WaterfowlForum.Net

Looks good. Gonna have to make some up this summer and give it s try.


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So, that floats on it's own because it's wood? Do you seal it with anything or just rebuild them every few years from the plywood getting waterlogged?


(probably a stupid question, but just doesn't look like it would float very well)

Goldfish wrote:So, that floats on it's own because it's wood? Do you seal it with anything or just rebuild them every few years from the plywood getting waterlogged?


(probably a stupid question, but just doesn't look like it would float very well)

Yeah it's made of wood so it floats, painted to offer some protection. I have no Idea how long they will last, but I suspect they will get worn out, scratched and the heads broken off before they rot.

At under a dollar a piece, I figure I can't go wrong. Hell, I've had 13$ a piece decoys that didn't last a season.

I've also heard they give the illusion of movement because as the birds fly in, some of the silos seem to dissapear while others become visible frm different angles. In any case, I'm sure they will fool divers

Do you make anchors for each one or run them on a long line setup?

I suppose you could do either one but I am going to anchor each one individually

How heavy are those?


(obviously I'm interested in these things but never really knew that much about them)

I'd say about 4 pounds. They would be bulky to carry, but take very little room in a boat. I haven't used them yet, but it seems like a good way to add some serious numbers to a diver spread. If I like these ones, my next project will be a pile of scoters.

I am so doing this.

The floatation comes solely from the 2x right? I was thinking about doing these out of corrugated plastic.

Yes. the frame is what keeps them afloat. The thought crossed my mind to use corrugated plastic, but it doesn't seem very durable. I heard a guy, I think it was on DHC, saying (well I read it, but you know what I mean) that you could get pictures of ducks printed on the stuff at a sign shop. Might be something worth looking into

flight control wrote:Yes. the frame is what keeps them afloat. The thought crossed my mind to use corrugated plastic, but it doesn't seem very durable. I heard a guy, I think it was on DHC, saying (well I read it, but you know what I mean) that you could get pictures of ducks printed on the stuff at a sign shop. Might be something worth looking into

Corrugated plastic is more durable than 1/4 plywood. I have a damn near unlimited supply of Corruplast for free. I've been doing snow goose silos for a while now and need a break.

Eric Haynes wrote:

flight control wrote:Yes. the frame is what keeps them afloat. The thought crossed my mind to use corrugated plastic, but it doesn't seem very durable. I heard a guy, I think it was on DHC, saying (well I read it, but you know what I mean) that you could get pictures of ducks printed on the stuff at a sign shop. Might be something worth looking into

Corrugated plastic is more durable than 1/4 plywood. I have a damn near unlimited supply of Corruplast for free. I've been doing snow goose silos for a while now and need a break.

Those voting signs gotta go somewhere?

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Goldfish wrote:

Eric Haynes wrote:

flight control wrote:Yes. the frame is what keeps them afloat. The thought crossed my mind to use corrugated plastic, but it doesn't seem very durable. I heard a guy, I think it was on DHC, saying (well I read it, but you know what I mean) that you could get pictures of ducks printed on the stuff at a sign shop. Might be something worth looking into

Corrugated plastic is more durable than 1/4 plywood. I have a damn near unlimited supply of Corruplast for free. I've been doing snow goose silos for a while now and need a break.

Those voting signs gotta go somewhere?

sent from a phancy fone

Next door neighbor is a coke dealer.

assateague wrote:I am so doing this.

These are on craigslist a little south of me
http://klamath.craigslist.org/spo/3507854348.html

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Heard someone was having trouble shooting some nice bulls. All there is at boots blind!!

Did you use V/Y boards to decoy them, or are you just gloating?

Y boards have been used a long time. With just paint on them they will hold up fine. The plywood isnt sitting in the water for days on end. I have plywood goose silos that are 20 years old and still use them. Grant its 25-30 out of the 200+ originally made. Some stolen, some shot up, or just broken over the years.
Another option is the decoy sled. These are easier to long line and stackable for transport and storage.

I thought about doing sleds but liked the V boards better. Good to know they will hold up for a while. I may try the sleds with scoters or eiders next winter.

What thickness plywood would you recommend using?

1/2 or 1/4 inch is fine. Of course the 1/2" sleds are much heavier. I would think two long lines of sleds and some Y boards mixed around them would make for a nice spread.

Do these work for divers only, or will they work on black ducks as well? Black ducks around here are sort of sketchy, with the exception of last year. Last year they were bombing in running the buffies out of my buffie dekes, but this year they were back to their skeptical selves again.

I suspect they would work. Ducks and geese have no problem landng silos in fields, I can't see how it would be different on water.

Besides, you only have to get one into range

assateague wrote:Do these work for divers only, or will they work on black ducks as well? Black ducks around here are sort of sketchy, with the exception of last year. Last year they were bombing in running the buffies out of my buffie dekes, but this year they were back to their skeptical selves again.

Somebody has tried it. One of the first ones I've ever seen were black ducks. This is a google pic. I know Ive talked to people who kill black ducks in fields over silo spreads. No different. I agree with you on their behavior this year. I saw more blacks this year than Ive ever seen and they were decoy shy from day one.

I LIKE this thread.

I made patterns for making my own silos. I made Canada goose silos.
Used a builder's stake, a couple hex-head screws, and 1/4" luan.
I started out by tracing decoys from an ad in Cabelas. A feeder and sentry.
Took my tracings to the copy shop and started enlarging. I wanted them to be about 20" from head to tail and my tracings were about two inches. So I enlarged ten times bigger.
I used my patterns on 4x8 sheets and got 11 per sheet I think. I'd stack 6 sheets and clamp them together so I could make lots of decoys fast. I made HUNDREDS.

Painted them with flat paints. Brown, black, white, and tan. Simple paint job.
For the final touch I painted thumb tacks with glossy black and stuck two on each head.
Killed lots of Canada geese with those silos, 24 shells, and TWO full body decoys.

I'm looking forward to trying this, also.

Im considering making Y boards to add to my surf scoter rig. I also plan to make brant sleds to add to my floating brant rig. I may end up making the sleds for both being the Y boards require more cost for the hardware. Plus I figure it will be easier to long line the sleds.

the adavantage of y-boards is that they don't completely lose sight of them when they get down wind

Baysider wrote:Im considering making Y boards to add to my surf scoter rig. I also plan to make brant sleds to add to my floating brant rig. I may end up making the sleds for both being the Y boards require more cost for the hardware. Plus I figure it will be easier to long line the sleds.

I'm going to try using dowels instead of hardware for mine. I'll let you know if it works.

assateague wrote:

Baysider wrote:Im considering making Y boards to add to my surf scoter rig. I also plan to make brant sleds to add to my floating brant rig. I may end up making the sleds for both being the Y boards require more cost for the hardware. Plus I figure it will be easier to long line the sleds.

I'm going to try using dowels instead of hardware for mine. I'll let you know if it works.

that's a great idea.


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I thought I'd update with a few pics. Here is what I came up with as an inexpensive anchor system.

The anchor, line and attachment can all be stored neatly in the boat until ready for action. Here is how it works.I poured a lead weight with a wire so that I could wrap the line onto it. At the end of the line, there is a wooden disc that I made with a hole saw.

On the y-boards, I attached a short length of line with a loop at the end that I can fit the disc through.


It works on the same principle as a button, like on your shirt or jeans. All I have to do then is unwind the desired amount of line and toss overboard. The wooden disks float, so if you drop it in the water, you don't lose your anchor

Here they floating on a hunt

One of the arms isn't fully deloyed in that picture. From 30 feet, I can't tell them from my GHG.

I call my invention the FC self contained button anchor thingy[TRADE MARK SIGN]

Tapatalk switched the first and last pictures on me:x