Decoys for a wildfowling novice

[marchwood]

I've just joined a wildfowling club, and I'm looking to get out for a few forays this season. I'm an experienced game shot, and I've flighted geese in the Hebrides before, but this will be mostly duck (with some geese, if I'm lucky) on the East Anglian coast

 

How many duck decoys should I start off with? There won't be much foreshore shooting - I suspect that much of it will involve shooting over water meadow splashes, with some tidal river and saltmarsh.

 

Secondly, does the species matter? I've read that shape is more important, especially in low light, than the species, and wigeon or teal decoys are a lot less bulky to carry than mallard. And are dabbling patterns any good, or will a group of decoys all with their heads up still bring duck in in the right situation?

 

And finally, should I aim to use a gangline system, or can I use individual weights and lines for each decoys, adjusting the length of line for each situation?

 

Any advice would be welcomed!

[Penelope]

Up to 10 will do perfectly well. (I have sometimes used 25, and once when on the Ouse Washes on a trip with Graeme Downing, we used 100+).

 

Mallard decoys will attract all species most of the time, although I like to have a mixture of Mallard, Wigeon and Teal. If there will be a good number of wigeon present I would use some of them too.

 

Standard head up type will be more than ok.

 

If you can wade to place and pick up your decoys, single line and weights will be fine. If tidal or too deep a gang line systems of sorts will be needed.

 

This is what I use on tidal/too deep to wade venues.

 

Edited August 15, 2013 by Penelope

[TIDES EDGE]

When I was young and fit I used 12 or 15 mixed wigeon mallard shovler and a pintail now I am not so young 6 or 8 Teal and I cant say that I have noticed any difference apart from the weight, all species will come to Teal decoys.

[marchwood]

Useful information, thanks.

 

Your sketch is good, Penelope! Forgive my ignorance, but how far apart do you have your decoys in your gangline system, and what stops them from all floating in an orderly line, like a Royal Navy fleet review?!!

[Penelope]

I only use pairs, so for example 5 pairs on 5 lines can be thrown/placed where you want to get the pattern you want. The line winder is stuck in the ground one you have thrown/placed them about (you must unwind enough slack to throw or to rise on the tide.

 

The decoys are between 3 and 5 feet apart. The beauty of this system is that you can throw them out a reasonable distance 15 - 20 yards with a bit of practice, similar to throwing a cast net.

 

Useful information, thanks.

Your sketch is good, Penelope! Forgive my ignorance, but how far apart do you have your decoys in your gangline system, and what stops them from all floating in an orderly line, like a Royal Navy fleet review?!!

[anser2]

^{It sounds as though you are going to be mainly shooting duck on splashes at evening flight. In poor loght it does not matter what species you use as all the duck will see at dusk is their dark outline. However the bigger the decoy the more visable it is in poor light. A mate and I have has great success with just a couple of magnum mallard decoys at dusk on a fresh marsh floodwater.. However in broad daylight I have found its important to match your decoys to the species you expect to shoot. Last year when using wigeon decoys the wigeon come into them well while the teal would buzz them they rarely landed with them. A week later when using mainly teal decoys this was reversed with teal piling in , but the wigeon tending to land 100 yards off rather than pitching into the decoys. Mallard ignored them all. Though mallard do not decoy onto the creeks very well on my marsh.}

 

^{You will find the reactions of duck is different to decoys of different marshes . Trial and error using different types of decoys and dfferent rigs talyored to the local conditions will work best on your marsh.}

Edited August 15, 2013 by anser2

[steve0146]

I agree with Anser. The magnum really stand out. Need half the amount but again, would match the species where possible. They are bulky, but worth it.

[marchwood]

Really good advice, and thank you all. I'll invest in a mixture of decoys and then it will be trial and error.

[anser2]

Just a late thought , I got some HH mallard decoys off Tidepool a few years ago. I was using some time off work to paint up my more battered decoys and found they had little sign of wear despite frequent use. Some of these are 7-8 years old now . In contrast I bought a dozen new mallard decoys last year and they are already showing sings of paint dammage. Also once your decoys get well worn its easier to repaint them as females and only buy new drake decoys.

Edited August 16, 2013 by anser2

[Passionforangling]

Sorry to slightly hijack this thread but do any of you have many experience of the FUD decoys? I have some for pigeon shooting and they seem to work pretty well. I can see huge advantages with them in terms of carrying/ space etc but the big question is.....will they/ do they fool the ducks? Like the OP I'm just starting out this year and have joined GWA as an associate and am looking at buying some decoys....in the next fortnight I guess!

Edited August 20, 2013 by Passionforangling

[Wildfowler12]

I've got a few dozen FUD's, I've found they work great in all conditions bar fast flowing tidal rivers. Ponds, splashes, marsh mud and grasses all very good, but once the tide starts to run, I found the deeks started to dive.

[Penelope]

Personally I'd stick with the tried and tested moulded plastic type, they have stood the test of time. They may be bulky, don't weigh too much.

 

Have a look at the Avery/GHG beauties from the states on the Pro Duck & Geese Hunting Supplies web site.

 

Sorry to slightly hijack this thread but do any of you have many experience of the FUD decoys? I have some for pigeon shooting and they seem to work pretty well. I can see huge advantages with them in terms of carrying/ space etc but the big question is.....will they/ do they fool the ducks? Like the OP I'm just starting out this year and have joined GWA as an associate and am looking at buying some decoys....in the next fortnight I guess!

Edited August 20, 2013 by Penelope

[silver pigeon 3]

Sorry to slightly hijack this thread but do any of you have many experience of the FUD decoys? I have some for pigeon shooting and they seem to work pretty well. I can see huge advantages with them in terms of carrying/ space etc but the big question is.....will they/ do they fool the ducks? Like the OP I'm just starting out this year and have joined GWA as an associate and am looking at buying some decoys....in the next fortnight I guess!

 

Tried them and found them ok on the splashes but just about useless on the river itself, stick to plastic ones and for the Severn 1/2 dozen Mallard and if finances stretch the same in Teal decoys will be a great start.

Quite often i will only use 3 or 4, but there are occasions when there are a lot of duck about when more are better.

[Yoggy]

Personally I'd stick with the tried and tested moulded plastic type, they have stood the test of time. They may be bulky, don't weigh too much.

 

Have a look at the Avery/GHG beauties from the states on the Pro Duck & Geese Hunting Supplies web site.

Yep....absolutely cracking decoys I was lucky enough to buy 18 of the GHG [Greenhead Gear] ones from a carboot at half the price. Used them end of last season and with the added caller pulled a fair few right into the decoys. The quality is excellent so should last a few yrs.

[Passionforangling]

Personally I'd stick with the tried and tested moulded plastic type, they have stood the test of time. They may be bulky, don't weigh too much.

 

Have a look at the Avery/GHG beauties from the states on the Pro Duck & Geese Hunting Supplies web site.

 

Thanks for the heads up on these....I did have a look at them on Ebay. The general consensus seems to be that full bodied would be better so thanks for the advice guys. .......time to go shopping!

[Highbird70]

Thanks for the heads up on these....I did have a look at them on Ebay. The general consensus seems to be that full bodied would be better so thanks for the advice guys. .......time to go shopping!

 

Passionforangling.....I have bought them already....even for you, phone me later if you can

[kent]

Firstly if its evening flight I do not think colour or type matter, duck shapes on the water are the important bit. Some say colour and type don't matter none in the day, though put a little bunch of teal to one side of widgeon or mallard deeks and the Teal always seem to know their own (same with other duck). A mate and vastly more experienced wildfowler than me believes 100% in widgeon for widgeon, yet I know of others of similar experience who disagree! The above is my view based on what I see in the field.

 

With a sheet or off-cuts of some 9mm ply you can make some silhouettes. If duck are relaxed you always see a few sleepers so make some sleepers and as duck often feed on the wet edges of the grass do a few feeders. Remember to ducks that graze like widgeon water can be but a landing zone. Silhouettes are not visible directly above and appear and disappear as duck circle your spread so put them on various angles, this works for you as much as against giving the illusion of movement. If ducks are about to spring they all stick their heads up, so your std duck deeks can look like a big fat warning that something is amiss if you are shooting wary duck. To substitute in some full body sleepers if you don't have any you can paint milk cartons black and situate them in your spread on evening flight, if they loosely resemble a duck via position then good enough

 

I like magnums (duck see them further away and seem to put the air breaks on further out over the spread leading to better shots) and although they take up more space they need not be heavier, look for suction or hollow keels to reduce the weight of any decoy if you don't have to toss them in. Heavy keels make deeks surf in heavy flow on a mainline rig, which real ducks just never do, water keels or suction keels ride true.

 

remember to include an open landing zone that the duck will come to which is normally into the wind and make everything look natural, a straight line of ducks across a flash looks so wrong. Put the same straight line along an edge and it is transformed, I do this when using a mainline tide rig for a flash but ideally you want separates.

 

 

As regards numbers? Anything from 4-40 depending on what looks natural, big amounts of duck need big amounts of deeks and vice versa

Edited August 21, 2013 by kent

[silver pigeon 3]

Top advice as always Kent. I have always found teal one of the easier ducks to decoy on the foreshore normally pitching in to any decoy with confidence, however over splashes that have seen a bit of shooting it is the opposite and they are extremely wary (and quick )

[kent]

Top advice as always Kent. I have always found teal one of the easier ducks to decoy on the foreshore normally pitching in to any decoy with confidence, however over splashes that have seen a bit of shooting it is the opposite and they are extremely wary (and quick )

 

 

Thanks! put a little bunch of teal off to the side (just 3-4) in the shallows and some other duck types out as usual, I will wager all your incoming teal make for the small bunch of their own kind.

[anser2]

Good advice from Kent. How the hell do you get rid of that daft smilie ( well its not smiling ) at the bottom of the page. When I try the whole screen freezes.

Edited August 21, 2013 by anser2

[kent]

Good advice from Kent. How the hell do you get rid of that daft smilie ( well its not smiling ) at the bottom of the page. When I try the whole screen freezes.

Thanks, for some reason its in your signature- try changing your signature maybe?

[craig 123]

I got a set of green head pro teal deeks best I have ever seen detail is second to non