"Off with her head"

Looking at photos of big spreads of flash flocked decoys,my wallet contracts as the brain calculates the damage...
I do however like some of the new body/head positions of decoys and over the years have tried to slowly purchase a couple of new designs as they come along(heck I remember fizzing at bung when found basic mallards with cocked wingtips ,then found some with slightly offset heads) we have 4 sleepers which are good ,two normally stay on shoreline ,the other two off to side of spread,but we always seem to want more and dont want to spend $$$ for a once of twice yearly used item.
the brain been working over time the last few night shifts....so today as the mad queen said "off with her head" and then an hour with soldering iron,breathing in far too many fumes,the "Frankeinducks'' were finished and Egor flicked the switch...they will get a touch up paint soon enough,raining now.

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Where's the photos, this whole story could be bullshit. :D

Edit. Looks like I was too slow typing.

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Originally Posted by RUMPY

Where's the photos, this whole story could be bullshit. :D

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your wish is my command O great and wise one

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Invisible stitching, Igor would be proud, now for some "beautiful plumage". Rainbow decoys perhaps🙂

:D

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Originally Posted by Marty Henry

Invisible stitching, Igor would be proud, now for some "beautiful plumage". Rainbow decoys perhaps��

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in 2nd photo...the one on its own out to left..had a huge slit/cut right around its back to create a flap to insert a vibrating disc..... rather pleased with how well it sealed up,on side note,that decoy has sat in our longue for the last THREE YEARS!!! and herindoors has dutifully vacuumed around it without complaint. I must be the luckiest man alive to have such a wonderful wife to put up with me.

What about putting a drake head on a hen body. That would really mess with the little feathered f..kers, and anybody else who wandered by.

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Originally Posted by Lentil

What about putting a drake head on a hen body. That would really mess with the little feathered f..kers, and anybody else who wandered by.

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Enough of that cross dressing shit. We got enuff demented delusional fcukwits in this woke society without encouraging Mickey’s to build bent ducks.

MG

look at a greylard......you get every possible combination of colours there... often the drakes look much like hens colouring. a grey duck (either sex)isnt hell of a lot different to a mallard hen so crosses between them and mallards...AKA a greylard often the drakes heads dont have a lot of green....the white neck band goes away and often the other white markings are gone too.I always have a real mixture of colourations in the spread..does it make any difference to the ducks??? stuffed if I know but its fun painting them up and kidding myself it makes them better.

Good job on the paint work MD, is that teeth marks from pouch on the hens head or a couple of stray pallets?

Have you ever shot a decoy and if so what do you fill the holes with to repair it, I loaned some decoys out once and some came back with the beaks munched up by pouch and some were full of holes :oh noes:

possibly a rat in off season??? that decoy stayed in maimai for last two years LOL.
The drake closest to wall has actually had beak chewed off by someone elses dog....
pellet holes = either hot glue gun....or as have just discovered the soldering iron....zippy/cable ties melt nicely if need to add more material,the lid off spay can melts down even better and best of all is a thick plastic sheet used to line ponds etc.
yes Ive managed to poke a few pellet holes in decoys over the years..but my brother in law ALWAYS gets the blame!!!!!

Thanks MD, great ideas there. I might tidy mine up a bit.

Thanks for the info

maaate...you are about to embark on one of lifes great adventures...fixing up and repainting decoys is half the reason I go shooting ducks. sing out if get stuck on something,chances are Ive crossed it off list sometime before.

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Originally Posted by Micky Duck

look at a greylard......you get every possible combination of colours there... often the drakes look much like hens colouring. a grey duck (either sex)isnt hell of a lot different to a mallard hen so crosses between them and mallards...AKA a greylard often the drakes heads dont have a lot of green....the white neck band goes away and often the other white markings are gone too.I always have a real mixture of colourations in the spread..does it make any difference to the ducks??? stuffed if I know but its fun painting them up and kidding myself it makes them better.

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The mallard drake is the biggest rapist in the avian world!the first duck ive ever shot was a horny mallard drake sniffin the arse of a terrified parrie hen in full flight. Yup he got a head job that he didnt bargain for !!!
Go to any public park where ducks are and look around ,theyre in all colours of the rainbow .
One mob i remember out at the groynes near chchs harewood crematorium ,featured a duck who may have been sired by a taubmans colour chart ,it had that many colours on it!
A lot of large ducks in the mob too ,with known domestic ducks &meat ducks very prominent.

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Originally Posted by Micky Duck

maaate...you are about to embark on one of lifes great adventures...fixing up and repainting decoys is half the reason I go shooting ducks. sing out if get stuck on something,chances are Ive crossed it off list sometime before.

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Thanks MD, yes this is something I can do on these cold winter days.
I will be sure to call out if I get stuck, my Mrs is an artisted and is great with a paint brush so she may help me as well.

A couple of my decoys are cheaper ones with a strange colour so they might get a complete overhaul (colour change)

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Today's effort.had even numbers so seven drake's changed gender... slightly shiney but otherwise happy with paint job,then took 4 drake's of Italian 80s vintage that had the tin soldier look and changed head angles,the magnums in particular have improved greatly,most happy with end look

Attachment 250697 before and after.....painted it yesterday,got up this morning and decided it needed kinked head too.... much betterer to my eyes anyway.
now got hen/drake ratio much more to my liking 3 girls /2 boys not quite beach boys level but near enough, when add the greys in it will be closer still.

as youre so keen Picasso ive got a couple of sacks full of assorted geriatrics etc etc -shall i send them your way for plastic surgery and a facelift.????

PS-tea toight a fat opening day parrie ,now so chocka with stuffing ive had to pinand sew his arse shut likewise his neck.served with mashed spuds and golden vege mix.IOf that dont give me me vitamins etc etc buggered if i know what will.hes sitting on the stove top at present oven bagged marinating in a can of european pale ale!!Im a man of exotic taste .BUUUUUUUUURRRRRRPPPPPPP

You drop them off and I give them a tart up.no worries. I'm sitting in maimai at present,lifted of dozen birds and hour ago when I arrived,hoping they will return.havent got even a single decoy out,just sitting on their home water on a drizzly day.

sorry sory sorry micky i misread ''insert vibrating disc'' and was about to give my'' really micky'' disprroving stare

Ok MD I as promised the first wet weekend I would give this a go, I wasn't as adventurous as you by cutting heads off however I did give 3 drakes a sex change.

After going through all my decoys I realised they were in better nick than I thought, one had a chewed beak which I could have fixed a bit better but I had 6 of the cheaper decoys that needed a colour change and 3 drakes got re gendered at the same time.

Step 1 the base coat

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Step 2 the light feathers

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Step 3 beak, blue feathers, white feather, black eyes and beak marks.

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Before

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After

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Before

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After

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Pretty happy with the final result, thanks MD for the inspiration and to Davey for helping me with the colours.

Now maybe next season I should give duck shooting another go.

Well done that man.they just like bought ones.

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Originally Posted by Micky Duck

Well done that man.they just like bought ones.

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Cheers mate, a good project for a wet weekend :thumbsup:

Now mix a bit of your two colours and with a nearly dry brush held at very low angle dragged across the feather details and it will make the raised detail pop.

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Originally Posted by Micky Duck

Now mix a bit of your two colours and with a nearly dry brush held at very low angle dragged across the feather details and it will make the raised detail pop.

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Yeah I have dragged the brush over the feathers on their backs with the lighter colour which has highlighted them, I have checked the good decoys I have and what I have done is similar so I might just call it done at that.

Thanks for the suggestion though MD