A quick and easy way to make decoy storage easier and not have untangle decoys after every hunt is to Texas rig them. Here are a few steps and materials for a homemade Texas rigged decoy.
Step 1- Materials.
Weed-eater cord, the thickness depends on you. The thicker the cord, the harder for a knot or tangle to form.
Cable ferrules, the diameter depends on what thickness cord you use.
Lead weights, the size and type of weight depends on how you hunt, a open water or river hunter is going to need bigger weights than someone hunting a flooded marsh or coastal flat.
Step 2- Building the rig
First, run the cord through the eye of the weight and attach the ferrules making a loop at one end. Crimp or hammer the ferrule shut.
Second. Run cord through one side of the ferrule. Then, run the cord through the attachment hole on your decoy. To finish the rig run the cord back into the ferrule completing the loop on the decoy. Crimp or hammer the ferrule shut.
Step 3- Storage
When storing your decoys pick up the loop at the end of the cord, as a result the free sliding weight should slide all the way down to the decoy keel. When you have a number of decoys configured like this slide your hand as close to the decoy’s weights as possible and loop the cord into a loose overhand knot. When you go to untie the knot the stiff cord will return to its original shape. The knot will not cinch down.
Note- a word for the wise there is no such thing as tangle free, just tangle resistant. If you do not ensure the weights are all slid down to the keels you will end up with a mess. But not as bad a decoy string with fixed weights tied to the end.
Now that you have some Texas rigged decoys its time to go kill some ducks!
Apto Outdoors 