Duck Mallard
How To Size Duck Decoy Spreads
Does it really take a huge spread of duck decoys to have a successful duck hunt? Many duck hunters believe the more decoys in their decoy spread the better. But huge decoy spreads consisting of 100 to 300 duck decoys are expensive, and take a lot of time to setup. So just how many duck decoys should be in my spread you may ask? Knowing how many duck decoys you'll need in your decoy spread is best answered by understanding whether you're where the ducks want to be, or hunting traffic.
Hunting The X: The X is a location referred to by duck hunters as a spot you have observed ducks consistently using from time spent in the field scouting. These locations may be just a particular spot on a marsh the ducks are attracted to or a grain field. This is a situation you should always be looking to hunt if all possible as the likely hood of success is very high. When hunting the X a small decoy spread of 6 to 18 duck decoys is all that is needed. Why so few decoys? Remember, you are already hunting where the birds want to be, the decoys are just going to help put the ducks in shotgun range. So why go through all the extra work of setting out 100 to 300 decoys if you don't have to? If pressure exists from other duck hunters in the immediate area I would set out closer to 18 decoys than 6, and may also use a spinning wing decoy as an equalizer if hunting mallards.
Hunting Traffic: In this situation you're simply hunting under the ducks flight pattern, versus where the birds are actually landing. Because the ducks are not in the habit of landing in this location a lot of decoys are usually needed to get the birds attention and into shotgun range. In this situation you will need at least 60 duck decoys, with more being better. Magnum duck decoys are also preferable for added visibility. I would also suggest 1-3 spinning wing decoys for extra attraction. You may wonder why a hunter would even hunt this type of location. Usually it's because permission can't be secured to hunt private land or another hunter is already hunting a spot you wanted to hunt on public land. So instead of going home and being bored, hunting traffic ducks still gives the hunter a chance of a successful duck hunt.
In Conclusion: By learning how to identify the location you are hunting determining how many duck decoys you will need is quite simple and will help you consistently harvest more ducks. Another take away is that if you're first starting out duck hunting and don't have a lot decoys spend the extra time scouting so you can hunt the X and avoid situations where large duck decoy spreads are necessary.
About the Author
Jeff Matura has been fishing during the open water season and through the ice for over twenty years in the Midwest including the Mississippi River for crappie, walleye, and bass. Jeff also spent considerable time duck hunting in the states of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma.
Find the best deals on duck decoys including Flambeau duck decoys at the authors latest website.
Duck Hunting : Mallard Hunt in Alberta
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