Decoys

[ATbuckhunter]

How many of you guys use decoys when waterfowl hunting? I was thinking about getting in to the waterfowl hunting and those decoys can really hurt the wallet. 

[papabear]

every water foul hunter I know has some kind of decoy of some kind or another  your going to need some black ducks mallards then there the diving ducks geese also if your going for sea-ducks  and the list go's on 

[greybeard]

Unless you are going to try to flush and jump shoot them, I would use decoys like Papabear said.

[reeltime]

How many of you guys use decoys when waterfowl hunting? I was thinking about getting in to the waterfowl hunting and those decoys can really hurt the wallet. 

 

you might want to reconsider :-)   you can spend a TON of money on waterfowl hunting especially if you find that you

enjoy it.   I don't even want to think about the amount of money I have tied up in decoys, guns, weights, boats, blinds, waders, clothing.

 

is waterfowling expensive? yup, probably one of if not the most expensive hunting sport going.

 

is waterfowling fun? yup.

 

is waterfowling fun in the early season? yup.

 

is waterfowling fun in the split season after christmas? yup  but this is the season that separates the men from the boys!

single digit temps with 20 mph wind driven snow is when the fun really begins!

 

Is waterfowling dangerous?  YES!  you have to remember even in the early season in Oct. our waters here have cooled greatly.  You have got to stay aware of the conditions, have a boat suitable for the conditions. a good motor also! cold water kills and it doesn't take long to do it. 

 

if you waterfowl long enough you will go for a swim, know that up front, prepare for it because it will happen. the more prepared you are for it and expecting it to happen at some point may help to keep you from panicing when it happens,, if you panic your in trouble. with the proper waders and life jacket you will float.   If you don't know how to swim I would start there,  can you swim with all that gear on? NO but if you don't know how to swim and you end up in the water you

are GOING to panic and you are not going to know the basic ways to stay afloat.

 

go out in the summer with the duck gear on and practice going in, get comfortable with your gear on and confident that your gear will keep you afloat.  Get a good pair of neoprene waders, they are not cheap but they will keep you warm and you will float with them on.  stay away from the old style rubber waders, and even some of the canvas waders those fill with water and you don't float.

 

all I can say is good luck and be safe.  you might want to tag along with a duck hunter and see if its something you want to partake in.

[growalot]

put an ad in the paper...go on Craig's list and look...hit yard and garage...estate sales(especially around lakes)

Get the word out to friends . and family your looking for decoys.

[greybeard]

reeltime.. That was excellent advice... Your safety tips were beyond what most people , myself included, would think to pass on. It was so good that I had to tell you.

[reeltime]

reeltime.. That was excellent advice... Your safety tips were beyond what most people , myself included, would think to pass on. It was so good that I had to tell you.

 

thanks Grey,,, unfortunately personal experience ( not me personally being in that situation) is a real eye opening experience.  back in my paramedic days I was on several duck hunting accident calls. one of which was a cold water drowning. People just do not realize how dangerous water is in any form.  

 

duck hunting can be alot of fun, its expensive and alot of work but it can be fun,,, but it can also be very dangerous.. never take cold water for granted it can and will kill you if you don't respect it.

[martin]

is waterfowling fun in the split season after christmas? yup but this is the season that separates the men from the boys!

single digit temps with 20 mph wind driven snow is when the fun really begins!

 THIS IS THE BEST TIME TO GO. THE WORSE THE WEATHER IS, THE BETTER THE HUNTING.

 

Get a good pair of neoprene waders, they are not cheap but they will keep you warm and you will float with them on. stay away from the old style rubber waders, and even some of the canvas waders those fill with water and you don't float.

    THIS CANNOT BE STRESSED ENOUGH. NEOPREME ALL THE WAY. GET PATCHING MATERIAL FOR HOLES AS WELL. I'VE DONE DUCK HUNTING BEFORE. IT IS COLD AND EXPENSIVE, BUT CAN BE FUN. OH, GET A WARM PAIR OF GLOVES, MAYBE A FEW PAIR. GOOD LUCK.

  GREAT ADVICE REELTIME

[ATbuckhunter]

Thanks for all of the advise reeltime. I have no problem spending money if i enjoy it. Ill probably have to ask someone that goes duck or goose hunting. I already have things like shells, waders and other stuff so the expenses wont be too bad in the beginning. I really appreciate the time you put in writing your reply. Looks like ill have to get decoys if i want to start water fowling. 

[greybeard]

reeltime. I got an education in cold water when  I got frost bite on my foot this fall while surf fishing.

[Birddogg]

Great post Reeltime !

[reeltime]

no problem AT,,  glad to be of help.

 

i see your location listed as nyc,   most of my hunting is done in non tidal waters. but I will say that

if you are hunting tidal waters another thing to be aware of is the amount the tide rises and falls.  one

steadfast rule to follow is NEVER get out of the boat and hunt where there is no vegetation, chances are

those rocks could be under water at high tide.

 

If your getting decoys for the most part do not go cheap, you want realistic decoys,  early season the birds will decoy decent, as the season goes on and or the hunting pressure is heavy birds become decoy shy.  around here our mallards will do 3-4 flyby's before they ever think of setting wings. 

 

you need good camo to match the terrain, snow camo when needed,  but most of all movement spooks more birds than anything else, especially puddle ducks.  divers are pretty bold, you put out a big spread and they are more concerned with trying to sort out their landing spot than anything else ( as long as you are not moving around)

 

our basic diver spread consists of 15-20 screens of bluebills, 5-6 screens of redheads, 2 screens of goldeneyes. then we set 2-4 long lines of bluebills, redheads and goldeneyes. ( keep the goldeneyes on their own line leading into the goldeneye screen.  

 

each screen holds 9-12 decoys depending on conditions and water depth.  the long lines are anywhere from 150-300 foot in length and have anywhere from 2-4 dozen decoys on each long line.

 

I did tell you it was alot of work right?   

 

Edited December 16, 2013 by reeltime

[ATbuckhunter]

Ya im very familiar with tidal swings...especially in the back bays. Man those are a lot of decoys. I don't mind doing all of that work at all since it would be part of the package and experience. When ever I go fishing I only ever see a few ducks and never the amount you put out...why such the large amount of decoys? There seems to be an art to waterfowl hunting but i'm up to that challenge. Thanks again for the detailed post. 

Edited December 16, 2013 by ATbuckhunter

[reeltime]

we do the big rigs when there are a good number of bluebills and redheads around, generally they fly relatively close to the water surface so the more decoys you have out the greater the chance of having them see the spread.  when you have out that many decoys it also gives the birds a whole lot to sort out so they are looking more at where they can land than whats a possible danger to them ( you in the boat)

 

for puddle ducks we generally run a small spread because they tend to get decoy shy the fastest, sometimes I set out as few as 3 or 4 mallards, a couple hen and drakes and a single drake by himself.  I will also set out a few geese as a confidence decoy for the ducks, also the size of the goose decoy helps the birds zero in on the other decoys. 

 

[Early]

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