# Dakotas Vs Zink



## RUSHOUTDOORS

Well i was thinking on purchasing some Avian X fully flocked decoys but i do not know how durable they are..i was also thinking the same on the Dakota Fully flocked X tremes. please post your opinion and also if you think of another decoy i should purchase comment below..thanks


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## ValleyHunter

Dakotas seem to be more durable, The Avians look better i think, but I HATE the base system it has on it. Hope this helps.


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## don835

I don't run flocked Dakotas or Avian X decoys. I have the painted version of both. You will like either decoy, Geese do too. The Dakotas are larger than Avians and heavier. I saw the New 2012 Fully flocked Avian X decoy at Cabelas and the color had a yellow tint to it. Even when I took the decoy outdoors. Make sure you look at a fully flocked Avian before you buy it. Otherwise if you MUST have a Fully Flocked decoy go with the Dakota. Hope this helps ya,

Murph.


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## swattin leroys

realism - defenately the Avains
Base- definately dakotas
I see the Avains came up with a new base.
I would definately go with the Avains...IMO best looking deke out there (besides DS)


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## RUSHOUTDOORS

Are the painted avians durable? do they chip easy?


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## beaniej266

Have most of you actually seen an Avian goose in person? Every one I have seen is yellow. I can't speak of the durability, but they are yellow, not the color of a goose. dakota's all they way!


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## duckp

'Yellow' is the name of the river near where they were made.Like most decoys.


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## blhunter3

The motion stake on the Avians is horrible. They look great but are kinda a pain to setup and pick up. But whatever floater your boat.


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## clint_hay

Dakotas are hands down your best bet...the most durable, most user freindly base system by far of any decoy out there today. plus you can bag them with the motion base on. I personally single slot all my decoys...run 11 doz XFD dakotas. I had 1 dozen AXF avains, bagged them just like i did my dakotas....the pic is after 2 hunts, and they were brand new decoys!!!!!! my dakotas on the other hand, no issues! if you drop that kinda coin on decoys, you want them to last...period. hope this helps!


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## don835

Man Clint...that doesn't look good at all! I run 27 painted Avian X decoys and bag them as well. Never had any look like that. You may have gotten a bad batch. I have 6 of the New 2012 Avian's and I really appreciate the new square retractable base. You guys are correct, the new Fully Flocked Avian X has a yellow tint to the color. 
We hunt over Dakotas as well and they are tough to beat. Just throwin it out there...

Murph.


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## ValleyHunter

I havent seen any yellow tint to any avians. I have hunted over them about 8 different times and seen them up close other times, never seen any yellow.


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## RUSHOUTDOORS

The fully flocked do have a little tint of yellow but i wanted to know how durable they are.


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## ValleyHunter

RUSHOUTDOORS said:


> The fully flocked do have a little tint of yellow but i wanted to know how durable they are.


Apparently not all of them do. ones ive used didnt. and the flocked and non flocked ones are the same for durability wise. well above average.


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## citoriplus

When I went looking for a quality decoy to replace 4 doz. of our 6 year old existing spread of 2007 FA decoys the hours of searching have paid off w/ this years record kill results over our new Dakota lesser decoys. 
One of our local friendly competitive hunting party purchased the Avian X canada goose decoys and their recordable kill results are not near what their expectations want to be. They have also recorded quality issues w/ paint peeling under hunting conditions along w/ an imbalance of the decoy stand marriaging to the decoy body. Who in there right mind would pay the over price of a decoy set only to have to take it apart and reset stands to the bodies. 
The new Dakota lesser decoys have clearly met our hunting requirements-longevity we hope will meet our standards for future hunting.


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## teamflightstoppersND

I think both are overpriced. Dakota lessers are the only affordable ones out of the bunch


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## bluebird

I would go DAKOTAS


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## matt29

I just had the same decision to make. Went with the painted avians. I hope i dont regret the decision but i just cant get used to the shape of the dakotas. Also cabelas has them for 175 a six pack which isnt bad. Hopefully im happy with them.


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## FoldEmXtreme

Take a hard look at the NEW plastic on the Dakotas, you won't be dissapointed!


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## matt29

Just got my avian x decoys today. I really like the look of them but i think there are some inconsistency with quality. I think 3 of the 12 will have paint issues as i could scrape paint off with my fingernail. The other 9 seemed okay. I do like the idea of the retractable base but one of them doesnt work out of the box. The motion system doesnt seem the greatest but i guess time will tell. Also i will be painting the bases. Not sure why they make them grey. Overall i like the look and idea of the decoy but i am kinda doubting their longevity. I think i will try some dakotas as well and see which ones i keep.


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## RUSHOUTDOORS

Dakotas are pretty durable..the lessers are hard to beat.


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## schnidy60

In my opinion the dakota lessers are the best decoy on the market right now. I pile my dekes and dont baby them and they stand up just fine to all my abuse!! Gotta love the one piece design. Hopefully they come out with feeder packs!!


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## matt29

After buying some of each I will be getting more dakotas. Definately seems like the way to go.


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## Wreckin Ball

Does anybody know if the new Avian X bases (11.5" over-sized square metal retractable motion base) are compatible with last years model?


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## Myles J Flaten

They are not but you can buy a kit to convert your 2011 decoys over to the retractable bases. I ran a full spread of avians last year and hunted a lot. I had no issues with flocking or paint at all. IMO the avians are way more realistic than the dakotas. If your going to sacrifice realism for durability I would just buy original bigfoots. Again just my two cents. :beer:


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## CrazyWalsh81

I haven't seen the newer versions of the Zink, but I hated the bases and the gluing the heads on. Keep in mind that if you want to replace heads or be able to convert decoys into other positions Dakota's are the way to go. You can replace the heads on full bodies and the lessers come already together. You can also hunt them with out bases in snow or in mud holes. I haven't had to deal with Zink or parts, but you can call dakota and get anything you need even if its not on the web site, just call them up and ask for what you want. 
Tried and true decoy thats been around or the new "best thing" that had to be redone after the first season for sale? Enough said in my mind.


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## Arm67ando

The Avians look better i think, but I HATE the base system it has on it. Hope this helps.


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## Branf6don

but I HATE the base system it has on it. Hope this helps.


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## drakespanker12

Make sure you buy an extended warrenty plan if you buy avians, your going to want it, I can add 24 more photos to Clint's, all 2 dozen of mine went to **** after 5 hunts bases suck need to be heavier gauge steel, flocking an paint peels off, PVC clue does not hold the heads at all, I'm glad I bought a warrenty and received a full refund from cabelas. I even called an talked to Fred about the issues and he said they have had 50/50 results on these 50% good 50% bad, it should be more like 80/20, he also wouldn't help with any of the issues, great company......


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