It definitely varies. Sometimes you find yourself in a situation where there is just no time to set out some decoys at all. I've had birds come running right into a spread of two or three decoys and I've also seen birds that acted scared of the decoys. More often than not though, I will set a few out. Since I'm right handed, I always try to set them out on about a 45 degree angle to my left so I can easily swing that direction if I have to.