It’s no secret that the use of ‘fake’ ducks, i.e. decoys, to lure live ducks into the effective range isn’t all that new. In fact, the oldest known duck decoys are the Tule Duck Decoys found in Lovelock Cave in Nevada, which are estimated to be between 400 B.C. and 100 A.D. The decoys were discovered in 1924 by M.R. Harrington and L.L. Loud while digging for the Museum of the American Indian. The cache included 11 decoys, eight of which were painted and feathered and three of which were unfinished.
But back to duck decoys, specifically, how to set the most effective duck spread given your particular hunting situation. And that’s the key phrase here, ‘your particular hunting situation.’ What works in the Arkansas green timber might not be the Go-To on a little backwater of the Snake River in Idaho in December? It all depends on your situation and how the birds react. This complete guide to setting decoy spreads will give you the tools and information needed to dial in your spread.
One, or 100?
When it comes to the question of how many decoys to run, the simple answer is six. There are plenty of scenarios where six decoys will do the job, but to say that is all you need isn’t realistic. When it comes to choosing the correct number of decoys you need to consider what I call “The Variables,” and these variables include the following:
Water area
Are you hunting a shallow puddle the size of your living room? Then you might get away with the aforementioned six decoys. Typically, smaller water means smaller spreads, while bigger water means bigger spreads.
Species Being Hunted
Puddle duck spreads are generally smaller than diver spreads for two reasons. One, the size of the water being hunted, e.g. the main stem of the Mississippi River versus a 100’ by 100’ alder-lined beaver pond. And two, divers often raft in large numbers – rafts of 1,000 birds are not uncommon – and if you’re trying to match the hatch, per se, and/or compete with a similarly-sized raft a mile downriver, then you’re going to have to put out a LOT of plastic.
How Many Birds Are You Seeing
Some will say this applies more to field goose hunting than it does to ducks, but I do try to match the number of decoys I throw to the number of birds I’m seeing when scouting at any given time.
Time of Season/Year
In Washington, where I live, our duck season runs through the end of January. Come mid-December, I’m starting to see the mallards in twos and threes and relatively anti-social. With that in mind, I’m setting my mallards likewise, perhaps with a knot of social widgeon over there and a couple of drake pintails for visibility over on the other side of the hole.
Transportation Method
This one’s simple: What’s your plan for getting ‘X’ number of decoys from the parking lot to your hunting spot and, theoretically, back to the parking lot at the end of the day? I’m a one-man show when I duck hunt, either humping decoys in on my back or, as is often the case, in the bottom of my 10’ Aquapod duck boat. Both my back and the ‘Pod have a limited capacity; thus, I pack up to 18 floaters, plus my gear, and call it good. A 20’ sled? Then you’re hauling 50…60…70 decoys. A big strong grandson? Thirty, maybe more. Just depends.
Mind the Wind
The key to setting decoys is to put out a realistic rig where birds will see it; however, and perhaps more importantly, is to set this realistic spread in such a way as to make it as easy as possible for the ducks to get onto the water or at the very least within effective shooting range.
Aeronautically, ducks prefer to take off and land into the wind; thus, I’m throwing my decoys so as to leave plenty of water open and inviting them UPWIND of the spread, but within range of my blind. True, ducks often show no hesitancy to land right among their brethren; however, it’s my thinking that ducks do understand the concept of avoiding mid-air collisions so as not to injure themselves. So, I try to give ducks room to work and space to land.
The exception to this, for me, is when I’m hunting, say, a 15’ by 20’ tidal puddle. Then, I’m only setting a handful (6-8) of floaters, which then dot the majority of the water surface, but I’m still leaving as much space as possible between decoys in order to create as big a landing area as possible.
By Letter or Design?
Many duck hunters are familiar with the ‘J’, ‘C’, or ‘U’ decoy spread shape. The idea behind these spreads is to give hunters a way of visualizing their spread. Personally, I am not a fan of conventional lettering when it comes to setting a duck rig. These rigid shapes are unnatural, and while we recognize them, ducks do not.
I’m a firm believer in the Random Placement Theory; rather, I’ll set my jerk cord – More on that later – and then stand and throw decoys until they’re gone. I strategically leave a hole for birds to work into but avoid the letter-shaped spreads.
Motion. Always Motion
In any decoy spread, motion should be the number one consideration. Here in Washington, electronic decoys are prohibited. Which, to me, is fine, as I wouldn’t use them even if I could. What I am a fan of is Rig ‘Em Right’s simple jerk rig. I’ve modified mine a bit by removing two of the four snap swivels, and clipping a pair of RMR’s green-wing teal to the remaining two snaps. To start, I set the jerk rig and run it back to the blind; then, I build my spread around that using the two green-wings as the center hub. I keep half a dozen of my 18 (or so) floaters close to the teal to take advantage of the ripples created above and beyond just that pair. For more information on motion decoys check out our article HERE.
Final Thoughts
We duck hunters have a tendency to overthink our decoy spreads from time to time, plotting, scheming, and outlining logistics. In most cases, it’s not that tough. This guide to setting decoy spreads is meant to serve as an outline for your specific scenario and the birds you target. Throw ‘em out. Wait a while. And if it doesn’t work, do something different. Through trial and error, you will figure out the best approach for your hunting style.
