# Mixing Decoys Brands



## fylling35 (Jun 15, 2007)

What do you all think about mixing decoys brands? Is there a benefit to or drawback from mixing different style/brand of decoys?

I have some Avery and a few Higdon Full Bodies and when they are sitting together, the Higdons look really dark, almost purplish. It could just be my imagination though.

I need a few more active deks too, and I was thinking that the BF Bulls look pretty nice but if mixing will hurt me, I'll be sure not to.


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## bandman (Feb 13, 2006)

Straight out of the B.P.D.S (Blind Placement & Decoying Strategies) handbook:

_"Don't mix different styles of decoys together. Geese are more likely to distinguish a difference rather than whether one decoy is better than another. Keep full bodies, silhouettes, windsocks and shells separate whenever possible. One exception...Good looking silhouettes can be real effective when facing the flight line."_

I for sure would NEVER worry about mixing different brands together, but they have a legit point on "not" mixing styles to an extent. Using a fb spread w/ silos around the blinds is not hurting anything though.

I say to heck w/ hearsay though and just do what works for you and use what your money will allow. If you got the call down, you're probably going to bring them in close enough for a deadly look anyway.


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## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

I don't do it. I don't know why it just does not feel right to me. I know thousands and thousands of birds are killed mixing brands. Like I said it is just one of my weird quirks!


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## Maverick (Mar 4, 2002)

I see no problem doing it. Especially in the back of the spread where the geese won't be landing (atleast you think they won't :fro: ) In the landing zone we do put the best looking decoys and the peckerhead for a bit more confidence for them.


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## Rick Acker (Sep 26, 2002)

Considering there are people on this site that have shot geese with milk cartons and a wooden stick in the past...I wouldn't worry about mixing your different brands...It's all about location and little bit of luck.


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## universitywaterfowler (Jul 15, 2007)

K yes there are instances where people can shoot geese with a blaze orange stick hanging out their a**, but if you want to consistently kill geese, whether your exactly where they want to be or just in their flight path, you have to look good, be out of sight, and have a great looking spread. I don't mix and match, I bought GHG elites, and I couldn't put my other decoys next to them without the other decoys looking stupid. I sold all my bigfoots, higdon stackables, silos and shells. The judges, and the higdons are darker decoys, and they do tend to look a little off... when you put them next to decoys like the bigfoots or GHG's. Lets say you have 3 doz GHG's and 1 doz. bigfoots, it wont be bad if you keep the GHG's up front and gradually blend the two together in the back. If you can afford it I would sell your decoys, and buy all of one brand, however I did the mix n match thing for a couple years and it worked for me as long as i kept bigfoots with bigfoots, and higdon stackable full bodies with higdon stackable full bodies and so on......
Yes I have found when you know how to work a call you can get geese to come into some pretty crazy situations. I have killed quite a few while my truck is in the field and we are picking up. :beer:


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## goosebusters (Jan 12, 2006)

I'm going to put this in here take it or leave it, but last early season we split our bigfoots and Avery's down the middle (let's say left side Avery's and right side big foots). Every time a goose came in, it slid to the Big foot side at the last second. Not saying Avery's don't work (over half of our decoys are Avery's) but I definetly will not sell my bigfoots to go all one brand.


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## HATCHETMAN (Mar 15, 2007)

:thumb:

Uh oh....I fear you may have opened the pandoras box known as the Avery outdoors youth field staff!!!!

BEWARE!!!

:beer:


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## WalleyeWarrior (Feb 25, 2007)

I run half BF and half GHG. We shoot mainly giants, but do get a few lessers (3-5lbs). I have noticed that the bigger geese land with the bigger decoy. This occurred on more than one occasion with the BF on one side and GHG on the other. Also had similar results when we ran 2 pods of BF and two pods of GHG. Although I believe the GHG look more like a goose to me, this happened too many times to be coincidence.


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## Sportin' Woodies (Jun 26, 2006)

thats avery's ace in the hole.
their decoys do look amazing....to humans.


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## goosebusters (Jan 12, 2006)

Sportin' Woodies said:


> thats avery's ace in the hole.
> their decoys do look amazing....to humans.


I was just going to type that... so much of the decoy market today is to appeal to the humans eye on the shelf at Cabela's I always wonder what a goose actually thinks. That's the whole thing with duck full bodies, I buy them because they look sweet, I am not even sure they actually work.

Watch the video on the link below this post...One of the hunts we split decoys was filmed, the goose at the 1:14 mark in the video and at 1:50 you can see the bigfoots on that side of the spread and both of the geese tail off that direction when they are coming in.


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## jgat (Oct 27, 2006)

HATCHETMAN said:


> :thumb:
> 
> Uh oh....I fear you may have opened the pandoras box known as the Avery outdoors youth field staff!!!!
> 
> ...


LOL that gets the post of the day award today! :beer:


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## universitywaterfowler (Jul 15, 2007)

Tell you what i wouldn't trade my elites for anything, however i would take bigfoots over the pro grades or hunter series. Only thing pro grade I will take is the sleeper shells. When i used bigfoots, higdon stackables, and some others mixed in the geese always landed by the bigfoots. My elites take over now, i use the lookers and aggressive caller in the landing zone. geese like to pile around them


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## shooteminthelips (Jun 13, 2007)

University we realize that your elites are the bomb. Thanks for the info.


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## universitywaterfowler (Jul 15, 2007)

Not tryin to be stupid like that, but if your seriously telling me that bigfoots look better than the elites i guess idk. It really comes down to bigfoot is the better decoys if you don't like tedious work such as wrapping your dekes in pillowcases then putting them in 6-slot bags. Bigfoots are the best looking... really durable decoy out. Now the elites are the best looking decoys for the price period, durable to a point, but must be taken care of and not just thrown around. 
ITS WHAT I BELIEVE TO BE TRUE IF YOU REALLY BELIEVE BIGFOOTS LOOK BETTER PLEASE EXPLAIN WHY. 
Really, is there another decoy in the ?, you have to say THESE are THE DECOYS. FA new dekes are good looking sure, but just as much as the elites, and aren't as durable, so....


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## Triple B (Mar 9, 2004)

all FB decoys will kill geese. every brand has its pro's and con's. they all have realism and it basically boils down to someones preference or taste in a decoy. it's like picking out women, some guys prefer blonds, some brunettes, some like a little meat on the bone and some don't, and occasionally someone prefers a corn fed hogger, it all depends on your preference, but in the end they all get the job done! :beer:


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## taddy1340 (Dec 10, 2004)

Triple B said:


> it's like picking out women, some guys prefer blonds, some brunettes, some like a little meat on the bone and some don't, and occasionally someone prefers a corn fed hogger, it all depends on your preference, but in the end they all get the job done! :beer:


Words of wisdom young friends!


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## bandman (Feb 13, 2006)

If you're in a good spot (dinner table), got objects that resemble geese congregating/feeding, and the calls are sounding "like geese": the rest is up to the goose's curiosity, intelligence, conditioned experience, and their ability to sense danger in an up-close environment. If you've been around the block a time or two, more often than not, you're gonna getcha some regardless what you have set out!

If you like geese in your face, just look and sound as real as possible.


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## kaiserduckhelm (May 26, 2005)

I don't care what decoy you are hunting over, most of the birds we kill come right to the callers.


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