Live Decoys, Interesting Read

Eric Patterson

Eric Patterson

Moderator
Staff member
Of all the things I've read about live decoys I don't ever remember seeing opposition to them from hunters. Most articles about them discuss how effective they were, how they were used and cared for, and the circumstances of the great drought and drastically declining duck numbers that led to them being outlawed. Not sure how I found this letter but it is written by a sportsman who opposes the commercial exploitation of Black Ducks in the New England area and he is writing his representatives asking that live callers be outlawed. I can't help but wonder what the mindset of today's hunters would be in these circumstances and what arguments for and against would be kicked around on discussion forums.

The letter begins about half way down page 22 (first page in the link below)


http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Wilson/v046n01/p0022-p0024.pdf
 
I would love to hunt over calls one day, and I likely will, albeit without a gun. They would likely add as much enjoyment as a dog does, and bring an entirely different aspect to the sport. I do agree with the gentlemen's on one point. I think it would be great to have a total allotment per season for each individual hunter. IE 100 ducks per season per individual or something similar. This could be accomplished via a tagging system. This seems reasonable as to a total bag for an individual hunter. I am sure I will be accussed of being "jealous" of the truly "great" hunters on the board who feel they are entitled to this. I can assure you I take my share, and that is exactly the point. I feel that I resepect the resource as much as anyone, and yet for the most part I can't restrain myself from taking a limit when it is readily available to me.
 
Eric:

If someone sent such a letter today, there would be internet posts on websites almost immediately explaining how the writer was an East Coast elitist in cahoots with the HSUS, and explaining that all sportsmen need to band together today to stop the anti's from taking away our rights.

Or perhaps I'm too cynical.

On a lighter note, take out the words "live decoys" and substitute "mojo", and I'm pretty sure I've seen that posted somewhere recently.
 
Jeff

That's what grabbed me, the fact you couldn't date his letter other than reading live decoys and were it spinning wing decoys it could be a recent letter. Now the thing I'd like to know is was he a lone voice or did many sportsman of the day fall in line with his reasoning. I suspect many did but not so much for the duck's welfare, but rather for less competition from professional hunters. But that's just a hunch.
 
Last edited:
I suspect you're right, but remember, that was the beginning of the era of Ding Darling and Aldo Leopold, the dawn of duck stamps, and the beginnings of the conservation movement in the US.

I'm sure there were lots of folks who went along with Darling and Leopold because they wanted fewer market hunters and poor folks to compete with them. But there was also a growing awareness, including by professionals like Leopold, that without stricter limits on how and how much we hunted, there wouldn't be anything left to hunt for.

I was also intrigued by the early focus on habitat--the reference to the impacts of drained marshes on the ducks, and already discussion of restoring marsh habitat.
 
This guy was definitely before his time. I can appreciate the fact that he was a sportsman who was proud of his hunting methods such as sneak hunting. He also spoke of getting within a few yards from the birds before they took flight which shows he was concerned with giving the ducks a chance. Condemning the others for shooting numerous birds on the water and using call ducks also showed that he could identify the reasons that birds in his area were thinning out and becoming "wild" so quickly. He also mentioned that one hunter was having a hard time giving the ducks away. Unfortunately I see this too often at the boat ramp. Many hunters do not have any desire to eat the birds they just shot and will look to give them away or throw them away once they leave.
I dont consider call ducks in the same category of lethality as spinning wing decoys. I have seen call ducks work before and it is almost effortless. I did not see them in a "hunting" situation, but would watch them call wild ducks out of the sky as they migrated by the farm where the call ducks were. Although I don't use any battery powered device while hunting, I actually feel like they are not much of a difference maker. It almost seems like all the hub bub about them was generated to help sell the devices. With everyone in the marsh with at least one spinning wing going, I see plenty of ducks avoid them like the plague. It doesn't take long for the birds to get wise. Simple spreads for the condition and good concealment seem to win out on most days.


dc
 
"Although I don't use any battery powered device while hunting, I actually feel like they are not much of a difference maker. It almost seems like all the hub bub about them was generated to help sell the devices. With everyone in the marsh with at least one spinning wing going, I see plenty of ducks avoid them like the plague. It doesn't take long for the birds to get wise. Simple spreads for the condition and good concealment seem to win out on most days. "



Well I partailly agree. I have them and use them. When we get "new" ducks and during snow storms they work great. It'll pull from the guy around the next bend that doesn't have one. When hunting public ground, you need something different to draw them. When everyone has 2 to 3 dozen decoys, you have to go bigger or smaller and I also add other swimming motion decoys.

That being said, once ducks have been in the area a while, they do seem to wise up to them. I'll put them away and dial way back on my decoy spread.

My problem with banning them, is what's next? Wind powered spinners, jerk rigs, flags, all motion producing decoys?
 
I'm not calling for a ban on powered decoys, and am not sure I'd support one if someone else did. I prefer not to use them, but I hunt with folks who do and don't complain about it. (Well, I complain a little. I hate the sound the freaking things make. I'd rather hear the birds and the wind. And I hate looking out across a wide expanse of marsh broken only by the silhouette of spinning white wings. Blech!) When we are in their blind or boat, we use the spinner. In mine we don't.

My personal line is drawn at anything motorized (other than the truck and the boat, of course). Jerk strings, wind socks, flags and more elaborate ways to add attraction and motion are all fine by me. But I'm not going to add a motor to my decoy spread.

As for whether they work? Some days, they sure seem to. Other days they seem to flare more birds than they attract.

Back to my silhouette peeve--they are VERY effective for marking territory in the marsh and telling other duck hunters to stay away. Much more effective than a low boat, a handful of decoys, and good camo.
 
" Back to my silhouette peeve--they are VERY effective for marking territory in the marsh and telling other duck hunters to stay away. Much more effective than a low boat, a handful of decoys, and good camo."

I can tell you that there's days they don't work well for that AT ALL!
I still get guys that want to come hold hands with me. They set up so close to my spread, I don't know why they bothering putting their decoys out.
 
I hunted over live decoys about 5 years ago. They were absolutely amazing. I think the had been cooped up for a day or two and were anxious to get out and play. The walk out to the blind was really weird because even though you knew there were four live ducks on the guys back, you couldn't help but spin around and look for a duck every time one of the decoys quacked. When we got to the pond, he put a string with a heavy weight to each ducks leg and set them in the water. As soon as they hit the water, the decoys were so happy. They quacked like crazy, flapped there wings, fed, splashed the water, and just made a big ruckus. The only bad part was that it was a DEAD day and we only saw two ducks that were about a half mile away. If it were ever legal again, you can bet your last penny that I'd have my own.


This hunt took place in the Camargue marsh in southern France where the Rhone River dumps into the Mediteranian Sea.
 
My grandfather, God Bless him...Told me many stories of his neophyte years of duck hunting 20s, 30s...I do not know historically if it was legal during that time frame...But he and his brothers had a pair of barn yard mallards they would keep pinned up...During a hunt they separated the two birds in the slough about 50 yards...And put what decoys they had out of sight of the hen tied to the trip by their legs...He told me on some days the live birds didn't really care if they called or the hen but on some he said you could stand out in the open and birds would land in his hand...After that with a grin on his face he did not know if if really mattered...Up till his death he always wanted to try one more time with a pair...My ethics never could take me to the point to wheel him out to one of his farm ponds to do it...Kinda wished I would have for the shits and giggles with him...I really don't think he would have ever shot...I think it would have been for the memory of listening to that hen call that mallard all morning, nagging at that drake...Mom used to have drake and hen tufted duck on the farm...The drake was killed by a hawk a year ago...Since then the family pond is frequently poised with drake visitors...I think it might work...Thanks Granddaddy!

Regards,

Kristan
 
I don't know if I would agree that this man was before his time. It wasn't too many years earlier that the last of the passenger pidgeons became extinct. This was a species that at one time was considered the most numerous of any species of bird (maybe any animal) on the face of the earth! Remember humans have had a very vivid historical record of causing the extinction or near extinction of many species of living things up to that point. I believe this was a period of awakening to that fact. The historical records and word of mouth stories of market hunters and punt guns and the massive numbers of killed ducks are fresh on many of these sportsmen minds.
 
For some clarification I will reply. I never mentioned or implied that I believed any battery powered devices should be banned. I simply stated that I don't use them and it has been my observation that their effectiveness is questionable. I have fishing lures I would never try in Maryland that are the first packed when heading to Maine. My comment about the man being ahead of his time only was a statement that prior to that, there appears to be very few who were thinking towards conservation or reducing bag limits. Yes, the passenger pigeon was shot to extinction which is amazing since it was recorded that in numerous areas vegetation could not grow beneath the tree canopy because of the amount of bird droppings. I would assume education, economy, and communication all played a major role in the birds demise.

Dc
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top