hunting over fake water

[870Express]

Has anybody tried hunting over a tarp or some kind of fake water? I've been reading a couple things about laying a tarp over the ice and decoying birds with it and am wondering if there's any credibility.

[tealitup]

I hunted with a guide and he told me they have had success after the water was frozen with a black or super dark blue tarp.

[Ely Lake Expert]

I have no experience, but who knows maybe it would work. Someone told me that snowgeese decoy into plastic bags flapping in the air attacted to a stick or post of some kind.

[IceHawk]

I myself have never tried it but I have read numerous articles about it. I guess it could work. I guess I could see how laying a black tarp on ice could resemble a open water pocket. Especially from waterfowl flying over. If you give it a try let us know how it works!

[Eric Wettschreck]

I've done it, not in the past couple years, but I've done it and had good success.

If the water is froze up and the migration is happening it actually works. The darker blue tarps work best and you don't need a big one and a million decoys. We always used a 12 x 12 tarp and about a dozen or less decoys.

[lumbertick]

I've done it...but not with any success. I tried it one year for early goose. I think it would work but we had a plethora of circumstances working against us. Here is some advice.

1. Use black poly...the dark color seems to work better.

2. Have a good way....scratch that...a really good way of anchoring the tarp/poly. It seems that whenever we used it we had just awful wind and we coudn't stop it from getting blown all around. We had landscape spike, but the wind just ripped those loose.

Hope this helps.

lt

[Ufatz]

Have used the old plastic pothole trick many times down through the years. We always used the clear plastic though, not the blue or black. Anchor it down well and put a few decoys on it. Amazing how it will sucker in Mallards and other pothole ducks.

Have fun.

[Finlander]

Why not dig a shallow depression and get a big tarp or plastic and put it on the depression and pour some water on top!

[Greg K (aka:CRAPPIEBAIT)]

I have done this MANY MANY times. This was one of my old tricks for early goose when the fields are really dry (like this year will be).I agree with the earlier post.Use black if possible.The blue tarps just don't cut the mustard.Study some airial photois and you'll understand.I use tent stakes to hold my puddle in place (1/8" round steel).

[delta hunter]

How big of tarps are we talking? I thought about doing this last duck season when the lake that I hunt froze over, but never did try it!

[koWALLEYEski]

I have heard of people doing this and have actualy had ducks and geese land on the tarp. It is crazy to think of but isnt that what hunting is....decieving the game

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