Decoys x back back= misery

rookelkhunter · 09-12-2003, 11:11 AM

Hey all. I have some serious back issues and was wondering what you all would suggest in regards to carrying decoy' s? I am guessing something pretty sturdy like a makeshift framepack, etc. may work the best...what do you guys think?

I' ve also contemplated buying a dozen of the FUDS fold outs, any of you used them with good results?

Thanks all.

Nevada Jim · 09-12-2003, 04:32 PM

The FUDs are excellent. Started with a dozen and by season' s end was up to 3 dozen. Here' s my yellar dawg on his way back in with the first of a double on drake mallards through FUDs set up as feeders in a flooded pasture.
Like that enthusiasm?

rookelkhunter · 09-12-2003, 04:55 PM

That is TOO COOL Jim! Due to this back issue, I haven' t been able to duck hunt for two years now, and suffering along with me has been my pup, as I haven' t been working her at all. BUT, this year is a different story and I hope to get out there more. Obviously those fuds would make my life A LOT easier.

I have two labs myself, one yellow which is from very primo stock (a friend of a friend type deal....no other way we could justify the cost) who is slender/muscular/goes 120% at all times, which is almost to his detriment. She just won' t sit still for nothin' . Now on the other hand I have a black named ' Ally' and she is 1/2 show-1/2 field blood. I don' t know how two dogs could be so different. She will go gang busters to the dummy/bird, and I swear she must stop and take a quick snooze somewhere along the way when she' s coming back in!!! And it just flat out didn' t matter what I did to try to quicken her up...had a collar on her initially, that dang thing didn' t make one bit of difference. The yellow would yelp when it was on ' 1' , and the black wouldn' t flinch no matter how high that thing was cranked up.

It' s so funny, dogs are so much like humans it' s ridiculous.

Sorry to ramble Jim, I could just tell you love your pup like I do....even if she does make me trudge out there and find it myself from time to time!!!

Chad

chessie man · 09-13-2003, 11:52 AM

they make those photo printed blow up decoys.... I' ve never used but guys tell me there great for hard to reach spots. I bet they would work great for you!! Does it really matter if they look great.... you' ll be in the blind with a gun and a dog. if you pick the right spots decoys are not as important!!! good luck and happy hunting!!

Nevada Jim · 09-15-2003, 12:26 PM

Rook ... look into one of the K-L Sports sleds fro Cabela' s. I have a couple and use them to haul gear and dekes from the truck to the blind and back again. They pull easily over dry ground, medium deep cover and are great in the marsh.

http://www.cabelas.com/information/M...lity-Sled.html

Here' s a pic of me using one near our blind while picking up dekes.

rookelkhunter · 09-15-2003, 01:09 PM

I will try your pic later Jim...I am questioning whether our dial-up connection may be carried by pony express...what a joke. I did get the top half, and it sure looks like you hunt some beautiful country. I would guess many a folk thinks the waterfowlin' is bound to stink in Las Vegas if they have never been outside the casino doors.

So those thing really do slide pretty decent on land? I' ve seen them before when using ' the office' while thumbing through my work material (lol), and wondered if they worked as well as they seem to in the pic/description.

The area I hunt is probably 500 yards of land/old road, then knee deep marsh with midiocre cover. So it sounds like one of those may fit the bill.

I would MUCH rather keep the decoys I have and use them as opposed to selling/buing the FUDS. Heck, I actually have some of them on ebay right now, trying to sell them locally if possible. Maybe I will pull the plug on them.

I' ve heard pretty good things about the FUDS for the most part. I think they would fool many a early season bird, but I am curious about those weary late season ducks? I' ve never actually seen one close up, do they look authentic at 20 yards...or authentic enough to fool a seasoned ol' mallard?

Thanks for the input.

Nevada Jim · 09-15-2003, 04:25 PM

I have no connection with FUD whatsoever so I' m not biased when I tell you that they outpulled my Miracle Decoy spinning wings deke and a pair of " Duk Butts" motorized feeder dekes. That was true not only at the start of season, but all year long. The two banded mallards we shot last year (1st ones in 4 years without one) were late season wary birds.

Me first in late November ...

Wife Carol two weekends later in Dec ...

And yes ... those sleds pull very easily ... they made it from the detached garage on the side of the house down the driveway and around behind the house to here ...

If you look carefully ... my Llewellin Setter is giving me a kiss because he tends to get left out during duck season, and the yellar dawg has a tennis ball in his mouth because he' s not getting enough attention at the moment.