Most duck hunters have spent years trying to perfect the spread of their decoys to make sure that they are set up in a way that will attract the most duck attention. When using the right setup and the right species of duck, you will, without a doubt, harvest more ducks during the season then you ever have before. We decided to share 5 of our decoy setup tips with our readers.
#1 - Make sure that your decoy spread features a landing zone. If there is not one, you will see ducks circle around the spread and never land. The landing zone needs to be the right size and there shouldn’t be anything blocking the opening. If they do not have a place to land, it won’t matter how many decoys you set up or how real the decoys look, the ducks will not land.
#2 - Having the right decoys is important. That expression “ducks of a feather flock together” isn’t just a cute saying, but is true. Ducks are attracted to other ducks in their species. It sounds simple enough, but not everyone follows this rule. If you are hunting Mallard ducks then you should use Mallard duck decoys. If the area you are hunting has many different species of ducks that you are hunting, then you can use different species of decoys - but just keep each species in its own area of the spread.
#3 - How alive (or dead) does your decoy look? If you are hunting on a nice calm day, your decoy spread might look like a bunch of dead ducks floating around! Adding a little bit of motion to your decoys can help bring them to life and attract other ducks. Adding motion can be done with a machine, with magnets or even by using string. It really makes a difference!
#4 - To elaborate a bit on tip #3 - when buying decoys reconsider using decoys that do not have weighted keels. Although the weighted keel is a popular choice, too much weight in the decoy can hinder movement on days that only have a light breeze.
#5 - Spend some time during the season observing the ducks that you are hunting. By learning how they act on the water, how they circle, and how they react to your spread will help you place your set up in a way that will be the most effective. Pay attention and you will learn the best spread and how many decoys
We hope our tips help you have a great duck hunting season! If you have any tips to add, feel free to leave a comment - we would love to hear what works the best for our readers. As always, if you have any questions, you can always contact us!
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