For a hunt with around 7 hunters. Up here in manitoba usally use about 2 dozen fullbodies, dozen super mags, 4 dozen magnums and 3 dozen one piece or standard goose decoys and sometimes throw a couple dozen mallards into the mix. We never usally go over ten dozen (we dont have to). Just wondering what other people use further south when the birds get more weary and skidish? or when your hunting "running traffic"?
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Every Season, Everyday,
Brody
PSE proseries triton, camo ST epic 400 with blazers, copper john deadnuts pro 2, doinker 7'', slicktrick 4 blade, deluxe whisker biscuit.
As of right now the ducks, especially the Mallards, are pretty decoy, call, and blind shy. I have been using 6 to 10 decoys in my spread. If you want to call that a spread. The fewer the better and the less calling the better. It's been like this for the last couple of weeks. Of course because of the mild weather up north we are not getting too many new birds. The same old birds are getting tough to hunt. The Pintails on the other hand have been working like a charm, but I have been getting them with the same spread and little or no calling at all. The season closes this Sunday in the east zone of LA. and I will finish out with 6 or 8 dekes. All things considered though it's been a pretty decent season.
For ducks: Typically, its around 6 mag black ducks, 6 mag mallards, few teal, few woodies, and the odd sprig and widgeon just to mix it up a bit. Depends where I am at. And its not always those numbers either. Often it is less. I don't think I have ever put out more than 15 blocks. Sometimes when I am in the right spot for it, I will put some geese up on the shore, or off to the side. I own, and on still, sunny days use, a floater and pole mounted Mojo. On cloudy, windy days...they stay in the boat.
Most important around here is the wind and the tide. I have slaughtered birds over three decoys before, but I sure feel undergunned sometimes when I try and pull that off.
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it all depends on the amount of birds in the area im huntin, size of hole, if the birds are active in the "hole/field/etc" im huntin, etc .... but mainly 3 doz or less .... altho in TX we used as many as 1500 decoys ....and i have used 10 doz decoys here in indiana back in 98-99 when we were covered in birds and needed the x-tra pulling power ..... used 13-14 decoys while in Arkansas this past trip and it worked well ..... to me it is a personal preference when it comes to the amount of decoys and types .....and every hunter seems to be very particular .... i know i have been on hunts where the host has done things as far as settin dekes and callin that i would have never done ... but hey .... they were runnin the show
late season geese we threw out everything we had which was 10 full bodies and almost 2 doz silos, but we jsut made some big purchases this off season so far-1 doz full bodies, 1 doz flocked shells, 1 doz full body mallard, 1 doz silos, and 1 wing waver so those birds will get it next year
In our Early September season when we are bangin the locals 3-6 dozen fullboys. Once the regular season gets under way and we start getting the migrators 6-10 dozen fullbodys. Then when the birds start concentrating on the river at Pierre, around 500 some fullbodys and 6-8doz shells.
We do all our mallard shooting over fields, don't use any duck decoys, just throw out some Lucky Ducks early in the AM an pull 'em once the geese start flying.
Where we hunt, we very seldom use more than 6 dekes for geese. We actually call it the "Six DekeShoot".Works like a charm even late in the season! We have usedbig spreads over the last 30 yrs but are past that. Maybe we`re just getting older(lazy?) and my main partner only has one arm also.
Hey, if it ain`t broke......don`t fix it!
Ron
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How many decoys?
