[OPENCOUNTRY]

To help everyone get excited/thinking about the duck hunt this year (and for everyone to learn what kind of decoy spreads are out there on the same water) I thought I would ask a decoy question!

1. What does your decoy spread consist of on your normal day in the water?
2. If you were new to the sport and HAD to buy 4 dozen brand new decoys, what would you buy?

My answers..... On a normal day I run 4 buffleheads, 6 mallards, 8 pintail, 12 teal and like 6 wigeon.
If I HAD to start over I would buy 6 mallards, 6 pintail, 6 shovelers, 6 wigeon, 6 gadwall, 6 buffleheads, 12 coots. Also, I prefer GHG.

What about everyone else?

 

[utahgolf]

I would buy 2 dozen mallard no head feeders, 1 dozen mallard resters, 1 dozen teal dekes just to spice it up.

 

[goosefreak]

where I hunt. BRBR, Farmington, Howard slough, OB, ect. I put out 6 mallard decoys 90% of the time. I have several dozen duck decoys and I rarely put out more that that many.

It all depends on the place I hunt. I hunt some places on the GSL marsh where a few full body ducks is all I need.

Once and a while i'll plan a hunt and take out the army of decoys in my shed, mostly just to get it out and see how impressive it is.

I'v jumped over to avian X but, I really liked my GHG's that I had. I still have my GHG pintails.

I would buy mallards, and pintails if your hunting puddle ducks.

I have 3 dozen teal decoys. Late December and early January, I'll hit up one of my teal spots and throw out nothing but teal decoys with 3 mallards and that is pretty cool to see floating in the water

 

[colten.thomas]

I run 2 mallards and 2 wigeon on a Jerk rig. 6 Pintail with 2 of them being the feeding butts. 12 green wings, 6 mallards. And a MOJO if I see fit

 

[Fowlmouth]

Well if we are just talking Farmington Bay I tend to constantly change things up. Some days I run 12+ dozen and other days I will only use a handful. A lot of this depends on the time of year, locations and if dkhntrdstn is there. (if he is the spread tends to get much larger):grin: As far as decoys go, if I was starting with 4 dozen I would have 1 doz. mallards, 2 doz. teal, 1/2 doz. pintails and 1/2 doz. goose floaters.
Here's some of our typical Farmington spreads:

 

[SidVicious]

I generally run 12 mallard, 12 pintail, 10-12 teal, 6 bufflehead, and 6 goose. That can be overkill for a lot of situations though.

 

[MuscleWhitefish]

In the early season, I would say movement trumps calling, expensive decoys, tons of decoys, etc.

I run a 6 decoy spread in October. 3 Drake Pintails on a jerk cord on the edge of shooting range and 3 drake shovelers closer to blind in feeding formation.

I will leave this quote from a duck call champion

""If I had to choose between a duck call and a jerk cord, I'd choose a jerk cord 100 percent of the time."" Buck Gardner

In the mid season - to me it's all about divers. That being said I think one of these years, I will get smart and paint all my mallard decoys coot colored. From what I have seen in most places 10 dozen coots will work better than 10 dozen puddlers.

In the late season I will throw out everything that I can pack out.

 

[lunkerhunter2]

I just get close to someone with a nice looking spread and sky bust the birds that are commiting. Works every time. No need for expensive decoys or calls or boats.

 

[lunkerhunter2]

I ACTUALLY use 2 dozen mallards, 3 mallard butts, a mojo gaddy, a wing thang, 5 teal, a dozen pinners, and a half dozen goose floaters. This year i have an army of new decoys to throw in and adjust the mix. Several diver dekes, 2 dozen coots, and some other random things. The problem is i am running out of room in the scanoe to haul all of it.:-o

 

[KennyC]

LH2- I will take some off your hands and pack'em in my scanoe. LOL

 

[LostLouisianian]

I ACTUALLY use 2 dozen mallards, 3 mallard butts, a mojo gaddy, a wing thang, 5 teal, a dozen pinners, and a half dozen goose floaters. This year i have an army of new decoys to throw in and adjust the mix. Several diver dekes, 2 dozen coots, and some other random things. The problem is i am running out of room in the scanoe to haul all of it.:-o

Make chicken wire sides that go up 3 feet and put a bigger outboard on it

WHOO HOO top of the page

 

[lunkerhunter2]

It has a mud motor on it. 48" beam. I just need a second one to tow dekes in.

 

[ram2h2o]

Opening day just walk out and hunt over someone else's decoys. They got up early and out in the dark to get a good spot and put out their decoys. Just walk out right at shooting time with the crowd that is afraid of the "Dark Monster" and sky bust over their decoy spread. Works all the time at Farmington! Please pick up all of your empty shells.

 

[LostLouisianian]

Opening day just walk out and hunt over someone else's decoys. They got up early and out in the dark to get a good spot and put out their decoys. Just walk out right at shooting time with the crowd that is afraid of the "Dark Monster" and sky bust over their decoy spread. Works all the time at Farmington! Please pick up all of your empty shells.

Exactly...let's face reality here...if someone is set up in a spot they must have done the scouting for you and picked a highly likely spot so why waste time stomping around the marsh when someone has already found a good spot to share... /**|**\\

 

[wileywapati]

6 gadwalls, 6 pintails with the drakes on the
Front edge of the spread, a dozen or so teal
And the rest is filler. Usually hot buy mallards.

All rigged with rig em rights. After tearing up my knee
On the deer opener I won't run more than 4 doz. I hope
This thing heals in the next month or it could be a short
Season.

 

[dkhntrdstn]

im with fowlmouth. but if I had to start over four to five doz honkers 1 doz mallards 2 doz teal 2 pintails.

 

[fish-n-fool]

LH2- I will take some off your hands and pack'em in my scanoe. LOL

Whats wrong with you two! Light and fast! If you get away from everyone else why pack so many decoys. If you need some extra room I can throw some in mine also. with what I take I can throw another guy in my boat. HA HA. Getting close!!!!!!!

 

[lunkerhunter2]

Make it look like a rest pond and they will come! Strength in numbers:grin:

 

[fish-n-fool]

Make it look like a rest pond and they will come! Strength in numbers:grin:

You make a very good point there.

 

[EricH]

I hunt potholes on foot and use 8 Mallard, 6 teal and maybe a mallard MOJO. I block out the areas I don't want them to land in and I have had no problem shooting a few ducks here and there with this set up.