Ask DS... Which brand decoy?

billyho · Postby **billyho** » Sat Feb 21, 2015 2:53 pm

Sold all my old ghg duck decoys and gonna try to start over. Planning on downsizing. Question is which do you guys prefer... Higdon battleships foam filled flocked heads or Dakota??? Pros/cons of each? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Trip · Postby **Trip** » Sat Feb 21, 2015 10:58 pm

Foam filled battleships w/o the flocking…

Pros: they'll never sink & you won't have to keep reminding everyone to be careful w/ your Dakotas.

Cons: you're not going to be walking in anywhere with more than 6…they're big & heavy

That being said... I use G&H...

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Smoke68 · Postby **Smoke68** » Sun Feb 22, 2015 12:13 am

rbsdrake · Postby **rbsdrake** » Sun Feb 22, 2015 6:48 am

Dakotas with painted heads. I'm not careful with mine. If they get shot oh well. They have held up great over the last few years. No paint issues. They are heavy also

Anatidae · Postby **Anatidae** » Sun Feb 22, 2015 8:50 am

billyho · Postby **billyho** » Sun Feb 22, 2015 9:20 am

Thanks for all the help guys. the flocked heads look great, I'm assuming the majority is against using them due to a lack of durability? Do they not hold up as well as painted heads over the long haul ?

slayem · Postby **slayem** » Sun Feb 22, 2015 1:53 pm

Our flocked head Dakotas are holding up well. They are heavy, we don't baby them and they are all holding up well!

GET-N-RITE · Postby **GET-N-RITE** » Mon Feb 23, 2015 8:22 am

We use about 4-5 dozen Dakotas and 10-15 dozen battleships, and the rest are GHG. I like the look of the Dakotas but the battleships can take and shot. We leave our decoys out 60 days and the heads look fine. I think I am on year 4 with the Dakotas. I have a buddy that is using tangle free and he really like his. Do not be scared of the flocked heads, you can abuse them, and the Dakotas come with both flocked and painted so you can use whatever you want to.

ShotgunSP · Postby **ShotgunSP** » Mon Feb 23, 2015 8:25 am

I hunted all of January with a half-dozen foam filled and flocked Higdon Super Mags I received for my birthday last year. First of all, they look great on the water. They aren't light, but most of the time those were the only ones I carried so it was not an issue. Though they have more weight, they provide much more movement on the water than a standard decoy. They move in the slightest breeze, and displace more water than a non-filled decoy which produces some ripples on the water.

I didn't baby them other than using a slotted bag, and they held up just fine this season.

I'll end up purchasing more of these.

Postby **GulfCoast** » Mon Feb 23, 2015 9:02 am

You will eventually end up with G&H. Trust me. Save yourself some time and go "quality" early. :lol:

Wildfowler · Postby **Wildfowler** » Mon Feb 23, 2015 10:05 am

The Higdon decoys can be damaged from shooting them. I had to pull four of them out that took a full blast and just did not float correctly. They didn't sink but they became partially submerged. The fully flocked bodies look really nice when they're new but will get dingy with any significant usage. Especially if you leave them out all season like we do. Not worth it to me. Carrying them back-and-forth in your boat each trip will definitely preserve their looks longer.

I personally think the Dakotas look better I like the higher profile when they are on the water. The Higdons are definitely tougher. I like the flocked heads for both brands.

Not sure of the current G&H models, but I've got a few older G&H is in the spread that have better paint on them then my newer Dakotas or Higdons. Paint has held up longer.

Drake Lodger · Postby **Drake Lodger** » Mon Feb 23, 2015 10:28 am

The Higdons have the easiest line adjustment that I've seen. I just got mine last season and only used them a few times. I can't really speak to the durability. Mine are not flocked.