Realism is Key When Decoying Waterfowl

"Man, those new decoys look awesome," said Captain Teddy Carr, Owner/Operator of Outdoor Action with Teddy Carr, the Mid-Atlantic's most trusted and respected guide service. Carr had just wrapped up his first hunt of the 2006 season with the new Carry-Lite Mother Nature Series Mallard decoys. "The way the light hits them, the shape and detail – they look like real ducks."

Realism is incredibly important in waterfowl hunting. On bright, bluebird days duck hunters can get away with a little more than on overcast days when the ducks can see better. Either way, having a spread of super-realistic looking decoys is the first step to a successful day.

The next step is duck decoy placement. The spread must look natural – like a big flock of ducks resting and feeding.

There is no set way duck hunters should put out their duck decoys. Observing ducks on the water shows that they usually display an irregular form, and your spread should reflect that. It shouldn't be a big block of perfectly spaced decoys.

Calm flocks have ducks spaced farther apart. Nervous ducks are close together in a tighter flock. If you've ever pushed a flock you'll notice they group together just prior to taking flight.

Calm, windless days spell disaster for decoyers. In a former life my office was on the 53rd floor of a skyscraper and overlooked a nice wet-weather pond that attracted ducks all winter. There was one constant to all of these ducks, and from my vantage point far above it was obvious – movement.

Regardless of it there were 5 ducks or 50, one or two were always swimming, creating that telltale V across the water. A jerk cord tied to a decoy replicates this on calm days. Another good move is to tie a jerk cord to a weighted feeder decoy and giving quick twitches to the cord when flocks are looking at your spread.

Feeder decoys bring up another aspect of realism. The addition of a few confidence decoys, those "different" duck decoys that give the spread believability, is a great way to convince ducks to come on down and sit a spell. A few gadwalls, greenwing teal, shovelers or black ducks, depending on the common ducks where you're hunting, make a spread complete. Sleeping ducks or duck "butt" feeder decoys do the same. Coots are perfect if placed in a group by themselves off to the side of your spread, and a great blue heron working the bank behind your decoys gives the signal of "safety" to incoming ducks.

Being where the ducks want to be is the first step toward duck hunting success, but presenting a realistic duck decoy spread is the next. Start with realistic duck decoys, then add a few tricks of movement and look and you'll see better success on your next duck hunting trip.