Teal Decoys

[Duckstew]

Hello,

I am from WI and I spoke with an Avery Rep a couple of weeks ago to suggest that GHG comes out with a hen-only box of teal decoys. I felt that the man I talked to completely blew off my suggestion so I thought that I would introduce it to people who might care a bit more. Being in the Midwest, the teal here have no color (with a few exceptions) and I enjoy using the smaller decoys in my spread to build confidence. However, I am only able to bring two of the six decoys that I purchased because the drakes add too much color to my spread. I think that a Midwest-line of decoys for ducks would add another element to Avery's great line. Thanks!

[Evan Masters]

that is a great idea because i have never seen a bluewing in full plumage during the fall let alone shot one and it seems like my teal decoys add a lot of color that you dont normally see in a floc of teal with that kind of coler. Good suggestion!

[jamesmc]

I am not 100% certain but I am pretty sure they offered them one year and they didn't sale very many at all so they canceled the project. We have the same problem, they (BWT) are not fully plumed when our season is in but I don't think they (the birds) really care much. I understand what your talking about though for the realism.

[Evan Masters]

yeah just hte bluewings. I have shot quite a few greenwings and there are a lot of them in full plumage during the season.

[Josh Carda]

Same story here the Teal are not even close to being plumaged when us people in Western Sodak start blasting at them before they pull out.

Good Idea

[Mark Brendemuehl]

I agree with you. They would be a good addition. But, I also know that for whatever reason, they were not well recieved by dealers / consumers back in the day.
Early season we use about 75 percent hen decoys in our spread for the same reason.
Mark

[hoosier_duckhunter]

or maby aa imature would be very cool for teal and mallards

[portahunter]

Ya, I think they offered them at one time and they didn't sell very well so they stopped making them. However, I don't think very many people knew about them when they did this, cuase I for one never saw any anywhere cause I'd of bought some for teal season in a heartbeat.

Luckly for us we get the fully plumed BWT during the regular season.

[Christian Curtis]

We did do an early phase Teal at one time and they didn't do so well.

[Double B]

I agree with you Duckstew! In Minnesota, when we start shootin teal none of them have any color. We are in the same boat as you, we usually only run the hens in the spread because none of them have their color at that time.

[QuackerWacker]

I use all my teal dekes when ever I hunt teal they are not smart enough to notice that the dekes have color and they don't IMO no ducks are. Remember a teals brain is about as big as a pea, how smart can they be? Hen teal packs would be for the hunter not the birds. I use mostly full colored drakes for all ducks from the opener on even when all the ducks are brown and I think the color helps you be more visable.

[Mallyard]

To be honest guys!
The teal don't care.. I will normally buy out all the flamb. teal decoys at the end of the season from walmart, take them home and run a dark brown spray paint over em, then over spray the back with a little lighter color. They work fine. I don't really think the ghg males would flare em at all though. But the teal are dumb enough that I don't have to get my GHG's out till bigduck season. makes the decoys last that much longer. If I can get by with an ugly spread, I'll do it everytime!!!

Mallyard

[Ryan Kleinschmidt]

We kill a pile of teal over mallard decoys every year.

[quackaddict]

We kill a pile of teal over mallard decoys every year.

What he said.

[RedBarren]

I got 2 dozen gwt on clearance at the end of season and sold 12 drakes on ebay. for more then I got the 4 boxes so I now have 8 hens and 4 drake for free. I wish they sold hens, but some time you got to work at it.
The hen pack, were they the one with the paint line that looked like a basket ball???

[goosehunter64]

Hello,

I am from WI and I spoke with an Avery Rep a couple of weeks ago to suggest that GHG comes out with a hen-only box of teal decoys. I felt that the man I talked to completely blew off my suggestion so I thought that I would introduce it to people who might care a bit more. Being in the Midwest, the teal here have no color (with a few exceptions) and I enjoy using the smaller decoys in my spread to build confidence. However, I am only able to bring two of the six decoys that I purchased because the drakes add too much color to my spread. I think that a Midwest-line of decoys for ducks would add another element to Avery's great line. Thanks!
So....with all these comments....the Avery rep didn't blow off your question. He was merely stirring you in another direction. We don't know the whole conversation, so this is only what I assumed he did.
Maybe you should asked some different questions to him...about these 6 hens per box vs. the early teal box that was at one time produced.
Or perhaps he may have misunderstood your whole question.
If ever in doubt, always ask more questions....especially, if it's not exactly the answer you strive for.
Good luck.

[Duckstew]

I appreciate all of your comments. I have been hunting for a number of years and I don't use the teal decoys to shoot teal. I agree with a couple of you guys that in the past I too have killed piles of teal over mallard spreads. However, for the realism affect, I have seen mallards not like to come in tight when the drake teal are out there. I have experimented and used that as my only variable and the results do not lie. The realism that GHG hen teal add to a spread in the midwest (and probably the drakes too further south) is undeniable. I know there are other methods out there to accumulate some GHG hen teal, but I don't like to pay an arm and a leg for shipping off of ebay. Thanks to all who have taken the time/effort to offer suggestions.

I'm very curious as to the hen-only packs that GHG offered a couple years ago. I never heard a thing about it until a couple of months ago. As a loyal customer, I would buy a pack if they were to offer that package deal once again.

[Rick Frisch]

We made the three years ago. The sales were not good at all. We had enough to run them for another two years, but none of the dealers bought them because of slow sales. Somebody bought them all on closeout.

Sorry,