How to Make 3D Archery Targets: Easy Targets You Can Build VerticalScope Inc., 111 Peter Street, Suite 600, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2H1, Canada. Actual Hen image printed on to durable 3DFoam. Dixie Decoys FrogSkin Camo Timber Neck Gaiter $19.99. How to make effective duck hunting decoys for under $10 2. Pretty neat project Henry! Even the best carvers started out with basic decoys, so dont get discouraged if your first bird looks more cormorant than canvasback. Store your decoys in temperatures between 56 F and 72 F. When working with the two part foam, how long does it take to start expanding. Wrap a layer of burlap over the foam. Youre now ready for the field. Cost: $9 per decoy for a dozen or more You need: Pink insulating foam board, epoxy, burlap, mastic, basswood, furring strip How-to: Laminate the foam boards into a duck-sized block and start carving until it resembles the shape of a resting bird. Whether you're hunting duck or goose, we've got decoys for both. :thumbsup: I do own a few dozen foam filled decoys, they are in the shooting pocket, all the rest are elsewhere, seems to be working well. All of this natural movement enhances realism making HEYDAY decoys more effective. I started the heads while the mastic and burlap were setting, coating them in ultra-flat black, and hitting the beaks with flat white. Removing the UpRight Weights transforms the decoy to an unprecedented level of ultra-light. Front and rear stainless steel Easy Attach Eye Bolts that will never fail. Chris Philpot [2] Drill four 1/8-inch holes in the butt end. All media carves differently, with cork being the easiest for newcomers to start with, and foam being the cheapest but requiring the most work after carving to create a rugged outer shell. Extremely lightweight, flexible, and portable. Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. Whether cork, wood or even foam, the tooling list for most decoy medias remains consistent. Keels can be attached with screws and glue or just screws alone, but should be left off until the bottom of the decoy has been primed with paint. If you want to use the mold you made it will either need mold release or to be super smooth. Once dry and set, we started the painting process. The fun thing about the foam trend is that you don't have to be too precise and it's super-affordable to DIY, yet it still looks like a very original, unique statement piece. Just as silo decoys can create a sense of motion, so can multiple poses in decoys. Save money by making your own waterfowl decoys. Heres how to put a birds tail feathers to work for you. Making Foam Decoys - Getting Started | Duck Hunting Forum Waterfowl Hunters are extremely hard on Decoys and Homer Decoys has tested our foam decoys beyond any condition you will ever use them in to ensure theyre the strongest most durable decoy available on the market today. The cost of buying molds and the foam is going up everyday, but the cost of making your own carved foamers is still relatively inexpensive and for the most part can be done with materials you can buy or acquire locally. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. Hardens nicely and makes them very durable. Our SmoothMove Dual Keels on the bottom of the decoy creates less resistance in the water for better decoy movement and allows our decoys to sit flat in a field application or on ice. wide). For the stake, use. In all applications, paint or prime the entire decoy in one color, likely white or black depending on the outer color of the finished decoy; i.e., a white base for canvasbacks and black for black ducks. Once you get onto the process the carving part, basically the artistic part will take about 15 minutes per decoy, the rest of the process is more or less just knowing how and doing it. I plan to burlap these before painting and will attach a small keel just for a little weight. 1st coat of titbeond 3 and sifted sawdust. The foam expands and seals, deterring moisture (which can create mold) and pests from eating through your walls. A forum community dedicated to duck hunters and hunting enthusiasts. If you have any questions just shoot me a PM. Learn More Duck By Ask 10 different carvers what type or brand of paint they use and you will get 10 different answers. Strutting gobbler decoys are hot items now, and for good reason: They work. Start with the basics and work in whatever details your hands can create. First, drive the -inch conduit into the ground until sturdy. The reason for this is simple: They dont know where to start or where to get materials, and eventually their time gets occupied with other projects. This is a cheap way to reuse old. Drape Cape If you like easy, simply plunk down a credit card at a major sporting goods store for a Turkey Skinz. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. It doesnt matter if its a gobbler or a hen; just make sure its legal. At the point it's still pourable but you don't have much time left. One of my friends that learned how to make foamers here at my shop won a decoy competition at rappahannock this year with his 20th foamer decoy. Spray foam is a type of insulation that expands after you spray. Then, skin the turkey out. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. The Fora platform includes forum software by XenForo. Brilliant DIY Uses for Expanding Spray Foam Insulation - Family Handyman UpDate 3 on the "MINI" ScoterZillias: Something new, something different for the 2020-2021 Special Seaduck Hunting Season here in Maryland Seaduck Duck Hunt. Dixie Decoys FrogSkin Timber Camo 1/4 Zip. Welp, go to Big lots in the summer and buy a case of the pool noodles, bundle them together and VOILA safety at its finest. You will see it change from an amber brown to a light yellow. Next, add white paint on the upper rear tail feathers. Inflatables. We did the molded decoy thing, but quickly grew out of that and progressed into carving decoys out of foam and wood. M.D. Email: [emailprotected] This site also has many instructional articles to help sort things out, should you get stuck. Multiple positions; contented, feeding and breeding. Learn More . Start by attaching the head to the body in a predetermined location by using a screw or screws and some wood glue. A few suggestions would be to not do the burlap method and restle coat them instead and use the saved cash on a few gallons of polyurethane foam. Best Turkey Decoys of 2023 | Field & Stream With the mold volume now known, you can mix two part foam (8lb)and pour it through several 3/4" pour holes in the plexiglass in an exact quantity to minimize waste via overexpansion. I was thinking about filling some decoys with foam. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. Our decoys are proudly manufactured in a small community located in Piqua, Ohio from recycled materials and sold in Conowingo, Maryland. For many waterfowlers, carving their own duck decoys is something they have contemplated but never put into action. Model: 69070. I was wondering if anyone has done this and how it worked out? You are creating a parting line, which marks where the left and right sides of the mold will come together. A forum community dedicated to duck hunters and hunting enthusiasts. Michael R. Shea Like on a pontoon, Heyday decoys two keels work together to replicate true duck behavior and keep the decoys swimming straight without the unnatural side-to-side drunk duck darting that is characteristic of single keel decoys. Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. Foam board; A realistic 13"x17" strutting tom picture; Two 1/4" wooden dowels; Gorilla glue/X-treme Elmer's glue; . Start off by taking minimal material with each pass, and increase this amount as confidence builds. While carved decoys are certainly more expensive than manufactured plastic decoys, they add some nostalgia and a personal touch to an otherwise standard decoy rig. Carve a duck head from the basswood or find a plastic head online. FEATURED PRODUCTS Out of stock Puddle Duck Decoy Kit $ 150.00 - $ 165.00 Details Out of stock Goose/Brant Decoy Kit $ 156.25 - $ 171.25 Details Super Magnum Decoy Kit $ 156.25 - $ 171.25 I only use UV paint for decoys. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission, which supports our community. Hunting. Stand-still. If you don't want to bring your iPad into the bathroom, we can send you a magazine subscription for free! Sign up to receive Popular Science's emails and get the highlights. Be especially careful when carving the head, especially around the bill, as it can easily start to look odd and can turn from duck bill to crow beak in just a few quick passes. Join PopSci+ to read sciences greatest stories. Sorry this is long, but I wanted to share a little project I am working on. Thanks for the information. The weight of the foam decoy is less than half a pound. |, Lynx Trail Cam Video: A Sound Like Youve Never Heard Before, Waterfowl & Retriever 2023 Ultimate Gear Giveaway, Whitetail Journal 2023 Ultimate Gear Giveaway, Bowhunting World 2023 Ultimate Gear Giveaway, Predator Xtreme 2023 Ultimate Gear Giveaway, Great Gear: Howa Hera H7 Bolt-Action Rifle. | Learn More . 2023 Heyday Outdoor | All Rights Reserved. Sanding can really make features stand out by creating sharp, precise transitions. If desired, additional and reference lines can be added to make it easier to keep things equal, especially in areas where rounding will occur. So clear your Sign up for the Field & Stream newsletter and get the latest intelligence straight to your inbox. Of Decoy Flocking Kits in the USA. We create working decoys of style, character and durability that will be worthy of passing down to the next generation. This foam is far superior to the EPS type foam. Homer Decoys has been making decoys the old fashion way for over 2 decades, there isnt a style, way, shape or form we havent tried. Lance shows how to paint decoys to bulk up your spread for the fall. Use black and white spray paint to give the decoy a convincing color scheme. Foam filling decoys | Refuge Forums Drill a couple 1 1/4" holes in the bottom of the decoy with a hole saw (fore and aft), and a 1/2" or so hole on the bottom of the head, figure out how much foam you need with the expansion rate, pour it in, trim off what comes out of the holes. Can patch the hole in the head with apoxie sculpt if you want or just shape the foam. Published Apr 3, 2012 11:50 PM EDT, We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Haven't done it myself but a hunting buddy hasn't had any problems with it. Learn more. 1can does about a dozen and it seems to hold up pretty well. Plus, every Heyday decoy is painted in a photorealistic manner based on aerial images taken of real ducks. A good way to avoid the bill becoming disproportional is to carve the majority of the head before even rounding the ends of the bill. A lot of the reason I got into carving my own foamers was back in those days all decoys were the same. How to Make Your Own Ultra-Realistic Turkey Decoy Blending coats and white. After one or two base coats have thoroughly dried, start working in outer colors and details using appropriate colors and techniques. Base coat of uv mallard paint. We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Once you get the amounts dialed in you should be able to mix and pour and have it out of the mold in 30 minutes or so. How to Make Your Own Duck Hunting Decoys | Outdoor Life A real gobbler fan costs nothing and packs easilyand can be as effective as the full-blown fake. Chuck was a great friend and unfortunately passed away a few years ago. Only weighs 7 Oz. If you are interested I may be able to get the diver mold I used back and loan it out. Ask Gabe Jerome. I'm with Wildlifer about the foam though. Once it's mixed you'll have a few minutes before it starts to go. Here are several options to save you cash, yet give you the astonishing results a feathered decoy can offer. The mold only cost about $12 to make and the cans of spray should give 1.5 or more decoys per can and each can was less than $4. Scuff the PVC with sandpaper and spray-paint it a dull color, like matte black. I put coat of titbeond 3 on the foam, and a few sifted coats of sawdust. I thought about doing this sometime to make Crow decoys since for whatever reason I hate to spend money on a decoy for a black bird. It may not display this or other websites correctly. I also have my own magnum mallard mold that could be trimmed to more accurately depict a diver shape. Hard high-tech composition decoys. Once you get onto the process the carving part, basically the artistic part will take about 15 minutes per decoy, the rest of the process is more or less just knowing how and doing it. It's easy to hook up your Texas Rig decoy anchors to your Heyday Decoys thanks to our built-in stainless steel, reinforced Easy-Attach Eye Bolts tested to withstand in excess of 165lbs. You are using an out of date browser. Finally, take your favorite decoy and adhere your dry skin to the outside using an all-weather adhesive such as Gorilla Glue. Because delicate skins dont always hold up to the rigors of the turkey woods, check out MOJOs Fan*Tom. Homer Decoys Bodies and Heads are made using all recycled materials in the United States. The steps below are suitable for either wood or cork decoys, and even foam, with some nuances. This is the same material (a closed cell EVA resin) used to make Crocs. The Fora platform includes forum software by XenForo. I want to start building a foam decoy spread and steadily replace my plastic decoys with them as I get groups of them completed. A single 1/4" hole under the tail feathers. Start on the top of the head, go down the neck and back and all the way around to your starting point. To touch up a mallard hen, use a small brush to lengthen and widen the two white wing bars on each side of the body (bordering the speculum). A single 1/4" hole under the tail feathers. With over 20 years making decoys the hard way we understand what is it takes to create and make a durable economically priced foam duck decoy the right way. You can attempt to keep the wings attached to the entire skin or remove them prior to skinning. Sign up for our newsletter and receive insider only updates and special offers. It should be dry and ready for Steps 2 and 3 in two weeks. You can also pour lead into holes drilled into the bottom to help the decoy self-right, or attach a lead weight to help accomplish this task. This story was originally featured on Outdoor Life. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. HydroFoam Mallards - Light as a Feather, Lasts Forever $149.99 - $299.98 HydroFoam Flocked Mallards - Light as a Feather, Lasts Forever $159.99 - $319.98 I am considering . Great stuff is open celled foam and will eventually absorb water no matter how you cover it up. After caping the turkey and removing all fat and meat, stretch the hide out on a sturdy piece of cardboard using tacks or pins. Its just $1 per month . ), Sealer: (wooden decoys- Traditions Multi-Surface Sealer, cork decoys- Traditions Cork Sealer). Be sure that the parting line is drawn along the exact center of the decoy. Ended up turning out pretty well. Published Aug 28, 2012 12:09 AM EDT, We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. You must log in or register to reply here. The splashing element, created by a hidden bilge pump, is adjustable via control flaps. Some guys clamp the mold and plexiglass unit to a piece of shelving to force the foam to expand fully within the mold to get a slightly denser decoy. We set the decoys in a warm well ventilated area, and let them set and dry for 48 hours. Cut a keel from the furring strip and epoxy in place. Painting is a skill learned over time, so start simple and add more features as your skill increases. Just $1 per month . JavaScript is disabled. The shape of the keel can be as basic as a rectangle or as detailed as a half-moon, but the important thing is that its size fits the bird. These decoys are great for hunting crows, but many people use them in their backyards and gardens. For acrylic painting, anything from exterior house paints to craft-store tube paints can be used, mixed and intermingled, making them a great choice. Homer Decoys was recently sold to the Hash family and is now located in Conowingo, Maryland. 1. They also clean up with water, making them easier to deal with, and mistakes can be easily wiped away. It doesn't take as much as you'd think either. It protects the lining of your house, and can even assist in the heating and cooling of your house during those unbearably cold or hot days. Decoy Flocking Kits allow you to minimize glare, creating a realistic look from the sky. Having the same tin soldier look in a spread can leave it looking lifeless, we call it a "dead spread". It is important to remember that defects will become more visible once paint has been applied, so take some time to check and double check that every area of the decoy is silky smooth. Walking into the hole, you might forget they are there as our EVA foam reduces noise in transportation to an almost eerie quiet. Best Crow Decoy | DecoyPro Sunday is gonna be good. Homer Decoys are designed to withstand the harshest conditions possible. Once all details have been completely drawn out, drill the holes for glass eyes using a drill bit that is very slightly larger than the diameter of the eyes intended to be used, making sure they are parallel side to side and front to back. Next comes the tricky part. HydroFoam Duck Decoys | HEYDAY Waterfowl Hunting The problem with the mold release is that it gets into the foam and makes it impossible to get the glue to stick. But if you want to become a puppeteer, incorporate a stake that allows the decoy to move realistically when you pull a string, and be ready to defend your creationtoms will literally try to climb aboard. Overall, have fun, get creative, and work to get better. Retail price is approximately $45. Pour salt or borax onto the butt end to preserve the fan. While experts can make the details look easy, novices will find that painting intricate detail can be frustrating. You can shoot it, step on it, run it over with your truck, and our HydroFoam duck decoys will NEVER SINK because, unlike other decoys, every decoy in the HydroFoam line is hollow and does NOT rely on an airtight seal to stay afloat. By utilizing pre-made cutouts or kits, you can make decoys with minimal tooling investment, allowing anyone to whittle out a few special blocks for the upcoming season during drab summer months. In order to make a decoy that doesnt look like a head and body were just screwed together, make sure that, during carving, you frequently mock-fit the head and body together to ensure their profiles are suitable matches for one another. For the stake, use an 18-inch length of 3/4-inch PVC pipe. Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. How To Take Care Of Your Decoys | BestHuntingAdvice This texturing creates realistic shadowing for a more natural looking decoy. Collapse it, fold it, carry it. As the wood smooths, start decreasing the grit size incrementally down as low as 250 to ensure that small defects and scratches have been removed. The main thing to remember is that ALL details should be symmetric, and the decoy, if cut in half down the length of the body, should be a mirror image. | Your mold is awesome though and I bet you won't have to worry about it blowing away.lol. Once sanding is complete, seal the decoy with an appropriate sealer for the media (see list above) with a minimum of two coats before moving onto paint. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Dixie Decoys FrogSkin Camo Timber Hat $29.99. While aesthetics are important, dont get too wrapped up in making the perfect decoy the first time it takes lots of practice to turn a vision onto reality. http://www.amazon.com/Pourable-Flotatio B0047R4AQW, Shotshell, Reloading, Ballistics, & Chokes. DIY Foam filling decoys | Duck Hunting Forum First, acquire a freshly killed turkey. While fine feather details are great in hand, from a distance, they make absolutely no difference to the birds so dont get hung up on them if things arent perfect right away. Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. I like it! Decoy Flocking Kits - Flocking Unlimited Make Your Dove Decoys Really Stand Out | Field & Stream Spring gobblers acute vision is legendary. You know of any reason not to use the canned spray foam? (3) $54.99. How To Mold Foam Duck Decoys - playassustentable Draw a line around the center of the duck decoy. Retail price is approximately $45. How to Make a Duck Decoy Mold | eHow Gee String Homer Decoys are proudly manufactured in a small community located in Piqua, Ohio. I will check the site out. Youre almost finished. Join other outdoor enthusiasts who already get great content delivered right to their inbox. Here are step-by-step instructions for how. Most of the difficulty in making your own hand carved foamer decoys is in the knowing how, you can find that at ded outdoors. Foldable plastics. We are proud to be the official decoy of GameWay Farms. In the past I have used a hot glue gun to patch holes with limited success. Combined with a light weight body, the rounded Dual-Keel design instead of a straight single keel allows a Heyday decoy to move much more freely when subjected to even the slightest breeze or current. wide instead of 1/8 in. Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. This is also a good time to at least begin fitting a keel, if desired, to the bottom of the decoy. I've got guys I've helped making some pretty incredible stuff after just a few months. Removing the UpRight Weights transforms the decoy to an unprecedented level of "ultra-light." Front and rear stainless steel Easy Attach Eye Bolts that will never fail.