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Decoy Care During The Season
By Mario Friendy, Drake Field Expert

We all talk about the bright Red Legged Mallards coming down from the North or how bright the plumage is on a big Bull Pintail or Drake Wigeon. Well we should be looking at our decoys half way through the season or whenever those bright birds show up to your state to make sure we are representing that in our spreads. It doesn't matter if you have $25 plastics or $500 custom decoys. You should try to maintain the overall appearance of your spread as the birds get tougher. Take a day from hunting when the weather isn't going to be so great or there are not that many birds around to touch up your decoys. Here are a few tips.

If you have plastics, clean them. You can do that with soap and water and a soft scrub brush or towel. Once that is done if they still look a little dull, touch up that white on the decoy. Maybe it is the white ring around the Drake Mallard's neck or the white on his tail. Maybe you want to touch up the white on the Hen Mallard's tail or the white on a drake Wigeon's side pocket, tail or crown of his head. If you have Pintails, Bluebills or Canvasbacks in your area, touch up that white......the brighter the better. This also goes for your goose floaters and full bodies. That white is what makes that bird come alive on the water or field.

If you have custom decoys like mine then you have to take a little more care in the cleaning process. I use some soap and water and a soft towel to rub off the dirt. I then rinse them with water and dry them with a really soft and clean towel. Remember that once either the wash towel or drying towel get dirty, get another clean one and keep going.

Last but not least here are a few other ideas. If your decoys get put in a slotted carry bag, poncho or just a plain old decoy bag, make sure that gets cleaned as well. If it is a material that can take a machine wash, throw it in the washer and hang dry it. If not just take the hose to it and wash the mud off and hang dry it as well. There is nothing like cleaning all your decoys only to put them in the dirty decoy bag. The same goes for if you have a pickup truck or a trailer that you place all your gear in. Clean that as well. Whether you hose it out, run it through the car wash or whatever. The more dirt that is removed from the decoys path, the longer they will stay looking good.

Good luck and I hope these tips help you this season. If you have any questions you can feel free to call me or e-mail me anytime.

Mario Friendy
Columbia River Decoys
503-209-2763

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