duck decoy spread

[mille lacs muskie bum]

I just got a dozen new duck decoys and have never hunted with decoys. I am wondering how i should spreaad them out. I am hunting in a small pond or small lake.

[Guest]

A dozen decoys is not enough to make an *advanced*(for lack of better word) spread. A simple puddle, or 2 small puddles with a gap in between is about all you can do... It is enough to pull in some birds, I just wouldnt expect to pull the entire northern flight into your decoys.

Be sure to keep your decoys in shooting range, and not close enough to each other to bump.

A dozen decoys is easy.. pretty much pull up in front of your blind and throw them out.. its when you have 122 decoys is when it gets complicated, and you must put them out with precision or the ducks may not try to land within shooting range.. kind of pointless if the birds land 60 yards out before you have a chance to shoot.

[bmc]

If possible, try to scout the pond you're going to hunt the day before and try to mimick what you see when you throw your spread out. If there's a spot for some full body mallards, it might not hurt to get a couple.

Brian

[MIKE IN lINO III]

Last week I tried something different, Saturday I put out about 2 doz dekes, a nice J format and then I threw some out on the other side of a weed opening. Nothing wanted to commit and come in for a shot. Sunday I just threw out 2 pods of 4 dekes each. I was able to call in more birds but they still did not commit.

So here are my questions:

1. I am currently using mallard drakes and hens, should I be using different types? I aquired about 7 dozen dekes to add to my collection.

2. Should I throw then ALL out?

The flocks that I have seen are about 12-25 birds each so I hesitate to throw out 72 dekes.

What are your opinions?

Thanks,

Mike

[Guest]

Mike.. what kind of ducks are you seeing with these flocks of 12-25?

The J formation usually works pretty good... just make sure you have the line heading directly down wind(ducks land upwind).

Flocks of 12-25.. its a good time to get more decoys out there... no matter what the species... I think of it as a *safety in numbers* type of thing. When I hunt the Minnesota river bottoms late season with huge flocks of mallards flying.. 100-200 decoys is not out of the question, and motorized decoys help too... especially if there is no wind.

If your seeing enough of these flocks.. it should be worth putting out numbers of decoys.

I have gone as far as putting 2 giant lines coming into my puddles.. lines as long as 100 yards, but usually closer to 50. You have to be careful not to have any breaks in the lines when they are this long. The birds will follow the lines like a landing strip if there is enough wind to dictate the direction they will land.

If you have your lines coming in to a larger number of decoys, and you make your initial *hook*, or hooks close to your blind, you should have plenty of shooting.

The larger the flocks, the more decoys it will take to bring them in comfortably.. only down side.. its a lot of work to bring in 100+ decoys, especially at sunset. When I have large numbers of birds out, the must be strung with tanglefree line and a weight that wont hang up too bad.. this allows you and whoever else is in the boat to grab and wrap as fast as possible.. but the mess wont be too bad when unwrapped decoys must be tossed into the boat.. much less of a tangle later(beats losing decoys in the dark).

Dont overlook putting a couple spinners out there, quiver magnets(or a shaker decoy), or a swimmer if there is a lack of wind.. if the decoys arent moving, the ducks arent landing.

If your seeing lots of divers.. make sure you have some bills in the spread.

[MIKE IN lINO III]

Thanks That Guy,

The property I hunt is a north south running shoreline. The wind usually is out of the south west. Maybe that is my problem, I've been putting the hook out at the weed line and running a line to the shore. Probably confusing the little guys. I think that I will end up putting all the dekes out if I get a kitchen pass this weekend. No problem with picking them up at night. I just throw them in the boat and pull it on shore, then they are good to go the next morning.

This duck hunting is addictive, I wish I would have started earlier.

Mike

[Guest]

always run your line into your puddle.. they will usually land near where the line and puddle connect. Wind at your back is ideal, then you can run your line strait into the lake. A cross wind is ok.. making a gang line of decoys may not be a bad idea.. just drop the weight at the edge of your puddle and then your line will always point down wind(ducks land up wind).

This is only relavent when you have large numbers of decoys out.. If you only have a small number out.. puddles are easier.

[MIKE IN lINO III]

The shoreline I am hunting is my " Beach " area. The lake has rice all the way around and where I put my boat and dock I have pulled some weeds making a clear path to the open water. I have been putting my dekes about 2 - 5 ft into the rice going out to the open water leaving the boat path open for a landing area. I will then put a puddle of dekes on the other side of the open area about the same distance into the rice. Would that work or should I try a different pattern.