# Decoy questions



## maconbacon (Jan 30, 2015)

Got a few questions regarding decoys.

First, I'm looking to get a few more dekes and wanted some input as to which kinds to get (or not). The vast majority of my hunting involves fairly large ponds that hold woodies in certain areas. I have 6 mallard dekes that have proven to attract woodies to land near my spot. We do get occasional big ducks, so I'm wondering, should I get some more dekes? Not necessarily to put them all out, but to increase diversity of the spread. I want to try for those rare bigger ducks and maybe early teal.

Second, any recommendations on touch up paint for my current decoys? Is that UV paint worthwhile?

Thanks!


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## WOODIE13 (Jan 30, 2015)

I would pick up some woodies and ringnecks, maybe a few geese.  I like the GHG duck decoys and Big Foot goose decoys.

For touch up, I just use the standard craft paint, never tried the UV stuff.


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## thompsonsz71 (Jan 30, 2015)

I won't buy another ghg product... Quality has hit the floor with those guys... Avian x, higdon, or Dakotas....


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## dom (Jan 30, 2015)

thompsonsz71 said:


> I won't buy another ghg product... Quality has hit the floor with those guys... Avian x, higdon, or Dakotas....




Higdon and Dakotas have been impressive.


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## WOODIE13 (Jan 30, 2015)

thompsonsz71 said:


> I won't buy another ghg product... Quality has hit the floor with those guys... Avian x, higdon, or Dakotas....



Guess I have the old ones, hold up well, sorry for your bad luck with them


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## 10gaMafia (Jan 30, 2015)

ducks like geese.  especially here in GA.  A few flocked head floaters or fullbodies if the ponds adjoin a pasture.  I use bigfoot goose decoys.  walmart and academy have cheap teal dekes.


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## swampstalker24 (Jan 30, 2015)

In my expericence, diver ducks like to hang with other divers, and puddle ducks like to hang with other puddlers.....

Some folks will tell you that there's no sense in putting out mallard decoys and using a mallard call if there aren't any mallards in the area, but I disagree.....  any duck that likes to feed in the same way and on the same things as mallards will come into them and the same goes fo other types of ducks.... JMO though


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## WOODIE13 (Jan 30, 2015)

Might as well add in some robber ducks (widgeon and gaddies), they tend to hang with the divers and take their food.

Definitely add some geese, big birds, churn up the bottom, plus visibility


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## king killer delete (Jan 30, 2015)

G&H for me


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## WOODIE13 (Jan 30, 2015)

king killer delete said:


> G&H for me



They work too


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## king killer delete (Jan 30, 2015)

Right now I run a hundred and twenty blue bills and ring necks that are G&H standard decoys as part of my diver spread. The rest are GHG and a mix of other brands that are buffle heads and cans with a dozen common merged thrown in. Then I have mix in my early teal spread of about Sixty decoys .  Then for puddle duck like mallards I run about thirty super mag mallards with about three dozen woodsy thrown in.


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## WOODIE13 (Jan 30, 2015)

I thought we ran a lot on the Potomac, 8 divers on long lines, 4 doz geese and 2 doz puddlers

We ran Flambeau cans there, still now, ride the water the best of all


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## Headsortails (Jan 30, 2015)

What are you shooting? I find species specific spreads to work best.


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## thompsonsz71 (Jan 30, 2015)

WOODIE13 said:


> Guess I have the old ones, hold up well, sorry for your bad luck with them



Company has been going downhill quick... Maybe that's the reason for their bankruptcy?


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## WOODIE13 (Jan 30, 2015)

Headsortails said:


> What are you shooting? I find species specific spreads to work best.



Cans for divers, a few blue bills mixed in all good


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## king killer delete (Jan 31, 2015)

On the coast milk jugs work. It is more about numbers


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## Hunteradams (Jan 31, 2015)

To the original poster, put out what you see, why spend the money on goose decoys if you never see them there? Why buy widgeon decoys if you never see them there? I don't believe in wood ducks decoying but if you think they do well then that's all that matters. Mallard decoys will work for anything that comes into the pond. More importantly just watch where the birds come from and where they land. Usually they will do the same thing everyday. Just sit there and you don't need decoys.


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## across the river (Jan 31, 2015)

Hunteradams said:


> To the original poster, put out what you see, why spend the money on goose decoys if you never see them there? Why buy widgeon decoys if you never see them there? I don't believe in wood ducks decoying but if you think they do well then that's all that matters. Mallard decoys will work for anything that comes into the pond. More importantly just watch where the birds come from and where they land. Usually they will do the same thing everyday. Just sit there and you don't need decoys.



I agree. You are hunting a pond in Georgia.  Unless it happens to be right beside a lake or river,  the few ducks using it are coming to it regardless of what decoys you have.   Putting out goose and widgeon decoys isn't going to just magically pull in geese and widgeon that have never been there before.   It doesn't work like that. Honestly,  what you have is likely all you need for your situation and buying more probably isn't going to really help you any.   I would be more included to spend the money on a wonder duck or jerk string that would  give my six decoys some movement.  That will help more than throwing another dozen mallards out there.


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## maconbacon (Jan 31, 2015)

across the river said:


> I agree. You are hunting a pond in Georgia.  Unless it happens to be right beside a lake or river,  the few ducks using it are coming to it regardless of what decoys you have.   Putting out goose and widgeon decoys isn't going to just magically pull in geese and widgeon that have never been there before.   It doesn't work like that. Honestly,  what you have is likely all you need for your situation and buying more probably isn't going to really help you any.   I would be more included to spend the money on a wonder duck or jerk string that would  give my six decoys some movement.  That will help more than throwing another dozen mallards out there.



Point taken, and I agree. However, my ponds are very close to a mid-major river (from a couple hundred yards to a few miles, depending on the pond). I just figured I could add some diversity and/or increase the size of my spread in the odd event something other than woodies shows up. I didn't see them personally, but I was told mallards and geese were seen at times on these spots last season.


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## king killer delete (Jan 31, 2015)

Hunteradams said:


> To the original poster, put out what you see, why spend the money on goose decoys if you never see them there? Why buy widgeon decoys if you never see them there? I don't believe in wood ducks decoying but if you think they do well then that's all that matters. Mallard decoys will work for anything that comes into the pond. More importantly just watch where the birds come from and where they land. Usually they will do the same thing everyday. Just sit there and you don't need decoys.



I have had wood ducks decoy all the time. Now they do not decoy like mallards, although I have had them act just like mallards.  Most of the time river hunting they come in gun range because of the decoys. That is one pass and they are out of here but like I said I have had them respond to a call  and come in cupped and committed. There are folks on this forum that were in my boat and saw this first hand early this past season.  As far as mallard decoys Georgia is a big state. allot of folks from middle Georgia all the way to the mountains hunt and kill mallards from time to time. Here in south east Georgia if you kill a mallard it is some bodys pet or  it was a duck released on a canned shoot.  I have several spreads for different types of Ducks.  I have 30 super Mag mallards that I have had for years and I use 6 of them when I river hunt along with a dozen woodys. Teal season I have a spread of 5 dozen mixed teal decoys and for the salt I have a large diver spread that are on long lines which I seldom use all of them unless I know I have a bunch of birds on the coast. All duck hunting is different. Depends if you are hunting a swamp or small pond I would use the type decoys that match the birds I  hunt. I have a ton of goose decoy that I seldom use because we do not have the geese or the farms like some folks do in middle or north Georgia. The reason I have goose decoys is I lived near Augusta for 12 years before I move back to the coast. If I kill a goose around here he is passing over the salt marsh. You need to figure out what works for you. It is just like HUNTERADAMS, wood ducks do not work for him but they do for me.  Every situation is different ,Nobody is right or wrong folks are giving you good information on what works for them. Good luck!


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## crow (Jan 31, 2015)

For most of the season in MS, the ducks were so decoy and call shy, I used three decoys paired up with two homemade motion decoys to make motion on the water.  More than that, ducks wouldn't come within 100 yrds.  Here in GA, I hunt creeks and swamps off the main lake.  Mostly it's pass shooting but I put out two pairs of mallards and a pair of wood ducks just to help with the occasional mallard that comes by.  You can't just decide how many and what kind of decoy...only by hunting and figuring what works in the places you hunt will you have consistent success.  I have one brake in MS that you will not kill a duck unless you use close to 100 decoys with two jerk stings working all the time...then, the dang grey ducks will circle till you want to jump up and scream... then they just dive in.  Just hunt your holes, experiment and be aware how the ducks react.  That's half the fun...figuring out how to fool them in their world.  But, just know that sometimes, they won't do anything that you want them to do...welcome to duck hunting!  Good luck.


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## king killer delete (Jan 31, 2015)

crow said:


> For most of the season in MS, the ducks were so decoy and call shy, I used three decoys paired up with two homemade motion decoys to make motion on the water.  More than that, ducks wouldn't come within 100 yrds.  Here in GA, I hunt creeks and swamps off the main lake.  Mostly it's pass shooting but I put out two pairs of mallards and a pair of wood ducks just to help with the occasional mallard that comes by.  You can't just decide how many and what kind of decoy...only by hunting and figuring what works in the places you hunt will you have consistent success.  I have one brake in MS that you will not kill a duck unless you use close to 100 decoys with two jerk stings working all the time...then, the dang grey ducks will circle till you want to jump up and scream... then they just dive in.  Just hunt your holes, experiment and be aware how the ducks react.  That's half the fun...figuring out how to fool them in their world.  But, just know that sometimes, they won't do anything that you want them to do...welcome to duck hunting!  Good luck.



Outstanding post^^^^


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