Avian-X vs Dave Smith Decoys: which turkey decoy brand fits a first season?

The verdict

This comparison sits in our decoys and blinds section. We haven't bought or hunted over any of these decoys. Every figure comes from Avian-X's and Dave Smith Decoys' own product pages, linked in the table and the sources, and the scores follow the published rubric on our methodology page. Both brands' hens and jakes are also ranked against other makers in our best turkey decoys roundup.

Side-by-side specs

Hens first, then jakes, so each brand's decoy sits next to its direct rival. A dash means the maker doesn't publish that figure.

Collapsible vs rigid: the real difference

Avian-X calls its LCD line “Lifelike Collapsible Decoys.” The bodies are PVC dura-rubber, which Avian-X says “quiets movements,” and both LCD decoys here come with a storage compression strap and a carry bag for squeezing them down between setups. The collapsible carbon stake is included, and the jake's beard comes pre-attached.

Dave Smith Decoys builds with what it calls A.C.E. 2.0 Technology. There is “no inflation,” the bodies hold their natural shape, and DSD describes the material as “flexible with perfect memory and unbelievably durable.” Both DSD decoys have what DSD calls brand-new foldaway legs, but the body itself does not collapse. Each ships with a stake and a bag with a shoulder strap.

Our rubric scores packability 8 for a collapsible decoy with no published packed size or weight, and 4 for a non-collapsing body, no matter how good that body is. Packability carries 25% of the decoy score, which is where the full-point gap comes from. Everything else (realism 7, setup 8, durability 7) is identical within each pair.

Weight and the walk in

Here DSD does something Avian-X doesn't: it publishes numbers. The Upright Hen is 3 lb with its bag and stake, 24 x 11 x 8 in. The 3/4 Strut Jake is 6 lb with bag and stake, 29 x 13 x 12 in. Carry both and you have 9 lb of decoys in two bags before you've packed a seat or a call.

Avian-X publishes no weight and no packed size for either LCD decoy, so we can't tell you which is lighter pound for pound. What we can say is that the LCDs are built to compress and strap down, and DSD's are built to stay in shape. If you walk a mile to a public-land ridge, that difference matters every morning. If you drive to a field edge and walk fifty steps, it barely matters at all, and a rigid decoy that goes up the same way every time is a fair trade.

Posture, size and realism

Both makers make strong realism claims, and our rubric treats them the same: a full-body decoy plus a maker claim about realistic paint or detail earns a 7. Avian-X promises “unmatched realism and detail”; DSD describes its colors and detail in similar terms. Neither claim is something we can check, and we don't score one above the other.

The postures differ in a useful way. Avian-X says the Lookout Hen has a “similar effect as breeder posture” with “added height for improved visibility.” DSD says its Upright Hen's posture “gives her great visibility in tall grass.” Both are hens meant to be seen from a distance. On the jakes, Avian-X describes a half-strut, “sub-dominant posture” that “tests dominant gobblers”; DSD calls its 3/4 Strut Jake its original and best-selling gobbler decoy, released in 2009, and offers it with a standard or a white face.

Size is the other difference. Avian-X says its LCD decoys are “15% smaller than a real turkey,” on purpose. DSD doesn't describe its decoys against a real bird, but it does publish the dimensions in the table above. If you'd rather stay with Avian-X and still want a hard body, the Avian-X HDR Hen is blow-molded with two interchangeable heads (an outstretched head for an aggressive setup and a resting head that, per Avian-X, “signals submissiveness”) and scores 6.8, the same as the DSD Upright Hen.

Durability and warranty

DSD makes the bolder durability claim: the Upright Hen can “withstand an accidental shotgun blast or broadhead,” and the jake page says the same about accidental shotgun blasts or broadhead impacts, with minimal damage. Both DSD decoys are made in the USA, per DSD. Avian-X doesn't make a shot-survival claim for the LCDs. Our durability band scores both materials as flexible (7), because a maker's claim about surviving a shot isn't a published standard we can score.

Neither brand publishes a warranty term for these decoys. Avian-X lists none on the product pages. DSD's support page says “We stand behind our product” and reviews defects case by case through a form, with 30-day returns on purchases made from DSD directly. If a written warranty matters to you, it isn't a reason to pick either brand over the other.

Motion: pull cord vs remote

The two brands also take opposite routes to a moving decoy. The Dave Smith Decoys Mating Motion Pair is a jake mounted on a hen that gyrates when you pull a hand-operated jerk cord: no batteries, no motor, 8 lb for the pair with a jake stake and two bags. The Avian-X X-Factor Decoy Motion System is a battery motion box you put under a decoy you already own and run from your seat with a push-button remote, for up to 12 hours on four AA batteries (not included), per Avian-X. It comes with no decoy. Both are covered in our motion turkey decoy picks.

Which bird to buy first, whichever brand you choose

Buy the hen first. A hen works alone through the whole spring, and on our public-land safety line both brands' hens score 9 of 10 against 6 for their jakes, because a bearded, gobbler-shaped decoy is the one another hunter can mistake for a live bird. We explain when a jake earns its place in jake vs hen decoy. If you already know you want both, compare these two brands against ready-made pairs in our jake and hen decoy combo picks.

Buy Avian-X if / buy Dave Smith Decoys if

Buy the Avian-X LCD decoys if

• You walk in far, hunt public land or move between setups in a morning.
• You want the decoy, a collapsible stake, a bag and a compression strap in one box.
• You like the idea of a slightly smaller-than-life decoy; Avian-X makes the LCDs 15% smaller on purpose.

Buy the Dave Smith Decoys if

• You hunt fields or blinds close to where you park, and carry weight doesn't matter much.
• You want published weights and sizes: 3 lb for the hen and 6 lb for the jake, bag and stake included.
• You want a rigid body that holds its shape, made in the USA, and you're comfortable with a premium price.

Consider something else if

• You want the lightest hen you can carry. Montana Decoy lists its folding Dinner Belle Hen at 8 oz with its stake; it scores 7.5, just below the Avian-X LCD Lookout Hen.
• You need a written warranty. Neither brand publishes a term for these decoys.