what to do with these

[bowhunter851]

so I have 12 of these blue bills that my dad gave me he used them a lot and put under the house for a long time  and I was gonna clean them up sand them a little bit but should I paint them the same as before or  change the color to a different bird like a mallard


I do have brand new mallard decoys about 18 of them so what other kind of duck should I paint them

[Kola16]

I would keep them bluebills Why would you change them unless you really hate divers. I would never change diver decoys into puddlers because real puddle ducks are fairly smart, and I try to use the best decoys I can for puddlers.

[Mfowl]

Keep'em Bluebills! Add some variety to your spread. Plus sometimes in the late season when birds are ultra weary they will decoy to other species readily.

[bowhunter851]

ok thanks guys I guess ill be going to home depot to get a color match for blue bills and paint them up nice thanks guys

[Mfowl]

You may want to look into some decoy specific paint. It will stick to the decoys better and give a more natural appearance. Avoid using gloss paints.

[bowhunter851]

i looked on duck hunting chat.com and it seems like everyone is using exterior house paint but will continue looking

[RailRob]

Coot!

[hntrspud]

Exterior house paint will generally chip off in large chunks. I have some that were done with house paint. I have had success with rattle can, primer colors work well, then some flat clear coat to protect.

[ellensburgpo]

I've had good luck using spray on bed liner as a base coat of black for blue bills. It's like 10 bucks a can at bi-Mart.

[Brad Harshman]

I have repainted 3 doz. plastic decoys.  I learned quickly that if they are soft sided then paint will flake everytime they are squeezed.  Now I wont waste my time painting them.  I use the interior/exterior acrylic? sample paints from Home Depot.  All flat paints - black white brown and light blue (for the bills). 

Prep them by washing them in a dawn and vinegar bath with a stiff plastic bristle brush.  In the bathtub is easiest for me.  Rinse dry paint.  Remember you get to shoot your critics, when painting decoys.  If you want to get serious look into the UV paints. 

God bless!