Expecting the arrival of “flight ducks” from the north, I decided to flip the script on how I set my decoys. The standard small-water rig deployed in my hunting area consists of a couple of dozen mallard decoys and a few Canada goose floaters. To change things up, I went with 18 Canada goose floaters; six full-body honkers, which I set on the mudflat in front of the cattails where I planted my bucket; and four mallard floaters close to shore. The idea wasn’t to show the ducks something different as much as it was to show up, period. Canada goose decoys are big, high contrast, and easy for migrating ducks to see from a distance. By 8:30, I had five birds, and I sat in the weeds sipping coffee and watching teal and gadwalls work the goose decoys as I held out for one last greenhead. He never arrived, but a bonus honker did.
We all start out by learning the ABCs of decoy setting—the J, V, and X patterns that make up the ever-popular “alphabet spreads.” Experience moves us to try different things as we learn more about what ducks like to see. To help elevate your spread to that next level, I asked several die-hard waterfowlers, all of whom manufacture and sell decoys for a living, what the birds have taught them about setting decoys. Some of their answers may surprise you, yet all have proven their worth in the field at different times and places.
1. Play the Numbers Game
“If ducks aren’t reacting to your spread, it’s often because you need more decoys,” says Brook Richard, director of marketing at Higdon Outdoors. “If ducks are approaching to within 50 to 80 yards and seem to be hitting a wall, or if all you’re getting are long shots, you might have too many decoys. Pull some of your decoys and open up your spread.”
2. Set the Table
“Decoy spreads paint a picture. If you want your decoys to look like a group of actively feeding ducks, most of your spread should consist of skimmers and butt feeders,” explains Avian-X founder Fred Zink. “I set these decoys in shallow water and vegetation to show ducks where the food is, and that’s where they will want to land. I set only a few decoys with upright heads in open water on the edges of the spread to look like they’re swimming in to feed.”
3. Max Out Motion
“There’s nothing more realistic than water motion in your spread, and nothing beats a jerk string for bringing your decoys to life,” notes Christian Frierson, owner of Perfect Limit Outdoors. “I like to use two jerk strings operated with our Designated Puller system. I’ll set them in a V or in an X with the decoys on spreaders so every decoy in my spread is moving. On some days, ducks want to see a lot of splash; other times, just a little movement works best.”
4. Bet on Black
“I learned at a young age that black decoys work well,” recalls Matthew Cagle, founder and president of Rig ’Em Right Outdoors. “When the paint chipped off my old plastic decoys, I couldn’t afford to buy new ones, so I hunted over mainly black decoys and had good success. The best way to use our all-black Blackout decoys is by mixing them with your regular decoys at a ratio of one Blackout per three regular decoys. Real ducks look black on the water, especially from a distance, and using black decoys will give your spread extra pop.”
5. Less Is More
“I used to fly surveys for the Colorado Division of Wildlife,” says Tyler Baskfield, founder of Duck Creek Decoy Works, “and I saw spread after spread that looked exactly the same: a lot of ducks, a few geese, spinners, and a big rectangular blind. Late in the season, on the wetland that I hunt next to the Platte River, I use only three highly realistic Dave Smith mallards and two of my Flashback motion decoys. I set them as two pairs and a single hen, hoping that a greenhead will think that hen is lonely and drop in.”
6. Reset Your Spinners
“Ducks can see a spinning-wing decoy from miles away on a sunny day, but spinners are often better at attracting ducks than finishing them,” explains Mojo Outdoors President Terry Denmon. “I always use spinners, but I have set them on dry land up to 75 yards behind the blind. On some hunts, we have to move them several times before the ducks start doing what we want them to do.”
7. See the Big Picture
“In a field or on open water, ducks make their first decisions about a decoy spread at long range. At that distance, they aren’t looking at individual decoys; they are looking at the general shape of the spread and where they might be able to land,” says Ashur Tolliver, vice president and marketing director at Dive Bomb Industries. “Too many hunters set their decoys based on what they see from the blind, not on what the ducks see from the air. Leave spaces between groups of decoys and create multiple landing holes in your spread so the birds have plenty of options.”
8. Hide and Seek
“Early in the season, ducks hit big holes in the woods. Later, when they are pressured, they go to smaller holes,” Tolliver explains. “In those tight spots, I like to set several decoys back in the brush or in the woods around the hole, and I set just a few decoys in the open for visibility. On a few occasions, I’ve had success calling in ducks without using any decoys. That makes the ducks look for where the hen is. It’s almost like turkey hunting.”
9. Get Real
“I think hunters set decoys too far apart,” Zink says. “Real ducks often sit close together when they’re feeding. Decoys can be as close as six inches apart, and it doesn’t matter if they bump into each other. I’ll set a half dozen decoys close together in one group, then leave a gap and set another bunch. That looks like real ducks, and the tight groups show up better from a distance than loosely scattered decoys.”
10. Add Motion on Moving Waters
“Hunters often neglect motion decoys on rivers and streams,” Baskfield notes. “Most hunters set their floaters in the current for motion and some shells on the sandbar, but I’ve found that adding one or two motion decoys in the slack water off the channel makes a big difference. More motion is always a beautiful thing.”
11. Animate the Flock
“As a rule of thumb, set one motion decoy for every six to 10 decoys in the spread,” Zink advises. “The ripples from the motion decoys will animate the others and make them look alive. Our Power Butt Kicker adds one more lifelike effect—the kicking feet make a realistic splashing sound that ducks can hear at 50 to 60 yards.”
12. Mix and Match
“Hunting in Louisiana, we shoot mixed bags,” Denmon says. “We usually run at least three spinners, but if we are hunting an area with a lot of gadwalls, we’ll cut down to one or two because gadwalls can be so skittish. Gadwalls also decoy best to gadwall decoys. Likewise, wood ducks decoy best to wood duck decoys. If I want to shoot pintails, I make sure we have some pintail decoys in the spread, and I repaint the white on the drakes in the off-season to increase their visibility.”
13. Go Big
“High, traveling ducks have a hard time seeing decoys from 2,000 feet up. When you’re hunting migrating ducks or high-traffic areas, you need bigger, high-contrast decoys to catch their attention,” Richard says. “I like our oversized Battleship mallard and black duck packs, which are a lot more visible from a distance than standard decoys.”
14. Shore Up Your Spread
“A few full-body decoys on the bank or in very shallow water will give the impression that ducks feel comfortable and safe from predators,” Cagle explains. “If I am hunting a shoreline where the water drops off quickly, I use pieces of PVC pipe painted black to extend the stakes so I can set my full-bodies in deeper water.”
15. Learn from the Experts
“Your dad, uncles, friends, and magazine stories like this one can all give you good ideas on how to set decoys,” Zink says, “but the best teachers are the birds themselves. What you see in the marsh on Friday afternoon is how you should set your decoys on Saturday morning.”
16. Fool Ducks with Flocking
“In the timber, ‘January mallard’ decoys in full late-season plumage provide a lot of color contrast that is very effective,” Frierson explains. “I’ve also come to really believe in flocking. You’re not supposed to be able to shoot ducks in the woods on cloudy days, but with fully flocked mallard floaters and a lot of motion, we have had good success on overcast days.”
17. Flip the Switch
“I operate my spinners with a remote, and I shut them off when ducks are close,” Richard explains. “If they turn, I’ll flash the spinner when they’re on the corners the same way I use a duck call. If ducks are coming toward the decoys, I let them come.”
18. Mind Your Line
“When hunting shallow water, I prefer to use black or brown decoy line,” Cagle says. “If you use clear line and some of it pokes above the surface, it can shine. Darker lines look more natural, like twigs or weeds.”
19. Think Small
“If you’re setting up on the X, you only need enough decoys to look like the first bunch of the day has landed,” Richard notes. “Use fewer decoys and spend more time hiding when you’re on the X.”
20. Take It in Stride
“On some days, nothing works,” Richard says. “I have hunted our blind at the Higdon Farm over 150 dozen decoys and 150 motion decoys. There have been days when I’ve seen 100,000 ducks and never fired a shot. Duck hunting is a challenge, and that’s what makes it so satisfying when everything goes right.”
