments on this site are submitted by users and are not endorsed by nor do they reflect the views or opinions of COLE Publishing, Inc. Its a simple task, but these holes really bring a decoy head to life and allow carving to commence. Multiple positions; contented, feeding and breeding. Banded Birds - Black Ducks - 6, Mallards 19 (3 Jack Miner) BW Teal - 2, Wood Ducks - 1, 1 Ross and 1 snow Goose (Both reward bands) , Canada Geese - 15 (2 neck collars), Morning Dove - 1. Once dry and set, we started the painting process. Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. Pretty neat project Henry! How to make effective duck hunting decoys for under $10 With over 20 years making decoys the hard way we understand what is it takes to create and make a durable economically priced foam duck decoy the right way. Homer Decoys - Foam Decoys and Decoy Heads - Made in the USA Of Decoy Flocking Kits in the USA. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission, which supports our community. Learn more . For new carvers, acrylic paints are the cheapest and easiest to work with, as oils require mixing, cutting and other aspects that require more extensive knowledge. A forum community dedicated to duck hunters and hunting enthusiasts. Assemble at the hunting site. Feb 3, 2019 - Explore Colin Davis's board "Foam decoy carving" on Pinterest. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Thats why the current craze in decoysfield-ready taxidermy mountstrumps any store-bought foam decoy. [1] Remove the entire fan by cutting around the fleshy base of the tail. 2023 Grand View Outdoors All Rights Reserved Homer Decoys Bodies and Heads are made using all recycled materials in the United States. Wrap a layer of burlap over the foam. Primos Photoform Leading Hen Decoy. And they can tell the difference. The reason for this is simple: They dont know where to start or where to get materials, and eventually their time gets occupied with other projects. Join PopSci+ to read sciences greatest stories. But theyre also pricey and a pain to carry. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. If you don't want to bring your iPad into the bathroom, we can send you a magazine subscription for free! Base coat of uv mallard paint. Pour salt or borax onto the butt end to preserve the fan. How to make Decoys: ScoterZillias Update 3- Decoys for - YouTube These five homemade decoys are perfect for the waterfowler on a budget. Model: 69070. If you have been hunting long enough you probably have some old decoys laying around. Laying out decoys properly is imperative to the finished product actually looking like a duck. Dixie Decoys FrogSkin Timber Camo 1/4 Zip. If you like easy, simply plunk down a credit card at a major sporting goods store for a Turkey Skinz. DIY Foam Decoy Tutorial - SCDUCKS.COM Here are step-by-step instructions for how. Thanks. Cool you put some thought into it cant wait to see finished product. Our mission is to inspire the preservation of the sporting tradition. If desired, additional and reference lines can be added to make it easier to keep things equal, especially in areas where rounding will occur. They make incredible Halloween decorations and are perfect for scaring away specific birds that can harm small pets and gardens. You would probably still want to burlap the finished product just for extra durability. (3) $54.99. Step 1: Preparation Whether cork, wood or even foam, the tooling list for most decoy medias remains consistent. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. 1can does about a dozen and it seems to hold up pretty well. First, acquire a freshly killed turkey. Johnson Just let them drain and fill the holes with a squirt from a hot glue gunIf you are really OCD drill out the hole a little bigger to remove the rattling shot, that can be a game in itself :lol3: .Just a warning, that 2 part expansion foam is an absolute mess. How-to: Laminate the foam boards into a duck-sized block and start carving until it resembles the shape of a resting bird. http://www.amazon.com/Pourable-Flotatio B0047R4AQW, Shotshell, Reloading, Ballistics, & Chokes. Sorry this is long, but I wanted to share a little project I am working on. Joined May 14, 2001 Messages 540 Reaction score 160 Location Chillicothe, MO. | This ready-to-use cured skin wraps around most foam decoys to give any faux bird the look of a shimmering, fully feathered hen or gobbler. If you are interested I may be able to get the diver mold I used back and loan it out. Spring gobblers acute vision is legendary. I am trying to think about the time it will take to get the top placed on the mold. This texturing creates realistic shadowing for a more natural looking decoy. By utilizing pre-made cutouts or kits, you can make decoys with minimal tooling investment, allowing anyone to whittle out a few special blocks for the upcoming season during drab summer months. Roughed Out Decoy Cutouts or Cedar/Cork Blanks, Bandsaw (necessary for those starting with a true blank), Dremel Tool w/ Multiple Bits and Sanding Wheels, Apoxie Sculpt (Used for blending joints, filling in mistakes, etc. Lance shows how to paint decoys to bulk up your spread for the fall. I make my own foamer decoys, you can find how to information on dedduck.com. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. Keels can be attached with screws and glue or just screws alone, but should be left off until the bottom of the decoy has been primed with paint. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments. Haven't done it myself but a hunting buddy hasn't had any problems with it. 2 part urethane used for molding decoys. This is a cheap way to reuse old. Pour salt or borax onto the butt end to preserve the fan. Once sanding is complete, seal the decoy with an appropriate sealer for the media (see list above) with a minimum of two coats before moving onto paint. A guide at Turkey Trot Acres in New York, Jerome uses a mounted, full-strut jake combined with one or two taxidermy-quality hens to lure mature toms even without calls. Once you get onto the process the carving part, basically the artistic part will take about 15 minutes per decoy, the rest of the process is more or less just knowing how and doing it. Save money by making your own waterfowl decoys. This is also a good time to at least begin fitting a keel, if desired, to the bottom of the decoy. I also have my own magnum mallard mold that could be trimmed to more accurately depict a diver shape. I have never used any two part foam to make decoys, I carve mine from foam and then burlap them. The shape of the keel can be as basic as a rectangle or as detailed as a half-moon, but the important thing is that its size fits the bird. In order to make a decoy that doesnt look like a head and body were just screwed together, make sure that, during carving, you frequently mock-fit the head and body together to ensure their profiles are suitable matches for one another. 2. Once you get onto the process the carving part, basically the artistic part will take about 15 minutes per decoy, the rest of the process is more or less just knowing how and doing it. In addition to reference lines, draw in eye channels on the head to help find the proper eye set location, bill details like nostrils or nails, and any carving details desired to the body like wingtips or side pockets. I like it! I put coat of titbeond 3 on the foam, and a few sifted coats of sawdust. Painting is a skill learned over time, so start simple and add more features as your skill increases. The warmer it is the quicker it starts to go. If you run gang rigs and one sinks no biggie its attached to the line. Next comes the tricky part. Learn More Duck By I redid an aluminum boat couple years back and tried replacing the floatation foam. You just mix it 50/50 and pour it in and the stuff goes a long way. Once the roughed-out decoy is complete, begin refining the shape of the decoy by drawing half lines down the center of the body, side of the body, and around the crown of the head. It is still plenty workable as it starts to expand. See more ideas about decoy carving, decoy, carving. We create working decoys of style, character and durability that will be worthy of passing down to the next generation. Paint these wing bars so they are approximately twice as wide as their original paint job (i.e., 1/4 in. 15 Foam decoy carving ideas | decoy carving, decoy, carving - Pinterest Give 'em the ol' Texas trash bag treatment. Blending coats and white. Most of the difficulty in making your own hand carved foamer decoys is in the knowing how, you can find that at ded outdoors. Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. Drill a couple 1 1/4" holes in the bottom of the decoy with a hole saw (fore and aft), and a 1/2" or so hole on the bottom of the head, figure out how much foam you need with the expansion rate, pour it in, trim off what comes out of the holes. Gee String Our SmoothMove Dual Keels on the bottom of the decoy creates less resistance in the water for better decoy movement and allows our decoys to sit flat in a field application or on ice. Molded entirely from EVA foam, our HydroFoam line pulls double duty as both the LIGHTEST and most DURABLE decoy on the market. Cut out a foam or wooden head and neck and attach it to one side of the buoy. Wrap a layer of burlap over the foam. If you have a streak of Bob Vila in you, then this next option might be more your style. Because delicate skins dont always hold up to the rigors of the turkey woods, check out MOJOs Fan*Tom. Burlapping Old Foam Decoys - Lake State Fishing For the stake, use. However, I work at a taxidermy supply company and we make forms from two part expanding foam and the stuff is pretty easy to use. We are proud to be the official decoy of GameWay Farms. The foam expands and seals, deterring moisture (which can create mold) and pests from eating through your walls. Moisture can seep in, leading the wood to expand. Brilliant DIY Uses for Expanding Spray Foam Insulation - Family Handyman 2. Heres how to put a birds tail feathers to work for you. :thumbsup: I do own a few dozen foam filled decoys, they are in the shooting pocket, all the rest are elsewhere, seems to be working well. While decoys can be made a variety of ways, for the purposes of this instruction, the equipment list below focuses on generally available tools that you might already have around the garage, helping to minimize initial investments. Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. A single 1/4" hole under the tail feathers. I am considering . BB - one of the best canvas decoy makers our state has ever known was Dr. Chuck May out of Murrells Inlet. Spray foam is a type of insulation that expands after you spray. Homemade Foam Decoys -- Long / Pic Heavy | North Carolina Hunting and How to burlap blank foam duck decoy bodies - YouTube The splashing element, created by a hidden bilge pump, is adjustable via control flaps. HydroFoam Duck Decoys | HEYDAY Waterfowl Hunting While experts can make the details look easy, novices will find that painting intricate detail can be frustrating. I've got guys I've helped making some pretty incredible stuff after just a few months. Hardens nicely and makes them very durable. This enticer employs feathers mounted to a stake that raises and lowers a convincing tom fan with the tug of a string. Michael R. Shea/ Outdoor Life Get a large metal rod, about 10 to 12 inches in length and inch thick. Retail price is approximately $45. In the past I have used a hot glue gun to patch holes with limited success. Homer Decoys are proudly manufactured in a small community located in Piqua, Ohio. How To Make A Turkey Fan Decoy | Field & Stream With the mold volume now known, you can mix two part foam (8lb)and pour it through several 3/4" pour holes in the plexiglass in an exact quantity to minimize waste via overexpansion. Welp, go to Big lots in the summer and buy a case of the pool noodles, bundle them together and VOILA safety at its finest. Once it's mixed you'll have a few minutes before it starts to go. Just $1 per month , Lure in big gobblers using a home-made turkey fan decoy, By I'm with Wildlifer about the foam though. How to Make a Duck Decoy Mold | eHow Learn More . Sign up for our newsletter and receive insider only updates and special offers. To touch up a mallard hen, use a small brush to lengthen and widen the two white wing bars on each side of the body (bordering the speculum). Carved from foam. Next, add white paint on the upper rear tail feathers. | Dixie Decoys FrogSkin Camo Timber Hat $29.99. Cost: $9 per decoy for a dozen or more You need: Pink insulating foam board, epoxy, burlap, mastic, basswood, furring strip How-to: Laminate the foam boards into a duck-sized block and start carving until it resembles the shape of a resting bird. Step 1. Wrap a layer of. I will check the site out. Items included are: flocking, applicator, brush . I plan to burlap these before painting and will attach a small keel just for a little weight. :thumbsup: I've also seen the $3 regular spray can foam from Walmart used. Be sure that the parting line is drawn along the exact center of the decoy. I have quite a pile of leaky plastic decoys (G&H M4Ms). We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. How to Paint Decoys | Cheap Duck Decoys - YouTube Published Mar 8, 2010 9:02 AM EST, We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. By utilizing pre-made cutouts or kits, you can make decoys with minimal tooling investment, allowing anyone to whittle out a few special blocks for the upcoming season during drab summer months. Make floating decoys from foam buoys by cutting the buoy in half and attaching a wooden keel to the bottom to keep it floating properly. Just as silo decoys can create a sense of motion, so can multiple poses in decoys. Burlap Decoys | Duck Decoys | Herters Style Decoys | Foam Decoys [2] Drill four 1/8-inch holes in the butt end. How to make your own waterfowl decoys | Grand View Outdoors Cut a keel from the furring strip and epoxy in place. Start this step by using 80- or 100-grit sandpaper to smooth the decoy, making sure to get inside all the nooks and crannies to contour the decoys shape. For many waterfowlers, carving their own duck decoys is something they have contemplated but never put into action. Chuck was a great friend and unfortunately passed away a few years ago. Decoys can be made with lots of detail, or rather basic, letting the paint do the detail work. Foam board; A realistic 13"x17" strutting tom picture; Two 1/4" wooden dowels; Gorilla glue/X-treme Elmer's glue; . Scuff the PVC with sandpaper and spray-paint it a dull color, like matte black. Be like shooting any other foam filled decoy. JavaScript is disabled. To find decoy blank cutouts, parts, components and other items, check out the theduckblind.com. Anyone here make/carve DIY styrofoam decoys? - Trapperman Forums Having the same tin soldier look in a spread can leave it looking lifeless, we call it a "dead spread". For true blanks, start by either drawing your own pattern or using one from a decoy pattern book. A lot of the reason I got into carving my own foamers was back in those days all decoys were the same. 1. This ready-to-use cured skin wraps around most foam decoys to give any faux bird the look of a shimmering, fully feathered hen or gobbler. Designers and DIY . You can attempt to keep the wings attached to the entire skin or remove them prior to skinning. Published Jul 7, 2020 1:46 PM EDT. It is important to remember that defects will become more visible once paint has been applied, so take some time to check and double check that every area of the decoy is silky smooth. Because these weights are positioned both low and wide, they make the decoys self-righting every time and offer maximum decoy stability in extreme weather conditions. Strutting gobbler decoys are hot items now, and for good reason: They work. The problem with the mold release is that it gets into the foam and makes it impossible to get the glue to stick. Join PopSci+ to read sciences greatest stories. Cut one end at a 45-degree angle so you can easily drive it into the ground. (2) The economy is bad, but the duck hunting this season should be goodreal goodif you can afford to hunt it. I was wondering if anyone has done this and how it worked out? How to Make Homemade Goose Decoys - Gone Outdoors Dixie Decoys - Investment Grade Foam Decoys and Sporting Apparel No chipping or peeling. Drape Cape If you like easy, simply plunk down a credit card at a major sporting goods store for a Turkey Skinz. Michael R. Shea | With over 20 years making decoys the hard way we understand what is it takes to create and make a durable economically priced foam duck decoy the right way. Published Aug 28, 2012 12:09 AM EDT, We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Dixie Decoys Utility Pants $39.99 $79.99. It's easy to hook up your Texas Rig decoy anchors to your Heyday Decoys thanks to our built-in stainless steel, reinforced Easy-Attach Eye Bolts tested to withstand in excess of 165lbs. Only weighs 7 Oz. Be especially careful when carving the head, especially around the bill, as it can easily start to look odd and can turn from duck bill to crow beak in just a few quick passes. Combined with a light weight body, the rounded Dual-Keel design instead of a straight single keel allows a Heyday decoy to move much more freely when subjected to even the slightest breeze or current. Drill a couple 1 1/4" holes in the bottom of the decoy with a hole saw (fore and aft), and a 1/2" or so hole on the bottom of the head, figure out how much foam you need with the expansion rate, pour it in, trim off what comes out of the holes. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. Your mold is awesome though and I bet you won't have to worry about it blowing away.lol. New 2021 Primos Photoform Turkey Decoys - Lethally Realistic wide instead of 1/8 in. Cinch another tie at the top of the stake as a collar to keep the fan from sliding off the top. Homer Decoys are designed to withstand the harshest conditions possible. Decoy Flocking Kits - Flocking Unlimited Homer Decoys can proudly say that we offer the most durable decoys on the market today. I am looking at buying molds for making my own foam decoys. Great stuff is open celled foam and will eventually absorb water no matter how you cover it up. As the wood smooths, start decreasing the grit size incrementally down as low as 250 to ensure that small defects and scratches have been removed. How to Make Your Own Ultra-Realistic Turkey Decoy www.foamdecoys.com Just $1 per month . Proprietary Photoform process using actual imagery of a turkey. Some guys clamp the mold and plexiglass unit to a piece of shelving to force the foam to expand fully within the mold to get a slightly denser decoy. Homer Decoys was recently sold to the Hash family and is now located in Conowingo, Maryland. M.D. Homer Decoys gives you a step by step how to burlap foam decoys. How To Take Care Of Your Decoys | BestHuntingAdvice Duck Hunting - FOAM FILLED DECOY ( DIY ) - YouTube Gee String Those are some sweet looking decoys! http://workingdecoys.net/workingdecoysforum/index.php, Shotshell, Reloading, Ballistics, & Chokes. Can patch the hole in the head with apoxie sculpt if you want or just shape the foam. A good way to avoid the bill becoming disproportional is to carve the majority of the head before even rounding the ends of the bill. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. A single 1/4" hole under the tail feathers. Its just $1 per month . It is much harder, thus more durable. The mold only cost about $12 to make and the cans of spray should give 1.5 or more decoys per can and each can was less than $4. If you remove the wings, you can pluck a few major wing feathers and attach them to the foam decoy when you drape it with your skin. Inflatables. JavaScript is disabled. For the waterfowler on a budget, these 5 decoys you can easily be made at home. We set the decoys in a warm well ventilated area, and let them set and dry for 48 hours. Then, skin the turkey out. In all applications, paint or prime the entire decoy in one color, likely white or black depending on the outer color of the finished decoy; i.e., a white base for canvasbacks and black for black ducks. You will see it change from an amber brown to a light yellow. While its still wet, sprinkle 20 Mule Team Borax liberally over the skin and let dry for a minimum of two weeks. Thanks for the information. US composites is a good source for the 2 part poly foamI'd get the 3 or 4 pound density foam, the 2 pound is a little bit light unless you just want a bunch of cheap decoys.