GHG decoys

[Wingman]

Do you use GHG (Avery) decoys? If not, and if you have used them in the past, why don't you use them any longer?

Not a slam, fellas, just looking for honest answers.

[GordonGekko]

yes...i had some hot buys....hen turned pink after being left out.... also was given a half a doz. GHG Oversized Mallards a couple (or maybe 3) seasons ago.... by the end of the season they looked worst than the G&H's that I bought the prior season (paint was coming off big time).... they are good decoys, maybe I just got a bad lot.... but it's kinda a Ford/Chevy/Dodge thing....my G&H's have been good to me so I'll keep using them....

[Trip]

I have a couple dozen that we still use but they look terrible. I wouldn't say we are excessively hard on our decoys but I grew up with the old Flam's and G & H's and you rolled the decoy line up and threw em in the sack. When you got ready to go again they usually looked just as they did when you put them up the time before. This has not been the case with the GHG decoys I own or have been around. If I'm spending the money it will be more G & H's since they don't make the Flam's like the old style.

[4dawgma]

The only thing I don't like is the snap lock keel. some are hard to lock in, others are not. Destroyed one getting it on and had another fall off while I was picking up my set. But 2 out 5-6 dozen ain't bad...... I guess

[duckkiller]

I had a set of hot buys but they didnt hold up well and I disliked the new paint job so I went to G&H and have never looked back. They have already lasted longer so they have paid for themselves

[7ducks]

I used GHG shells(feeder) and the GHG motion decoys.......seemed to make a difference......floaters..got to go with G&H.....JMO

[duckkiller]

Wingman Are you guys getting info so you can make a few changes or is this for you personally? Weren't you on the pro staff at one time?

[Tedl10]

I have used the life size series mallards, sprigs, and bootlips for two seasons now. I think the mold of the decoy is outstanding and has great appearance new. The only thing that bothered me was the chipping. They chipped really bad compared to others I have seen. The full bodies and shells are great though.

[WilM88]

I concur.
Great looking deeks they just don't last like they should.

[h2o_dog]

I had a couple of dozen of the original first year GHG decoys.....They sucked. Paint fell off before you could even get them in the decoy bag the first time. Snap keels were a pain.

A buddy who works for Avery convinced me that those problems had been corrected, so I bought several dozen hot buys this year and I have been pleased. They land right side up every time and I prefer quantity to size or quality, so I'm happy. One problem with the small hot buys is that they don't have enough neck to wrap a strap weight around.

[Wildfowler]

I think the attention to detail on the newer Avery decoys is amazing and that company has definitely upped the standard for what a high quality decoy should look like.

When they first came out, the Avery decoys were terrible. It was impossible to throw out the water keel dekes and have them land upright. If the paint held up past one hunt, you considered yourself lucky as having acquired a good batch. The paint seems to be holding up much better on the newer decoys, but the paint job still isn't of the same quality as the old Flambeau's or the old G&H's. It does still chip off more easily than the faithful decoys of the past.

Way back when the only readily available choices of decoys were either Carrylite's, Flambeau, or G&H, I've long thought that G&H were the king's choice of champions when it came to decoys. This year however, between myself and a buddy, I hunted over five dozen or so BRAND NEW G&H magnum swivel heads, as well as the standard size. Sadly, I can report that the quality of the paint on the G&H decoy has gone downhill. I hope it's not becoming acceptable to let the paint chip off so we'll buy more every other year. I'm a little disappointed in the paint on the newer style G&H decoys. I've got several decoys from the two different lots with paint that has rubbed off of the "higher friction" areas of the decoy after 15 or so outings.

I've got some G&H dekes that are at least 10 years old that other than being dirty and faded, the paint is still very much intact. I think the silhouette of the G&H decoy looks better than the Avery, but there's no doubt about it that the Avery has everybody beat on the realism factor.

[Anatidae]

GHG 'over-sized' mallard floaters

We bought a dozen because of the removeable keels - 'on' for water - 'off' for fields. Since you don't need decoys over water in SK to kill a duck, we filled the space in the decoy trailer formerly occupied by 1 dozen GHG OS floaters, with 4 dozen G&H field mallard shells.

The only reason I use the GHG's at all (anymore) around home when hunting out of a boat......is because Anne likes the way they look. I don't, but that's neither here nor there.....

If it were up to me, I would've sold them the day we got home from our first trip to SK. Here are my personal reasons......

I don't like decoys that are.......

• too heavy
• don't function
• missing a place for a weight, 16 foot lines or a tie-off hook that wouldn't function when you CAN feel your fingers....or a neck you can't hold-on to while trying to wrap lines in freezing weather
• so fragile that you have to carry them in socks or compartmentalized bags
• all looking the same direction.....to the right

GHG's aren't necessarily the only decoys that don't satisfy my criteria for decoy selection.

[natemac2]

have two dozen ghg regular sized mallard decoys and the paint on them totoally sucks... it does not hold up worth anything

[Bankermane]

I don't and wouldn't own anything made by Avery. Poor quality stuff in my opinion. Walmart quality.

[dukhunter]

I have about 6 or 7 dzn GHG and to be honest I dont realy like them, the biggest draw back for me is the fact that you cant wrap up the line and hook the weight. I solved this with inline weights and tangle free (YEAH RIGHT) line on about half of my deks, we use those in less than 3 feet of water, on all the rest the new decoy spreaders work great one removable string and weight for every 4 deks.............I just made the best out of a bad thing but when I buy again it wont be GHG I will promise you that..........FYI if you guys havent used a decoy sprader system you should try it supper fast and easy, I have 2 dzn on spraders and 1 dzn with regular string to fill in gaps and make a more natural look................try em you like em lots of up side to them