I need a new hen decoy without breaking the bank. The avians look nice, but do they hold up?
This will be my first season using the Avians, they seem very durable. Of course they're inflatable so if they take a couple pellets from a shotgun I'd say they won't stay inflated but that's nothing one can't fix.
When retiring my old feather flex blue head hen I looked at both the avian and dsd. I went with the dsd. The avian is a good looking decoy and very realistic, but it is inflatable and I think made overseas. The dsd is the most realistic decoy I've ever seen and in my opinion more durable. Chose whichever, I just couldn't justify not spending the extra 30 or 40 bucks and not getting the dsd.
Pros....good looks, durable,
Cons.... heavy, and a little bulky
You have to give up the mentality of a folding decoys compact size when folded up.
I have been using them for a few years now. My hen has pellets rattling around in her. Used a syringe and liquid electrical tape to re seal her. Holds air fine now.
I'd recommend them.
They hold up great in my experience.Ive had my lookout hen 4yrs now. Last year on my last hunt of the spring, i stopped on the way back to the truck to shoot a few patterns out of my new 20 ga. Well i walked that same route to a tree stand early this fall and there hanging from a treelimb, is my aian x hen in its bag. I couldnt beleive i left that thing in the woods for 4 and a half months without realizing it. A little soap and water to wash off mildew stains and it looks as good as new.Midway USA has them on sale right now. Cant beat an avian x for $65.
I bought a couple about a month ago, brought them home and one was leaking as soon as I put air in it. Took me back and got another one. So far it's holding air and they look really nice. I looked at both the DSD and avians. In my opinion the avians are no heavier than dsd's and if you had to deflate them and fold them in your vest you could. We will see how they hold up, I think I will end up liking them despite the hiccup after I purchased them. Hope that helps.
I used my A-X breeder hen last year and bought a feeder to go with it this season. I have a couple of thoughts on their durability. First, last year my hen was attacked by a pit bull type dog. The sob hit her on a dead run and tackled her before I could react to what was going on. The stake was broken and there was blood on my decoy. Made me feel better that the dog must have been poked in the fight because I'm sure my decoy wasn't bleeding. Second, I store my A-X with the air valve open. Even then, unless I force air out, the decoy looks good enough to use hunting, so I'm thinking even if some one (dummy) shoots my hen it would still be usable.
For what they cost I think they look like crap. Way too lightly colored in my opinion. Looks like a $30 dollar decoy to me. Im surprised as avians waterfowl decoys are much more realistic in my opinion. spend an extra little bit and get a Dakota or DSD
I wouldn't trade my avian decoys for dsd decoys straight up. Not a chance
They are 2oz heavier if that's an issue you can always leave 1 extra call at home.
Over priced is what I think. Decoys are not needed to kill mature gobblers.
Just my .02
No question they will work just fine, after owning both the avian X and DSD I would spend the little extra and buy a DSD. My cousin has three of the Avian X's and none of the three will hold air, so now he is buying a couple DSD's.
DSD's are awesome!!
LIke Fullfan said they are not needed to kill gobblers, but man they sure are fun to use imo :you_rock:
Love my avians. I hunt out of state every year and the ability to collapse them and save some storage space is a huge benefit. They look great and are very durable. I couldn't imagine packing two plastic decoys that can't collapse, especially for that kind of money.
X2
I looked at the DSD and Avian side by side yesterday at Cabelas, and there isn't very little difference. If I didn't know the price difference before I looked at them, then I'd say that they were in an identical price range. To me, I can't see the extra cost being worth it unless you simply want to support american workers. That is, if the DSD is 100% made in the usa, which I'm not sure of.
Even though I own an Avian jake, I prefer DSD hands down...
I know my Avian will eventually have an air leakage problem, but I need a traveling jake...
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I have the DSD leading hen, and it looks nice. I wish it were a bit darker, as having had hens come into the decoy, it is considerably lighter than the hens I see. I purchased the leading hen, cause there was nothing else available, but upon reflection, with the stake out, it becomes a breeder, and with the stake in, it looks realistic as well... If I were only going to purchase one hen decoy, the leading hen would be my choice.
I just purchased the Avain X jake, and I made the purchase cause the decoy is a bit over 1 lb lighter (DSD jake comes in at just over 6 lbs and the Avian X at 5 lbs from my understanding), and collapsible if necessary (although it is a pain to blow up).
No doubt at all that the DSD is considerably more durable. But the Avian jake has far better and more realistic movement with a slight breeze than does my DSD hen.
Comparing my jake to my buddies DSD, I like the pose of the DSD a bit more, and I am not overly fond of the barn-red paint scheme of the head on the Avian. However, from 20 yards away, I actually think the Avian looks every bit as much like a real turkey, and with the motion of the Avian in a soft breeze, it looks considerably more life-like.
I have not hunted over the Avian X, but if it holds up reasonably well, my choice would likely be the combination of DSD hen and Avian jake, or Deception hen and Avian jake...
I've used both. I prefer the DSD's.
There's a lot of back and forth between avain x and DSD. One things for sure either is a huge improvement over the old feather flex and I used them for years. I personally use avian x and they are nice decoys.
I purchased an Avian X feeding hen over a DSD due to the price. To me (rookie), they both look real enough that I don't feel as though either would make much of a difference over the other. Here are a few observations I have made so far:
Looks realistic.
I filled it up with air, but had lost some air after about a week. To its defense, even bike tires will lose air if just stationary for a long enough period of time.
Seems as though it will move a little with a slight breeze.
People have been killing turkeys over $10 foam decoys for years. Makes one wonder if spending this money on a decoy is even necessary.
I can honestly say I have killed all my birds with 0 decoys I have had no luck with them. Year each year I look for one to give it a shot I was considering the avian x . But then the cricket on my shoulder pops up and reminds me that the tactics I'm using now work just fine. Maybe it's I want to catch on video a long beard beating the snot out of a decoy
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No funky chicken fan club? :funnyturkey:
I have both Avian X and the DSD decoys. I had the DSD first but they are to bulky to fly on my out of state hunts. So I got the Avian X's and they work really well for air travel. That being said if I was not going to fly I would buy DSD. They are more durable and actually seems to be a bit lighter and more realistic.
Both are deadly!