# how many silhouette decoys?



## kylemckeil (Jan 8, 2008)

how many decoys would you reomend using for canadas if im using all silhouette decoys?


----------



## Blue Plate (Jul 31, 2006)

Depends on where, when, why. 

If you are hunting on the X you could hunt over 3 dozen no problem. If you're hunting traffic geese at least 10 dozen. In the early season you could get by with fewer than 3 dozen, if you are where they want to be.


----------



## Sean Ehmke (Jan 4, 2006)

I hunt alot of traffic geese since I don't really want to scare off the birds. I have been using 1 dz full body, 1 dz shells (w/ motion) and 1dz silhos. I just purchased 2 more dozen silhos since they were on sale. The thing is I am a so so caller and if you are well hidden and in a place they want to be you should have no problems. This is my best year, I am up to 50, plus the only way to find out is trial and error.

Just my :2cents:

Sean


----------



## Preds21 (Feb 12, 2008)

kylemckeil said:


> how many decoys would you reomend using for canadas if im using all silhouette decoys?


I would hunt over none personally but if u hunt over them put out a few shells with them so when the birds get straight overhead they still have something to see especially late in the season or if hunting only silho's i would make the suggestion of puting them on a slant to make them visible from streaigt uo and so they can still be seen from out front of the landing zone don't know if that will work but it might be worth a try


----------



## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

A guy at realgeese told me the 2 dozen per person. I have only used with with other decoys so idk how only sillo's would work. I know that people use them so they must work.


----------



## kberggren (Mar 27, 2006)

Back in early College i made all my own silhouettes and sillosocks. I used anywhere from 120-180 sillhouettes and depending on the wind i would use around 40-45 home made windsocks. I shot a lot of geese using these and really like the advantages of silhouettes. Easy to pack in, light, and don't take up a lot of room, and cheap. Plus, not a lot of hunters (at least in my area) use silhouettes and gives the geese something completely different to look at. Each silhouette cost just over $1 and also had all the heads were flocked. They were made out of Corroplast and had a 3/16 steel stake that made it easy to hammer the stake in if the ground was frozen. I would say if just using silhouettes you would want at least 4-5 to start out with or 2-3 dozen per hunter. Most of the time there would be 3 or 4 of us. I later bought 3 dz economy sillosocks and painted them to match my silhouettes and they looked really good together! Be sure to space your silhouettes out, People have a tendensy to keep them close together and its almost the excact opposite, especially if your only using a couple dozen. If there were 3 or more hunters i would kind of make an X pattern with my silhouettes using family groups. This also helped if the wind changed all you would have to do is move the blinds. If it was just me or had only one other hunter i would make a Y pattern with the V part on the down wind side of the spread. The only silhouettes i like better than mine were real geese but the stakes are big and are a pain if the ground is frozen. I now have a spread of DSD fullbodies but still use my silhouettes on occasion depending on what the situation is.


----------



## Preds21 (Feb 12, 2008)

And what situation would u use the sillo's in?


----------



## Traxion (Apr 16, 2004)

I believe goose silos will work essentially anytime. You've got built in motion and good looks, not to metion the most portable decoy out there. There are lots of guys who use silos almost exclusively. Sean Mann is a good example, along with some very prominent guides on the east coast.

Having shells, etc. mixed in has made zero difference in my hunts with silos. I believe the view from above is much different than our perception, and the birds are always seeing decoys one way or the other.

I have 6 dozen I run when I need portability, or just want a quick in and out hunt. They work. I think 2 dozen per man is minimum. I also think that you need 1 1/2 dz. silos for every dz. of usual decoys you use. That said, if you are on the 3 dozen will get it done. When you get into traffic, 10+ would by where I'd go.


----------



## kberggren (Mar 27, 2006)

This is when now i normally use Silhouettes. 
1. Migration Days - I hunt a lot of lakes that has no cover around the bank. Normally use around 100 silhouettes to hide blinds plus make a big black spot! Remember safter in numbers. Shot tons of ducks doing this with some geese
2. Walking in - When hunting public land and having to compete with other spreads. 
3. Mud - This also includes the lakes cause its a pain in some places or walking into muddy fields when you cannot carry a lot.

Silhouettes i think are a very under estimated decoy. They can produce great results when using them right. A lot of poeple have a tendency to put them close together and thats what you don't want. Spread those deeks out and you'll have great results. i'll get some pictures uploaded and show some results


----------



## Preds21 (Feb 12, 2008)

i never hunted public land so ni don't have that problem, but i can see your point but i have hunted with guyswho use silo's and they could not figure out why bids reacted then left when they got overhead, they puta few shell dekes in the spread and had geese landing on top of them on the same hunt so it could very well that geese react differently in some other parts of the united states


----------



## kberggren (Mar 27, 2006)

The thing i could maybe see is that before they had the shells out they didn't have the silhouettes spread out enough and the geese lost sight of them when flying over them or they faced their silhouettes mostly in the same direction and when the birds got to a certain point or angle all the decoys vanished. A lot of poeple believe, me included that silhouettes give the illusion of movement. This happens when geese fly around the spread and some decoys disappear while others reappear due to the different angles you face your decoys. Always face your decoys in every direction so their will never be a certain point in the spread where the geese can't see some decoys. Hope this helps!


----------

