Dakota vs avian x

[Whitetail freak]

in the market for another doz decoys to add to the spread, i have narrowed it down to Dakota or avians. Opinions?

[Colin]

Ducks or geese? Floaters or full bodies?

I have a dozen of the mallard floaters. They look great and the paint held up really well this past season. I Texas rigged them to see if all the hype about the paint was true. They held up great. The Dakota's look great as well but I've never used them.

[Whitetail freak]

duck floaters i have some avians now but have never tried dakota

[EWUeagles]

I think most people love them both so either way you won't really go wrong. I personally would go with Avian X. I think they look more natural on the water and they are a lot more durable. The people who like Dakota's say they stand out better on water which is what they prefer. Everyone I know 12 slot bags their dakotas but I use my Avian in a pack to carry in.

[Commando]

I went throught he same thing last year. I went with the avian x. I think they look better than the Dakotas, I hated how the neck looked on the Dakotas. I love my avaians. I don't know first hand but have heard that Dakotas weigh more as well.

[mburrows]

Both awesome deeks, and all the previous comments are spot on. I think the dakotas look better in a spread but they are less durable and heavier. Cant go wrong with either. If you're carrying them on your back i would probably lean towards Avian.  If i had the option of driving straight to my blind I'd go Dakota.

[nalley112]

i have both kind of decoys and prefer using the Avians.. the look better and can just throw them in a bag.. Dakotas paint and flocking started to come off the first couple of uses when throwing them in the bag. if you like to single slot your decoys then dakotas are fine..but with one dozen of the dakotas and single slot bags you can also have 2 dozen  of the avians, oh and alot lighter!!

[muleyslayer#1]

I've seen and used both and IMO the Avians looked better. Definitely lighter in weight and a lot cheaper. You can get about a dozen and a half for the same price as a dozen Dakotas. The Dakotas go for $189 and the Avians go for $69.

[syoungs]

im really on the fence about this. some of my hunting friends use Dakota's, I like hunting over them, I think they look amazing. they are heavy though.

maybe its just me, but the avian's tend to look great in their advertisements, but pictures in the field they look so so, Ive never personally handled them though.

the weight factor is probably whats going to seal it for me, how much do the avians weigh roughly?

[nalley112]

i dont know the exact weight but guessing about  2/3rds the weight of a Dakota..if not more..

[280ackley]

Replica Decoy Company

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Replica-Decoy-Company/579791938799443?sk=timeline

[EWUeagles]

Replica Decoy Company

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Replica-Decoy-Company/579791938799443?sk=timeline

Umm thanks for the input that doesn't have anything to do with the question asked. They do make awesome GOOSE decoys though.

[eastsidemallard74]

De[pending on Budget, I would look at Tangled frees full flock..... BOught a dozen of them last year, and happy as a pig in sh#$

[nalley112]

Aren't the tanglefree even heavier than the Dakotas cause they are foam filled?

[hdshot]

Avian all the way for me.  Ultra light for packing and no flock so I use rigg'em and just throw them in the bag with no coiling up string around the keels.  Have to put one deek in at a time and pull one out at a time or you will have a tangled mess.  I don't like the 4 drake to 2 hen ratio but weight sold me.   

[EWUeagles]

Mack's prairie wings has a pack that sales three drake and three hens for avian x mallards.


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[snocohunter]

I have dakotas but my hunting buddy just ordered a bunch of avians. I think it's good to have different decoys for different days and situations. My dakotas are definitely heavy, but have been pretty durable. i use a slot bag and just rinse any mud off before putting them in the bag. they are texas rigged. I think i'll probably order some Avian pacific flyway packs. He ordered some backwater and early seasons so we should have a pretty good selection. None of it matters though if you're not on the x

[EWUeagles]

I have dakotas but my hunting buddy just ordered a bunch of avians. I think it's good to have different decoys for different days and situations. My dakotas are definitely heavy, but have been pretty durable. i use a slot bag and just rinse any mud off before putting them in the bag. they are texas rigged. I think i'll probably order some Avian pacific flyway packs. He ordered some backwater and early seasons so we should have a pretty good selection. None of it matters though if you're not on the x

Actually if your on the X decoys don't matter at all.

[snocohunter]

Actually if your on the X decoys don't matter at all.

 

[Wingman509]

I bought a couple dozen Dakota's last year. The flocking started rubbing off when I was trying to clean them after a nasty hunt last season. So I just emailed the company and told them what happened and now they are sending me some new heads. I think the Dakota's are second to none out on the water but they do require more maintenance. However their customer service is amazing. Replied to my email in 2 hours and told me he would ship new heads. I was thrilled!.