Do you use decoys for waterfowl?

track said:
Just purchase a dozen duck decoys. Add two Canada geese as confidence decoys. Waterfowl really respond to calling, therefore, purchase a duck call and practice a little. You can learn the basics of calling on "You Tube." Good luck and have fun!
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^^^good advice here. I have a small spread I carry in, shoot my limit of green heads over water every outing using this method. I love shooting ducks over water vs a field, love the sounds, sights and smell of the marsh.....and the splash as the the big old mallard crashed into the pond after the shot.
 
scott_r said:
^^^good advice here. I have a small spread I carry in, shoot my limit of green heads over water every outing using this method. I love shooting ducks over water vs a field, love the sounds, sights and smell of the marsh.....and the splash as the the big old mallard crashed into the pond after the shot.
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I like when those Greenheads come in full tilt with the landing gear extended and just as the webbed foot splash down you jump up and let them have it.

Watching their eyes get even wider ,lol

It is a sight to behold as they come in ready to mingle with the group only to be fooled.

Brought some pictures back with this post scott-r.

We once shot over a tidal flat with an incoming tide one day that provided a limit of 16 Mallards in about 40 minutes of selective shooting.
The next day the weather changed and our timing was adjusted for the tides by an hour and not one single duck left the fields or came from outside on the open water (tidal marsh)...
The weather had changed to 3 inches of snow falling and the birds knew this and decided to stay put.
Another lesson learned...check the weather forecast.

Thank You Scott,

Rob
 
dekes are nice to have if the situation calls for them. I usually set out about a dozen & a half, but sometimes use the micro spread of 6-10.

But I occasionally go to a spot that offers good pass shooting and there's no need for decoys in that situation.
 
Later in the season when I hunt ducks big spreads aren't needed. Cattails and bullrush had frozen back bit of shoreline ice forming. 18 decoys are all that is need, further location is more important than huge spreads, Gotta be where the ducks want to be. This is marsh and slough hunting though...
 
scott_r said:
^^^good advice here. I have a small spread I carry in, shoot my limit of green heads over water every outing using this method. I love shooting ducks over water vs a field, love the sounds, sights and smell of the marsh.....and the splash as the the big old mallard crashed into the pond after the shot.
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Yuip, something about marsh hunting I love too. That "Kwapof" of a fat mallard hitting the water never gets old.
 
For Early Season Wood Ducks I find half a dozen decoys brings them in very well, often no calling needed they decoy right in, for Mallards/Blacks/teals 8 or more combined with lots of feeding/come back calls works good all season, for late season Blue Bill's the more the better it seems, having a couple goose decoys as mentioned also helps with the mallards,
 
the spank said:
If that works for you then it isn’t wierd. I’ve done the same many years ago when I was a teen and money was sparse but it was too hit and miss and nowhere near as fun as gunning over decoys. I never used a single shot though as I never owned one. I saved money from my paper route and part time job at the car wash on weekends and bought myself a used A-5 and a decoy or two when I had an extra $5-$10.
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Decoys at $5 to $10. A box of shells for a few dollars. Ahhhh, the good old days.
 
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