Favorite Hen Decoy

Hole Hunter · Postby **Hole Hunter** » Fri Mar 20, 2015 10:33 am

If you use one, what do you like? (I don't want to hear your soapbox rants of why you don't)

- Make

- Pose, i.e. Breeder, Feeder, Lookout, Adjustable?

I keep one the back of my vest and on occasion use it if the situation presents itself. The one I have is the old foam version and the face paint is flaking off. I like the idea of the Montana Decoy given its pack-ability. The realism of the Avian X is a draw, but the pack-ability is in question.

I don't want to spend more than $80.

Discuss...

donia · Postby **donia** » Fri Mar 20, 2015 10:50 am

avian x breeder and it can be blown up easily...no pool float vale, but has a tube that pulls in and out (in to seal and out to release). still not as flat folding as the foam ones and definitely heavier. depends on where/how you hunt. i've got a folding primos gobbstopper hen (alert or relaxed depending on which hole it is staked in) that collapses pretty well and is fairly realistic.

DoubleBandMS · Postby **DoubleBandMS** » Fri Mar 20, 2015 11:52 am

I just got an avian x lcd lookout hen. I really like it. Can't speak for its durability yet though.

Hole Hunter · Postby **Hole Hunter** » Fri Mar 20, 2015 1:02 pm

DoubleBandMS wrote:I just got an avian x lcd lookout hen. I really like it. Can't speak for its durability yet though.

How do you carry it? In the bag or your vest?

mottlet · Postby **mottlet** » Fri Mar 20, 2015 5:30 pm

Carry my Avian X feeder hen and pretty boy jr. jake in a mesh laundry sack. Sometimes I just carry the hen. Easier to just keep her inflated and sling the bag over the shoulder.

Yeah, it's heavier than the old foam decoys that look like a kindergardener made in arts and crafts. But it's one of those things. I'd look real hard at what else I was carrying that was weighing me down so much that a rubber decoy put me over the top, you know?

Postby **teul2** » Fri Mar 20, 2015 8:02 pm

My ole arts and crafts foam decoy is still rolling strong and looking good.

DoubleBandMS · Postby **DoubleBandMS** » Sat Mar 21, 2015 1:52 pm

Hole Hunter wrote:
DoubleBandMS wrote:I just got an avian x lcd lookout hen. I really like it. Can't speak for its durability yet though.
How do you carry it? In the bag or your vest?

I carry it in the bag but wouldn't hesitate folding it up and storing in my vest. The bag it comes with is handy and I can sling it on my shoulder behind my gun.

Hole Hunter · Postby **Hole Hunter** » Tue Mar 24, 2015 8:04 am

Why would you hesitate carrying it in your vest? Is it a pain to inflate and deflate?

The last thing I want is another something on my shoulder. Rolling through the turkey woods like a Sherpa headed up Everest does not interest me.

donia · Postby **donia** » Tue Mar 24, 2015 1:43 pm

Hole Hunter wrote:Why would you hesitate carrying it in your vest?

DoubleBandMS wrote:I carry it in the bag but wouldn't hesitate folding it up and storing in my vest.

it isn't bad to blow up, but the bag is pretty handy...small enough to be out of the way slung over your shoulder and you don't have to worry with blowing it up if you get in a spot where you need to depoly it quickly.

Hole Hunter · Postby **Hole Hunter** » Wed Mar 25, 2015 10:16 am

10-4
Thanks for the info and replies.

donia · Postby **donia** » Wed Mar 25, 2015 4:26 pm

and if it gets in the way, take it out of the bag and put it (deflated) and the bag in back of vest and roll on...really doesn't need much air to reform from deflated/folded, since the rubber is fairly thick.

uncleC · Postby **uncleC** » Thu Mar 26, 2015 3:59 pm

Avian-X, hands down....my wife has a hen and jake. She puts the two of them in a bigger bag together, slings them over her shoulder, BGH 3" 12 gauge over the other and doesn't hesitate if she needs to walk in 1/2 mile to where she wants to hunt.....She's 5'3"and just turned 55 years old.....that ought to tell you that they're not too heavy or cumbersome...

alaska_av8r · Postby **alaska_av8r** » Sat Apr 04, 2015 11:15 pm

I realize this topic is few days old but this past Thursday I had 7 hens fighting an Avian X until the gobbler came up and mounted it. I carry mine in my vest, obviously not the most comfortable since little heavier and bulky. It can be a bit tough to get to the valve with your mouth at times but the valve system works well

quackerkiller · Postby **quackerkiller** » Sun Apr 05, 2015 7:53 am

My decoy of choice is the DSD hen.... I have the hard shell.... Keep the stake in the back of my vest, and I carry her around with my hand by her neck.... I pack a light vest (a few different mouth calls, a slate, a box, and a few extra shells.... I gave more than you said you wanted to spend, but to me the DSD looks more like "our turkeys" to me than the avian.... But on the same note I have used the avian half strut jake and really like the way it looks... Can't seem to like the bag option over the shoulder.... When I get to the truck I just set her on the back seat with my vest... My buddy bought an inflatable hen (maybe delta) that is almost identical to my dsd for alot cheaper! I normally touch up her eyes every year, and last year I sprayed her down with a clear varnish to give her a little bit of a "shine" in the woods.... Seems to help the gobbler spot her better... Another plus to the hardshell is if she gets shot when he's close to her, she will be good to go the next day... And knock on wood, of all the gobblers that she's seen die, ive never had a hole in her! But she does have a few paint chips!(but that too can be touched up!)

GREENHEADMAN · Postby **GREENHEADMAN** » Sun Apr 05, 2015 8:04 am

I still use the old Feather Flex hen decoy. She is full of holes and the blue has worn off her head, but she still does the job