Black Duck Decoy Setup Question

S

Steve O

Active member
I like to put out a set of 7 black duck decoys when I hunt the salt ponds here in Rhode Island.

I have 6 regular size and 1 much larger than the rest (its a stray mallard I found washed ashore years ago which I repainted as a black duck).

Anybody got any thoughts they're willing to share on what's a good strategy for deploying this oversized bird?

Thanks in advance for any info.
 
Off by itself, then the other six together??


I've used different sized decoys many times but not of the same species or same flock. Just, for instance, Magnum Mallards close to shore, then standard sized divers out away from the puddlers.


I'm not sure it really makes a difference. Guys have been using different sized Goose decoys for years with great success.


Just my thoughts...


Jon
 
I hunt a combination of oversized and regular together. I do not place them in any particular order in regards to size. With black ducks on the coast I worry more about timing and concealment.

Regardless of that being offered, this year has been the slowest season that I have hunted. I have never seen so few black ducks on the salt water. I want to blame it on the warm weather but scared it could also be in part to the harsh winter we had last year. We had lots of dead black ducks when the ice let out.

Where I use to see hundreds this time of year I am now seeing only a handful.

Good luck to you.
 
Usually I hunt a rig of 6 handcarves 3mallards 3 blacks. If it is January and I decide to hunt puddlers we will shoot 10 blacks to every mallard and they are wicked weary. So I will use 2 blacks up wind with with 1 slightly behind them almost directly in front of me. They like landing short so keep that in mind.

Everyone uses a bunch of decoys late season, I have never seen a big flock of blacks so the small # of Dekes is more natural in my mind

Good luck with the king of the marsh
 
Thanks for the input, folks. All good food for thought.

I'm leaning toward setting this decoy by itself, sort of as a focal point. To me it's the best looking of the 7 dekes. Of course the real ducks may have a different opinion.

On a side note, Chris N., I don't think blacks were the only species that suffered here in New England last winter. One day in the midst of it I recall finding a dead bluebill on shore without a scratch on it. It was a beautiful bird but very much dead.
 
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My brain tells me it almost surely doesn't matter, and you should just set your 7 decoys. However, I have one clearly different decoy (a modern Bean's cork) in my spread of cork black ducks, and I always set it apart from the others. The others are mixed from several makers, but all similar is size, form and paint, so I don't fuss about them.

The important thing is you have 7. Five would be ok, too. But it must be an odd number.
 
And the odd one must be a hen with its head turned to the right.
 
And, if multiple species of decoys are involved, there must be an odd number of each species, an odd number of species, and an odd number of total decoys.

For example, one can hunt over 1 mallard, 5 blacks, and 3 whistlers, but it would not be acceptable to add a single bufflehead to that spread, as it would violate two of the key principles of decoy superstition. You could add 3 buffleheads (or 1 or 5) , but would have to take in the mallard to do so, or put out a fifth species.
 
See, that is where I messed up this weekend:
I had an odd number of species (redheads, scaup, cans, buffies and pintails) and an odd number of buffie, RH & BB decoys but I had an even number of cans (2) and pintails (2).
If I had an odd number of pintail decoys, the one pair of puddle duck that checked out my spread would have committed.
But the even number still worked on the cans, but only because an odd number of them were in the flock (3).
When I get home, I will put one more can & pintail in the bag.
Also, since I am adding gadwalls to this coming weekends spread, I will also add my one plastic widgeon decoy just to keep things odd.
And "odd" is a pretty good description of it all.
 
Jeff and Carl~

You both got me thinking of the obscure and byzantine card game from the old Bob Newhart Show: Three-handed Snee-Ho.....

Just make sure you shoot a gun that holds an odd number of shells!

All the best,

SJS
 
Jeff has brought up a very important waterfowling point in this discussion. I am fully n board, but will make one exception to the odd rule. It is acceptable, at least in New Jersey, to use 2 black duck decoys in certain situations instead of 3,5, or 7.
 
Jeff has brought up a very important waterfowling point in this discussion. I am fully n board, but will make one exception to the odd rule. It is acceptable, at least in New Jersey, to use 2 black duck decoys in certain situations instead of 3,5, or 7.
Click to expand...

Perhaps the mathematicians among us can address whether 2 is actually an even number? Is there an argument to be made that 1 and 2 are neither odd nor even, that the odd numbers start with 3, and the evens with 4?

Perhaps "new math" or the "common core" standards will help address this?
 
Alternatively, perhaps it is not an "even" number of decoys we must have, but a prime number? This would make 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17 and 19 all ok. You guys with the big diver rigs might need to investigate the larger primes and how to determine them in the field.

LOL!

Question for Osier--does the spinner get counted?
 
Steve,

You must have an unbelievable memory - Three handed Snee-Ho!!!
(The King of Snee).

As far as hard & fast decoy rules go:

The Unofficial Official Rules :
Permanent Rule: You may not play the decoy the same way twice.
Primary Rule: The following rules are subject to be changed, amended, or deleted by any player(s) involved. These rules are not required, nor necessary to play.
1.0. The following words in these rules are mostly freely interchangeable, the Primary Rule applies:
• Can
• May
• Must
• Shall
• Should
• Will
• Would
1.1. All players/hunters must wear camo .
1.2 Any player/hunter may declare a new rule at any point in the game. The player may do this audibly or silently depending on what zone (Refer to Rule 1.5) the player is in.
1.3. A player may use the decoy in any way the player sees fit, whether it be to incur injury upon other players or to gain benefits for himself.
1.4. Any penalty legislation may be in the form of pain, embarassment, or any degradation the rulee wishes to execute upon the other players.
1.5 The hunting area should consist of zones which are governed by a set of rules declared by players. Zones may be appear and disappear as often and wherever the player decides. For example, a corollary zone would enable a player to make a corollary (sub-rule) to any rule already made. Or an opposite zone would enable a player to declare reverse playibility on the others. (Remember, the player would declare this zone oppositely by not declaring it.)
1.6 Score may be kept or disregarded. In the event that score is kept, it shall have no bearing on the hunt.


(... with apologies to Calvin & Hobbes [Calvinball]).
 
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