From full bodies and silhouettes to floaters and motion-makers, these top picks are sure to make your goose decoy spread put a few more birds to bed. (Chris Ingram photo)
Dive Bomb Industries – V2AF Silhouettes
Silhouettes save space, weight and set up time, as well as creating the awesome illusion of motion to circling birds… so what’s not to love? Well it’s the age-old silhouette issue, they are two-dimensional. Dive Bomb Decoys is a major silhouette player in today’s market and makes some killer ones, they even have a wigeon! They sell a lot of decoys and have come up with one that undoubtedly is a new look in flat decoys. It’s called the V2AF and it’s two geese standing side by side and overlapping. That’s a good idea, one that instantly provides the illusion of 3D depth. Add realism, lightweight design and toughness and you have a winner!
$85 per dozen $375 per 5 dozen | divebombindustries.com
Avery/GHG – Pro-Grade Sihouettes
One of the biggest current trends in goose hunting is the silhouette decoy. Now there is nothing new about the idea, goose chasers have deployed silhouettes made from all different materials for decades. What’s great about this generation is the combination of portability and realism. Greenhead Gear has joined the revolution with their new Pro-Grade silhouettes that are light, stackable and super realistic, utilizing photo print technology. Sold in dozen packs with 6 feeder and 6 active decoys included.
$100 per 12 | banded.com
LSP Webfoot – Pro Series Silhouettes II
In the goose decoy silhouette space, the Real-Geese silhouettes are the first mass produced for market. Advertisements promoting them were gracing Wildfowl pages way back in 1991. Before that, silhouettes were homemade versions made from whatever flat material was handy and then hand-painted. Fast forward to today and Real-Geese silhouettes from LSP Webfoot are still going strong. From their original Canada goose decoys, they have expanded the line to include snows, specks, sandhill cranes and ducks. But the Canada models are still their bread and butter, the top-of-the-line being the Pro Series II. These are oversized beauties, about 15% bigger than a 10-pound honker. Add in a patented, textured non-reflective surface, true to life color schemes and 12 different poses for a silhouette that rivals full body decoy effectiveness.
$250 per 12 | webfootdecoys.com
Tanglefree – Flight Speck Floaters
You know what specklebellies like a lot? Water! So, no self-respecting speck hunter can be without floating decoys in his or her arsenal. These are some great ones from Tanglefree, they look good and stand up well to heavy use. Called the Flight Speck Floaters, they are molded from ultra-realistic one-piece carvings from champion carver Michael Braun. Each active posture decoy features a weighted keel, life-like feather detail and color correct paint scheme. Whether you chase specks in California, Louisiana, Arkansas, or anywhere in between, these decoys get the job done!
$200 per 6 | tanglefree.com
Big Al’s Silos – Ken White Super Speck Pack
Big Al’s Silhouette Decoys has teamed up with former World Speck Calling Champion Ken White to develop the Super Speck pack. Ken has spent decades hunting specks on his home turf in California, learning decoying tactics that pull specks in close to the guns. These highly portable and lightweight decoys feature photo-print realism, tough fluted plastic bodies, ultra-flat low shine finish and the choice of basic or spring steel stakes. Packed in dozens with 4 searcher, 4 feeder and 4 alert body postures included.
$72 per 12 | bigalsdecoys.com
Final Approach – Live Full Body Specklebelly
Specks! There is no other goose species growing in population and popularity on the table to match the white-fronted goose, known as the specklebelly. They are fun to hunt and fun to call, and are often a lot more cooperative than Canadas or snows. Final Approach has joined the speck decoy market with their Live Full Body Specklebelly. The “live” part is on the mark, these decoys look good! Six packs are loaded with 2 uprights and 4 feeders made from a soft plastic mix designed to stand up to hard hunting. Add in the new Zero Gravity Motion System with 25” stakes and you are ready to bring them in tight.
$150 per 6 | fabrand.com
Dave Smith Decoys – Juvenile Snow Full Body
There are realistic decoys and then there are Dave Smith decoys. The Oregon-based decoy manufacturer built his business with decoys that seem to live and breathe. Close attention is paid to intricate feather details, correct body postures and color correct paint schemes, producing a decoy as close perfect as possible. New for this year is the addition of a juvenile snow goose to the DSD snow and blue goose lines. These decoys add more realism to any snow spread with the extreme body detail and vivid paint schemes that DSD are know for. Each decoy comes standard with extra-large motion cones for easy deployment, 20” stakes (30” versions available), color molded in leg stubs and tail loops for easy pick-up.
$390 per 10 | davesmithdecoys.com
Mojo Outdoors – Mini Flags
Texas goose hunters back in the late 90’s thought the spinning wing decoy was going to make it rain like it did with ducks. Turn that baby on and sit back while the snows and specks come from everywhere! Wrong! There’s something about spinning wings that geese do not like, that’s why remote-controlled spinners are a must when hunting mixed field sets. Enter the Mojo Mini Flags, an adaptation of the large attractant flags goose hunters have used for decades. Just like the Flock-A-Flickers, they spread motion throughout a decoy set instead of focusing it on one area. Each four pack comes with light and dark flags for versatility and they can run for 12 hours on 4 AA batteries.
$150 per 4 | mojooutddors.com
