Repairs and Replace Decoys
Putting off what should be done today isn’t good, it’s not even inexpensive. Open up each hunting case, bag and tub – one at a time. Most decoy bags will
Decoy Bag Repair – If your bag has tears and holes. Remove the decoys before repairing the bag, the repairs can be made either way, but my experience is the repairs are easier and hold up longer.
- Holes or tears in the bag - They are fixed by using decoy cord or cable ties. Run several through the surrounding holes and “make” a patch out of the repair material. If the bag or bags is too far gone, our bags are very the best on the market.
- Decoy Bag Shoulder Strap Repair – If the strap has torn loose in some spots from the bag. “Stitch” it on both sides with 4 or 6-inch black cable ties about a 1-inch apart on both sides of the strap.
Floating Decoys Repair – There will be a few that need paint repair a few that have holes, most will be dirty and some will need new cords and weights.
- Wash - With a couple of 5 or 6-gallon buckets of water, a soft brush, a couple sponges, a bottle of Simple Green (Simple Green is a good cleaner, biodegradable, mild on your hands) and you have all it takes to wash off the decoys. Pour in the Simple Green in one bucket and with a hose spray in the water. This will mix the cleaner with the water (or you can pour in ans stir with a stick). Fill the 2nd bucket with water. Sit in a chair in the driveway, place the 2 pails in front of you and the decoys piled beside the chair and buckets. Dunk one decoy in the soapy water, wipe with a sponge. Brush any hard spots, dunk in the second bucket of plain water (to rinse or rinse with the hose). After washing put the decoys in separate piles – one for patch, one for paint, one to restring or add weight. Some might need all three. Start with patch, then paint, then restring. Allow to dry before starting the next operation.
- Holes Repair - can be repaired by finding the entry hole, drilling it out with a ¼-inch drill bit. Hold the decoy up or sit it where the water will drain out. Once it is dry, fill the hole with clear silicone sealant. When it sets up, trim with a razor blade and touch up with paint.
- Multiple holes – can be repaired with a drill and ¼-inch wood/plastic bit and an aerosol can of poly foam. Drill one hole in the rear, as far back and centered at the tail, then a second hole in the tip of the bill. Read the amount to spray required on the can directions. Spray in the foam into the rear hole through the plastic straw that comes with the can, only takes seconds. Sit it aside. The excess will foam out the holes – the ones you made and the “shot” holes. The next day or several hours later, trim off the excess foam with a razor blade and touch up with paint.
- Paint - You can take one each of the different colored decoys to the paint store. They can match the color with a plastic paint or order if you plan a few weeks in advance the colors can be ordered from Cabela’s.
- Restring Weights – My experience with decoy string (cord) is that the some of the weights will fall off during the season. Restring with plastic decoy line, clips and weights. You can make weights from sheets of 4 pound lead, from old lead roof soil pipe flashing (cut in 1-inch wide strips by 4 or 6-inch in length). There are a multitude of different type of lines and commercial weights. We feel the best is the clear synthetic line, copper clips and strap weights that are offered by Duckngoose.com. I know for a fact that they will last over 10 years – and counting.
This is a good time to change the water keel decoys to weighted keel decoys. Take a strip lead decoy weight, slide it into the water keel, center it in the keel (from front and rear), and drill one ¼-inch hole close to center. Run a stainless or brass bolt through the hole, place a washer on both sides, then a stainless steel or brass nut on the both.
Spinning Wing Decoys – Remove decoy, parts and wipe the inside of the case clean.
- Wash the decoy, touch up the paint, wipe off the wings and tighten all screws and bolts.
- Most decoys come with a pole in two to three parts. Or, one you made to fit in the decoy bag or case. Wipe it off, remove the rust with a wire brush (or a wire brush head that fits an electric drill), wipe the poles pieces down and paint with a Rust-O-lum paint olive drab or multi colors – brown, tan, green and black.
- Remove the battery and place with the charger and all other parts in the case after it has been cleaned inside and out. For those hunters that have access to a Fry’s store, they have the 22-inch long plastic tool box that is perfect for the spinning wing decoys at a cost of around $20.00.
NOTE: In those areas that battery operated spinning wing decoys have been outlawed, this is the time to obtain the Convert-A- Duck to change the battery operated spinning wing decoy to an air driven wing decoy,
Texas Rag Decoys and Windtamer Decoys – Remove the decoys from the decoy slings or bags. If decoys are torn, remove the stake and obtain a roll of decoys to use as repairs. When complete, roll up 10 decoys in a roll and place – not jam or squeeze – in the Windsock Bag or Sling. Windsocks are damaged and torn when they are not rolled tight and one stake tears a decoy when jammed in the bag or sling.
- Wash the sling or bags with water and a sponge. Hand up to dry on a fence, tree limb, spread out on the driveway.
- Wash Wind sock - Shake out each rag. If muddy or stained, dunk in a pail of Simple Green and water. Wipe off with a sponge. Dunk in a bucket of plain rinse water. Shake out a stick up in the yard until dry. Roll up decoys 10 to the roll and place back in decoy bag.
- Untied – If the top knot has come untied or slipped off the stake, retie on the wood stake. Secure the decoy to the wood stake with a 4-inch cable tie pulled tight just below the knot. If the stake is fiberglass or metal, secure the decoy to the stake with a ½-inch wide strip of white or black fiberglass reinforced adhesive tape.
- Broken Stake – Remove the existing broken stake and replace with a new 24” long by 3/8” wood or ¼” fiberglass stake. Retie the top knot. Remember when tie to leave a 3-inch piece from the knot to act as the bill of a goose.
Foam Shell Decoys – Buckwing and
- Remove from decoy bag and spread out in front of you. If the decoy is torn or has a small hole, set those decoys to one side. The others and there heads, wash and brush with a soft bristle brush in a pail of Simple Green and water. Rinse in a second pail and set aside to dry.
- For snow geese use the paint recommended for plastic and touch up the black and pink.
- For all others take a decoy to the paint store and they can make up pints of matching colors. Use a separate small model store paint brush for each color.
NOTE: If you don’t use the Buckwing full body soft plastic collapsible decoys on motion stakes you aren’t using the best full body decoy. They are less expensive, they move more life like in light or heavy breeze, they are lighter – several dozen fit in a windsock Decoy Bag with the motion stakes in a small zip up bag (placed in the bag). Easier to and lighter to carry, require less space to store or on an ATV or trailer. Set up as easily and fast as buttoning a 3 button shirt. No way to have a better full body decoy – Canada, Spec or Snow.
Hard Full Body Decoys
- Wash - With a couple of buckets of water, a soft brush, a couple sponges, a bottle of Simple Green (Simple Green is a good cleaner, biodegradable, mild on your hands) and you have what it takes to wash off the decoys. Stir a cup of Simple Green in a 5 or 6 gallon bucket of water. Pour in the Simple Green and with a hose spray in the water. Fill the second bucket with plain water. Dunk one in the soapy water, wipe with a sponge. Brush any hard spots, dunk in the second bucket of plain water (to rinse or rinse with the hose). Set aside to dry.
- Repair – After the decoys, all pieces dry check for holes, cracks, chipped paint or worn paint areas. Put the head and legs on the decoy. If either is loose set aside for repair. For those that need paint but no repairs set in another area. For those that need repair, list what on a sheet of paper. Most repairs can be made with plastic contact cement and a plastic bondo. If need advice on how and what products to use, drop by a custom auto repair shop. Most will be able to help and point in the right direction. After the repairs it’s off to the paint group.
- Paint – For those decoys that need paint use a different paint brush for each color and clean them immediately if you plain the stop for an hour or overnight – or longer. Paint a spot on the handle with the color that the brush is used to paint. For those that use Canada goose decoys, there are flocking kits. This is a good time to do the flocking. If you do then spend the little extra to purchase the head covers for the flocked heads.
Hard Shell Decoys
- Wash - With a couple of buckets of water, a soft brush, a couple sponges, a bottle of Simple Green (Simple Green is a good cleaner, biodegradable, mild on your hands) and you have what it takes to wash off the decoys. Stir a cup of Simple Green in a 5 or 6 gallon bucket of water. Pour in the Simple Green and with a hose spray in the water. Fill the second bucket with plain water. Dunk one in the soapy water, wipe with a sponge. Brush any hard spots, dunk in the second bucket of plain water (to rinse or rinse with the hose). Set aside to dry.
- Repair – No hunter has shell decoys, has decoys that don’t need repair. The head or shell at the attach area needs repair, as they get older cracks appear in the body. These deficiencies can be repaired. Obtain plastic cleaner, contact plastic cement, aluminum pop rivets and 3x3 or 4x4 foot pieces of plastic sheet – thickness equal to that of the decoy or a size larger. If you don’t know what cleaner to buy or how to use it check with a sign shop. If you don’t know where to obtain sheet plastic, go by a couple of sign shops and find out where they purchase sheet plastic. For holes, cracks or just support, clean area with plastic cleaner, cut a piece of sheet plastic (a few inches larger in all directions) attached it with contact cement. Hold with a few pop rivets. Smooth with plastic bondo.
- Paint – For those decoys that need paint use a different paint brush for each color and clean them immediately if you plain the stop for an hour or overnight – or longer. Paint a spot on the handle with the color that the brush is used to paint. For Canada decoys, there is a white plastic tape. Cut the piece to fit at the head, press in place.
NOTE: This is a good time to add the fiberglass movement stakes. One word of caution. Put the head on the body. Hold a stake under the decoy; balance it so that it sits basically level. Mark the spot and drill a hole. Place the stake in the hole, then the stake (with decoy attached) in the ground. If decoy doesn’t sit level. Drill another hole and repeat the process. Patch the extra holes with bondo, then paint. You aren’t through until you write on the bottom of the head a number, then on the inside of the body with the same number. Ladies finger nail polish works well – bright red can be seen easily with a flashlight early in the dark morning. Oh yes, the different style heads make the balance of the decoy on the stake react differently, so do each decoy one by one and don’t get in a hurry. You’ll appreciate the effort when the shells “dance” in a light breeze. |
RECIPE
GOOSE & DIMPLINGS
The ideal recipe to stretch the last snows in the freezer. The taste will make you take shooting lessons to increase your snow goose harvest next season
2 ea snow geese, skinned, cleaned
Water
Cider vinegar
Serendipity
3 ea chicken bouillon cubes
6 ea large eggs
4-5 cup Bisquick
2 ea carrots, chopped
2 rib celery, chopped
In a non-conductive bowl place geese. Cover with water plus 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Refrigerate, change water every 20 minutes with vinegar until water runs clear. Remove geese from water; discard water. Drain on paper towels, move to a dish and liberally sprinkle inside and outside with Serendipity; cover and refrigerate 4 hours to overnight. In a pot place geese, cover with water plus 2-inches.of water. Remove, cool, and debone chicken. Add enough water to fill pot to 2-1/2 inches below top. Add bouillon. In a bowl beat eggs. Add enough Bisquick to make batter crawl up beaters. Remove beaters, sprinkle Bisquick over batter. Work batter and add Bisquick until no longer sticky. Turn onto a Bisquick covered surface. Coat rolling pin with Bisquick and roll out dough to ¼-inch thickness. Bring water to a boil over medium-high heat. Using a pizza cutter, cut 1-inch sqs of dough. Drop individually into boiling water, using a wooden spoon to move other dumplings out of the way to prevent them from sticking together. DO NOT LET DUMPLINGS TOUCH. Boil, stirring every 5-minutes for 30 minutes. Add carrots and celery. Shred chicken into pot. Cook 15 minutes. Yield: 4 to 6 servings |
RECIPE
TEQUILA SPEC FAJITAS
This recipe is ideal fore grilling those breasts that are close to “freezer burn.” You will wish you had more specs or snows or Canada so you could cook this every weekend. It is just too good to come up with a word or group of words to equal the taste.
4 ea spec breasts, deboned, skinned
Water
Cider vinegar
1/4 cup tequila
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrated, thawed
2 Tbls fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp dried oregano, crushed
1/2 tsp Cajun Chef’s Green hot sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, minced
8 ea 10-inch flour tortillas
1 ea red bell pepper, seeded, cut in ¼-inch wide strips
1 ea purple onion, sliced ¼-inch rings, cut in half
1/8 head Iceberg lettuce, sliced thin
1 ea large tomato, peeled, diced
On a flat working surface tenderize the breast with a Jaccard Meat Tenderizer. In a non-conductive bowl place breasts, cover with water plus 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Refrigerate, change water every 20 minutes until water runs clear. In a bowl combine tequila, concentrate, line juice, ginger, oregano, hot sauce, salt and garlic. Pour off water, pour in tequila marinade. If liquid doesn’t cover meat, add water; stir to combine marinade. Cover, refrigerate 4 hours. Remove breast from marinade, retain marinade. Over a gray charcoal grill, cook breast about 4 minutes on one side and flip, cook until breast are medium rare. DO NOT OVERCOOK. Waterfowl is tough and rubbery if cooked well done. Remove breast to a flat working surface, slice across the grain into ¼-inch thick slices, cover to keep warm. To warm tortillas, wrap in foil. Place beside on grill, but off to one side for 5 to 8 minutes. In a saucepan pour marinade, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and add bell pepper and onion slices. Simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. To serve, fill warmed tortillas with warm spec slices. Using barbecue tongs, pick-up pepper and onion slices, shake off excess liquid, over meat. Sprinkle lettuce and tomatoes over top. Roll up fajitas. Yield: 4 servings |
