GHG decoys or BF decoys?

[WaterFowlHunter58]

I do understand that this is the Avery website and all, but I would like to have honest opinions, even if you do work for Avery. Now, I was just wondering which kind of decoys do you recommend me buying? GHG's or BF's? And how much do GHG's cost?

[plainsman]

The only dekes I'll be buying from now on are GHG. The price is great and the dekes look fantastic, customer service is also great, what more could you want??If you want to pay double for another decoy that's up to you, but I'll get better service,lower prices and more realistic decoys from GHG than you will with any other co. out there!!I understand, you're looking for the best bang for you're buck, so am I,thats why I'm going with GHG!

[Mallyard]

I think you can get them for about $135... thats a good price for a 1/2 doz. It's allmost like GHG throws in 2 extra decoys for free... Ya can't beat that...

Mallyard

[Wade Walling]

I don't work for avery and heres my opinion.

Big foots have killed geese for lots of people that is a fact. I own some myself.

But why settle for good decoys when you could buy the new GHG full bodies and have great decoys. honestly, the GHG's look better BY FAR...and will come stock with flocked heads. there is nothing better about the bigfoots than the GHGs.

and the GHG's cost less.

I do not currently own any avery/ghg decoys (goose decoys) but I have hunted over them and seem them in person. and they look most like a goose than the big foots. And I am a believer of when using smaller spreads (1 or 2 dozen) more lifelike decoys kill's birds of course when you are running larger spreads...im sure you could kill geese with garbage bags and half of tires....well maybe not...but you get what im saying...

save yourself some money and buy a better decoy....get yourself GHGs!

[Ben Duff]

I say BIG FOOTS...........
five years ago when there weren't any GHG's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hope this helps a little in your decision.
No seriously, in all honesty man, GHG's are the difference in a Ford pickup and a Chevy. A ford will get you where you want to go... sometimes, and its not the prettiest thing, but a Chevy... now your talkin' smile.gif

Ben Duff
Avery Regional Pro Staff

[Duckpoor]

I have a bunch of Bfeet and I am not getting rid of them wholesale because of the GHGs.
BUT ... I am making room. ( make no mistake )
My whole thought process has changed since the addition of my new GHG's. Variety is the Name of the game.. The toy solider look of an all foot spread has been an issue with me forever.
The new GHG's are just what I have been looking for. Mixed in they seem to leap out of the flock and catch your attention almost like movement.. Different of course but at least they dont all look the same.
I hunt traffic and mostly geese coming back to the roost. My spreads are Big and relaxed so each decoy has to work on it's own right.
I regularly watch geese select the GHGs to land close to when they have holes everywhere to get into.
These are a great addition to any hunters block and would be the "right" place to start building a flock.
Thanks as always to Avery!

R Green

[Brett Beinke]

Here is my honest answer. When it comes to Full Bodies things have changed. In the past there were very few options and Big Foots rained supreme. Today there are many options available. You should make your choice on your own personal preference along with your own financial situation. Everyones disposable income is different. Look at what use you will get out of your purchase and your return on your investment. Realism, durability, cost and availability are some of the criteria you should be using when making a selection. I feel the GHG Full bodies are the ticket because for me they are the most realistic decoy for the money. I am not sure that I need anything more realistic to kill geese. In fact I am not convinced that you need the realism of the GHG decoys either. As far as durability look at ones customer service. Avery is tops so I am sure if anything goes wrong with my purchase they will fix it. Cost, come on, GHG hands down. Availability, well, GHG has been slow getting out so in the past it was a lot easier to get your hands on Big Foots. Next year? Who knows. If you think about your purchases and research them a bit you should be happy with your final decission. I think I can speak for Avery in saying that we are just glad that you are considering GHG decoys and hope you make a decission that is right for you.

[JEDJR]

disposable income??? If I spend all my money on hunting stuff, that is a better way to dispose of my income than bills, house notes, especially auto insurance!! :D No kidding, Great post Brett, I agree 100 percent. If you look at everything Avery has done with the GHG fullbodies.The way to improve the quality of a product on the market is take the best qualities of the best products and try and put them all in one for the perfect product. This is what Avery has done. The GHG Fullbodies have the realism and detail of Hardcores and Dropzones, the toughness of the Bigfoots and at a price that nobody can match. Now why buy anything else???

[Kevin Addy]

I would buy the GHG's. The bigfoots were the best full bodies in their price range until the GHG's came out. The GHG's look real and the geese eat em up. I have some custom painted foots and thought they looked real good until I mixed some Avery's in with them. I also did a test and set up 2 groups of decoys. Avery's in one group and foots in the other. The geese chose the Avery's just about every time. Unfortunately, there weren't many survivors left to run the test again with the same controlled environment. ;)

[Wtrfwlr]

Obviously most of the guys here are going to recommend the GHG decoys. I will as well. The GHG decoys appeal to me because of the realism in size and color, and I like the poses. There is nothing wrong with BF decoys, they have certainly proven themselves for a long time. All things being equal, I like the fact that Avery is interested in making a better decoy and improving it by listening to suggestions from the users, guys like the ones who post here. If you are looking to buy some BF decoys, I pretty certain there will be alot of guys selling their BF's and buying GHG decoys.

[JEDJR]

Thats part of the realism to me, besides the detail and color, its the size. A lifesize decoy. There aren't many out there.

[Mark Brendemuehl]

Go with the GHG. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with the bigfoots. They are a GREAT decoy... but, times have changed. You can get a BETTER decoy int he GHG, and you can do it cheaper. Now this year with GHG having flocked heads... bigfoot better make some serious changes, AND lower their prices or they are going to get left by the side of the road.
Looks aren't everything- even though the GHG's look better. Look at things like the heads and feet. I will all but promise that the GHG feet will stay on all the time. Nothing makes for a worse morning than reattching heads and feet when you should be setting up decoys and getting ready to pound birds. When I picked up more fullbodies this year the first thing I looked at was the price... the GHG's are less expensive and BETTER than anything else you will get in a store- hands down!
Mark

[goosehunter64]

A-Men........GHG...all the way.

[buckduck]

What impresses me about the GHG decoys is the paint job, the price and the option of standard or oversize. The three D effect of the wings on the paint job on the full body geese is remarkable and the ducks look like the real thing yet there priced within most hunters reasonable range.I also hear there service department is great.

[Tom Matthews]

Big Foot makes awesome decoys, and they set the standard by which all production decoys should be measured. We don't have any illusions about being "better" that BF because there is no way to measure this other than the opinions of hunters who have used both.

The one thing we can say about our decoys is that they are DIFFERENT than Big Foot decoys in size and overall appearance. That does not mean that ours look "better" or more realistic that BF's, just different.

Fred, Shawn and some of the other goose know-it-alls around here have a theory that geese learn and adapt much faster than ducks, which means that the overall look and size of decoys must constantly change. This may be one of the reasons for high hunter success rate with GHG full bodies this first year.

We are going to take a lesson from the geese on this one. We know for our goose decoys to offer success into the future, we must offer new decoys with new "looks" every year so that the geese do not become accustomed to the same styles of decoys. This is why we are bringing the Looker-Style full body with three head styles as well as one new head for the Active-Style body and one new head for the Feeder-Style body. We already have the pattern done for the '05 full body which will come with four heads while the others will each receive a new head style. We'll wait to talk about the '05 decoy...

Thanks,

Tom

[Brian Bowers]

Tom makes a couple of great points...
1. Geese getting smarter..Every year it seems they get wiser to our tricks. This year presented us with some of the smartest geese I have seen. Luckily, we had the ability to throw something DIFFERENT at them. GHG Fullbodies are more than different though. Tom is being a humble businessman. GHG Fullbodies are REAL!!! The anatomy is real...the paint looks real. Everything about them is goose. The geese will continue to get smarter not dumber. To be successful, the hunter will have to be smarter and more realistic. More than ever, the little details will continue to make the difference in your success.

2. Proof was in the success...The camera doesnt lie. When the new videos start coming out....you will all see some amazing footage... From massive flocks of snowgeese finishing mere feet over the decoys to hard hunted, last day of the season canadas landing in the spread, the GHG fullbodies did what the competitors have consistently failed to do in my goose hunting career.
Notice Tom already talking about 05 decoys...Have the competitors done that ever?...The same decoys year after year. Everyone has them...and every goose has seen from top to bottom of every flyway. Not only did Avery make a "different" decoy...but they continue add and change things up so that you "the hunter" can continue to add and change your spread to adapt to smarter geese. All of this together SCREAMS success!

Tom...you are much to humble about what you all have developed!!! Thanks!

Brian Bowers

[JEDJR]

I agree, what other decoy company is willing to make changes on their products on a year to year basis to make improvements as well as keep the birds guessing? Great work Tom and everyone at Avery/GHG!

[John Traiforos]

Tom...you are much to humble about what you all have developed!!! Thanks!
Damn true indeed...

[goosehunter64]

We have some BF's & C/L's. D/Z's and H/C's are just out of our league but, even if they weren't,
I would still go with GHG. In fact, we are about to get three to 4 doz this summer. This, I'm sure will be just a start to acquiring more in the future as we want to replace older dekes.

Rob. :cool:

[Ben Duff]

I think he said they have BF's and C/L's and that the DZ's are out of their league.

[stubble]

I had the chance to hunt with a mix spread of mostly GHG's and a few Hard Cores. When looking at them from 10 yards or so it is really hard to tell them apart. GHG is a real sweet looking deke!!!! :cool:

[Brian Bowers]

[WaterFowlHunter58]

Thanks for the info.

[nwmngeesenducks]

"You can get a BETTER decoy int he GHG, and you can do it cheaper"

You guys are all talking about the fact that GHG are cheaper. I just read on one of the other boards that AVery floaters will be $96/4. That's not cheaper than the $80/4 Bigfoots. They may look nicer but how much will we be paying for decoys in 5 years? Don't get me wrong, I love GHG dekes. I own quite a few, but there is only so much a guy can pay.

[Mark Brendemuehl]

Just a few monthes ago, (granted they were the 2003 model, but... I paid nearly 20 bucks less for the GHG than the Bigfoot. The ghg looks better, and it was cheaper. The price on the ghg may go up some, but look how much it has improved. You arent going to get flocked heads on bigfoot, or the flambeau, and if you flock it yourself you will end up spending more money. Even with a price increase, they are still the best value on the market. Factor in customer service, the availability of staff on this forumn, (does the other companies even have a website) and there is not a comparison.
When I started buying decoys years ago I don't remember ever paying over 20 some bucks for a dozen decoys... now I dont even bat an eye at dropping 90... well until ghg came out and I can get them cheaper- and better. Go with them!
Mark

[nwmngeesenducks]

Mark. I don't know that all of us are blessed with the income you must have to not "bat an eye at dropping $90". Maybe I'm the exception...
You're right, there probably isn't a better looking floater on the market, but how high will waterfowlers go to get the best decoy? Unfortunately this is becoming a rich man's sport.

[Mark Brendemuehl]

No... that's not exactly what I mean. I mean it has become more of the norm. Waterfowl hunting never has been cheap, but what I am saying is for years I hunted with family, and never had to purchase decoys... then I moved on, and hunt more on my own, and well, I can remember spending 20 some odd dollars on some crappy decoys that were "good for the time" and thinking man that is alot of money for a piece of plastic. Then I got even more into duck hunting than even before (my wife assures me that is not possible) and pretty soon I was spending 90 bucks a dozen on G&H decoys. I have no complaints with them, and maybe never will... but, now GHG comes along, makes a great decoy for MUCH less, and they have great service to back it. Don't get me wrong, I think 700 bucks for a gun is crazy, 250 for waders that get holes anyway is insane, 15 bucks for a box of shells, 140 for a call, its crazy... but thats the way the market has went, people accept it. All I am saying is Avery isnt the first to ever raise a price, they have made considerable improvements over last years models (thanks to customer input) and they are a great decoy. I abuse the heck out of my gear, and so far its stood up. Compare decoys, see what you like and dislike in each, and add up which decoys ofer more, and go with that. You won't be dissapointed.
Mark

[Brett Beinke]

NWMN, Correction, thanks to GHG and Avery prices on decoys are actually LOWER helping the "monitarily challenged" (I hate being called poor) afford quality products at affordable prices. How the market has changed is Price reductions on other manufacturer's HC perhaps, to better compete in the market place. this is just the beginning. We still haven't seen how G&H, Flambau, and Carry Lites have responded. Even if you do not like GHG/Avery products the market place is going to be better with more affordable, higher quality products making it easier for us less "financially independent" enjoy the sport we love.

[nwmngeesenducks]

Mark, I see where you're coming from... Thanks.

Hey guys, I'll be the first to say the GHG is a great decoy and for the most part, very reasonably priced. For goose floaters, no matter how awesome they look, that seems a bit pricy. That's all.

Matt