Decoy protection

[Packer Backer]

Hi Guys,
I'm new to the group and wanted to see if anyone uses anything to protect the paint on their decoys. I was thinking of using some sort of enamel or polyurethane. I have a few dozen new dekes that I'd like to protect, rather than painting them in a few years

Thanks, Packer Backer

[tjwatty]

Good luck.
I've found that replacing works just as well. We just use Flambeau plastic and most seem to wear out before the paint does. We do have about 100 to 150 old Otter and Mediapolis styrafoam that have to be reworked almost every year. We have become so lazy that we have developed a pretty good method with good old spray cans. Flat grey, primer red a big brush with green and smaller ones with white and yellow and "Get er done"
Try some of the aerosol spray insulation for leakers. Be sure to put a hole in both ends and plug the holes after and it will salvage a good deke for 4 or 5 yrs. I can fill 3 or 4 standards with a can and 2 super mags with a can. The stuff ain't cheap but neither are super mags.

[mtmiller]

Not sure if this is what you are looking for, but I use that foam tire cleaner stuff on my decoys during my summer clean up and replace time. It leaves the dekes a little shiny, but just wash them down with a garden hose after they dry and you are in bussiness.

[JackRabbit]

Hey packer backer. My buddy just painted his goose decoys with a paint and fibers kit, that he dabs with the paint and boy do they ever look good .He's got a kit to do his mallards also.These decoys look so real and touch up is a breeze he says.

[DelDuck]

welcome to the boards!! I don't do anything special to my blocks to protect them. And I would never use a a poly or anything like that. Poly would make your blocks shine and glimmer in the sun something real ducks don't do.

[Packer Backer]

Thanks guys. Perhaps I'll just go with the repainting idea, as I have several dozen mallards that now look like corpses .

Anyone have luck with a particular kind of paint? I'm looking to go the cheap route, not the kits. The kits are quite expensive and I'm sure they are just buying the paint from a paint manufacturer and relabeling it

Thanks again for the input. I'm glad I found this site. I'm sure I'll be on here a lot more in October!

[DelDuck]

I read an artical awhile back about what colors to use. The guy said he got the chance to do a fly over with the state biologist during hunting season. He said ALL the real ducks looked like grayish brown dots and the decoys were the only ones you could destinguish color on. So he painted all his bloocks a brown color (flat) I would say like the black duck brown and is numbers have not dropped off at all and may have improved.
I had saved that artical on my old comp but it some how did not make it to my new comp.

[Cobra]

Found that the best way to protect the paint is to not stuff the decoy bags bursting full and handle them with respect and care. Believe 95% of the damage comes from this. Learned from an old time market hunter nearly 30 years ago to paint your decoys much darker, what a difference it has made. Most decoys on the market are painted in spring breeding plumage, prettier and made to have you buy them since that's what every photo of the species shows. I re-paint even a new bunch of decoys as they come out of the box. Herters paint from Cabela's is a good starting point, then I mix from there, darker much darker. Paint around 65% of them as hens, 10% as full dark drakes with the remainder somewhere in between changing back from the molt. That's roughly what the birds fly around here look like during the season, so I imitate it.

[Cobra]

Found that the best way to protect the paint is to not stuff the decoy bags bursting full and handle them with respect and care. Believe 95% of the damage comes from this. Learned from an old time market hunter nearly 30 years ago to paint your decoys much darker, what a difference it has made. Most decoys on the market are painted in spring breeding plumage, prettier and made to have you buy them since that's what every of a photo of the species shows. I re-paint even a new bunch of decoys as they come out of the box. Herters paint from Cabela's is a good starting point, then I mix from there, darker much darker.