Same here AND I also have duck decoys that are older than 18yrs old that I still use. And they don't have pellet holes in them from being shot at on the water!!!!!!

Funny you mention the no pellet holes in your decoys from being shot on the water. Back when I was growing up we were using the rubber dekes that had a lead ring on the bottom and your lead weight was tied to that with a cord. You dropped them from about waist high and they filled with air and by the time they hit the water they were full and stayed puffed up like a live bird. My Dad was half asleep one morning before legal shooting time and was awakened by some nimrod blasting away at the dekes he had out. As several of them started losing air the guy started to slink off when he saw what he had done and Dad caught him and made him pay for the damaged ones, as well as telling him that if he was ethical and only shot flying birds he wouldn't have been paying Dad for the dekes!

Hey Top, I had some of those decoys when I was in my early 20s, they were good for sticking in your pocket and walking into a pasture stream and dropping a few on a hard bend and hiding in a bush. I wish I had a few now for nostalgic reasons.

You could put a ton of them in a small over the shoulder carry bag the way they scrunched up when they were deflated. I have no idea what happened to those that Dad had, but I know he filled many a limit over them when you could shoot 5 mallards a day back in the 40s and 50s. He was such a good wing shooter that singles didn't light his fire and he always hoped to take a double any time birds came in. I still have the old Lefever Nitro Special my Grandpa bought for $26 the year I was born in 1947 and that Dad then got and used for many years for ducks and pheasants. It is still tight and will hold a dollar bill when shut with no problem, but there is no bluing left on it and it will probably never be taken into the field again.

I was also thrown into this world in 1947. Man you should take that Lefever out and shoot some ducks in memory of your dad. I have my dads 16 ga. sxs he bought after I was born in a trade so he could buy a stroller, and this year it will be killing some pheasants for him. I cannot even guess at the numbers of pheasants and rabbits that fell to that gun while I was with him, let alone before I hunted with him.

Geez thanks as you two have run another user off! Proud of yourselves?

Dave......JW

Nobody ran anybody anywhere! The guy you're talking about made a post on another thread a day after he made the posts on this thread, so to say what you did is a false assumption and accusatory for absolutely no reason! The thread was also dead for over a month until Second Chance made his post today and brought it back up top. PM sent!

What a good idea !:biggrin:

It's always a good idea to do what he mentioned no matter what you are going after, whether it be a turkey, waterfowl, etc. You need to know what your gun is doing with the particular shell you're using and at different distances so you know what is max for a clean, humane kill.

Ah gee, thanks JW and TopGun!!!!!!!!! Blame it on the fat boy!!!!!!!! LOL!!!! That's OK, I have big shoulders and can take it. I know where birds should die at!!!!!!!!! At least I didn't really show my age and say that I still hunt over paper mache decoys once a year or so just for nostalgic and personal reasons!!!!!!!!