The Tip Corner: Duck Decoy Placement
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Time to read 5 min
If you ask 1,000 duck hunters the same question – “Name your favorite decoy spread” – there’s a good chance you’ll get 1,000 different answers. It’s true; duck hunters all have their Go-To rigs, the ones they set day after day. Why? Because they work, that’s why. And they have faith in them.
The truth is decoy spreads don’t need to be complicated in order to be effective. And while every spread is going to be a little bit different due to location or situation, there are some common denominators that apply to setting a good rig, regardless of whether I’m in a tidal marsh off the Chesapeake Bay or a Central Valley California refuge pool. What are these common elements?
Common Elements
Wind – Ducks, like airplanes, take off and land into the wind. It’s a matter of aerodynamics. Because of this, it’s typical to set a decoy spread so as to leave a landing spot, or “The Hole,” essentially devoid of decoys downwind of the main portion of the rig. That is and as the birds approach the decoys from downwind, they’re not having to fly overtop the spread, but rather land in the open water. This “hole,” too, will be situated in front of and within effective shotgun range of the blind, whatever that might be.
Concealment – This one’s very simple, albeit often ignored, especially late in the season. If I’m not hidden and hidden well, I’m not shooting. And if I’m not shooting, the end result is an extremely light duck strap. Check the blind. Check it again, Touch it up, if necessary. Make sure not to smash down the adjacent cover or leave trash, e.g. empty shotshells, laying around. Step back and take a good critical look. If the hide doesn’t look good to me, it doesn’t look good to the ducks.
Realistic decoys – There are 101 makes and models of duck decoys available today. Some look better than others, and by ‘better,’ I’m talking about more realistic. Duck decoys should look like the ducks they represent, i.e. proper body postures, natural ‘ride’ on the water, and realistic paint schemes. I suggest buying the best most realistic decoys you can afford, and then taking care of them during and after the season. I’m a fan of flocked decoys, either heads/tails or fully flocked, as I believe they’re the ultimate in realistic and help to finish skittish birds.
On-the-water motion – And the final common denominator when it comes to duck decoy spreads is always…always…always some type of on-the-water motion. Where legal, perhaps that’s an electronic (battery-powered) device. Myself, I’m partial to an old-fashioned jerk cord rig – 100 feet of #550 paracord, a #1.5 grapple anchor, 30” of elastic bungee, and two water keel green-wing teal decoys. A simple tug, and I’m sending ripples through the spread, making it come alive.
Those commonalities aside, here are my Go-To duck spreads.
(Photo credit: MD Johnson.)
The Random Placement Method
Look at a flock of puddle ducks at rest, and you’ll see no rhyme nor reason. Seeing this, the Random Placement Method (RPM) decoy spread, to me, was born. Applicable on smaller bodies of water, the RPM is as the name implies – Random. To rig it, I’ll stand 15-20 yards from the blind; wind from the left, and I put my right shoulder to the blind. Wind from the right, and my left shoulder goes toward the blind. Then, I’ll toss decoys side to side, with a handful behind, until the bag is empty. No pattern. No design. Random, and realistic. This makes for a sloppy horseshoe, with an opening downwind to create a hole in front of the blind. Simple, yet effective.
(Photo credit: MD Johnson.)
Shoreline Diver Rig
I often hunt divers from a shore-based blind. When I do, I set the following using all drakes for long-distance visibility. Two long-lines anchored at each end with 12 drake bluebills placed downwind and angled outward roughly 45 degrees away from my blind. In front of the blind at 20 yards, I position 18 single-rigged drake bluebills packed tight – The Blob – to simulate active birds on a food source, e.g. fingernail clams or vegetation. Another 10 yards upwind, and I run three parallel long-lines, one above the other. The first two hold 12 drake bluebills; the third, six drake ‘cans and six drake goldeneyes, the latter two being species-specific as to decoys. Birds will work from downwind along the two angled lines, landing just outside The Blob or between the three upwind lines.
(Photo credit: MD Johnson.)
Crazy About Coots
How many times have you watched your spread be ignored, only to have birds decoy to half a dozen coots 75 yards away? If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. For this one, I’ll set a dozen coots tightly around a jerk cord, itself rigged with four coots. Coots are extremely active, and this set-up mimics all that motion perfectly. Off to one side, I’ll set two mallards – drake, and hen. Off to another, a pair of geese – Canadas, usually, or sometimes white-fronts. This spread’s very realistic, and presents a secure inviting setting.
The Carnival Spread
From north to south along the flyways, ducks are bombarded with all-mallard spreads, each one a mirror image of the last. Sooner or later, those veteran greenheads start to wise up. To combat this, I set what a friend of mine calls The Carnival Spread. It’s a little bit of everything – mallards, pintails – drakes for visibility – gadwall, widgeon, ringnecks, shovelers, coots, and teal. A couple snows or even a swan off to one side, again for visibility. A jerk cord and a mix of quacks, whistles, peeps, and growls round out the illusion.
Duck – Goose – Goose
If I could only set one rig for ducks, I’d set this one. It begins with 12 good-looking Canada floaters set loosely upwind. A jerk cord with a pair of water-keel green-wing teal out from the blind, and a half dozen mixed mallards, gadwall, and widgeon downwind. I want the geese upwind, as the big birds often hesitate to overfly ducks to get into a spread; however, I want the farthest Canada to still be within shooting range, say, 25 yards. The goose decoys lend visibility, and ducks will often work to goose fakes with less hesitation than they will their own kind, especially later in the season.
Author
M.D. Johnson
M.D. Johnson’s full-time outdoor writing career began in 1992. Prior to that, he worked with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Wildlife in their Outdoor Skills Unit, helping to coordinate hunter education courses and resources across the state.
