Waterfowl musing

[RUGER]

Granted, I am not a duck hunter, however, I have been thinking on something.
Say you are on a wma somewhere, tucked into a gar hole since tdub took all the good spots away.
There are spreads of 500-1,200 decoys in every spot.
I just keep thinking about what would happen if you threw out 2-3 dozen high quality decoys and maybe a spinner tucked off in the edge of the woods.
With the exception of the no hunting areas, to me that would be more "realistic" than the 1,000 decoy spread.

Anyone ever tried anything like that?
IF we do get a blind this year, at least one day, I am gonna try it.

 

[jman 125]

I would be careful with that because on most wma you have to be at a staked spot unless you are in the walk in area. If im not mistaken and i probably am.

 

[RUGER]

I would be careful with that because on most wma you have to be at a staked spot unless you are in the walk in area. If im not mistaken and i probably am.

You are correct.
I am talking about being in your drawn spot, in a blind and instead of having 1,000 decoys, just throw out 2-3 dozen.

 

[cbhunter]

In before gasman….

 

[Pic IN the Casa]

I say that all the time Ruger.
When my group is wanting to throw 300 out I always say just put 5-10 with one water motion deke.

 

[scn]

I have seen what that half dozen cork decoys I made decades ago will do. Nothing rides in the water like a real duck like they do.

 

[jman 125]

You are correct.
I am talking about being in your drawn spot, in a blind and instead of having 1,000 decoys, just throw out 2-3 dozen.

I misunderstood your post . That being said you never know what a duck will do. Back when i duck hunted we would start big and pick up as the season progressed and we never had a 0 day. But we didn't burn them everyday either

 

[Dodge Man]

We have tried big spreads (800+), small spreads (3-4 dozen) at our blind. Have tried no mojos, 1 mojo, and even 12 mojos on some days.

I think the smaller spreads work on ducks that have been in the area for a long time and see the same spreads every day. But at the start of season and on migration days nothing beats a big spread with lots of motion.

As for quality, we hunt with almost all new flocked Higdon battleship mallards with some different scrap ducks mixed in. I don't know if anything looks more realistic than maybe hand carved and painted decoys.

 

[tickweed]

spread size is relative to time of season, number of ducks in areas.

 

[Pic IN the Casa]

spread size is relative to time of season, number of ducks in areas.

I would add one intangible. How many spreads have migrators seen and been shot at on the way down south.

 

[Dodge Man]

I would add one intangible. How many spreads have migrators seen and been shot at on the way down south.

It seems like they have a shot memory if that matters. Because opening day most people kill a bunch. Also if you go hunt a place that doesn't get hunted much. You can put out 4 or 40 dozen and kill a bunch.

 

[yellalinehunter]

I like to match what I'm seeing. If it's some ransoms passers then I think a smaller set is better and if you're seeing big groups then making your spot look like a refuge is a plus. Motion is key regardless. Different styles and random seems to work better for me

 

[Polarkraft]

Depends, how many birds are in the area? Are they stale, or new? What point in the season is it?

Point being, if you have new ducks good weather and are sitting on a wma with a bunch of birds on it, big is the way to go.

I've done as few as 2 or 3 decoys and a jerk cord on stale birds and had good results. This was in a low count wma though.

 

[gasman]

Granted, I am not a duck hunter, however, I have been thinking on something.
Say you are on a wma somewhere, tucked into a gar hole since tdub took all the good spots away.
There are spreads of 500-1,200 decoys in every spot.
I just keep thinking about what would happen if you threw out 2-3 dozen high quality decoys and maybe a spinner tucked off in the edge of the woods.
With the exception of the no hunting areas, to me that would be more "realistic" than the 1,000 decoy spread.

Anyone ever tried anything like that?
IF we do get a blind this year, at least one day, I am gonna try it.

I've been trying to tell you this for years. Pick up decoys every day too. @cbhunter

 

[OffHand85]

This reminds me hunting in Wynn's Ark. with a buddy whose dad was always on a big lease, while they sat in a heated blind drinking coffee and eating hot biscuits we were taking the atv to the back of the property where farmers dump the rice hulls, two ditches crossed right there probably 10 ft deep, carried 6 decoys on homemade spreader and threw it in the cross section, would have a limit and a crowd in an hour! Rice and cane tires make good ruts for ducks to lay down in as well, some of the best hunts I'll ever remember were with less than a dozen decoys!

 

[TnKen]

I've been saying that I'm going to put out a several hundred decoy spread, and then go the to opposite end and throw out one decoy. I figure every duck that flys over will try and land there.

 

[RUGER]

I've been saying that I'm going to put out a several hundred decoy spread, and then go the to opposite end and throw out one decoy. I figure every duck that flys over will try and land there.

Hunted in Missouri one morning after a thaw. All the decoys had been pushed against the bank by the ice. Had a heck of a shoot till the sun got up good.
There were three decoys tangled up about 100 yards from the pit.
EVERY duck that came in landed by those three decoys that were literally touching. Lol

 

[Biggun4214]

Of course it's not West Tennessee but we only use 10-15 decoys where we hunt. We are as successful as the blind not far from us that puts out a huge spread. Our biggest obstacle is water level due to beavers.

 

[RUGER]

Of course it's not West Tennessee but we only use 10-15 decoys where we hunt. We are as successful as the blind not far from us that puts out a huge spread. Our biggest obstacle is water level due to beavers.

Beavers suck!!!

 

[Biggun4214]

Beavers suck!!!

Yes and the dam is on the neighbors property.

 

[RUGER]

Yes and the dam is on the neighbors property.

That really does suck !!

 

[TNGunsmoke]

Yes and the dam is on the neighbors property.

Surprised they won't allow you to tear it out or blow it up and trap the beaver. I'm pretty sure the neighbors next to us would allow it.

 

[Kevin]

We had a high water situation a couple years ago in a spot we hunt regularly. One decoy floated out of the one end of the hole. We worked in a group of about 30. every single duck sat down right on that one decoy about 80 yards from us into the wrong wind. (wind was perfect for our hole).

They do some weird things for sure.

 

[WilcoKen]

We had a high water situation a couple years ago in a spot we hunt regularly. One decoy floated out of the one end of the hole. We worked in a group of about 30. every single duck sat down right on that one decoy about 80 yards from us into the wrong wind. (wind was perfect for our hole).

They do some weird things for sure.

So many times it seems they just don't follow the script.

 

[OffHand85]

Problem with one I think flocks would take it as a wounded duck, I've seen wounded ducks and geese separate themselves. Teal like them small spreads but never want to land where I want them