Decoy Shy Ducks
Latley down here in Louisiana, the ducks have been super decoy shy. It is bad when you try to call in five or six flocks and they turn when they see the decoys. Are there any tips for these kind of situations?
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RE: Decoy Shy Ducks
First , I would bet some of your problem isn't decoy shy birds .
Take a hard look at your set up , Not trying to put you down . But I see this every year at the public marsh I hunt Is there trash , including hulls laying around Clean up EVERY thing Every hull , scrap of paper , candy wrapers ect Then look at the blind What worked the first few weeks with dumb birds . Will scare away the survivors Make sure it is well brushed / grassed No black hole , shooting ports . We use fall away burlaped "Windows" On the public land we use a overhead burlap screen No white faces . Use face paint or face masks How close are you parked ? I konw guys that park 50 yds from their blind . They don't shoot hardly any birds . When I had that blind , we killed birds all season . But we parked 3-400 yds away , and walked in . Is the sun in your face ? It can make a blue gun or shiny calls look like a mirror I camo my guns , I know you want it to look pretty . I sand the calls , then a coat of OD green , on the brass band . Yea it cost $100 , but I want to kill ducks , not impress them OK now look at your decoys Can you move your blind or decoys ? Try it Are you using a spinning wing decoy ? If so pull it and see if that helps Have they been setting out for weeks , with out being moved ? Faded or covered with slime , just looking crummy ? Are you running a few dozen in a small area or several hundred in a huge rice feild ? I woud haul them all out . Spend a few hours and power wash them Armorall them Before you put them back out , think about how many the "hole " or feild should have . If you had 3 - 4 dozen in a smaller area Try putting out 12 decoys, 8 hens and 4 drakes Put out 4 pairs , 2 to each side of the blind 20 - 30 yds out the 4 hens out front 20 -25 out . no closer than 10 ' apart In a slightly larger area up the total slightly If you are running a big spread in a big feild or marsh . Move it around Open holes LOL I hunt a 200 acer flooded feild some times . We will only put out 18 - 24 decoys Lastly , how is your partys skill on the call I have a freind that is the greatest guy . But he can scare away every duck he trys to call We have band him from calling Also are the birds call shy , not decoy shy ? Try a Drake Mallard call insted of a ringing hen call Or a Gadwall call Johnch |
RE: Decoy Shy Ducks
Thanks man. Let me answer a few of these. Also, Im very sorry. Decoy shy might have been the wrong word. Very sorry
The decoys are slightly dirty, and I plan to wash them soon. I hunt a small less 100 yard wide pond or open water on a lake. I have a spinning wing decoy, but I have yet to really use it. I myself have trained with calls. Ive gone to sleep listening to a tape on how to blow a hen mallard call. The caller yesterday wasn't to to profiecent. He used a hail call when he should have used a comeback. I haven't a male mallard call. The blind is made of rosos while the area is mostly just regular marsh grass. Sadly, we had no face paint. Our pattern was seperate species of duck seperated. We had mallard, pintail, and teal. No paticular pattern sadly. That seems to be all that the guy I was hunting has ever done. Thanks for the help man. I plan to take all these tips to heart. |
RE: Decoy Shy Ducks
:Djonch gave away my biggest secret...the mallard dranke grunt
and i use 1dzn and a 1/2 max and the mojo... doesn get any airtime anymore |
RE: Decoy Shy Ducks
if ya hit em with a hail call that may be ya prob .... once birds are commited tone ya callin down and only call to em enuff to get their feet down and in the dekes ..... learnin to read the birds is a big part of callin em in close ..... the late season birds here ....as well as down south can be fickle
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