# Real Geese Vs Big Als Silhouettes thoughts?



## Everydaylimits (Jul 7, 2020)

What does everyone else think of these? This is my comparison and unboxing video below:


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

I run a lot of silhouettes. Some of my 1994 vintage Outlaws popped up on CL a whole back and were snapped up quickly by what has to be the fourth or fifth owner.

Hard plastic heavy, but more durable. See bit above about 25+ years of heavy use.

Fluted plastic lighter, but less durable.

Regardless get compression bags to keep the sand from roughing them up.


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## tkpolasek (Mar 4, 2002)

I like my dive bombs. Real geese were nice but harder to put in the frozen ground. I think the stakes on the DB are much easier in the frozen ground.


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## Cork Dust (Nov 26, 2012)

Real Geese are good decoys, but have become pretty pricey. They are less impacted by high winds, when compared to Dive Bomb's silos., largely because they have more stake surface area to counter "waving" in a heavy wind. Have a welding shop fabricate some ground punches with the foot tab just short of the distance between the stake tip and the bottom of the decoy's foot. When setting, step the punch in and keep the tip in the top of the hole while using the shaft to guide the stake into the open hole. This will significantly speed-up you setting time interval, even with a head lamp on. Have the welder make the T-bar handles our of 1.5" diameter rebar and dip this in the rubberized tool coating you can purchase at the big box stores after you paint these stakes. 
we tie a piece of orang flagging on the punches so they are easier to find during morning sets. BE careful not to walk through an area you have already placed decoys in during full darkness. IF you can find the older single side fabric coated Real Geese, buy them, since they can be placed fabric side facing the sun and exhibit less glare and shine. I have four dozen of them in FA silhouette satchel bags that work quite well. Carry along a moist rag if you are setting a pulling decoys multiple times over a period of days and wipe the stakes, which will keep the sandy clay build-up down and minimize this getting into the bag and causing "erosion issues".

I have a friend who hunts with Dive Bomb crane decoys. He has already seen UV degradation of the ink after three years (?) of use in NoDak. Average wind speed in the area we hunt is 13mph...


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## Lamarsh (Aug 19, 2014)

Silos are a great way to beef up a spread when you otherwise just don't have the space to haul more FBs. Shells are great too, but don't seem to work great without snow for whatever reason. I have about 5 doz Dive Bombs and they're really nice. Big Als are great too. 

Another plus with silos is that many less decoys you have to brush off when it's snowing. Flocked FBs and shells can be a chore to dust off.

Bring a drill with appropriate bit when the ground gets frozen, otherwise silos are a pain to sink into the ground.


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## BFG (Mar 4, 2005)

I've had RG Pro-I's and II's for a lot of years. I have the ground punch they sell, and use it when necessary. 3 dozen per hunter, 3-4 steps in between decoys, and vary the direction they are facing is how I was told to do it, and that's why I have 6 dozen and will be adding 3 more very soon. "Pricey" is a relative term when it comes to anything having to do with waterfowling. Guys will spend $150 on a call they can't blow, but won't spend $200 on quality decoys? Any company with a wire stake on a silo cut a corner IMO, but that's just me. Maybe that'll work in Arkansas or Missouri where it never freezes and the wind doesn't blow, but I've hunted my RG in sub-freezing temps/snow in 25+mph sustained wind and they never moved. 

Two primary spreads work well for me with RG:

Nike Swoosh with the long arm on the right side of the shooters

Black Hole/Triangle of Death (late season) which I learned from Grundy

If you field hunt 3-5 times a year, then an economy decoy will probably work for you. If you are going to make a concerted effort to grind season after season, you will want to buy a higher quality decoy.


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## AaronJohn (Oct 18, 2015)

I have 20 dozen dive bombs and I'm not impressed with how they look after 1 year. 

YOU CAN BUY THEM ON BANGGOOD.COM (TAKES MONTHS TO GET). THAT SAYS ALOT. CHEAP. WITHOUT THE DB LOGO. CHINA.

The big Al's hold up better and have a thicker gauged double wire stake. USA MADE.

The real geese look fantastic but are very hard to get into the ground when setting large spreads it gets old REAL FAST.


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## Cork Dust (Nov 26, 2012)

AaronJohn said:


> I have 20 dozen dive bombs and I'm not impressed with how they look after 1 year.
> 
> YOU CAN BUY THEM ON BANGGOOD.COM (TAKES MONTHS TO GET). THAT SAYS ALOT. CHEAP. WITHOUT THE DB LOGO. CHINA.
> 
> ...


Have a welding shop fabricate a couple of ground hole punches out of thicker stock than the version they market, particularly the T handle...makes all the difference when the punched hole is an 1/8" wider than the stake width. As I already stated, don't remove the punch completely from the new hole and use the shaft to guide the decoy stake in and press to firm it up.
I set 8 dozen when I am not able to use full bodies due to field conditions or restrictions on drive-in placed on us.


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## wavie (Feb 2, 2004)

The DBs fade FAST. No wonder they offer them so cheap. If you want stickers and fist pumps to stroke your ego, go for it. You can shoot a 9 man limit of widgeon in one group volley over DBs, so they must work ( lost all credibility when they posted that video and tried to justify it). Don't get me wrong, silos work, just not drinkingtheir koolaid.
I will say, their marketing on social media has grown that company exponentially. 
Big Als, especially the 14x pack would be a no brainer however they seem to sell out fast. Cost wise when you buy 5 dzn big Als (70), free shipping, they're not much more expensive than 5 dzn DBs (60), when comparing cost per individual silo ($1 more for Als and they are made in USA). DBs will have to be replaced from what I've seen. For something that lasts longer, I'll pay an additional $60.


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## BFG (Mar 4, 2005)

RG made right here in Ohio. My friend is their artist, and a fantastic goose hunter. Try the rest, but eventually you will buy the best.


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## BumpRacerX (Dec 31, 2009)

AaronJohn said:


> I have 20 dozen dive bombs and I'm not impressed with how they look after 1 year.
> 
> YOU CAN BUY THEM ON *BANGGOOD.COM* (TAKES MONTHS TO GET). THAT SAYS ALOT. CHEAP. WITHOUT THE DB LOGO. CHINA.
> 
> ...


Always a little worried to open a website called BANGGOOD but for cheap silos I figured I'd take a chance. Couldn't find them on there though.

Also a friendly reminder to ask your neighbors if you can have their election signs. Corrugated plastic makes nice homemade silos.


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## Duckman Racing (Oct 11, 2004)

BFG said:


> Maybe that'll work in Arkansas or Missouri where it never freezes and the wind doesn't blow, but I've hunted my RG in sub-freezing temps/snow in 25+mph sustained wind and they never moved.


If you think the wind doesnt blow in Missouri you havent hunted here much, especially in the late season.

I have 20 dozen RG decoys, I have bought almost all of them used for an average of $50-$60 per dozen. They are heavy, but they hold up well if you put at least some effort into taking care of them.


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## Highball28 (Oct 17, 2014)

I have a 14 pack of big al’s and 7 dozen divebombs. I also have a dozen big als ducks and 2 dozen divebomb ducks. I’ve had each for about three years now except for the two doz db ducks.

I could tell you which ones are cracked, bent, missing heads, peeling paint, fading, etc and it ain’t the ones made in China.

All are kept in the same bags, put through the same use and stored in the off-season the same way. Safe to say I will never purchase another big als product ever again.


Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


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## BumpRacerX (Dec 31, 2009)

Real Geese has a sweet promo going right now. Different things are "buy one get one (or two depending). Was going to place an order today...but now I'm waiting to find out the repair bill on the camper van.


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