# Homemade Goose silhouettes



## BeWild (Mar 19, 2007)

Since the waterfowl season is approaching, I am saving all available money I can for gasoline and would like to make some goose silos. I have seen them before in some pictures on here, so maybe someone could point me in the right direction. I was think of using cardboard, painting it, and then using some sort of sealant so I don't get a soggy goose deke. Other than materials, how did you come up with your pattern? Trace it from an existing one? How many different postures should i have in a spread of one to two dozen? I know some of you are serious field hunters and any input on making and then using silos would be greatly appreciated.


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## wally-eye (Oct 27, 2004)

I made a bunch one time out of masonite. Had a friend weld up a flat piece of stock about 3 inchs wide by 4 or so inches long welded onto a round rod about 24 inches long or so....then attached the goose silo to it......YES the 2 doz. or so I had were heavy and you needed a wheelbarrow to move them around but they worked great. Flat black paint with a little white around the neck etc......they lasted a good long time and only needed repainting once........no warping at all. If I remember right the head/necks were separate and attached on wing nuts and could be moved to alert or feeding.............

I have a 13 lb canada mounted and just took a big piece of paper and layed the goose down on it and traced around the goose. Then cut it out and then transferred that to the masonite cleaning it up a little before I cut it out.

Matter of fact I sold them to Multibeard from this site....I'm sure he used them a little........

As I said they were heavy but we always were able to drive to the fields we used, always mixed them with some fully bodies.

You are only limited by your imagination..............


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## Duckman Racing (Oct 11, 2004)

I have a dozen homemade silos that I bought on ebay a few years ago. They are made out of corrugated plastic, much better than cardboard. It may be more expensive but it should last forever. The ones I have are all sleepers. The stakes are metal rod that is about 1/8" diameter, to mount the silos on the stakes I just push the rod into one of the slots in the corrugated plastic, they are pretty simple, but the geese dont seem to mind.


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## smoke (Jun 3, 2006)

I have used mahogany plywood and corrigated plastic both. They both work well and last. On the plywood silos I used 1/4" crs rod and welded 2 bolts to the rod. I then drilled holes in the plywood to match. Used 1/4 - 20 nuts to hold them in place backed by fender washers so they wouldn't pull through the wood. FOr the corrigated plastic I used 3/16 crs rod and pushed it into one on the pockets in the plastic. 

For the patterns I used exsisting real geese and outlaws traced around them and panited accordingly. I have long since moved on to full bodies and a lot of them, but I just sold all my home made silos lst year. About 5 -6 dozen if I remember correctly. The plastic ones are much lighter and hold up well but when you are laying them out try to have the seams of the plastic running length wise up the neck and head of the goose. If you have them running width wise, the head/neck area will end up bending to one side or the other and never stay straight. Something I saw when I layed out my first one. :lol:
Good luck and have fun. 
Smoke


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## marshman (Nov 29, 2005)

A few years ago I made a couple dozen out of corrugated plastic (basically plastic cardboard), I then made a stencil to use for the painting and bought the appropriate colors in spray paint. The only problem that I had with using the 1/4" dowel rods is that with the slightest wind the deq will just spin in circles. I ended up ripping some 3/4"wide by 1/4" thick and about 18" tall pieces of oak trim board to withstand the frozen ground in the late season. With everything I think I only ended up paying about $40-$50 for 2 dozen. The problem I had was tracking down where to buy the 4' x 8' sheets of the plastic cardboard in black. I borrowed one of each of my buddies feeders, sleepers and century outlaw silhouettes. I'm trying to remember where my brother ended up finding the plastic cardboard. I think it was at an art / sign supply store. If I come up with a name Ill let you know.


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## crazydrakes (Oct 7, 2005)

Ask the party stores and gas stations around if you can have their old Marlboro or other ciggarette/beer signs(plastic cardboard). They work great and the price is usually right...FREE!!

Yep, like someone already said borrow some outlaws and just trace them, and spray 'em.


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