For the Tree duck carvers
- Thread starter Hitch
- Start date
Chuck,
Remember that the bird in Hitch's pic is on HIGH alert (i.e. SCARED). I tend to use high heads for whistling ducks because usally we hunt whistling ducks in harvested rice and the high heads (like pickleweeds) show up better. In a marsh situation, or late in the season when the rice stubble has been knocked down, I have a couple of low head whistling duck decoys I'll use. To me, that decoy and pic scream "SCARED", so I wouldn't use s decoy with that high of a head.
Clint
Remember that the bird in Hitch's pic is on HIGH alert (i.e. SCARED). I tend to use high heads for whistling ducks because usally we hunt whistling ducks in harvested rice and the high heads (like pickleweeds) show up better. In a marsh situation, or late in the season when the rice stubble has been knocked down, I have a couple of low head whistling duck decoys I'll use. To me, that decoy and pic scream "SCARED", so I wouldn't use s decoy with that high of a head.
Clint
Chuck J
Well-known member
Ha!
I had the same discussion with Sutton last week, after which, I knocked 1" off one and 2.5" off the other. Yeah, it's still alert, but I wanted to capture that high head, long neck tree duck look. If I were making a rig of 6 or more, I would do shorter necks for the majority of them, but for "singles" I wanted to capture "the look", all be it not the greatest look from a hunting standpoint. I do appreciate the constructive criticism.
Thanks for adding to Steve's massive ego!
Chuck
I had the same discussion with Sutton last week, after which, I knocked 1" off one and 2.5" off the other. Yeah, it's still alert, but I wanted to capture that high head, long neck tree duck look. If I were making a rig of 6 or more, I would do shorter necks for the majority of them, but for "singles" I wanted to capture "the look", all be it not the greatest look from a hunting standpoint. I do appreciate the constructive criticism.
Thanks for adding to Steve's massive ego!
Chuck
Hitch
Well-known member
This swimming bird pictured is high alert of course; it sees me taking the photos.
*BUT*
Most often you will see the Blackbellies (here) in the giant smart weed with their heads up feeding from the plants. I have photos of this which I will post. A very effective way to hunt them is to place the decoys in the high smartweed so that some of the heads are "peeking" over the tops. This works the best to bring them in. So the high head decoys serve a utility when used in this fashion, and IMO, is one of the most effective methods to get them to decoy, if not the MOST effective method. So I beg to differ. My best photos of these birds were taken when they were coming in to land with decoys in the smartweed.
I'll post the photos of them feeding in Giant Smartweed.
Hitch
*BUT*
Most often you will see the Blackbellies (here) in the giant smart weed with their heads up feeding from the plants. I have photos of this which I will post. A very effective way to hunt them is to place the decoys in the high smartweed so that some of the heads are "peeking" over the tops. This works the best to bring them in. So the high head decoys serve a utility when used in this fashion, and IMO, is one of the most effective methods to get them to decoy, if not the MOST effective method. So I beg to differ. My best photos of these birds were taken when they were coming in to land with decoys in the smartweed.
I'll post the photos of them feeding in Giant Smartweed.
Hitch
Hitch
Well-known member
I would add that a combination of a few high heads back in the taller stuff with the low(er) heads in the fringe smartweed is the desired spread, IMO, to replicate this...
I have more photos of the Blackbellies in the smartweed which are better, and which I will post, but if you look close you can see the dark stripes in the tall stuff. Each stripe is a BB.
These were taken with BB dekes in the smartweed.
I have more photos of the Blackbellies in the smartweed which are better, and which I will post, but if you look close you can see the dark stripes in the tall stuff. Each stripe is a BB.
These were taken with BB dekes in the smartweed.
Steve Sutton
Well-known member
of the birds in the vegetation...full head visible or just a black stripe.....has that straight, fully erect, HIGH ALERT NECK, like the decoys have.....those birds are actively feeding and all have some "curve" in the neck.....you can have a long neck that doesn't scream, "I'm getting ready to leave"....all you need to do is put a little curve in it......
Steve
Steve
Hitch
Well-known member
I have more photos, just not on photobucket. You know how tall giant smartweed grows. And I've seen them with their necks stretched out to knock it down, even with the bill up and reaching. For what I'm talking about doing you could have heads on long dowels or stakes for that matter.
Hitch
Hitch
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Steve Sutton
Well-known member
was referring to when he said "pickleweed".....he didn't elaborate but thats a traditional California decoy for hunting pickelweed and features jus the head to breast of long necked birds, (primarily Pintails)....
I have no doubt that you have pictures of birds with totally stretched out necks feeding in high vegetation.....thos ebirds won't have the same "bill flat with the water surface" though unless they are "alert" and looking at you.....they'll have head positions that are representative of feeding......
Not that it likely matters to the BBWD's but dor my rig I just don't want a decoy that screams ALERT......plus that high neck is a bitch to make self right or ride correctly in anything but calm water.....TRUE as you said those decoys would be in vegetation "most of the time" and that negates the need to self right or balance a bird.....I'll take a more relaxed postion indicating a content duck...you can have the HIGH ALERT birds and put em in the weeds.......no more conflict over decoy purchases that way......
Steve
I have no doubt that you have pictures of birds with totally stretched out necks feeding in high vegetation.....thos ebirds won't have the same "bill flat with the water surface" though unless they are "alert" and looking at you.....they'll have head positions that are representative of feeding......
Not that it likely matters to the BBWD's but dor my rig I just don't want a decoy that screams ALERT......plus that high neck is a bitch to make self right or ride correctly in anything but calm water.....TRUE as you said those decoys would be in vegetation "most of the time" and that negates the need to self right or balance a bird.....I'll take a more relaxed postion indicating a content duck...you can have the HIGH ALERT birds and put em in the weeds.......no more conflict over decoy purchases that way......
Steve
D.J. Hagen
Active member
Great pics, Hitch. I distinctly remember the first time I had a flock of WDs come straight to the dekes while hunting Toho. I couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger while thinking to myself, "These have to be the slowest ducks on the planet." They sure have amazing hang time.
Yukon Mike
Well-known member
Hey thanks Hitch, those are great! Once we get these mini decoys done me and Mac both want to try making some more BBWD and a couple of Fulvous.
I'm just about done painting that BWT for the Mayor.
Mike
I'm just about done painting that BWT for the Mayor.
Mike
James Romig
Member
Great pictures Hitch! I'll add them to my library..........may make a fulvous to show you at Westlake!
Hitch
Well-known member
Can't wait to see it. Glad to hear you're carvin'. Your Bluewing pair are getting a good workout this year BTW, and the best weeks are yet to come. Well I'll be up there at Westlake, that's for sure. Can't wait to see you, Dwane, Tom, Duane, George, Ky, Geoff...
Send it my way, I'll make sure Joe gets it. And put me down for two tree ducks. BTW, those rump pics of the wet birds from Saturday are a little stained. The swimming shots show how white the rump feathers really are, with the coal black dots.
Hitch
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MLBob Furia
Well-known member
Hitch,
Thanks for posting the photos. Answered the question i had about that membrane coloring on the eye of the fulvous. Thought I was seeing it in some pictures, but not in the majority of what I've collected.
Making decisions on what I'll do to finish the heads and how to best suggest that neck feathering without overdoing it.
View attachment fulvouswhistlers 031 (600 x 399).jpg
Here's the view out the front window of the studio when the sun went down this evening:
View attachment fulvouswhistlers 028 (600 x 399).jpg
Thanks for posting the photos. Answered the question i had about that membrane coloring on the eye of the fulvous. Thought I was seeing it in some pictures, but not in the majority of what I've collected.
Making decisions on what I'll do to finish the heads and how to best suggest that neck feathering without overdoing it.
View attachment fulvouswhistlers 031 (600 x 399).jpg
Here's the view out the front window of the studio when the sun went down this evening:
View attachment fulvouswhistlers 028 (600 x 399).jpg