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