Decoys arrangements for the opener and beyond.

[RumRiverRat]

What do you do?

On the opener I will be using lots of Feeder butts and Hen Mallard Decoys.

Most likely will use a U or C shape spread depending on the wind and if I have it at my back or crossing in front of the blind.

[coombia21]

i like to have the j shape with g and h mags i havent noticed a difference using hens vs mallards or using butts or not where i hunt

[french_lake_kid]

Hen Mallard Decoys.

Glad you said that I 4got bout molting!!!!

[captainstevo]

I generally run the typical two funneling groups early in the year, but the best thing I have discovered for 3rd or 4th weekend on is to set lines for divers. Mallards respond to them better than you would think and divers can't not come in. I am also able to put out 8-12 doz decoys in an organized non clustered set in about half an hour. I am also a big fan of confidence decoys, like the rocking decoys on stakes, I am not sure what brand I have but they seem to really help.

[Maxxed Out]

For opener, I will put out probably 6 teal, 6 woodies, 4 hen mallards, a couple drakes and a wind powered Mojo.

[MN Greenheads]

120+ for divers, 100 + mallards for later season. 1 doz. mallards in the rice mid season and good calling. Opener- a casual mix of 24 teal ,woodies and mallard.s. Sometimes I will bring out 30 goose floaters for ducks and geese.

[dan z]

unexplainable if you ask me,

wind

new birds/old birds

diver hunt/ puddle ducks/geese

points/holes

refuge/no refuge

I have a few tried and true set-ups but I usually always move them!!!

[tracker x-2]

For opener I like to keep it to around twenty decs mainly hen mallards with a few green heads mixed in and some woddies and teal. I have always had good luck with two groups on each side of our party almost in a very wide u shape. Later in the season it just depends on where and what birds are flying.

[matt f]

Opener we'll put out 1dz. GHG geese and 1dz. mallards mostly hens with one or two drakes. We put the mallards right in front of the boat and put the geese farther out. The geese seem to finish better if the decoys are farther away from the edge of the rice. Late season for divers its a numbers game, usually two groups of 2-3 dz. to the left and right of us with a couple of buff decoys in the pocket and a line of 1-2 dz. running out.

[buckx37x]

We use approx. two dozen deeks, mostly mallards. Some woodies and couple teal.We like to use feeders also as are pond is very shallow. As we watch them on this pond there is more ducks butt up then swiming. We will also be using a jerk string i dont think you can beat all that motion in the spread.

[wooduck26]

Thers a few things I like to do, take these for what they are....

1. Make my spread different than ALL the others around me...I use ALOT of Blackducks, Pintails, and Wigeon....for two reasons, other typically dont, and for visibility. I also take into account the spot Im hunting, if I am hunting a palce that birds are coming to feed, or loaf I use a loose relaxed spread with about 2-5ft between decoys, I also place a few pairs on the outside of the spread with the Hen a little bit in front of the Drake, afterall she's the leader in that pair...watch live birds you'll see it.

2. If I am hunting a spots that the birds are migrating to (a couple spots come to mind) I use an oval shaped "wad" of decoys, (usually 2 wads) when birds hit the water to REST they are in a group and somewhat tight together, the longer they are on the water the more they spread out, nothoing looks better to a group of migrators than a group that just landed!

3. I like to hunt a CROSS WIND...heres why, when you get a good sized group of birds to decoy (a dozen or more) you can have each shooter shooting at a different part of the flock (they will be coming in L to R, or R to L) By doing that you up the number of birds killed out of each group by not shooting at the same bird.......