Avain X
03-14-2014, 10:26 AM
#21
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Iowa
Posts: 2,670
I have the hen and the Jake. I just got the jake this winter and man it looks amazing. So does the hen. I will say they claim to he a collapsible decoy but that is stretching it. I usually leave mine fully inflated and they ate a little heavy and cumbersome. You can let the air out and stuff them in a vest, which I have done in order to carry a bird out. But they're still just as heavy that way. I think for the most part they are worth it though, as they look so awesome and they're more packable that the dsd.
03-17-2014, 03:43 PM
#23
Spike
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Western Maryland
Posts: 87
Just got all of mine today (jake, lookout hen, feeder hen and breeder hen). I'll have to do a video review so you can see all four side by side. My immediate thought, this quite honestly has to be the closest thing you're going to get to the real deal. They're even nicer looking then most taxidermy bird decoys I've seen since they don't have feathers every which way and an awkward stance. The amount of detail on every one of these decoys is phenomenal. Every wrinkle on the head and feather on the body is fully carved out, this is not just a paint job on a round body. Every feather on the jake has the distinct black tip that gives the males their black appearance and every feather on the hens has the black edge with a buffy tip. The paint job is definitely not rushed and while I can't speak for the paint's durability, it doesn't seem like it will flake off.
Pros:
- Ultra realistic, down to the feather.
- Semi-collapsible, you can squeeze more then one in the decoy bag or vest
- The stakes are simple and bend in half in order to lock together. Better then loose multi-part metal stakes that love to rattle around. You also don't have to guess where the stake goes when you're trying to set the decoy up in the dark. The decoy has one hole in the bottom for the stake, the rest of the decoy is solid.
- Heavy rubber. The rubber is thick like a basketball, should tolerate being beat up by a tom just fine. People claim the rubber is self healing so you can pepper them with shot and they still hold air just fine, but haven't found this out myself yet obviously.
- Heavy weight, good if you hunt windy fields and can't normally keep foam or lightweight rubber decoys on their stake.
- Easy to inflate. Once you get them out of the box, they're a little tough to unfold but once you find the tube on the bottom and start inflating, they puff out quick. All four of mine had a perfect shape once inflated, no dents, and didn't even need to stick them in hot water.
Cons:
- Heavy compared to foam decoys which weight next to nothing and light rubber decoys which are maybe a pound or two each. The jake alone is roughly 6 pounds, and the hens are about 4 pounds each. If you do a lot of walking, you probably won't want to take more then one with you.
- Only semi-collapsible. They deflate but don't fold down really well. I'll probably never deflate them, as many people seem not to.
- They like to spin. Set a hen up in my back yard and the breeze kept the decoy spinning slowly almost nonstop. I hunt a very windy field, so I might need to modify the stake a bit. This wouldn't be a problem for those hunting in the woods or not so windy areas.
Verdict:
Assuming they hold up as promised, I think they're worth the price tag. Decoys don't get more realistic then these. That said, I've killed plenty of birds over an anorexic foam hen with a kink in her neck. Turkeys will come to just about any decoy. If you're asking yourself, "Do I need this decoy for $80-$100?" The answer is absolutely not. Get a cheap set of decoys and you'll do just fine. I recommend this especially for new hunters. I personally got the set for the same reason a teenage girl feels the need to buy a thousand dollar dress for prom night. Because I wanted it and had the cash. They look like a promising set of decoys and I'm hoping to call birds over them for many years.
Pros:
- Ultra realistic, down to the feather.
- Semi-collapsible, you can squeeze more then one in the decoy bag or vest
- The stakes are simple and bend in half in order to lock together. Better then loose multi-part metal stakes that love to rattle around. You also don't have to guess where the stake goes when you're trying to set the decoy up in the dark. The decoy has one hole in the bottom for the stake, the rest of the decoy is solid.
- Heavy rubber. The rubber is thick like a basketball, should tolerate being beat up by a tom just fine. People claim the rubber is self healing so you can pepper them with shot and they still hold air just fine, but haven't found this out myself yet obviously.
- Heavy weight, good if you hunt windy fields and can't normally keep foam or lightweight rubber decoys on their stake.
- Easy to inflate. Once you get them out of the box, they're a little tough to unfold but once you find the tube on the bottom and start inflating, they puff out quick. All four of mine had a perfect shape once inflated, no dents, and didn't even need to stick them in hot water.
Cons:
- Heavy compared to foam decoys which weight next to nothing and light rubber decoys which are maybe a pound or two each. The jake alone is roughly 6 pounds, and the hens are about 4 pounds each. If you do a lot of walking, you probably won't want to take more then one with you.
- Only semi-collapsible. They deflate but don't fold down really well. I'll probably never deflate them, as many people seem not to.
- They like to spin. Set a hen up in my back yard and the breeze kept the decoy spinning slowly almost nonstop. I hunt a very windy field, so I might need to modify the stake a bit. This wouldn't be a problem for those hunting in the woods or not so windy areas.
Verdict:
Assuming they hold up as promised, I think they're worth the price tag. Decoys don't get more realistic then these. That said, I've killed plenty of birds over an anorexic foam hen with a kink in her neck. Turkeys will come to just about any decoy. If you're asking yourself, "Do I need this decoy for $80-$100?" The answer is absolutely not. Get a cheap set of decoys and you'll do just fine. I recommend this especially for new hunters. I personally got the set for the same reason a teenage girl feels the need to buy a thousand dollar dress for prom night. Because I wanted it and had the cash. They look like a promising set of decoys and I'm hoping to call birds over them for many years.
Last edited by xOEDragonx; 03-17-2014 at 03:55 PM.
