If there’s one piece of duck hunting gear, besides your shotgun, that is important to pay attention to, it’s your decoys. Quite simply, having the right decoy spread can make or break your hunt. This is particularly true for hunting mallards, one of the most popular species to target in North America, and one that’s known for circling—and circling—before committing to your spread. To successfully decoy wary mallards, having an arsenal of quality mallard decoys is a must. These are the best decoys on the market today for killing a limit of greenheads, no matter the kind of hunting scenario.
How We Tested the Best Mallard Decoys of 2025
Mallards are the primary species I target in Western Montana, and one of the most popular ducks across the country—and I much prefer decoying ducks compared to jump shooting them. For this test, I considered two things above all: 1) how do the decoys look in real hunting scenarios, and 2) are they durable? Beyond that, I considered how well decoys functioned for different hunting scenarios like small water hunts, setting large spreads, field hunting, etc. While many companies make high-quality decoys, these are the options that stand out to me.
Best Overall: Dave Smith Decoys Maxima Mallards
Maxima Mallards
Pros:
- High-quality design
- Relatively lightweight
- Good movement
- Mix of poses
Cons:
- Durability is TBD
I’m a big fan of the recently released Dave Smith Decoys Maxima Mallards, which are great all-around mallard floaters. The decoys are based on the DSD A.C.E. Mallards but are a fraction of the price, and they’re much lighter, too. The paint scheme is uber-realistic, though I haven’t had mine long enough to determine its durability in this regard. Each six-pack comes with uniquely posed mallards that look natural on the water. I also appreciate their curved keels, which give them good movement in wind and flowing water. You can pack in a couple of these on a DIY hunt or use them to fill out a large spread—really, you can’t go wrong with these floaters.
Best Lightweight Floaters: Heyday HydroFoam Mallards
HydroFoam Mallards
Pros:
- Ultralight
- Don’t sink when shot
- Good detail
- Relatively durable
Cons:
- Squished faces
- Not cheap
- Pain finish isn’t noteworthy
If you’re lugging decoys into a refuge or public marsh, you’re probably keen to keep your setup as lightweight as possible. That’s where Heyday excels. The brand’s foam decoys are some of the lightest I’ve ever used. You can run them without any keel weights—just place them out (don’t toss them) when you set up in the morning—or you can attach the included keel weights, and even still, the decoys will be pretty darn light. These do get beat up over time, but they’re impressively durable for a foam product. Additionally, the foam design means that they won’t immediately sink if you accidentally shoot them. The faces of the mallards are a little funky looking, but it’s mainly a matter of aesthetics; ducks don’t seem to care. They are at a premium price point, though in my opinion, their finish isn’t quite as good as some other brands’ standard mallard dekes.
Best Premium Floaters: Dave Smith Decoys A.C.E. Mallards
A.C.E Mallards
Pros:
- Ultimate quality
- Handcrafted in the U.S.
- Glare-free finish
Cons:
- Seriously pricey
- Heavy
Several years ago, DSD released its first-ever duck floater: A.C.E. Mallards, which uses the brand’s proprietary A.C.E. material, which it bills as “strong, flexible, and virtually indestructible.” These decoys are made here in the U.S. with high attention to detail—and they look very realistic. The no-glare paint helps these look as close as you can get to a real duck with a commercial decoy, in my opinion. The flat style is ideal for shallow water scenarios. There are several drawbacks to such a premium decoy, however. For one thing, both the high price point and the weight of these decoys make them unrealistic to run as a large spread. Instead, you can use them either for small spreads—think, six dekes or less—for wary late-season ducks or sprinkle in a couple in your larger spreads to help finish birds.
Best Mallard Silhouette Decoys: Dive Bomb Fully Flocked Mallard Silhouettes
Fully Flocked Mallard Silhouettes
Pros:
- High detail
- No glare
- Lightweight but tough
Cons:
- Not cheap
Dive Bomb’s silhouette decoys have taken the waterfowling world by storm for good reason: the brand creates high-quality and lightweight silos. I prefer the fully flocked mallards to the brand’s standard silhouette decoys for wary birds. These are absolutely light enough to bring a lot of them into an ag field, but they’re plenty detailed to set a couple up on shore for added realism when hunting water. The stakes are a bit flimsy, but I haven’t had any issues with them. If you’re setting a large spread with silos—and it’s often important to set them at different angles to give your spread the illusion of motion for a circling duck—these will cost a pretty penny.
Best Full Bodies: Avian-X AXP Full Body Mallards
AXP Full Body Mallards
Pros:
- Great realism
- Lightweight
- Durable
- Good movement
Cons:
- Expensive
Avian-X is a really solid decoy manufacturer; all of the brand’s products are quality, including the brand’s Full Body Mallards, which Split Reed’s resident field hunting fanatic, Brenden Gallagher, picked as one of his favorite full body mallard decoys. The carving and paint job is well done on these and is complemented by the ability to move on 17-inch stakes. They’re durable, to boot. These are expensive, but you only need one or two dozen and some spinners to successfully kill greenheads while field hunting.
Best Budget Mallard Decoys: Dakota Decoy Company X-treme One Piece Painted Head Mallard Floaters
X-Treme Mallard Duck Decoys
Pros:
- Good value
- Durable
- Large size
Cons:
- On the heavier side
- Lack details of premium floaters
When it comes to duck hunting decoys, I typically lean on the side of spending more for better quality than going for cheaper options. That said, you certainly don’t have to break the bank on decoys to hunt mallards successfully. For less than a hundred bucks, you can get six mallard floaters from Dakota Decoy Company. It’s a good deal for solid one-piece decoys that aren’t undersized—a symptom of other budget decoys. The Dakota floaters are durable and realistic, though they’re not quite as detailed as premium dekes. These are on the heavier side; consider Dakota’s packable floaters if this is an issue.
Things to Consider
The main thing to consider when you’re looking at mallard decoys is your hunting style. Different decoys excel in different hunting scenarios. For open water, you need floaters. In dry fields, you want silos and full bodies. For DIY walk-in hunting, you need lightweight decoys. And for basically all styles of hunting, you probably want at least a couple of good spinners.
Beyond style, the main considerations are detail, durability, and price point. In my opinion—and given all the costs that go into duck hunting already—I recommend spending a little more to get more detail, which goes a long way to finishing stale ducks. It also allows you to kill birds over smaller spreads, somewhat evening out your out-of-pocket expenses compared to going with cheaper options. Regardless of what kind of dekes you go with, it’s crucial to clean and store them properly to get the most life out of them.
FAQs
Q: How do I store and transport duck decoys?
Good mallard decoys are tough enough to be able to toss in a boat or carry using a mesh bag or Texas rigs attached to a carabiner when you’re going into and out of the field. Back home, it’s important to clean your decoys and store them out of the sun in bags with individual pockets for each decoy.
Q: What’s the best decoy material — plastic, foam, or EVA?
Duck decoys come in three main types of materials: hard plastic, foam, and EVA, or Ethylene Vinyl Acetate, which is softer and more flexible than typical hard plastic. Each type of material has its perks. Foam is ultralight—so it’s no surprise that our best lightweight mallard floater pick is made with foam. EVA is softer, less brittle, and typically lighter than hard plastic, though hard plastic decoys tend to be less expensive and can be made with good detail, too.
The Final Word on Mallard Decoys
No matter where you hunt, mallard decoys are likely a part of your waterfowl hunting kit. From packable floaters to the best full bodies, we’ve selected something for you. These are the best mallard dekes on the market for waterfowl hunters today.