bigtime, that post cracked me up. Those are not stupid questions at all. The decoy question is something that you just have to make you best guess at. Decoy set ups for hunting out of a blind are generally a little different than if you are hunting from bushes on the side of a pond or in timber. The Ducks Unlimited website gives some good suggestions on decoy placement an positioning. One thing to remember is ducks prefer shallow water to deeper water because underwater vegetation and other food sourcesare more easily accessed.

You can usually distinguish a duck from other generic birds primarily by the size of the duck and the speed of the wing beats. Mallards, for example, are just a little bit bigger than a crow and have slower wing beats. Wood ducks are about the size of a crow and have faster wing beats and are VERY vocal. Teal are about the size of a large dove and fly fast as lightening. Geese, well you'll knowthem when you see them.The best way to learn the different types of ducks in your area is just to get out there and watch them and listen to them. If you could find another experienced waterfowl hunter to take you out a couple of times, that would help you a lot because his eyes and ears will already be trained.

Good luck brother