Mod for DSD strutter
- Thread starter Hardcorehunter
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Hardcorehunter
UL Shelter/Stove Geek
If you are going to sell a $200 decoy, don't you want it to work with the #1 selling fan holder on the market? If not, then offer one that works for your deke. I have to admit, Primos has a great idea with the ability to take a fan down to 1/4 size.
Primos fan carrier front, folded. rear view for those not following other threads
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Limb Chicken
Active Member
All you had to do here is glue the feathers together.
Nope. I found out a long time ago that gluing them was the way to go for a bunch of different reasons one of the main reasons is hunting. :way:
Hardcorehunter
UL Shelter/Stove Geek
And what does that do to correct this? Wind collapse the Primos fan on the DSD strutter when using only Daves washer method.Gluing the feathers together defeats the ability to fold the fan up.
All you had to do here is glue the feathers together.
Not only that, why should I fumble with a washer and nut in the morning that I know is going to get lost in the leaves, when I can use two hercules wires. The wires are simpler, stronger, and will work with any fan I want to use. Any.
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Limb Chicken
Active Member
Hardcorehunter
UL Shelter/Stove Geek
1st off, I would like to say that I am MORE then impressed by Dave's dekes, and this new Strutter. The quality and detail are second to none. These dekes look alive in person, and these pics just don't do them justice. I plan on doing some pics and some filming with these this spring, and I may seem a little too concerned about what the fan looks like in some peoples's eyes. I just want my 5 bird dsd spread looking alive. Putting that fan up in the air 2 3/4" from the shelf of where it is meant to sit, just looks wrong! Some side by side pics of the Primos Fan holder how it is supposed to be attached, according to the fan maker, Primos. These 2 pics are what it looks like if I mount it like Primos fan is designed to be mounted. The fan sits too high, and it is not a full replica of a live bird, because the base of the fan is not sitting on the shelf, which is how Daves decoys are designed to be. The shelf is for the bottom of the fan and the fan sets 2 3/4" above the shelf. Not a sculpture anymore. That 2 3/4" empty gap ruins the perfection that Dave gave these dekes. Most people may care less, but for me, I want my fan on the shelf, anatomically perfect in location. I am digging the small pack down size of the fan, with the Primos fan. The Edge fan holder is $20, and it sticks the fan up too high when mounted according to directions, and leaves a similar sized void or gap between the shelf and the fan. The Primos is $8.00. I think that grayed up, like I did, makes it decent enough that photos in the field, will look great. I can't emphasize how easy these wires are to use and how good they hold your fan in place. This material he uses is extremely hard to penetrate with the the hercules wire. The material just grabs the wire(Hercules wires are thin, and very strong wires. They will not bend without pliers). For those interested, In case you missed it, you cut the tip with the hook off of the wires. They perform excellent, and I am sure some one will manufacture some plastic fix for this issue down the road.
Ok, onto some side by side pics. 1st two pics are the
Primos way the fan is supposed to mount. Rides 2 3/4" high off of the shelf, a void is evident.
These pics are of the fan setting on the shelf, they way Dave intends the fan to sit. MUCH better look imo. Problem is, these pics are with my phone, as they make easy uploading with my Droid X photobucket app, and may not show what I mean as good as I can see here. Yea, I get into turkey hunting.:grin:
I'll be the 1st to admit, that both will work. Pick your poison:drink2:
Ok, onto some side by side pics. 1st two pics are the
Primos way the fan is supposed to mount. Rides 2 3/4" high off of the shelf, a void is evident.
These pics are of the fan setting on the shelf, they way Dave intends the fan to sit. MUCH better look imo. Problem is, these pics are with my phone, as they make easy uploading with my Droid X photobucket app, and may not show what I mean as good as I can see here. Yea, I get into turkey hunting.:grin:
I'll be the 1st to admit, that both will work. Pick your poison:drink2:
Hardcorehunter
UL Shelter/Stove Geek
Lol...Life of a gear head.
Shoot2Kill
Active Member
Does it get you a bigger tom??????
It must.
I'm wondering how in the hell I'm even going to kill one this year with my "old Pretty Boy" that 4-5 years ago was the best thing since sliced bread and pulled birds within 5 yards of hundreds of blinds. The only thing I can figure is turkeys must be getting smarter every year.
Limb Chicken
Active Member
Ya know I am kind of interested in this actually. Do you guys remember when the feather flex decoys came out? The first time I used one I remember a gobbler stumbling over himself to get to that damn thing. Now, though effective at times, those decoys are skirted out of shotgun range.
I just wonder if they will ever figure out blinds and the DSD decoys because I just don't know how more real and durable you can get other than hauling stuffers out every time.
THA4
A Few Steps Ahead Of You
I am not saying that I won't ever own the DSD Strutter, if $$ were no issue, I might treat myself to one... BUT, I have a hard time believing that it is going to be any more productive than a pretty boy. sure to you and I it looks better, more detail, etc, but I don't think a strutted up horny Tom is going to react differently to the DSD over the PB.
If both were sitting side by side, I doubt a turk will be able to know the difference... Maybe I'm wrong, but I am a firm believer that posture in a decoy is far more important than detail. I am going to get me a DSD jake and maybe feeding hen, and I was critical of them early on.... I have seen the reaction the jake got and believe it will work.
Just not buying into the strutter needing to be 'perfect'. these birds have a brain the size of a pea
If both were sitting side by side, I doubt a turk will be able to know the difference... Maybe I'm wrong, but I am a firm believer that posture in a decoy is far more important than detail. I am going to get me a DSD jake and maybe feeding hen, and I was critical of them early on.... I have seen the reaction the jake got and believe it will work.
Just not buying into the strutter needing to be 'perfect'. these birds have a brain the size of a pea
dedgeez
death from above
Honestly, I have messed with the DSD strutter and it is sweet no doubt, but it is just as bulky and not much lighter than my stuffer. I left the base on my mounted bird for a carry handle and have no problem carrying him. Not to mention when you put the 2 side by side there is no comparison! Can't beat the real thing IMO. Limb raises a good point about the birds seeing more and more and more realistic decoys every year, sure makes a guy think
There is definately no comparison to the DSD for manufactured decoys! Waterfowl or Turkey! Check out there goose decoys if any of you have never been on their site :way:
There is definately no comparison to the DSD for manufactured decoys! Waterfowl or Turkey! Check out there goose decoys if any of you have never been on their site :way:
Limb Chicken
Active Member
Ok, then get rid of your pretty boy and use the billy bad act II this year...
The posture is the same...
THA4
A Few Steps Ahead Of You
So, you're telling me Limb, that your pretty boy set up has totally lost its effectiveness because Dave Smith built a $200 strutter deke? Don't think so...
I didn't say realism isn't important, just not AS important as posture. that blow up doll of yours is not in the same conversation. I was comparing the DSD to the PB.
I didn't say realism isn't important, just not AS important as posture. that blow up doll of yours is not in the same conversation. I was comparing the DSD to the PB.
dedgeez
death from above
To reiterate my point about "realism" I agree with Thomas about the other strutting decoys working as well as the DSD strutter. I also think though that if you don't add the real tail fan and wings to the pretty boy or any of them for that matter that you don't stand a chance and that is what I meant about "realism". My good buddy in college had the PB and the birds would rarely come running to him before he added the real fan and wings! There is something to the idea of the real feathers ruffling in the wind and the irrodescent(sp) look that it gives, that you cannot achieve without feathers. I think what Dave did with leaving the fan off and letting you incorporate your own fan and wings is a good idea, and the other companies were smart to let you modify there dekes. Posture is important, but I have seen some pretty ugly stuffers that worked great because of the real feathers.
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Limb Chicken
Active Member
Not at all. I had a hard time parting with it to be honest. I am just throwing it out there... Where does one draw the line. It is interesting to me. I don't have to have a Dave Smith Decoy to kill gobblers but I wanted one.
We never used the pretty boy or strutting decoy once last year just the DSD jake and what we found was, with the exception of one older bird, all of the birds we killed were two year olds. When we use a strutting decoy it is opposite but had a few birds shy away. An occasional two year old with a bad attitude will come in but the majority of what we killed over a strutter were 3 or older.
Hardcorehunter
UL Shelter/Stove Geek
Limb Chicken said:
Right on with this post. Even though a turkey is dumb, I am sure they have a learning curve. Last year I called two big toms away from several hens they were with, from aprox 150 yds away from my setup. They crawled under a fence to get to my setup, and just interacted with my spread. I had pretty boy with full real feathers on him, his head painted red, and daves jake, his upright, and feeder hens. I've never pulled birds in like that. I had very low success with pretty boy, till I painted his head red. Then, two birds killed in a row, two times out with it. The deke had the same posture, so posture wasn't the issue, it was the factory color of his head, Detail, Imo(they used to be white, now the factory saw the light, and paints them red too), was the issue. I had real fans always on that white headed pretty boy, and feathers didnt help. Limited success. Red on the head equals Realism. I think we are safe having great success with these dsd's for years to come, as these LOOK alive, and also most hunters won't invest in these, and will just keep using the non real ones. The general turkey pop will not get educated on the dsds imo.
Shoot2Kill
Active Member
Sure they wont get educated if you kill the ones that get close enough to tell the difference in a PB or DSD.
Last year my tom kicked the snot out of my PB that didnt have real wings.....
3 years ago I called in 5 strutters together on May 12th for my wife, they had plenty of season to see decoys by then and they came within 5 yards of 2 of the old roll up foam jake and hen decs.....hunters are a marketing departments dream customers, they just like to spend money.
Last year my tom kicked the snot out of my PB that didnt have real wings.....
3 years ago I called in 5 strutters together on May 12th for my wife, they had plenty of season to see decoys by then and they came within 5 yards of 2 of the old roll up foam jake and hen decs.....hunters are a marketing departments dream customers, they just like to spend money.
nannyslayer
New Member
Jeez, from the looks of things, I may never kill a turkey again!!! I don't use decoys, just call them in and shoot them. But I do have a Bmobile in the garage, might as well get rid of that thing.
:grin:
:grin: