If Animals Had A Say, These Decoys Would Be Outlawed

Seven years ago Outlaw Decoys Inc. of Spokane was an unknown company with an unknown product. Today, the firm’s president says, it’s the largest manufacturer of silhouette decoys in the world.

As hunters tried the decoys and found them to be exceptionally effective, demand for the decoys skyrocketed, said Jim Cripe, creator and founder of the company.

Last year’s sales were 250 percent higher than those of the previous year, he said. Cripe’s decoys, as well as the waterfowl hunting boats he makes, are being shipped to customers throughout North America.

Demand for Outlaw decoys and boats forced Cripe to move this summer from a 9,000-square-foot building to a 30,000-square-foot manufacturing plant at N624 Fancher Road. The new plant is large enough for Cripe to take care of all present production needs and those of the next few years.

Cripe employs about 25 men and women, but the number will increase to about 40 as the production and shipment of decoys hits a peak this fall.

Cripe believes his decoys are the most effective photographic decoys in the world. He has testimonials from hundreds of waterfowl and turkey hunters to back up his belief.

Cripe developed unique goose decoys in 1991, using photographic images of geese. Each image was permanently screen-printed to a vinyl sheet, the same type of vinyl used for house siding. The life-like decoys deceived the wariest Canada geese, impressing veteran hunters who are always looking for better ways to decoy birds.

He was aware that several other firms were producing silhouette decoys, so he decided he would produce the most realistic, useful and durable decoys on the market.

His newly formed company was off to an encouraging start. As demand for the goose decoys increased, Cripe began producing duck and other decoys.

Then in 1994 an arsonist burned down his fledgling factory. The disaster only resulted in a few months’ pause in production. He was back in business by the end of the year.

Hunters liked his decoys because they were virtually indestructible and they looked exactly like the birds they portrayed. They also liked the lifetime guarantee against breakage. Most of all, though, they were impressed by the way the decoys attracted wary birds.

A dozen decoys include photographic images of different-sized birds in numerous different poses, mimicking actual flocks.

Because they are light, a hunter can carry a couple of dozen goose or duck decoys or a few turkey decoys in one Outlaw-made camouflaged poncho. And they can be set up in minutes.

The bird decoys proved to be so successful that Cripe this year decided to produce life-size whitetail deer, elk and antelope decoys. The big decoys are meant primarily for archery hunters. They’re so realistic that they come with a warning not to use them in an area open to hunting with guns.

Outlaw also makes owl, crow, dove and seagull decoys.

As his decoy business increased, Cripe set up other corporations, Outlaw Marine, Inc., and Outlaw World Champion Hunts, Inc., to produce boats and arrange waterfowl hunts.

A Purdue University graduate in engineering, he felt that he could produce better waterfowl hunting boats than those on the market. He’s now making different types of boats, including the Outlaw 14, Outlaw 18, Ducker and the Outlaw Ghost.

The dull olive drab boats are made of hand-laid fiberglass. They have no wood, plywood or biodegradable materials that can rot. The biggest boats, which retail for $10,000 to $12,000, are as elaborate as hunters want them to be.

The 100-pound Ducker, priced at about $1,300, is a classic low profile marsh and small-water boat that’s ideal for stability and concealment. The 30-pound Ghost boats, $299 to $345, are one-person layout boats that can be used in water or field; a hunter can move quickly to take advantage of bird movement.

Outlaw Decoys also sells a wide variety of duck, goose and deer calls and accessories.

This year, for the first time Cripe’s new company, Outlaw World Champion Hunts, is offering guided hunts. Cripe has made arrangements with expert guides to take clients on hunts from Canada to Texas.

The first hunts will be conducted next month on Canadian prairies. As the season progresses, Cripe said, the world-champion callers and guides will follow the birds, eventually ending in Texas.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MEMO: You can contact Fenton Roskelley by voice mail at 459-5577, extension 3814.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Fenton Roskelley The Spokesman-Review