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

[BigSkyHntr]

We have a bunch of different brands of decoys, but for packing in the Lifetime brand is awesome! They are made of a foam (think floating Croc) and seem to be real durable and are lighter and quieter than the normal molded plastic..

 

[Macintosh]

Appreciate it guys. Keep it coming if anything is relevant. I’ll pick up a dozen decoys and weights based on the suggestions. I already have a jerk rig so the decoys and weights is all I need to ensure I can sufficiently embarrass myself in front of some ducks. Shouldnt be too hard.

 

[Jason Snyder]

The most important thing IMO is where and how well you build your hide.

No glare off your decoys is important and so is movement in your spread. Hiding yourself is critical.

 

[KurtR]

Being on the x trumps every thing else. Up here scouting will make or break you.

 

[Macintosh]

Yah, Im green, just getting the basic stuff so I can focus on that ^^^. Thats the fun part. I went a few times this past fall with 2 old decoys that I dont even remember where they came from, my light-grey fishing waders, deer hunting jacket, etc. didnt get much, but scratched a few down, learned a lot and learned of things that I dont know but didnt even know were things to know. Tagged along with a friend of a friend once. That steep learning curve is fun. Looking forward to a couple more mornings like those.

 

[Wallace]

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.

My opinion is skewed due to the places I hunt (pressured, public, green timber). In my experience, SWD will get birds to dip below the tree tops (not commit, dip), which leads to groups tree topping ducks instead of finishing them. Because of that, I'll always label them as a crutch.

I've also seen them suck birds down in the prairie pothole region.

I like a few dozen decoys and a couple of jerk strings for the areas I hunt the most.

 

[nettereo16]

I hunt in NC and unless we get some crazy weather, our ducks are smart and in small groups. Here are my tips:

1. Location is more important than decoys and calling
2. Everyone puts out 1-2dozen mallards. I look different. I put out 4-6 and use a jerk cord. Or I go big with a few dozen & some geese
3. Texas rigs are easy
4. I put a mesh decoy bag on the meat shelf of my Mystery ranch. That hip belt is awesome and I can load it up for the long hikes.
5. Jet sled strapped on the Hawk Deer cart works awesome too. Use the cart to get to the marsh, then use the sled in the muck. I cover miles on public during duck season