got a few questions on settin up decoys?

[mrfishy34]

alright i know how to set up candandian deks and stuff. i set em up in a wide v shape and have very very good success with that. but since duck is open too now how do i put duck decoys to the spread. do i add them right in the v spread or set them up on the outside in a group..... and when do i want to set up on ducks on the water. i was thinkin in the morning but airnt they out on the feilds feeding? thnks

[Cyrus]

I' ve had pretty good luck by just mixing them in with the goose decoys.
Ducks seem to just mingle in with the geese.
Most times in fields you don' t even need duck decoys. The ducks will come into the goose dekes. I guess if you' ve got them though, it doesn' t hurt to put them out.

I' ve hunted ducks on water mostly in the afternoons and evenings. Around here in the morning, most head to the fields. Other places might be different though.
You can pretty much shoot ducks at most times of the day in some marshes.
A water hole in a field can be really good about late morning or early afternoon though as they leave the fields and go to look for water. Same goes for geese.

[coolbrze0]

When I' m duck hunting over water, I will often throw a few goose floaters off to the side of my duck spread about 20 yards out. Goose dekes are easier for ducks to see and just a few of them is all i need to pull geese in as well.

[DuckHuntin247]

usually when i throw out some ducks in the spread, i but a small group of maybe 5-15 ducks in a " U' , " V' , or in two groups with a small space in the middle. Then usually put the robo duck landing into the middle of the group. Seems to work pretty well. Hope this helps

[Ngtshade]

just mix em in with your spread in small groups, thats what i do and it works pretty well

[Cash_money]

I always say the best duck decoy is a goose decoy. Dont worry about putting ducks in , if the ducks are going to land ,their going to land, and if their not, their not.

[Bud Light]

The ducks will mingle among the geese in a field, but they will never get theirselves too far away from another duck by theirselves. And they alway seem to stay near the outside edges of the geese and never venture into the middle. They are a little smaller on the pecking order. Wind or sun has no effect, they just generally hang out around the outside perimeter no matter what.

[trmichels]

Ducks and geese have different family social structures, therefore how you setup decoys for each species CAN be different.

Geese mate for life, and the male and female stay together year round. In the fall geese travel in family units; male, famale and young. They may be joined by other (usually) RELATED familys to form flocks. These flocks generally stay together on resting waters, fly out together, and feed together. The flocks may be joined by unmated birds of their own clan, or by unrelated birds, or even geese of different subspecies and species.

Ducks on the other hand, do not travel in family groups during the fall. Within a couple of months of the time when young ducks learn to fly they often leave the hen. Therefore they do not travel in related family groups in the fall. Pairs of males and females may travel together with unrelated unpaired individuals of either sex in the fall and winter.

Ducks often join geese when they feed in fields. Large flocks of ducks may stay in small groups when they feed with geese, small flocks of ducks may scatter among the geese.

When you are hunting on land you probably don' t need duck decoys if you are using goose decoys, but it can' t hurt.

As to hunting ducks on water, ducks feed more on aquatic vegetation than geese, geese feed primarily on land. Therefore, ducks feed more on the water than geese do. Peak feeding times for both ducks and geese are morning and evening. So, you can hunt ducks on the water either time, just be sure there are ducks feeding/resting where you want to hunt.

If you want to learn more about the biology/behavior of ducks and geese, and how to call and hunt them, log on to the " T.R.' s Tips" forum and join us. If you have questions feel free to ask.


Gos bless and good hunting,

T.R.