# 5/8 and Fullbody setup times



## southLA (Aug 12, 2011)

Just what the title says. At what rate are y'all putting these out?

Thanks.


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## Snowpro (Mar 3, 2009)

Here in Arkansas it takes four guys 2 hours. Our 5/8 shells have the motion cones installed in them. This makes a big difference when sitting up in the dark. We our also dealing with some pretty nasty fields.


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## teamshakeandbake (Oct 14, 2008)

buy deadlys much easier and faster!


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## bluebird (Feb 28, 2008)

I would agree DD much easier and faster but the 5/8 put the stake through the hole first tehn put in ground. I am not sure for time but with 420 5/8 we have found 4 people are the minimum that make it not that to bad.


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## XFactor (Apr 4, 2011)

Alright here is the thick and skinny on 5/8 shells in my opinion. This is more info then you are looking for.

1. The setup is not horrible but definetly not as easy as sillosocks or even Fullbodies for that matter because you have to find the hole for the stakes. With a crew its very doable
2. They give realism and if you bore out the holes they have better movement then Fullbodies (looks reallt good with some wind)
3.You can fit 3x as many decoys in the same area as fullbodies (Not Sillosocks or deadlys for that matter)
4.They are affordable
5.It isnt fun putting head on and off everytime you set the decoys up, but nice that they stack up for more room.

I have ran 5/8 for awhile bit have been convereted a few years back to sillosocks, but I still own some in case I want some realism around the blinds

But to Answer you question bluntly, the setup of all the decoys I would say they are on the worse side of things, but the pros may out way the cons for you and your crew! :beer:


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## the professor (Oct 13, 2006)

Bore out the hole on the shell a little, and paint the top 1/4" of the stake with glow paint used for fishing lures; makes it a lot easier to set the dekes in the dark.


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## southLA (Aug 12, 2011)

I have other FB dekes with the motion cones so I have an idea of how fast they set up. Are the motion stakes a lot more of a hassle? And if you put cones do they stack at all? Thanks


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## bluebird (Feb 28, 2008)

When it comes to taking the heads off the 5/8 i would never. We did it once and and never again, takes way to much time up. The feeders still stack fine. Not worth putting motion cones in them you might as well just buy some used FB.


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## shooteminthelips (Jun 13, 2007)

5/8 shells are a pain in the but the stakes aren't really long enough and they have tendency to bend and break. I ran 600 full bodys for a full year and with 6 guys from the time when you unloaded everything from the trailer, drug everything out in the field (cause we couldn't drive in), set stakes, placed decoys on stakes, brushed blinds, put rotarys/flyers up, and then put out ecallers out. It was a 4 hour venture every morning. And I thought we had a very good system. I would say now with running socks again we can setup in half the time. Most people with a good pace can put out 30 dozen socks in under an hour. The only way I would consider running a full body spread again is if I could drive my truck and trailer in the field every morning. My best hunts have always been over socks.

Having to have a big trailer, pay more in fuel, spend more time draging crap into the field, longer setup times, and the extra cost in the spread didn't pay off at all.

Even to have 15 dozen snow full body's around the blinds doesn't really make sense. The first decoys that the birds see when they start there decent to the spread is socks and then the last they see are full bodys or 5/8th shells isn't going to make the bird commit any better. Use socks, hide well, be in a good area, have good sound for your spread, and you will have more then you can even eat in your freezer!

Decoy companies make decoys that fool us hunters a lot of times. Which makes us over think our spreads and spend stupid amounts of money on the decoy. But in reality we need to look at the overall big picture and become better hunters. Which means figure out way to get hide better, sound better, shoot better, and be more detail orientated.


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## GVGoose (Oct 8, 2005)

Shooteminthelips gives some really good advice and this is true to no matter what decoy you use. Whatever decoy you use is totally up to you. All decoys have their pro's and cons. There are days when I'd like to use socks and there are days when I would never want a single one in my spread. To each their own and to each circumstance a different scenario. Nonetheless, I've hunted over almost every decoy in the market. We use FB's and 5/8 shells and if you find a system and get everyone on the same page, setup times are actually quicker than most people assume. Yea there's a stake you must put first and then the decoy so it's a 2 part system. I've set spreads of all socks and spreads of all fb's and the times are really similar. If you're wondering about what decoy you should buy based on setup time, ask yourself how many people you will have on a regular basis. We've set spreads with 3 people in less than 2 hours. The most important thing for any group to remember is have a plan/job for each person and stick with it. The amount of time you can kill by standing around or not being efficient is alot more than you think! FB's or 5/8 shells are more than doable in quick amounts of times if you are organized and efficient.


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## PA Snow Hunter (May 18, 2011)

Great info guys!! Keep it coming! I myself am starting to build a fullbody spread. Problem is we need more gunners! Usually its my dad and I setting our 1400 Sillosocks/50 flyers, rotarys, etc. This takes about 2.5 hours, driving into the field, With ideal conditions.


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