Avery GHG goose decoy sacks built to haul a dozen shells

For goose hunters chasing big spreads of full-body and silhouette shells, hauling gear to the spread without a tangle of cords is half the battle. Avery GHG has long been a familiar sight around decoy rigs, and their dedicated carrier sacks are designed to swallow a dozen shells in one tidy bundle. Built for the rough-and-tumble reality of field work, the sack promises to take the headache out of dragging a dozen shells out to the spread at first light. Anyone who has tried to stuff a pile of birds into a cheap tote from the servo knows the value of a purpose-built bag.

Aussie hunters will find these sacks appealing for trips into the Top End lignum swamps, the flooded rice paddies around the Murray, or the wind-bitten paddocks of western Victoria. While the local quarry is usually magpie geese or Cape Barren geese rather than Canadas, the bag works just as well for the dozen shells needed to anchor a small spread or a layout blind rig. The growing feral flock of Canada geese in parts of New South Wales and Victoria also means a quality carrier now has genuine local relevance. This review looks at how the sack performs, where it shines, and whether it is worth shipping from a US store.

Build quality and materials that survive the bush

The sack itself is cut from a heavy-duty polyester with a mesh panel running down the side, which lets the bag breathe after a wet morning on the swamp. That mesh matters in the Top End, where humidity can turn a closed bag into a science experiment, and it matters even more for hunters flying domestically from a Darwin trip into Tasmania or WA, where quarantine inspectors get twitchy about muddy, seed-laden gear. A breathable panel helps the shells and bag dry between hunts, and reduces the chance of bringing home any unwanted hitchhikers from another catchment.

Stitching is reinforced at the stress points where the drawcord feeds in and out, and the cord itself is a chunky 5mm braided line that should handle being yanked rather than teased. The base of the bag takes a beating when you chuck it out of the ute or drag it across a cattle grid, and the double-stitched lower seam is where cheaper bags normally give up the ghost. Hardware is minimal but solid: a plastic snap-link keeper for the drawcord tail, and an abrasion-resistant webbing loop on the base that is handy for tying the bag to a frame or a tinny thwart. There are no zippers to corrode in salt air, which is a plus for hunters working the salty edges of Lake Alexandrina or the Coorong.

The finish is a matte olive that stays quiet in low light and does not flash sun back at a wary mob of birds dropping into the decoys. After a season of red pindan, clay pan dust, and the occasional scrape against a granite boulder on the western Queensland side, the fabric still looks tidy. It is not a camo pattern, but for a bag that mostly lives in the back of the ute or tucked under a tarp at camp, plain olive is the smarter choice.

Capacity and shell fit for a working spread

Rated for a dozen full-size goose shells, the bag fits the popular GHG and Avian-X full-body floaters with a small amount of compression, and it will accept a dozen silhouette shells without any fuss at all. Hunters running a mix of Real Geese and Sillosocks shells often worry about shape compatibility, but the bag's wide mouth and tapered shape let the flock settle in without forcing them past each other. The drawcord pulls snug enough to keep heads and wings from hooking on neighbouring gear, which is the usual failure point when you shove a dozen shells into a generic tote.

The trade-off is that once you load twelve shells, the bag becomes a proper load. A dozen full-body floaters weigh in around 9 to 11 kilograms once you add the rig, and the sack will happily swallow that plus the decoy cords, weights, and a small bag of crimps and swivels if you want a one-trip carry. Hunters chasing magpie geese in the northern lignum usually carry fewer shells because the birds pile in fast, but anyone setting up a field spread in a barley stubble around Mildura or the Wimmera will appreciate being able to carry the whole spread in one haul rather than two.

For hunters mixing species, the bag also handles a dozen oversized honker shells without splitting a seam, which is useful when travelling to a Cape Barren goose roost where a slightly bigger silhouette reads better in a stiff sea breeze. The tapered cut keeps heavier shells at the bottom and lighter silhouettes on top, so nothing crushes when you drop the bag onto the deck of a tinny after a long paddle.

Comfort and carry choices for long walks

Carry options are deliberately simple: a single padded shoulder strap that runs around the bag like a duffel, plus the webbing loop on the base for a second grip. The strap is wide enough to spread load across the shoulder on a long paddle out to a swamp-edge hide, and it does not dig in the way a thin rope handle does when you are walking through shoulder-high lignum. For most local hunts the bag is carried from the ute to the hide, a hundred metres or so, which is exactly the distance the strap is designed for.

The base loop is a quiet win. Tying the loop to a thwart with a short bit of cord keeps the bag from sliding around in a hired tinny on a choppy Top End floodplain, and it lets a hunting partner grab the bag out of the boat without everyone getting their fingers pinched. For hunters who like a backpack-style carry across long distances, a pair of accessory straps can be clipped on, though most will simply make two trips rather than retrofit the bag. A simple shoulder drag, with the loop acting as a tow point, also works surprisingly well over short distances across a harvested stubble.

After a wet morning, the padded strap stays comfortable because the mesh side keeps the bag from sitting in a puddle of its own making. On a hot Top End arvo, the same padding stops the strap from biting in when you are humping the bag across a hot blacksoil plain to a set of decoys already staged in a bore drain.

Field testing in Australian conditions

Across a couple of months hunting magpie geese in the NT and chasing Canadas around the southern Riverina, the bag held up to the usual Aussie punishment: heat, dust, rain, and the occasional cattle-grid scrape. The polyester shrugged off spinifex seeds and the red pindan dust of the Kimberley-style country, and a quick shake and brush at the end of the day had it ready for the next arvo hunt. After a soaked morning on a Murray lagoon, the mesh side aired the bag out by lunchtime on the back of the ute, which is faster than a solid bag ever manages.

One small annoyance is that the light fabric picks up grass seeds, which matters when flying into Tasmania or WA where quarantine officers are not shy about inspecting gear at the airport. A few minutes with a stiff brush and a handheld vacuum is enough, but it is worth budgeting that time before a domestic flight. The bag also benefits from a wash every few seasons, especially after a Top End trip, to keep the breathable mesh from clogging with dust and dry grass.

Salt exposure is another local concern, especially for hunters who mix a session on a saltwater lagoon with a freshwater hunt a few days later. A quick rinse with fresh water at the end of a Coorong weekend keeps the drawcord from stiffening up and the mesh from crystallising with salt. In the long run, that small habit is the difference between a bag that lasts a season and one that still looks the goods after a decade.

Value, pricing, and how to get one in Australia

Avery GHG gear is a US import, and the decoy sack typically lands at a price point that puts it well above a $30 tote from BCF but below a fully rigged premium hunting pack. Once you add the AUD conversion, GST, and the freight from the States, the all-in cost is meaningful, though Hunting Equipment USA offers free shipping on US orders over $1,300, which works out to roughly $2,000 AUD. That threshold is worth keeping in mind if you are kitting out a full field bag, since bundling the sack with a couple of dozen shells, a layout blind, and a set of weights can easily clear the threshold and soften the postage bite.

For hunters who already run other Avery GHG gear, the sack slots into the system without any fuss, and it pairs nicely with the brand's decoy cords, swivels, and carry totes. For those starting from scratch, the bag is a sensible first purchase that will still be in service a decade down the track if it is looked after. Local alternatives exist, but few are cut specifically for goose shells, and fewer still include the mesh ventilation that makes the difference after a wet hunt.

Australian pricing is also worth comparing against the cost of a replacement tote every couple of seasons, which is what most of us end up buying when a cheap bag gives up the ghost after one wet hunt. Spread over five or ten seasons of regular use, the sack works out cheaper than two or three disposable bags, and it keeps the back of the ute tidier in the process. For a piece of gear that lives in the field and rarely sees a cupboard, that kind of long-term value matters more than the sticker price.

Practical tips before you order

If a dozen shells is the working core of your spread, the Avery GHG decoy sack is a tidy, hard-wearing way to keep them together from the ute to the layout blind. Browse the full range of Avery GHG gear at Hunting Equipment USA and add the sack to your next field bag order to make the trip from the tailgate to the hide a one-trip carry.