Decoys

J_marx22 said:

If you had to use 12 decoys for the rest of your life what would they be and why? Looking to buy some decoys and could use the suggestions

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Duck decoys that is

4 widgeon and 4 pinnys and 4 mallards.

Reasons: The widgeon decoys I use are small/medium. The mallards I use are medium. The pinnys I use are medium/large. You can set them up in groups of four and potentially get any duck of any size to take a look. IMO

ones that float

AvianX or GHG....6 surface feeders and 6 actives (Mallards).. Because thats as realistic as you can get for any hunting situation and you can decoy any kind of ducks with Mallard decoys

Hand carved cedar and basswood Canvasbacks. If your only gonna have 12, may as well have the best, right?
And if I only hunted Canvasbacks the rest of my life, that would be fine.
Later,
Kev

I would use 6 drake and 6 hen mallards....of course they would be alive so I wouldn't have to worry about calling.... You never said anything about LEGAL decoys.

I used to love to hear the stories grandpa told of using live decoys when it was legal and he hunted....man I would love to experience that just one time. :grin:

6 hen teal floaters, mixed postures
3 drake mallard floaters
2 hen mallard feeding floaters
1 baby female mallard mojo

I'd say 8 really non-descript looking hens that could pass for mallard/gadwall/pintail/wigeon, then a drake of each. Between all the species and the early season drabs you'd be set-

12 mojos

Too hard to give you an answer. If I hunt around Ogden Bay, I want a few teal, gadwall, mallards, and pintail. If I'm hunting the BRBR, I want mostly divers. In December when I'm hunting small pockets of open water, nothing but mallards. Just buy 12 of everything.

If I were limited to 12 decoys for the rest of my life I would have to go with a dozen G & H mallards. They are made in the good old USA, not China or Mexico.

The first dozen decoys I purchased in 1990 were G & H mallards that I still have and use. The paint still looks great and none of these have cracked or leaked.

If you are looking for a "lifetime" decoy that's what I would suggest. I can't say the same things about any other brand I have used.

tanglefree decoys. i would go with wigeon,pintails,mallard coots, and some teal. the reason why match what in the area I hunt.

Only 12 for the rest of my life, I would run 7 black and white magnum diver decoys and 5 super mag sized drake mallards. That should cover you for about every kind of duck there is, diver or puddler. That would be my open water spread, you could just use the mallards for hunting potholes and creeks. Then hopefully run them all in the middle of about 15 goose floaters :mrgreen:

12 foam Herters wrapped in burlap.....

12 that will put themselves out and then pick themselves up.;-)

SCtransplant said:

12 foam Herters wrapped in burlap.....

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Dad hunted with the styrofoam herters with the swivel heads on them. I think he had about 4 dozen. One of my brothers has them now...they're probably at least 50 years old or so and still in use. He still even has some of the mache' decoys that are probably 75 years old and in good shape.

I appreciate all the replies. Looks like I have some thinking to do!

LL,
Concerning using live decoys, I couldn't agree more!
There is absolutely no reason we shouldn't be able to use them today.
A limit of 7 is in place for a reason, what decoys we use to reach that limit should not be a consideration.
To protect and appreciate our waterfowling heritage, we should at least have a one week period each season in order to relive our rich decoying history. The week of Thanksgiving would be ideal to celebrate this practice of our great grandpas and relive their past.
I can understand punt guns,lead shot, and unrestricted harvest being banned, but not the use of live decoys.
Shane