Nebraskaland

20 NEBRASKAland • JULY 2015 Painting Decoys By Julie Geiser After the waterfowl season this year I noticed many of our plastic decoys were in dire need of repainting. These decoys have been used for over a decade – their paint has faded and chipped, but they are still in good condition. Repainting your old decoys is a great way to save some money. Choosing paint colors is easy – get color samples from a paint store that look similar to the ones on newer decoys or photos and match them with either a matte/flat spray paint or satin exterior latex paint or use both. Start by getting all the mud, debris and old paint off by placing the decoys in a decoy bag and power wash them at home or at the car wash; use a wire brush to get loose paint off or do both according to your needs. Fix any shot holes in the decoys with paintable silicon and let dry before continuing. Next, line up all the drake decoys in a well-ventilated area and the hens in another. Then paint the base coat on the body of the decoys first, starting with the drakes then the hens – this way a routine can be followed to make painting go faster. The following techniques can be used for other duck and goose decoys, too. DRAKES: Paint the bill. Cover the back and sides of the drake with newspaper or a plastic bag to avoid overspray on the basecoat. Holding the keel of the decoy, point the bill down and spray paint. I purposely paint some of the yellow on the cheeks of the drake for a little sparkle. Brush painting with exterior house paint versus spray paint may be easier for some and is just as effective. Paint the green head of the drake. I prefer brush painting to spray paint on the head so I don't have to mask off the bill, making the painting go faster. Paint black on the tail and head with a sponge brush or bristle brush. Make sure the paint is dry between paint coats; usually by the time you get to the last drake the first is ready for more paint. Use newspaper to mask off areas if spray painting on the tail; if using a brush there's no need to mask. Brush the black on the top, back and sides of the head leaving plenty of green showing. Note the pattern that the black color makes from a newer decoy or photo and mimic that pattern. Brush the burgundy color on the chest, sides and back; paint all the white patches around the neck and tail areas with a brush. Making the white color patterns larger than normal is advisable as the birds will see these distinguishing marks from the air. Painting the iridescent blue on the wings is optional. When resting in the water most mallards do not have the blue displayed. HENS: Paint the bill. Mask off the bill and cover the back and sides of the hen with newspaper or a plastic bag to avoid overspray on the basecoat. Holding the keel, point the bill down and spray paint. Paint the tail black. Use newspaper to mask off areas if spray painting on the tail; if using a brush there's no need to mask. Using a sponge or bristle brush, paint the darker brown on the head, cheeks and back; note the patterns that the The colors I used for my decoys are listed below. Not everyone will have access to the same colors so match colors using a newer decoy or copy the colors off a photo. Bill: Marigold color spray paint (a yellow/green color is best). Body: Sand color spray paint (a tan/gray color is needed). Head: Behr paint color Alpine View (dark green). Neck ring: Flat white. Chest, back and sides: Home Depot paint color Argo (dark burgundy). Tail: Flat black. Bill: Sunburst Yellow (a yellow/orange color is best). Body base coat: Khaki spray paint (light tan, golden brown color needed). Body top coat: Behr paint color Coal (dark brown). Colors These mallard decoys have the basecoat painted on the body and bills. The topcoat of the hen mallard is done by brush painting a darker brown color over the basecoat. Follow the pattern of the dark brown by looking at a newer decoy or photos.

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