what goose shells to choose?

[Hunter52794]

Im looking to buy some shells to add some numbers to my spread and dont know whether to choose the GHG hot buys, hardcore canada shells, or GHG FFD shells. Also the hot buys come with motion stakes and adding motion to my spread would help alot so i was wondering if either of the other two could be rigged up to use motion stakes too and what shells would be the best.
Thanks,
Hunter

[jlka]

i own all the shells you mentioned plus ghg life size but not the ffd shells so here is my thoughts on them. i would stay away from the hardcores the scratch pretty easy which i could live with but they are cut very very short, they look ok in the snow but they dont look good in stalks since there so short and i wouldn't want to put them very high on a stake, the hot buys are ok if your wanting to add cheap numbers they will work for you, ghg life size look good but are pretty small, ghg ffd elite look really good but are pretty expensive and i dont know how well the flocking would hold up if you stacked them, i dont own any of those so you would have to ask someone else that does, but in my opinoin i would go with oversized ghg shells they are prettly big and "puffed up" they look good on the ground and they come with some stakes and look real good on them, i have used them for 3 years and they have held up very well no paint chips or cracks in the shells, the only thing is the springs on the stakes will get loose and slide down, but a little glue and your good to go.

[duckman1106]

Is there a reason you have these two brands narrowed down? If not, my two options in shells would be Higdon and Bigfoot. Higdons have really good motion systems and they are tough as nails. Bigfoot, well........they're Bigfoots. They're flexible like the full bodies and they will end up standing the test of time. I'm adding Bigfoot sleepers this year.

[DSM16428]

Mack's has the Higdon Magnum Canada Field shells for $139.00 with free shipping. No stakes, but with free shipping you can afford to buy stakes too!

[Kallaz]

just bought 18 higdon motion shells , very pleased, well built, good movement. look good with the foots

[field-n-feathers]

My vote is for the FFD's. Great realism and movement.

[goosehunter09]

I like the GHG oversize shells. They have fairly good size and look great. Have had mine for 3 years now and no paint chips and the flocked heads are still looking good as new. Im not very caring with my decoys either so they have good durability.

[Krazy Yankee]

our spread is 2/3 oversized greenheads, and we usually do pretty well with'm

[32-40win]

I like the GHG oversize, also have FA shells. Only beef on either so far is the head conn, GHG have some cracked flanges, the FA needs a little caution installing and removing so as not to bust the locking ear, which I did on a couple of fullbodies.
FA is flocked on tail GHG isn't.

[Lujack]

When I put shells out in my spread the last thing I'm concerned about is movement. To me a shell decoy is supposed to simulate a goose on it's belly, either resting, sleeping, or lazily feeding. The last thing in my spread I want is a half bodied decoy bounding around in the wind. I will qualify this statement by stating that I like the Higdon motion shells because they have the shape of a feeding goose even though they are not a full body decoy. The other shells on a stake look pretty stupid though.

[Dandy Don]

Just wondering why you haven't looked at the Higdon shells? I have a few dz. and there very durable with great paint that stays on the decoys fully flocked heads that are easy to attach & stay on! I paid 59.95 a dz. 2yrs. ago at Rodgers and have seen them for well under 100.00 a dz. of late. You might want to give em a look before you decide.

[B'Haven]

How do the Higdon shells look in comparison with Full bodies? I run mainly all BF and GHG and no stores around the area stock Higdon shells to get a good look at them. The price is right and they look good on the web. I also don't need them for movement but just numbers. Is the standard size big enough or is the Oversize the way to go?

[Dandy Don]

The standards are just fine! The paint scheme will work well with what your using.

[B'Haven]

Thanks for the help, I might just have to add some to our spread for late season migrators. We might really start to create a mix bag of different makers if I add Higdon to already GHG and BF and all the other guys are questioning if we shouldn't have sold some to purchase some tanglefrees this year. haha This is what happens when you to much time to think versos just hunting.

[MEat & my girl]

I have the higdons, they are great. look really good,durable, ff heads. THE ONLY thing that worries me is is cold weather. I have not used them in sub zero temps, I'm not sure how coupling the heads to the bodies will go, it's a secure setup when warm, but man, not sure how they will take the cold!!!

[DSM16428]

I have the higdons, they are great. look really good,durable, ff heads. THE ONLY thing that worries me is is cold weather. I have not used them in sub zero temps, I'm not sure how coupling the heads to the bodies will go, it's a secure setup when warm, but man, not sure how they will take the cold!!!

I have 5 dozen Higdon shells in both the standard and the over-sized, and I can honestly tell you that they are AWESOME shells! they stack nice, are plenty durable (I DO NOT baby decoys) and flat out finish birds. I've put them out from 80 + degree temp days to days that would freeze a hot cup of coffee in an hour and they have never failed me...not once. The color schemes of the standards and the over-sized are a bit different, but they are both very natural and compliment each other and other brands quite well. I do recommend lightly sanding the head attachment area on the deek body...just to make it a bit easier to attach the heads when it's REALLY cold out. I found out the hard way when I broke a couple of heads trying to force them on in 20 degree weather. The plus was that Higdon has amazing customer service and they replaced the heads at no charge. The Higdons are also a little deeper in the body than alot of other shells if not most other brands, giving them an almost full body appearence. If you don't believe me, just ask the over 850 dead geese over the last 4 years if they worked!!

[lumpy2181]

http://www.shopdunns.com/products/350/higdon_goose_shells_12_pack/

Higdon Shells $49.99/dzn

I just bought 2 dzn and it ran me 128 total. Great fillers for a spread.

[32-40win]

thx for the post on Dunn's there , Lumpy, I'll look at them again next year when the buy spree starts again.

[B'Haven]

Thanks for the heads up on the Higdon's. I purchased 2 dozen also, Don't know anything about Dunn's but the price was sure right and it was exactly what I needed to help with traffic geese.

[lumpy2181]

No problem fellas. I have seen these same shells for ~100/6 in some other places. 32-40 I wouldn't wait. These are down $10 from the cheapest I have seen. Who knows how long they will stay this price and in stock. Dunns has been a great find for me next to Rogers and Cheaper Than Dirt for ammo/gun accessories. I will be missing this season so I figured I better gear up for the next while I can. Good luck this season and shoot a few for me.