decoy strategies

chris k

chris k

Active member
i was just reading a book i got on amazon called Decoys and proven methods for using them got it for 3 bucks but i was looking at the diffrent paterns and placements of the decoys and how they intergrate other species or styles of decoy. i was just wondering how others put there decoys out. me and my hunting partner usually do some form of horse shoe or a 2 group kind of a deal. in my mind i always think of the decoys as a blocker if i dont want the duck to land in a certain area i fill that part up with deeks and i leave an opening where i want them to land. for instance one spot we hunt is a Y of a creek comming off a main river we fill up the two arms of the Y with decoys and the ducks always land right in front of us where the two arms meet. we dont use many decoys either because its a small tidal creek and at low tide there isnt much water. probably 12 decoys is the most we ever used and we usually do better with less.So.... how does every one else deploy there decoys in diffrent situations.
 
thanks i have done a bit of reading and research but i was just wondering how others deploy there decoys or if they are using the same concept as my self. for instance i will use full bodies every chance i get if there is a sand bar, shallow water, mud bank, floating log what ever i will put a decoy on it. anyone else do that am i wasting my time with the extra effort i dont think so i enjoy watching the ducks work my spread and seeing how they react to diffrent techniques i use.
 
If at all possible I try and set up where the ducks are landing while looking in the sun while I am in the shadows. Further I try to avoid having the wind directly at my back. If it is directly at my back then they are looking right at me which is bad when they get in close. Instead I try and have a quartering wind at my back so as they approach they are not only looking in the sun but also in a direction where I am not sitting.
 
Match the hatch, if you see large groups of birds then use large groups of decoys. If birds are more wary and stick to smaller groups then match your decoy spread accordingly. Some of my best hunts have been over six decoys.
 
thats great advice to keep in mind playing the sun and the wind into your favor. there has been a few times where i get setup and relise the sun is going to be right in my face. i then have to make adjustment #1 of the day. and thats usually when the ducks are just starting to fly before shooting light.
 
MATCH THE HATCH!!!!! i like that. I agree my last hunt out we had 5 decoys out and had blacks and buffle heads working are "spread". i beleive this stands even more true in the later part of the season with birds having saw the 1, 2, 3, dozen decoy spreads that they dont think twice about comming in to a small group.
 
Good question! In a season I will probibly hunt 20 different locations ranging from a pond to tidal mud flats to rivers. Quantity is usually determined by the time of the season. More at first up to 60 and less towards the end,sometimes only 1. no more than a 12 if its tidal. Location- I like to have them off to the side depending on the wind . Configuration- Depends on the situation- one big blob or family groups or a J. I could probably write a book on my theory's of decoy placement most of which I am sure are crap. Better yet as a manufacturing engineer make some convoluted flow chart that most people won't be able to follow. One thing is, I will not hesitate to change the decoys around if I had had several groups pass by without notice. I get all tweaked out overthink the decoys and my main hunting partner gets over focused on the blind. We make a good team.
 
WOW THATS IMPRESSIVE. Did you just draw that up or did you have it saved some where. That brings up a good point does anyone else do a diagram of how they plan to set up decoys? and do you stick to it once you get to your spot? i know i have a few times going in to a spot that i have only couch scouted me and a friend will sit down and try and figure out how and where we think the ducks are going to work usually it gives us a good platform to start on with just a little tweeking. yes i do couch scout ill admit it sometimes you just dont have the time to scout before you hunt a spot and you make the best out of it by looking on google earth and other websites like that.
 
i also cant stand it, its one thing to have ducks come in do a circle and not commit but for them to act as if i dont exist my ego cant take it. i will be waste deep moving decoys. as far as ducks circling and not commiting ill just blame that on my partner or a shotgun shell that didnt get picked up. but the duck definetley was thinking "DAMN THAT SPREAD IS SEXY".
 
Created the base image in Paint and then just cut & paste to modify it.
I have a plan based on where I am going to hunt and what birds I expect to be there and then adjust based on the wind and location when I get there at zero-dark thirty.
Sometimes things get set up as planned, sometimes not.
 
thats just one spot and if it was up to my buddy we would hunt there every day of the season its a great spot he loves it but i am a firm believer of not over hunting a spot and im always scouting for new places to hunt knocking on farmer doors trecking through a swamp looking for that little hidden pond or new beaver pond. there is always more to learn and by putting it on a forum other hunters maybe not as expierenced can follow the posts and learn from it. its not just me that everyone is giving advice to its for every person that searches decoy strategies. How about jerk rigs i use one all the time in calm water but i made home made stakes to keep my rope under water so you cant see it come up into the blind.
 
thats great carl im always drawing on paper plates with food stuck to it but i will be using your technique starting now seems like a great way to be mathmatical about putting a spread out.
 
A few things I've learned over the years-take these with a grain of salt because they might work here but might not where you live:
Some species of ducks, wigeons, pintail, redheads, and goldeneyes in particular, really like to land with their own kind. I've had wigeons fly all the way across my decoy spread to land with my wigeon decoys. Others like gadwalls and mallards, and especially shovelers, don't seem to care what species of decoys are out and will land just about anywhere.
I usually run a mix of decoys, mallards, gadwalls, wigeon, and pintails for puddlers because birds around here often group in large rafts. I will often put 3 blobs of decoys in groups with 15-20 yards of open space in between them, that seems to draw the birds into the landing holes.
If I run a jerk cord, I like to run it through a blob of decoys so the ripples will move the other decoys around too.
If I run a spinner (I only run a floater spinner, not one of the ones on a pole) I often like to set it either behind the blind if we are hunting an island or a good 20 or 30 yards away from the other decoys. Not only do you get to shame it for being a spinner by making it sit off by itself, it can draw far-off ducks' attention and get them to key in on your decoy spread.
I rarely run an all-diver spread but I will usually set out a couple of longlines of black-and-white divers that lead into my spread, I've been surprised over the years to see how many ducks will fly straight up the diver line, puddlers and divers both.
One trick I learned with late season geese this year is that if there is ice and open water then resting geese will often sit in a line down the edge of the ice shelf while others sit right off the ice in the water, I had great success this late season by setting a row of shells on the ice edges and putting 5 or 6 goose floaters just off the ice. If you have a few full bodies to mix into the shells on the ice it's a great setup. If I'm specifically targeting geese I will often hide at least 25-30 yards away and off to the side of the goose spread, geese are damn wary and if they aren't looking in your direction it helps a lot.
There's a ton more, I feel like you can hunt for a lifetime and not learn everything there is to know about running decoys. It's what makes it so dang fun!
 
great info cody alot of good stuff you said there i like how you deploy your spinner you have exciled it but it still has a place in your spread. i have yet to find a way to deploy my screaming woody "on a pole" that i thought made a diffrence i cant say that it has hurt me but next season i will damn sure send the mother fudger to the corner to draw in some ducks.
 
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Good points on the widgeon, redheads and GEs. Add buffies to that group too. They may buzz a spread of other decoys but I find that to get them to commit, you need a few buffy dekes.
I also try to always have at least one or two canvasback decoys out, they seem to go to them like a magnet.
 
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