# In your opinion, whats the best deke and why?



## kkelly (Apr 19, 2008)

I'm looking to buy some full body goose dekes in the next couple of months and right now, I'm looking at Big Foots for there durability.

I want to get some other opinions. What is your favorite deke and why?


----------



## benelliguyusa85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Best decoy based on apperence is DSD in my eyes, price not so much. However im a huge fan of ghg lessers small and great detail.


----------



## whitehorse (Jan 28, 2008)

they each have strengths and weaknesses

for example, big foots will last a long time, but don't look the best

dsd look the best, but cost waaay too much money

averys are reasonable price if you buy them used on here, but then you need bags too. The ffds are very nice looking and hold up well, and should be able to go without bags

If I wasn't worried about replacing a dozen or so every couple of years, without a doube I would get FFDs and not bag them, just toss em in and toss em out. From what I have used, the bodies hold up very well! They look great, and used are usually about $125 or so

just depends what you want!!


----------



## kkelly (Apr 19, 2008)

Good info guys. Its much appreciated.

In doing all of this research, I've come across Dakota Decoys. Anyone every use them? I know they are big and they've got great detail, but what is their durability like? Do they compare to Bigfoots?

I'm looking at spending about $300-400 in a few months on a good looking starter spread. 2 dozed, or so, used full-body dekes that will last a while. Emphasis on the "good looking", and the "last a while". Thats why I'm looking into BF's, for their durability. But I didn't want to rush into a purchase that I'm going to regret, having to replace the new dekes next off season. I've kind of crossed-out GHG, Avery, and DSD's and I'm looking into these Dakota's. Obviously they look way better than BF's but its the durability that I'm worried about.

Any other opinions would help! Thanks guys!


----------



## Buck25 (Mar 27, 2008)

If your not going to get dropzones you might as well just stand in the feild and do jumping jacks


----------



## teamshakeandbake (Oct 14, 2008)

Dakotas are good choice, not sure about there durability tho. I had a friend hunt early season with some guys from the company , they were braggin it up and when he went to kick it to show how durable they are it cracked. :-?


----------



## Hoppsa (Mar 26, 2009)

I dont know about Big Foots not looking good. They look pretty good to me. They geese seam to like them too.


----------



## Horker23 (Mar 2, 2006)

Go with foots! they will last you longer and for the amount you wanna spend you could find some used one's for that price! I run GHG's but for someone wanting to start out the price is right and like Hopp said they look pretty good! Ive seen some pretty old bigfoots in great condition and are still huntable!


----------



## AdamFisk (Jan 30, 2005)

Bigfoots!!!!!!

Durable, look WELL beyond good enough to kill geese, and decently priced, especially if you can catch them on sale. Oh, best part of all, you don't have to piss around with bags and stakes.


----------



## kingcanada (Sep 19, 2009)

it depends on what you want. many guys love bigfoots because they can be abused more. i personally don't like them. they take up too much space. i use a mix of ghg's. by mixing full size and lessers i can get a great number of poses and avoid the tin soldier look. i run mostly lessers. saves a lot of space as your spread gets bigger. real canadas vary in size so i feel that adds realism too. the ghg motion system is the best on the market . i am picky about things since we rarely see traffic geese in my part of wyoming. the same birds get hit by the same hunters for 4 months, and they get sensitive to little details. one detail that kills you anywhere that gets sunny weather is glare. ghg offers fully flocked decoys and they work. i am weining myself off the pro grades as money allows. shine flaring is a real plague in our sunny fields. sure ghg's have to be handled with more care, especially the ffd's, but i feel it is worth the effort. hard work always has it's reward and this is not a lazy man's sport.


----------



## Buck25 (Mar 27, 2008)

I think ffds are way over rated, I hunt in spots where their is a lot of pressure and I just really dont think they help in all honesty. Besides the fact that you can only count on having them look nice for 1 season.

As far as lessers go they do look good and kill geese, but the thought of making a bigger spread because you can fit more in your trailer i dont agree with. 8 dozen dakotas or foots is going to look bigger than 10 dozen avery lessers..

just my opinion


----------



## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

Bigfoots are the only way to go. They hold up to abuse and kill birds.

I hunted over Dakota's and they are good decoys too. You may want to buy some of both and see which one you like better.


----------



## hoss711 (Dec 27, 2009)

I am suprised that no one as said Dakota Decoys they are durable I would say second only to Big Foots

Here are the Pro's and Con's

I think they have better paint than Big Foots and GHG and more detail in the body.
The next is both a pro and con they are heavy this is good because they don't fall over like GHG but A long walk will be a pain.
They are also very large so hard to store but very visable in a feild.

I hunt with 3 dozen Dakotas and 2 dozen GHG lessers and 24 FA Shells 
I leave the dakotas if I have a long walk. So I would say your best off with a mix of decoys so you are flexible to the stuation you are hunting.


----------



## kingcanada (Sep 19, 2009)

the dakotas look too lumpy. real geese just aren't all bulged out in the butt like sir mix-a-lot's girlfriend.
but thinking about that walk out to the field, that's one more reason i like smaller full bodies like ghg lessers, dsd's, and the like. on days when you have to walk your gear out into the field, being able to put more decoys in a bag means fewer trips back and forth. walking gear out takes a bunch of time and being rushed sucks. so does getting up an extra hour early when it is a 45 mile drive to the field anyway. 3 a.m. is not my friend.


----------



## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

On walking days, a guy is smart to get Realgeese.

Kingcanada, I thought the same about the Dakota's but if you step back a couple yards, you don't even notice the riod bulge.


----------



## Chuck Smith (Feb 22, 2005)

All of these posts are great.

The first thing is look at the type of hunting and conditions you will be doing. What I mean by this is that will you be only driving in your gear or will you be hiking it in. That is a big deal. Second will you be hunting short stubble or mainly corn fields? Will you be using layout blinds, etc. What will you be hauling our gear in...trailer, truck bed, car, etc?

All of this should play a factor.

If you will be packing in your decoys 50% of the time.....go smaller (GHG, dsd, etc.) If you are only going to trailer in your gear....go bigger. Also bigfoots take up more space in a trailer.

Because like one person stated.... because 10 doz. bigfoots or dakota's makes a spread look even bigger than 10 doz ghg's.

Also people state motion of the ghg's....they are nice but a couple flags give great motion as well and you don't have to mess with the stakes and bases. Because you can throw out bigfoots fast. Set up time is much less with foots...IMO.

Ok with all that said....what I started out with was bigfoots. Then I have added more foots and ghg's. I have about 12 doz decoys. When our group hunts we have about 25 doz. a mix of foots, ghg and flocked lessors ghg's and shells. We have a mix. But if I am going to buy anymore decoys i will buy foots.


----------



## Traxion (Apr 16, 2004)

For me, there are two scenarios-

When having to pack in, or if traveling hunting roosters, etc. with geese being a possibility, I use Real Geese Pros. This year I hunted over them on 80% of my hunts and the geese worked just as well as with FB's. No shine with the Pros and you can pack them easily. I would honestly run then 100% of the time if I didn't deal with frozen ground.

When I have the trailer and can drive in (or get close), Bigfoots are it for me. I've had durability issues with the GHG honkers and lessers I have purchased (and I am GOOD to my gear), very disappointing. Bigfoots look decent, are tougher than nails, and just flat work. They do take up room and can blow over in the wind when it gets heavy, but overall I don't believe they can be beat. I won't be buying anything else.

I really like Dakotas, but can't justify the price difference between them and Bigfoots. They are tough, the bases are great and the decoys don't blow over. If you are into motion, which I am totally not, the Dakota motion system is the best out there, base stays attached and no goofy pinned to the side looks in heavy winds like the GHG. As far as the looks, in hand they are weird and lumpy. However, in the field they look really, really good.


----------



## kkelly (Apr 19, 2008)

> The first thing is look at the type of hunting and conditions you will be doing. What I mean by this is that will you be only driving in your gear or will you be hiking it in. That is a big deal. Second will you be hunting short stubble or mainly corn fields? Will you be using layout blinds, etc. What will you be hauling our gear in...trailer, truck bed, car, etc?


Thanks for bringing this up. I'm going to be driving in as much as possible. We had a very wet spring-fall season in ND and I could only drive in a fraction of the time. As far as the types of field goes, we mostly hunted stubble because of the late corn harvest (due to everything being wet). If things are dryer this year, there is a chance I'll be hunting more corn. And lastly, I'll be transporting the dekes in my 03 Ram short box. I've got a topper on it now but I can always take it off. I'm looking to fit about 2 dz FB dekes, probably Bigfoots.

Would 2 dz Bigfoots fit in a short box? Would there be any room to spare? I can also take the topper off and use my spider-web bungee chord. A trailer is out of the question, unless someone were to give me one....oh how nice that'd be!!


----------



## tikkat3 (Jun 27, 2006)

My trailer is a pickup box trailer with a topper and if you take the feet off 2 doz bigfoots takes up about the front 3 ft. of the trailer and the feet dont take much room at all so yes you could easily fit 2 doz bigfoots in a pickup box with topper


----------



## kkelly (Apr 19, 2008)

Thanks for all of the input guys! I think I'm going to end up going with Dakota's. Their looks are incomparable to Foots and they last just as long.

Anymore thoughts are appreciated!!


----------



## Fred_Bear (Oct 24, 2008)

If your set on Dakotas I'd wait til their new XFD's and lesser models come out this year and pick what you like best out of all the different styles. I know I sure would love to get my hands on some Dakota XFD lessers for next year. Anyone seen them in person yet?


----------



## kingcanada (Sep 19, 2009)

i'll tell you which is best! whichever full bodies are in the classifieds real cheep! :lol:


----------



## gamberc (Mar 10, 2008)

Now i know you have read every post under the son but here's my two cents. I love Dakotas one because there paint is awesome and it holds up two they are very durable i dont know about you but theres no point in punting your decoys you spend alot of money on and dont see any reason why this should deter you away from a certain brand of decoys. As for dakotas be to big its an opinion.....the way i see it i love the size of the dakotas and the "lumpiness" because from a birds eye view they look like a real bird the emphasis on the the side pockets for just that reason, remeber guys your not going to shoot geese cause you think the decoys look good its what the birds want. As for that being said if it was me i spend the extra money in the long run and get Dakota's they hold up good and look great and you dont have to worry about keeping the stake and decoy together just move the whole decoy with the stake and all. hope this helps


----------



## prins (Sep 11, 2008)

I hunted over the fully flocked Dakotas last fall and they were awesome. i have seen the new lesser Dakotas, it is a one piece decoy and they will be a little smaller than the Avery FB. I'm going to throw a few dozen in my spread this coming year. and for durability, lets just say you have to try to break them. i would not buy any different decoy.


----------



## Blue Plate (Jul 31, 2006)

How do you guys really know how durable Dakota are. They have only been out for a few years. Bigfoot have been on the market for 25+ years with a proven track record.

The great thing is there are so many choices out there, pick that on that fits you the best. Real geese, foots, DSD, dropzones, Dakotas and avery are all great decoys, will help you kill geese and have fun. Pick what fits your budget and the way you hunt.


----------



## API (Jul 14, 2009)

Most durable: Big Foot by wide margin. They can withstand years of heavy use and can be made to look better with judicious use of an air brush.

Most realistic: Gotta be DSD. They have a reputation for being fragile, but you can't beat the detail. I hear that the upcoming new version is much more robust. We''l see.


----------



## liener (Sep 25, 2003)

bigfoots and ghg ffds the only way to go


----------



## waterfowler22 (Aug 30, 2007)

I say dakotas. There the most durable, best priced and most realistic. I think its funny how many decoy experts we have in the area. :beer: Never short on addvice!


----------



## Andy Weber (Nov 18, 2009)

waterfowler22 said:


> There the most durable, best priced and most realistic. I think its funny how many decoy experts we have in the area. :beer: Never short on addvice!


Speaking of decoy experts................


----------



## duckp (Mar 13, 2008)

Well guess I'm not an 'expert' but over 20 years ago I bought 36 Bigfoots.Got 34 left.One went awol somewhere and the other took an idiots 3.5 inch at 20 yds.Probably could have saved it but.....
One of these years I may even flock a few.
And I hunt/kill geese in areas full of 'experts'.Dunno if I made a good buy or not.Seems so and I'm tired of 'bagging' fancies owned by friends so will stick with mine.
I can get those and a few mallards in a short box and my backseat.Of course thats jamming em in but thats 'footing' it.


----------



## Save Hens (Mar 15, 2008)

i gotta go with FFD lessers. they take up less space in the trailer and very lightweight in the slotted bags for the days ya gotta hump decoys in. Dakotas are on the top as well


----------



## TL1FAAT (Apr 16, 2009)

Be careful with dakota heads! my group got 16 dakotas fresh for 2008 early season and the heads have broke off at least 6 of them. We hunt a lot but are not rough on our decoys...everything is bagged and in an enclosed trailer. I'm not sure if we got a bad batch of heads or what but that is some food for thought.


----------



## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

Call Dakota Decoys and they will send out new heads, more then likely for free. They had a bad batch of heads in 2008.


----------



## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

I chuckle when I hear the comment "bigfoots take up more room". Yes and no. I don't think some guys realize how much space bagged decoys take. Particularly if you start hanging them. Sometimes they take MORE space than bigfoots.


----------



## Ron Gilmore (Jan 7, 2003)

Like shotguns most people think what they hunt over is the best! I use GHG both ffd and non flocked. I did so because of price when first starting to build a spread. The motion system also was a big factor and remains a big factor as well. Like others said space also was a concern but bagged decoys do take more room.

As time goes by I hunt mostly over the FFD and use less of them. Cold frosty mornings the FFD eliminate the glare issues a lot better. Walk in hunting as well allows me to pack in my decoys in a much easier manner and use less.

GHG are not nearly as durable as BF, no doubt, and BF will kill geese, but the cone system of motion gives GHG the most flexibility in how a person wants to hunt. Good example is during the late season when it is cold. Geese do not feed standing, they pull their feet up and feed then move and do it all over again. GHG head design allows me to set them directly on the ground without the decoy setting sideways.

If I was not hunting late season and only early season geese, BF would have been the way I went. To be blunt details like feathered backs and such are for the hunters eye not birds as there vision is much different in picking things up. This is why silos work as well.

I have hunted over BF,GHG,Higdon,Dakota,Drop Zones, and only late season does it really matter.


----------



## Bloodyblinddoors (Oct 25, 2006)

Big Foots. They last forever and hold their value. Geese love'em.


----------

