Mixing diver and sea duck decoys

B

bob Petritsch

Active member
I hunt in an area where I am as likely to see either divers or scoter. I used to rig out for both but felt then that neither were decoying well. I switched to just rigging for one, usually made the wrong decision. When I put out the diver rig , I saw more scoter and vise versa.
I used to put the divers on the starboard side of my anchored, into the wind boat and the scoter on the other. They would be separated by30-40 yards. I would like to go back to putting out both and would like some feed back from those who do. When I lived in NY we just rigged for one or the other, never worried about two different types.
I shoot out of an 18foot Crestliner with a beaver tail blind. I keep the two groups well separated,just wondering what others do in that situation. I see almost equal numbers of the two types. It has been a slow last two weeks and I'd like to increase my number of decoyed birds.
 
How many decoys do you usually run? What species of divers do you mostly see? Redheads and bluebills?

My first reaction was to suggest painting all your decoys black, but that would basically just be a scoter rig. Do other divers decoy to the scoter decoys?
 
How many decoys do you usually run? What species of divers do you mostly see? Redheads and bluebills?

My first reaction was to suggest painting all your decoys black, but that would basically just be a scoter rig. Do other divers decoy to the scoter decoys?
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Usually put out 5 dozen broadbill, two long lines and 24 on individual lines. The scoter rig gets 3 dozen, two long lines and a dozen individuals.
See almost 100% broadbill with a handful of buffies, oh I also put out 6 buffs, all by themselves. shooting open water I have yet to see a puddle duck come near. I have had scoter come into the broadbill decoys but not the other way.
 
I was talking to a neighbor who used to guide sea duck hunters who saw my cork whistler decoys in the back of my truck. He complimented me, said, "Not many people bother with cork for divers," and then said he thought he had the only full rig of LL Bean cork bufflehead decoys in Maine. Seems he had them made as a special order at some point when Bean's shopped out their cork decoy work to somebody he knew, and the guy made him a rig.

We got to talking about decoy spreads, and I said, "Did you ever think it mattered whether you had out whistler or buffie decoys?".

"Well, some of the clients really liked it. If all I cared about was decoying the ducks, I could have just used my eider rig--or bleach bottles."

He's not much on sentiment, but I'm not sure he's wrong about decoying divers, at least here in Maine.
 
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Here in central Kansas I just mix them,

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Although I only have one Surf decoy in the rig right now, I have 3 more started and plan to add some Longtails too!
 
Bob,

I'm in New Bern too. I run mostly divers with a few scoters on the outer edge. I've had days that it worked great and others when I'm scratching my head just like you. If you need a hunting partner one morning let me know.

Ben
 
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