# lotsa socks or a few fullbodies???



## nealg54 (Mar 11, 2007)

*QUANTITY/QUALITY?*​
quantity2251.16%quality2148.84%


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## nealg54 (Mar 11, 2007)

So I'm movin to north dakota this fall and am going to invest in some snow decoys soon. My question is would I be better off buying a lot of socks or silos, or a moderate number of ghg fullbodies? I've heard that socks will often spook canadas which I plan on hunting simultaneously (in the fall of course). is this true? I can't imagine that the ghg's would possibly scare the canadas. Also will the snows decoy very well to just canada decoys because i already have a ton of bigfoots and if I just put a couple dozen ghg snows off to one side would I really need hundreds of snow dekes? Any input is appreciated as my experience with snows is pretty limited.


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

Large honkers dont seem to like ANY white decoy. You will get your occasional bird to buzz the spread but thats about it. Ive never seen lesser canadians or cacklers shy away from white, in fact, I think they decoy more readily to whites, (fullbodies, socks, weve used em both). In fact, theres been many days where the lessers were our bread and butter and had it not been for them we would have shot nothing.

If you want to shoot white geese, you need white decoys, plain and simple, they WILL NOT decoy to dark dekes if thats all you have.

Look at this way as far as what decoy to get.

The price of a decent all fullbody spread (IMO 100-200) is gonna cost you anywhere from $1600-$3600 give or take.

The price of a decent windsock or sillosock spread (IMO 600+) is gonna cost you around $2000.

They're pretty close in price.

So next is how to haul em. Nothing beats sillo's, deadlies, and NW's as far as ease of transporting and storage.
Fullbodies, especially if your rolling with 100+, you gotta have a trailer.


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## h2ofwlr (Feb 6, 2004)

You'd need a huge trailer if you have BFs and add S&B FBs. And when the trailer get that big, you are limited on where you can go due to getting stuck much easier.

For good "quality" (Not NWs) Socks be it SSs or similar, you are talking $5 a piece, and when you add heads to the prices, add another $1 per decoy when 1/3 have heads.

For GHG S&Bs, it is $15 a peice on sale.(reg price is $20 each), if shipped it could be another $1-2 each more.

It is about a 1 to 3 ratio in cost. 600 quaility socks type = 200 FBs. So it comes down to hauling and storing them.

As for the comment of the local giants will not come into the spreads with S&Bs, my experience has been diferent and I'll leave it at that.


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## diver_sniper (Sep 6, 2004)

Last fall I called a flock of about 100 snows and blues into gun range over 100 canada decoys with an extremely high tuned High Plains Honker. Though I'm sure that's rare, it did happen.

As far as decoys. You can get economy sillosocks for 35 a dozen. Sure it takes a few hours to put them together and make them look nice, but you save a lot of $$ by doing that yourself. I think they look pretty dang good. Sure they aren't a full body, but if you're going to put that many decoys out you're going to have to have at least 2 trailers, or 1 really big one. I don't know about you, but I don't have the resources to fund something like that.


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

Oh yeah youll get giants to come into whites, in my experience its the exception, not the norm, mostly they give you a buzz (although usually well in range).

Gotta love economy sillosocks, it it werent for them Id have none  .

I still like the deadlies over the sillos however. I just think their a better made, more realistic decoy, they are a bit heavier and bulkier though.

I use my deadlies and sillos to augment my custom NW's, much like most guys do with FB's.

FYI-Three guys can put together 600 sillosocks (includes painting) with 3 cases of pabst and a weekend :beer: .


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## Goose Guy350 (Nov 29, 2004)

I run about five hundred give or take the day or mood. A few dozen GHG FB's and 10 dozen sillosocks and the rest custom windsocks. I put the FB's in the kill hole and to tell you the truth I don't think they make much of a difference but they may, we landed birds everyday in MO this spring. Not the odd single juvy or ross but everyday a flock of 2-10 would hit the dirt before the big bunch. I would say go completely one or the other, all FB's or all socks or silos but the guys that tell you that you can't finish birds with windsocks anymore are full of it. Pick the one you like the most and will fit your style and situation and both will work.


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## Uncle Fuzzy (Dec 27, 2005)

OK We are going to go to just 100 full bodies and get rid of the Texas rags. Plan is to paint with UV cause that what seems to be working. Question is what should be the ratio of snow to blues? Or will they decoy to an all white spread?


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## Goose Guy350 (Nov 29, 2004)

I run about 30 percent blues, thats just me, don't know if it makes a difference


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

I dont think FB's make a difference when used with another type of decoy unless you have 100 or more. Two or three dozen FB's in a spread of 400 SS's isnt even noticeable.


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## nealg54 (Mar 11, 2007)

So 4-5 doz ghg snows off to the side of 9 doz bigfoots should be an effective spread for both species???


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## goosegrinder (Mar 4, 2005)

If anyone comes on here and says this or that will be an effective spread,they're full of poop. Every day is different and each flock will like different things to decoy to. Everyone can give their opinion and that's fine but this ain't rocket science and lots of various combinations of the decoys your'e referring to will work. Base your decision on your hunting area,style,etc. and what you can afford,haul,and take care of. For me,if I was running Bigfoots,I'd go with fullbody snows instead of windsocks for my hunting conditions cause it seems(to me) that big canadas(what I mainly shoot) do not like windsocks at all.One other thing,IMO, that UV paint is made to make money just like alot of 'accessories' we all buy. How many birds have been killed decoying to 'regular' painted decoys for decades compared to the UV painted ones for the last year or so? I would have to wait for a long time before investing in paint to paint brand new decoys. To each their own though. Good luck.

Alex


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## h2ofwlr (Feb 6, 2004)

barebackjack said:


> Oh yeah youll get giants to come into whites, in my experience its the exception, not the norm, mostly they give you a buzz (although usually well in range)..


What ever you say.... :roll: I'll just keep killing limits of Giants and along with my S&Bs over a mixed spread.


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

nealg54,

Yes you will kill both species over that spread, but for CONSISTENT success with snow geese id want a few more decoys than 4-5 dozen, even if they are FB's. The good thing is you can always add more decoys as space and funds allow.

Some decoys are better than others people. That's the truth; if it wasn't we would all be killing limits over texas rags all the time. And all decoys have their pros and cons.

For CONSISTENT success with snow geese, the bigger numbers win out. Yes you will kill birds over rags, over 3 decoys blah blah blah, but true success is based on the ability of consistently being able to do it.


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## goose_caller (Jul 5, 2005)

I am with ya on the giants not liking the whites in the spread.....heck last year I had a hard time decoying giants into a lessor spread.....they are a little picky, but then again H2oGod is always right and I am sure he can cut and paste something to prove himself right so go ahead and run all snows for your honker spread and your fine. :withstupid:


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## Ty (Mar 11, 2004)

personally I would take the quantity of socks over a small amount of full bodies. The full bodies are a pain to setup/takedown/haul. Plus with snows you want to be visible. Not often is there only 100 birds on the ground. Bigger the better. Id suggest the economy sillosocks.


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