Decoys...
 

So I was meanering through the cabelas site today and noticed I have a few points that I can spend and thought a good place to spend would be in more decoys. What would you recommend I purchase.

I'm primarily hunting mallards, black ducks, redheads, teals, and the occasional snow goose that flies buy low enough to take a shot; which doesn't happen very often.

Last year, I used 6 magnum Black duck decoys and 6 regular sized Black duck decoys; along with a pair of drake and female mallard decoys.

Right now, I'm thinking about adding one robo duk; maybe a couple feeding decoys; one or two canada geese decoys and maybe a dozen snows. I would set the decoys I have now up the way I did last year depending on my blind and add the feeding decoys along with the robo duk; put the canada(s) nearby but outsite the "V" and then in the back of all this set up the snows...

What do you think? Too much? Too little?

Thanks for any feedback...

Cheers,

RE: Decoys...
 

sounds good... a question you should consider; "are the decoys you have now, working?"
i use a couple dozen mallard decoys (1/2 and 1/2), some in the dirt, some shallow, some deep.
i have read that mallards are super weary along with herrons, more so the latter. i suggest a six pack of mallards a couple feeders and a blue herron.

i know from experience that the herron is the key for all other wildlife in the area. when it goes, everything goes. even the coot.

and if i can add one more bit of info. i had about 20-30 coot come to me hiding in the bushes and no decoys. just calling. wierd eh? needless to say, they got blasted.

RE: Decoys...
 

Yum HuntII, coot....[:@]
I would say you can't go wrong with mallards, most ducks that are going to decoy will come to mallard decoys. It seems that your mostly pass shooting snows? And not very often, I would think that the money for thosewould be better spent elsewhere, especially if you do end up buyingsome canadagoose decoys, whichmay work for snows anyway.IMO a mallard a few mallards would be good, along with maybe a few teal thrown in there. Possibly a half a dozen canada's too. I've always been a little sceptical (sp?) of those (confidence decoy) such as herons, egrets and such. I don't doubt that they work though.

RE: Decoys...
 

It all depends on what you see more of in your marsh I think. If you have more black ducks then get some more blacks, but if you have lots of mallards too get some more mallard dekes

RE: Decoys...
 

my uncle own a duck hunting outfit in south dakato and all he uses are black ducks and they don't even see any there. he says that the ducks can see the dark bodies better than any other color... and really, are ducks checking out what type of birds they are landing in??? no.

RE: Decoys...
 

Where i hunt we kill mostly redheads, bluebills and cans, but also some puddlers. in response to waltwittman's reply, i can say that ducks do pay attention to what they decoy to. when we have divers come in they head straight to the north side of the blind where we have all of our diver dekes, but when puddlers come in they will cup up over the puddler spread. so it does matter what dekes you use but like many of the guys have said mallard decoys are the way to go for your hunting situation.

RE: Decoys...
 

Sounds like you have a good plan.....I think shaker dekes offer the best motion though..over spinners but they both work if used right...

RE: Decoys...
 

Sounds like you have the perfect plan

RE: Decoys...
 

riverhunter, have you ever used just one species of duck when hunting... if you give them an option, yes they may head to their own, but if there isn't any of their own they'll land right in w/ the rest of them... my experience anyway?

RE: Decoys...
 

When it comes to decoys buy the best you can afford. If weight is not an issue in how you hunt always buy or make good cork decoys for on the water. You canoutdraw with a dozen good cork, properly placed, a person that has out 2-3x's that many.
That being said target the species that is most prevelant to your area. Use that as a starting point and add from there as your budget permits. Here in the Northeast from N.J. to Maine a good choice to build your spread around is Blacks and second is Mallards. Blacks are a wary bird compared to others and all other birds will come to a nice set or Blacks.