by Keith Sutton

If you've never used confidence decoys, study the following information and try them sometime. See if you think they make a difference. Chances are good you will.

Types of Confidence Decoys

All confidence decoys have the same basic purpose: to create an embellished sense of realism that gives ducks confidence in their decision to land in your decoy spread. Each confidence decoy is an added detail that helps relay the message, "It's safe here. Come on down."

In the strictest sense of the term, a confidence decoy is an imitation of a species you probably don't intend to shoot but one that might normally be found among a contented flock of waterfowl. These are normally waterbirds or wading birds, particularly those that are wary by nature. The confidence decoys most commonly used represent geese, herons, coots and sea gulls. Where swans are common, swan decoys often are employed in this manner. Other species occasionally used include sandhill cranes, egrets, mergansers, loons and even cormorants.

If we broaden the definition somewhat, we might also include in this category specialty waterfowl decoys such as sleeping and feeding duck representations that also add details of realism to a spread.

Moving and motorized decoys might be considered confidence decoys as well, but in this article we'll restrict our conversation to the aforementioned types.