New Crow decoys

Redditch · Molted Crow

New Crow decoys

Redditch · Molted Crow

The boards seem to post my photos upside down, and won't let me replace them

Gary · Dances With Crows

Redditch, Agreed the flocked decoys do not hold up and flare birds from their shiney color. Maybe Splash can help with helping me remember where I saw the guy who took the flocked decoys and put regular black mens socks over them. He drilled a 2" hole in the chest cavity to stuff the excess sock in. Quick and easy and at little expense. No glare and no fade and durable. Your paint will scratch and peel with time and show sun glare, try the socks.

Redditch · Molted Crow

If these don't hold up, then I'll try the socks, but socks tend to tear too, and are more expensive than the paint job I gave them. Also, using PLASTI-KOTE paint (designed for plastics) means that the paint remains flexible, and shouldn't harden even when totally dry, so should be durable, and I still have half a can of it left, plus 3 cans of regular Matt black, so touching up isn't a problem either

Splash One · Elusive Crow

I'm not sure why your pictures post upside down.. I've never experienced it myself.. what type of device are you using to take the pictures with.. if with your phone.. the pictures may be getting taken upside down as determined by the camera lens, but the phones software is orienting the image right side up for you. Then when you post them they show up on the site upside down... just a guess..

As for the Decoys.. it really sucks that a seller deceived you. I'm not really sold on the whole flocking thing.. nor am I a fan of the Greenhead Gear crows. ((that's for some other post)).

Most molds are made of non porous material and with a release agent making the mold even more slick, the object.. in this case a crow decoy, comes out of the mold with a smooth shiny surface. As far as I know there are 3 methods crow hunters use to do away with this slick reflective surface.. 1. Flat black spray paint, 2. Black flock, 3. A sock .. I would like to offer a fourth method.. I haven't done this since I just spray a fresh coat of flat black on my decoys each year, and I have a $100 decoy bag for my 12 flocked GHG crows.. but I know it will work.

Get a sanding cloth... something 400 grit or higher and sand the surface of your decoy.. if you've ever painted.. when you lay down a primer many times you need to sand off the "orange peel"... same thing with a smooth plastic object.. just a little elbow grease and your decoy wont shine anymore.. you may want to sand in a wash tub as the material a decoy is made from will clog up fine grit sanding cloth fast.. a little warm water over the sanding cloth should keep it clear.

Redditch · Molted Crow

Using an iPad, and a blackberry phone sometimes. Doesn't matter which I use, it only on some forums that it does it, and only since about 2-3 weeks back has it started to do this, all other forums and FB are just fine. I think maybe there has been an upgrade to he bulletin boards software lately, as its just Crow hunting, and sucker punch that this happens

I had thought about getting them sand blasted, but the cost is high, so decided to spray paint them. They have come out well, and have a few cans left too for touching up, so was a very cheap way, and looks like having two coats has make it durable too, only time will tell

nhcrowshooter · Molted Crow

As I have said before on the other forum, I never have a bit of trouble getting the vast overwhelming majority of birds to decoy to decoys that are not flocked. I don't see the point, I think flocking crow decoys fools more hunters into thinking they have something better than it does fooling a crow so it decoys. When the decoys get ratty, a can of Fusion flat black spray paint is cheap, easy and fast way to recondition them. Working on making better blinds is better use of time. In case you hadn't noticed live crows can be a bit shiny, Fusion brand satin black seems to be just the ticket.

Redditch · Molted Crow

Yep, that's what I reckoned. The PLASTI-KOTE Matt black seems to have a very slight gloss to it, but adheres well to the decoys, and seems a natural colour, not that ultra shiney of the moulded without flocking, and not that dull black of the flocked. I think they look about perfect, and if it will just stop raining for a while, I might actually get out and try them lol

Redditch · Molted Crow

So, just got 24 spring stakes in for the new decoys. Just need to drill each decoy now, and that will be those ready

Redditch · Molted Crow

So, seeing as the new decoys didn't have stake holes, only holes for the feet pin, I decided to do them all Yeasterday. 20 mm hole in the bottom 3/4" in front of the foot pin hole, and then a 7/16" hole in the top two inches back from the head, so the top piece of the stake just pokes through, and keeps them nicely stood upright

Redditch · Molted Crow

Here's one after its had it holes drilled and stake put through. The image will ,ay be appear upside down, as since the last OS upgrade on the iPad that seems to happen n some forums everytime I post a picture

corvid · Molted Crow

i see them on ebay and thought they were a good buy at that price, and would have got some, but have 24 crow decoys and thats enougth to haul with the rest of my stuff, they do look ok now youre finished them and hope they decoy a few in for you.

Redditch · Molted Crow

corvid wrote:
i see them on ebay and thought they were a good buy at that price, and would have got some, but have 24 crow decoys and thats enougth to haul with the rest of my stuff, they do look ok now youre finished them and hope they decoy a few in for you.

Well, I'm hoping they'll work, and with the others decoys I have (7 flocked, 6 fud, 4 flocked lofted, 4 flocked on whirly magnet, and 2 flocked floaters) along with the 24 new ones, will give me a nice big spread (I use a trailer to transport it all), and combined with the pigeon decoys, will give them what they like to see, I.e, a massive amount of birds feeding. The birds here are shot 6 days a week, all year round, and hence are very wary, and big flocks of them seem to be the norm when they are feeding. If I put mine out alone, I don't get many birds, but combined with my shooting mates 12 decoys and 2 on his rotary usually bring lots in, so now we should see a much improved response.