Decoys and spreads

[I make oil]

What area do you hunt and what kind and number of decoys do you put out? Any brand preference? How do you rig them?

I usually hunt either the Atchafalya Delta or the Wax. Mostly open water so I usually put out a lot of decoys. 5 or 6 dozen at a minimum sometimes as many as 10 depending on how much time I have. Mostly Mallards, Gadwall and Teal. I'm pick up a half dozen pintails for this season and replacing some old Flambeau Mallards with GHG professionals. In the past I rigged with plain decoy weights attached with tarred string. This year I'm switching to the J style weights with elastic shock cords connected to no tangle line. I'm sick of fighting tangles out the bag. I've looked into the pocket style bags but with the number of decoys I carry it would be a PITA. I have 2 robo ducks but seldom use them. Mostly early season, never after the first split.

Also, I think I'm going to do like what was mentioned in another thread and paint all my old decoys as coots. There are tons of them where I hunt and they seldom swim anywhere near my blind. I think they would be an excellent confidence adder to my spread.

[aquaholic]

Texas rig w 300-400 # mono line and crimps. You can use whatever weight you want. Make your loop w crimp on one end and put line through keel to pu weight on. This keeps your loop at the top to speed up pickup time at end of hunt. This is much faster and cleaner way to deal w decoys

[Gottogo49]

Originally Posted by aquaholic

Texas rig w 300-400 # mono line and crimps. You can use whatever weight you want. Make your loop w crimp on one end and put line through keel to pu weight on. This keeps your loop at the top to speed up pickup time at end of hunt. This is much faster and cleaner way to deal w decoys

I agree, most of the commercial Texas rigs have the loop on the end with the weight - much more messy. Better to have loop right under the decoy.

I am planning to use several sleepers and some feeders and full bodied decoys as confidence decoys. Will try to post a picture of the setup. Also going to use jerk strings more than Robos. Lots of coots and a white egret to complete the spread. I enjoy playing with decoys as much as actually shooting the ducks. The thrill for me is fooling them enough that they want to land.

[AubreyLaHaye458]

We hunt rice fields just north of Mamou.

I've got my spread up to about 12 dozen. Mostly Flambeau Storm Fronts and some GHG mixed in. Mostly mallards and a dozen pintail, 1/2 dozen greys and wigeons and 2 dozen teal. Bought a pack of 4 Flambeau specks last year and plan in getting 6 more this year

[I make oil]

I'm thinking about picking up some specks too. Are the Flambeau decent quality? I find their ducks are hit and miss. Sometimes they are real good other times the colors are terrible. I open the box and check them out before I buy now.

[AubreyLaHaye458]

Originally Posted by I make oil

I'm thinking about picking up some specks too. Are the Flambeau decent quality? I find their ducks are hit and miss. Sometimes they are real good other times the colors are terrible. I open the box and check them out before I buy now.

I haven't had any problems with the decoys. I like the specks. They're pretty good quality for the price in my opinion

[Gottogo49]

Floater specs?

[AubreyLaHaye458]

Originally Posted by Gottogo49

Floater specs?

Yes sir

[MarshRat89]

I try and pay attention to what the birds in the area are doing as far as how many decoys I put out. Personally I don't think brand or detail matter as long as they look realistic. I also try to match what birds we have in the area at the time. IMO Mallard decoys will work for anything though. Scout as much as you can. Pay attention to how birds bunch up and intermix. The more natural your spread looks the better. Areas where the birds are really concentrated none of this really matters. Where we hunt now in such a high pressured area with limited birds The little things matter.


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[aquaholic]

We used to hunt the wax. I found that a big spread of pintails worked better than anything. Not many ppl have have 75+ pintail drake decoys. Try to not look like everyone else. Sure be where the birds want to be but that is not always an option. Try not to look like another decoy spread. Whites and blacks work best in my opinion(that's 50 days a yr since 60 day season).

[Gottogo49]

Originally Posted by MarshRat89

I try and pay attention to what the birds in the area are doing as far as how many decoys I put out. Personally I don't think brand or detail matter as long as they look realistic. I also try to match what birds we have in the area at the time. IMO Mallard decoys will work for anything though. Scout as much as you can. Pay attention to how birds bunch up and intermix. The more natural your spread looks the better. Areas where the birds are really concentrated none of this really matters. Where we hunt now in such a high pressured area with limited birds The little things matter.


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Agree, I think that ducks see a lot of 1 dozen mallard and 1 dozen pintail spreads. Highly pressured and limited numbers is what we see also. I have some scaup and a couple of redheads, some spoonies and a few widgeons, I use more greys than mallards because that is what is in the area. If there are other ducks around, I don't shoot the scaup or spoonies but I still like watching them work. I like a couple of mottled duck decoys by themselves sitting close together.

[I make oil]

Redheads are one of my favorite ducks but I've never considered buying Redhead decoys. They just go to anything. I really like the idea of lots and lots of coot decoys. There are always tons of coots around and they are very cautious. Like I said I have seen huge flocks swimming along and they almost always go right outside of my shooting range. Smart, smart birds. I read on the DU site about setting out 2 or 3 dozen in a long string down wind up to 100 yards away ending in a group near your spread with Gadwall around the group. That sounds like a good set up and I plan on trying that in the bay. With clusters of mallards, pintails and teal up wind of the blind leaving a hole in front of the bilind between the groups of ducks and the cluster of coots/gadwall. Any birds flying by should see that. I will get impact from the spread but it will take a while to set up for sure.

[biggun]

If you your hunting specks and NOT using Flocked DeKe's.. U ain't hunting..

Way Different...

[meaux fishing]

I like to tie a couple of pet mallards to poles, put a couple dozen decoys out, and dump a few sacks of deer corn and cut up sweet potatos in the pond.... brings em right in every time

[AubreyLaHaye458]

Originally Posted by biggun

If you your hunting specks and NOT using Flocked DeKe's.. U ain't hunting..

Way Different...

Guess you'll have to tell that to the ones i lit in the decoys with 4 flambeau Specks I paid $90 for.

[I make oil]

Originally Posted by AubreyLaHaye458

Guess you'll have to tell that to the ones i lit in the decoys with 4 flambeau Specks I paid $90 for.

Need a thumbs up button. Flambeau's are excellent decoys. Especially for what they cost.


Come on duck season!

[jopete]

we hunted the wax hard for 12 years before getting leases.
out normal spread was 4 large sacks of decoys.[120-130} more on a opener.

probly 4 dozen were coot decoys. you got to be differant then the other guys.


now i hunt with 5 to 7 decoys in the marsh. location is everything.

i have a lake spread of 200-250 that are mostly spraypainted to look like coots or scaup, and i will put out a dozen good decoys in them to mix it up. i got them tied to nuts/bolts/needlevalves/junk/cast net weights, and anything that sinks. they stay out all season.

for the wax u can't beat the texas rigging. quick and easy to put out/pick up. i never had any luck with the j-hook style.

i also use the 400# mono with neck straps for the marsh. easy to wrap up[ and tangle free.

[Gottogo49]

Originally Posted by I make oil

Redheads are one of my favorite ducks but I've never considered buying Redhead decoys. They just go to anything. I really like the idea of lots and lots of coot decoys. There are always tons of coots around and they are very cautious. Like I said I have seen huge flocks swimming along and they almost always go right outside of my shooting range. Smart, smart birds. I read on the DU site about setting out 2 or 3 dozen in a long string down wind up to 100 yards away ending in a group near your spread with Gadwall around the group. That sounds like a good set up and I plan on trying that in the bay. With clusters of mallards, pintails and teal up wind of the blind leaving a hole in front of the bilind between the groups of ducks and the cluster of coots/gadwall. Any birds flying by should see that. I will get impact from the spread but it will take a while to set up for sure.

I guess that ducks act different in different areas. I painted my own redhead decoys also painted my own scaup. I think they were Flambo pintail hens before I converted them. Had two redheads light out of range and swim into the decoys, slow day, bad move, one dead on the water one dead on the wing. Coots light in my coot decoys all the time, normally they don't stay very long. They are so active , they spot the fakes real quick. A lawyer friend who doesn't hunt much asked if they were legal to shoot. Gave him the green light and he went to town -12 dead coots. Gadwalls and widgeons love coots. I have watched the coots dive under in deep water and come up with some widgeon grass. The Gadwalls move in for a share. Fun to watch.

[MarshRat89]

Originally Posted by Gottogo49

I guess that ducks act different in different areas. I painted my own redhead decoys also painted my own scaup. I think they were Flambo pintail hens before I converted them. Had two redheads light out of range and swim into the decoys, slow day, bad move, one dead on the water one dead on the wing. Coots light in my coot decoys all the time, normally they don't stay very long. They are so active , they spot the fakes real quick. A lawyer friend who doesn't hunt much asked if they were legal to shoot. Gave him the green light and he went to town -12 dead coots. Gadwalls and widgeons love coots. I have watched the coots dive under in deep water and come up with some widgeon grass. The Gadwalls move in for a share. Fun to watch.

A lawyer asked if something was legal? That had to be a first! lol


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[bgizzle]

Lol