newbie duck hunter, give me advice on a super basic set of decoys

[Macintosh]

I am a total newb, been a few times with friends over the years, have gone a few times myself with varying success, but I am very green. I have decent access to public water in northern new england in some of the marshes along a big local lake, as well as some inland areas. Early season there are wood ducks and teal. Later season we get some mallards, some black ducks and a very few gadwalls, a pintail once in a while, etc. Of course some geese. But it's mostly teal, woodies and mallards I'm after, and is usually going to be in marshy areas along some of the streams that flow into a big lake. I'm really not interested in diving ducks. I currently own a mallard call and a whopping TWO mallard decoys, to which I have just tied a 50' cord so I can pull em around a little to create some movement. I would like to get a small decoy spread--95% of the time I'd either be hiking with it on my back, or it would go in a small kayak, so I'm thinking of getting a dozen decoys, and most days I might not even bring all of them. Hoping to get some insight on what to get as I imagine there's some junk out there that Id rather avoid, and take advantage of other's learning curve.

I'm thinking of just getting half a dozen mallard decoys and half a dozen teal decoys and calling that good to start. Good idea, bad idea? If bad, what do I need? Can you get smaller sets to mix a few of various species? I'd rather not have random half-sets of decoys laying around that I dont use.

Good suggestion for a brand & model decoys that is decent, durable, low-maintenence, not crazy $$, etc?

Suggestion for decoy weights? I've seen simple string and flexible weights, I've seen cables with big triangular weights, etc. What will I want after I have a season of dealing with decoys under my belt?

Best solution for carrying a small set of decoys either on my back or in a kayak? I have seen these massive mesh bags that seem way too big, and some really nice partitioned tote bags that friends who use bigger boats have, but neither seems ideal.

Anything else I need for a super spartan, bare-bones setup, thoughts or advice? Thanks in advance.

 

[KurtR]

Just get a dozen mallard decoys. Texas rigs the weights . Most important get a Lucky duck with the remote the spinning wing is more important than the decoys

 

[omicron1792]

Go to your local ducks unlimited event. You will most likely leave with a car full of decoys.

 

[omicron1792]

Just get a dozen mallard decoys. Texas rigs the weights . Most important get a Lucky duck with the remote the spinning wing is more important than the decoys

I’m plus minus on motorized decoys like mojo. I do like the ones on a pull string.

 

[Macintosh]

@KurtR , we dont really get “flocks” of mallards until very late in the season, and even then its smaller groups. Seems most of the year and thru fall they are spread out in pairs. It isnt until ice really pushes them out of the marshes that we start to see larger groups of them, and thats often out on the big lake here. We just dont get big mallard flocks like I see pics of in the central flyway, along the mississippi, etc. Would you still recommend only a set of a dozen mallards? I do see plenty of people with smaller spreads for the little
potholes and marsh pockets Id likely be focusing on, thats partly why I asked.

 

[SuperDUECE22]

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[KurtR]

@KurtR , we dont really get “flocks” of mallards until very late in the season, and even then its smaller groups. Seems most of the year and thru fall they are spread out in pairs. It isnt until ice really pushes them out of the marshes that we start to see larger groups of them, and thats often out on the big lake here. We just dont get big mallard flocks like I see pics of in the central flyway, along the mississippi, etc. Would you still recommend only a set of a dozen mallards? I do see plenty of people with smaller spreads for the little
potholes and marsh pockets Id likely be focusing on, thats partly why I asked.

Ya kinds of duck decoys seem less important when we are hunting small areas. All i have is a dozen mallards and the lucky duck and all kinds of ducks will pile into them. Less is more when calling. That hail call has scarred more ducks away than killed them

 

[voltage]

To answer your questions:

• Texas rigs are the best way to attach weights in my opinion. However, you can probably carry the weights in your pocket if you are only carrying 12 decoys.
• Get a jerk string. Water movement is very important, especially with low numbers.
• If you only actually buy 12 decoys, it won't cost much regardless of the price. Conversely, expensive decoys are more important to human eyes with wallets than duck eyes.
• If you want to save money on decoys, look on FB swap and shop. There is a flat brimmed 19 year old in your area that finally makes over minimum wage, wanting to upgrade from Final Approach to Avian-X or Dakota.
  • I also like these: https://rogerssportinggoods.com/fin...Evy05MJ7MR9e9LVJs05uktS_D127BYatFe_MldWAFK1aA
  • Wait for Roger's Sale in August to save lots of $$$$$

 

[Macintosh]

I see decoy weights from 1oz up to 6 oz. How heavy do I need? Im assuming in smaller water, not really any waves, not crazy wind, and not giant goose decoys, that I dont need really heavy weights? What is the standard size to get?

On length, is there really a downside to having them a little long? There's definitely times they could be in 3' or so of water, but usually 12"-24". Assume 36" or so is fairly standard?

 

[GreenNDark Timber]

A little extra length on the line won't hurt anything. I wouldn't go over 4 oz for weights since you're walking in. 2 oz is usually plenty and what I prefer on my walk in decoys. I also cut the ends of the keel and dump the weight out of them turning them into water keels, which makes them much lighter.

Don't overthink the decoys....over think the location and set up. That's what kills ducks.

 

[Kurts86]

This is where going to a local hunting gear store and asking what people use around you really helps.

With Texas rigs the shorter the string and the lighter the weights the easier they are to handle and pack. The longer strings and heavier the weights the more versatile the setup can be for bigger, deeper or moving water. You probably want +1’ more than water depth or you won’t get much decoy movement. It sucks to chase decoys blown away because your weights are too light

I like flocked head decoys and divided decoy bags when I’m only messing with a dozen decoys. It’s less space efficient but organized and saves decoy paint/flocking wear.

 

[JBrew]

Depending on how rough a spot is to get into, the inflatable Featherlite/Cherokee decoys would work as far as being packable and light. It takes little to nothing to hold them. If you rather have a molded decoy, buy a dozen off marketplace, paint them black, and be done with it.

 

[CorbLand]

I personally would go with your plan of half dozen of each. While I dont think that the type of duck decoy really matters, it doesnt hurt to tailor it to what you will be primarily hunting.

Where you plan to have a small number, I would buy good decoys over cheap if the pocket book allows. My AvianX and Dakotas have held up way better than my Tanglefree but I have heard the paint on Dakotas isnt what it use to be. I do cry over my stolen AvianX more than my stolen Tanglefrees though, so there is that. If you get flocked, get something to protect their heads in bags. Crown Royal bags work great.

Weight and length would be dictated by where you will be hunting. Still water doesn't need as much weight, flowing rivers need more. Length dictated by the depth. If you are dealing with a small spread, I would go longer and heavier but that is me. I always go heavy on the weights because I like my decoys to stay put. I watched two of my Dakotas float down a river, nothing I could do about it. 50 bucks gone that an extra 2 ounces could have saved. 6 ounce would be the lightest I would go but I do hunt flowing rivers. Most of my stuff is 8-10 ounce.

Texas rig them. Get good cord, dont cheap out here. Tangled up decoys are frustrating as all get out. For what you are going to do, just buy the Rig Em Right premade ones.

Motion is key with ducks. Lucky duck or jerk rig. I dont care what anyone says, yes we have flared ducks with both but we have killed way more because we have them than we have flared.

As far as carrying them, I packed a lucky duck, 3-5 decoys and a blind bag around in a MR Metcalf for many years. Killed a lot of ducks doing that as well. If you have the room, the slotted bags are worth the money.

But, my biggest suggestion would be start using Meth. Its a far cheaper addiction.

 

[ScottP76]

Joking comment. Just find some duck hunters that you can pay gas or a meal lol. I said the same thing. Now I have, a ton of decoys, a duck boat and numerous deposits around the US to go on duck hunts and a gigantic taxidermy bill. I draw the line at a duck dog though. I’m starting to think developing an addiction to crack would’ve been cheaper.

 

[Macintosh]

Well, Ive had labs my whole life, but always bird hunted with them, never ducks. So the dog part would be easy.

 

[willfrye027]

decoys are pretty darn low on importance for killing ducks. Most important is being on the X/scouting/spending time out there.

Half dozen to a dozen teal, couple mallards, probably all you need. I rig up with 1oz triangle fishing weights.

 

[KurtR]

Joking comment. Just find some duck hunters that you can pay gas or a meal lol. I said the same thing. Now I have, a ton of decoys, a duck boat and numerous deposits around the US to go on duck hunts and a gigantic taxidermy bill. I draw the line at a duck dog though. I’m starting to think developing an addiction to crack would’ve been cheaper.

The dog is my favorite part. If he can’t go I’m not going.

 

[Wallace]

Spinning wing decoys are a crutch for people who can't kill ducks without them.

 

[Jason Snyder]

The dog is my favorite part. If he can’t go I’m not going.

Truth.

 

[Kurts86]

Spinning wing decoys are a crutch for people who can't kill ducks without them.

That was true in 1998 when they came out but the reality the last decade is a lot more nuanced than that as they have been so common and cheap for so long. Some days now they are helpful, others putting them away is better and more than anything now having a remote or being able to toggle them is fairly important to actually using them well.

Spinning wing decoys are more helpful in lower density duck and duck hunter areas and the opposite can be true in high hunting pressure areas. Spinning wing decoys can be more helpful for ducks to see a small spread of decoys than a group putting out 10 dozen decoys.

I do not particularly like spinning wing decoys just for the headaches I’ve spent fighting them in sub freezing conditions for 25 years but they are a useful tool with a small decoy spread.

Blaming spinning wing decoys is a popular scapegoat for all problems in certain circles of duck hunting. If you separate their utility as a tool from the chatter it really helps.