Cold hands are the worst.
Nothing sucks more than having icicles for fingers trying to shoot some ducks.
A good pair of decoy gloves can help keep you hands dry when placing (and pulling) your decoys.
This way you don’t start the day off with frozen hands.
Today we show you exactly which pairs of decoy gloves we like best.
Top Pick
- VERSATILE HUNTING GLOVES – The Drake's MST Refuge HS GORE-TEX Double Duty Decoy gloves are the ultimate gauntlet-style gloves for waterfowl hunters
- WATERPROOF AND BREATHABLE - Sporting a gauntlet-style design, the Double Duty Decoy gloves feature a waterproof GORE-TEX membrane to keep your hands protected from rain and snow as well as Refuge HS outer treated fabric for additional water repellent
- GORE-TEX – The GORE-TEX membrane delivers waterproof and breathable protection that waterfowl hunters need to be effective in the field
After comparing all the decoy gloves on the market, we selected the Drake Refuge Waterfowl gloves as our top pick. These gloves have many of the same benefits as the other gloves we reviewed but use higher quality materials and features to achieve them.
The 7 Top-Rated Decoy Gloves
| Editor's Pick | Brand | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Top Pick | Drake Refuge Waterfowl | 9.6 |
| Runner Up | Glacier Decoy Glove | 9.3 |
| Runner Up | STORMR Decoy | 9.1 |
| Runner Up | DecoyPro Decoy | 8.7 |
| Runner Up | SITKA Delta Deek | 8.7 |
| Best Budget Decoy Glove | Extreme Cold PVC | 8.5 |
| Runner Up | TideWe Decoy | 8.4 |
Best Decoy Gloves: Drake Refuge Waterfowl
When it comes to gloves for placing and pulling decoys, the Drake Refuge Waterfowl gloves are our top pick.
These gloves feature a waterproof Goretex outer membrane to keep your hands dry. What is nice about the Goretex membrane as opposed to neoprene is that they give you more dexterity. You could shoot with these gloves on with more control than you could we a neoprene pair.
The outershell is also treated with a DWR coating to further improve the waterproofing.
The palm of the gloves is made out of leather, giving it the most durable palm of any glove we reviewed.
There is a strap at the wrist and a cord you can tighten around your arm to make the gloves fit nice and snug.
Since the gloves are elbow length, this will help prevent any water from making its way inside of the gloves.
These are great gloves, you will be happy using them next time you are placing decoys in the freezing cold.
Key Features:
- Waterproof Goretex
- Extra DWR Coating
- Leather Palm
- Elbow Length
- Wrist Strap
- Arm Cord
Runner Up: Glacier Decoy
- 2mm fleece lined neoprene
- Waterproof
- Seamless palm design
The Glacier Decoy gloves are our first runner up. These are another great decoy glove.
These gloves are made from neoprene which keeps your hands dry and warm once the gloves are submerged in water.
They are lined with fleece for insulation to provide extra warmth on the coldest of days.
Glacier makes these so they are seamless so you won’t have to worry about these starting to leak after a few hunts worth of use.
The gloves are full length and fit snug to the arms so water won’t get into the gloves.
The palms are textured for added grip when placing and pulling decoys.
All in all, these are great decoy gloves especially considering the price.
Key Features:
- Neoprene
- Waterproof
- Fleece Lined
- Elbow Length
- Textured Palms
Runner Up: STORMR Decoy Glove
- High Stretch Premium Neoprene, Micro-Fleece Lining
- Durable Hi-Grip Palm Anatomical Fit
- 5mm Total Thickness
The STORMR decoy gloves are our next runner up. They include many of the same features as the Glacier Decoys above.
These come in the Realtree Max 5 camo, a popular choice for duck hunters.
They are made from neoprene so they are waterproof like the others.
The sizing seems to be a bit off so we recommend you size up one size from what you normally wear unless you like really tight fitting gloves.
Around the arms, the fit is good. Water getting into the gloves shouldn’t be an issue.
The palms are also textured for improved grip when carrying decoys.
Key Features:
- Neoprene
- Waterproof
- Realtree Max 5 Camo
- Elbow Length
- Textured Palms
Runner Up: DecoyPro Wader Gloves
- WATERPROOF DUCK DECOY GLOVES: Have a comfortable hunting experience with DecoyPro’s elbow length duck hunting gloves. These insulated waterproof gloves ensure dry hands, especially in the cold weather.
- ELBOW LENGTH DESIGN: Keep your hands and arms dry and warm while setting up and taking down your duck decoy spread. These neoprene gloves for hunting will fit over your jacket or clothing for a snug fit.
- TEXTURED GRIP SURFACE: Our decoy gloves have a specially designed grip surface on the fingers and palms so you can have a tight grip on your decoys and decoy lines as you place them in the water.
The DecoyPro Wader gloves are another good choice and at a good price point too.
The gloves are again made from neoprene and are also lined with soft neoprene making them extremely waterproof.
The elbow length design helps keep water from winding up in your gloves.
The grip is textured like most of the others.
The price on these is pretty appealing. They are the least expensive pair if you insist on using camo.
Key Features:
- Neoprene
- Waterproof
- Soft Neoprene Insulation
- Elbow Length
- Textured Palms
Runner Up: SITKA Delta Deek
- Full protection for late-season ice-breaking decoy placement: 100% waterproof GORE-TEX taped outer shell; removable compression-resistant fleece liner
- Designed for engagement distances of 10 to 40 yards in the darker environments of flooded timber (OPTIFADE TIMBER) or layout and blind hunting in the marsh, standing crops, and cut stubble fields (OPTIFADE MARSH)
- GORE-TEX Technology: Gloves made with GORE-TEX fabrics are durably waterproof, lightweight, and extremely breathable
For all you SITKA fans, the SITKA Delta Deeks are solid decoy gloves.
SITKA uses a Gortex outershell for it’s waterproofing so these gloves provide a lot of dexterity.
They feature a removable fleece liner for insulation. The liner keeps you warm but can be removed for washing or if you are hunting on a warmer day.
The fleece liners are very nice and can also we warn on their own.
The palms are waterproof 3-layer Goretex making them waterproof as well as breathable.
Our only gripe with these gloves is the high price tag.
Key Features:
- Goretex Shell
- Waterproof
- Removeable Fleece Liner
- Elbow Length
- Goretex Palms
Best Budget Decoy Gloves: Extreme Cold PVC
- Waterproof sandy finish with rough grip is perfect for duck hunting, fishing, trapping, crabbing and snow blower
- Long extended gauntlet cuff to keep snow, ice and lake water out during winter. Keeps hands dry. Great for field dressing deer and working waterfowl
- Ideal for extremely freezing cold or icy wet weather. Perfect for warm hands during the hunt! Great Drake Gloves!
If you are looking for decoy gloves on a budget, the Extreme Cold PVC are our pick. These are hard to beat for the price.
These are 100% PVC coated to provide complete waterproofing.
Instead of fleece, these gloves use ThinsulateTM insulation which many prefer to fleece and helps keep the price down.
The gloves are a little loose around the arms so even though they are elbow length there is a little higher chance of water getting inside of the gloves compared to the picks above.
These gloves do not have textured palms but the entire glove has a sandy finish which does improve grip.
Key Features:
- 100% PVC Coating
- Waterproof
- ThinsulateTM Insulation
- Elbow Length
- Sandy Finish
Runner Up: TideWe Decoy Gloves
- Waterproof & Windproof: Keeping hands dry is important, especially when it’s cold. The TideWe Decoy Gloves are made of 5mm high-stretch waterproof neoprene material. Additionally, the internal blind-stitched seams and external glued seamless design ensures no water penetration.
- Warm Insulation: There’s nothing worse than cold hands when you go to grab your trusty shotgun. There are 3-layers of insulated material: Realtree Camo Fabric, 5mm Insulated Neoprene and Warm Internal Fleece Lining, which are sure to keep your hands warm and comfortable.
- Non-Slip Grip Palm: TideWe Decoy Gloves feature a silicone pattern textured palm surface providing perfect grip on your gun and decoys in wet conditions.
The TideWe decoy gloves are our last runner up. Although we didn’t rate them as high as the others, they are still a good decoy glove.
The TideWe gloves are made of 5mm waterproof neoprene. The insulation is made from fleece to keep you warm.
These gloves do have seams but they are glued to keep them waterproof. We do have some concerns about how the glue will hold up after heavy use.
The gloves are again elbow length and have textured palms for added grip.
Key Features:
- Neoprene
- Waterproof
- Fleece Insulation
- Elbow Length
- Textured Palms
Who Should Decoy Gloves
Placing and removing decoys often takes place early in the morning in cold weather. Anyone who has had that experience will realize the value of a good pair of decoy gloves.
Getting your hands wet with freezing cold water is no fun. No one wants to sit in a blind with cold hands, especially when they need to be ready to shoot.
Many duck hunters put their decoys out every day they hunt. Decoy gloves are so cheap, they will pay for themselves in no time.
Important Features to Consider
- Waterproof. Waterproof gloves are mandatory when placing decoys in the cold. If they are not waterproof your hands will not stay warm for long even if you are wearing gloves.
- Seamless. Any seams in the gloves open the possibility of leaks happening in the future. We prefer the designs without seams the best so this doesn’t happen.
- Length. Elbow length gloves are worth considering for placing decoys. The chances of water getting into the gloves are pretty high if they are normal wrist length gloves. Getting water inside the gloves defeats the purpose and is something you want to avoid at all costs.
- Insulation. The whole point of decoy gloves is to keep your hands dry and warm. Having an insulation layer really helps a lot with the second point. Even the cheapest gloves above provide insulation so it’s a feature worth including.
FAQs
Can I shoot with decoy gloves on?
Most duck hunters use different gloves when shooting. Because the dexterity isn’t great when it comes to decoy gloves, they aren’t very easy to shoot with them on.
Can I text with decoy gloves on?
All of the gloves above would probably be pretty tough to text with. Even if they work, it would probably be too difficult to place your finger well.
Is there anything I can do if they start to leak?
We have heard of hunters having success with flex seal. In the event yours leak, you could give it a try.
- The easy way to coat, seal, protect, and stop leaks fast! Once dry, can be painted any color
- Seeps into cracks and holes. Dries to a watertight, flexible, rubberized coating. Stays flexible and pliable; lasts many years
- Transform and protect virtually everything! Ideal for arts & crafts, projects & hobbies