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Basic Decoy Placement Strategies |
Geese and Ducks Decoy Placement
- Place decoys every 3-4 feet
apart in the shape of a V, U or J works well.
- Always make sure you do not
face all your decoys into the wind.
- Make sure you always hunt with
the wind.
On
the ground pointers,
Watch
the birds in the fields, see how they are and watch how and were incoming birds
land, try and duplicate that. Always try and funnel the birds into a landing
area where you can shoot. That is usually accomplished by one of the spreads
mentioned, don't be afraid of keeping decoys close together, geese like to see
that too.
The
point of the v or high point of the u into the wind, do not place every decoy
facing into the wind, that signals that the birds on the ground (your decoys)
are nervous and could jump up at any second. Always remember that the birds
will land into the wind.
When a
flock lands with the wind, a strong one at that, it takes them (Geese/ducks) so
long to get turned around and get out you will have time to shoot, reload and
kill your limits
On the water pointers,
Take note of actual patterns of live decoys and pattern your decoys like actual
waterfowl.
If you see a lot of birds in certain areas - hunt there. Stick to points and
fingers of land since the birds typically will at least look at the decoys
there.
Placing decoys in "open" water with at least 15 yards of water
between the decoys and shore. I never set decoys more than 25 yards out. If
you're in the right spot, they'll drop right in.
As for species - you need goose & wood duck decoys. Learn how to use a wood
duck call - it will help some. With the geese - the more head positions you
have , the more real they look.
If you hunt mallards you need mallard decoys - 12 to 24 will set you up nice.
If you only see 4 or 10 a trip, don't get more than 12 decoys - try to mimic
the natural birds.
Guide Lines for the Amount
of Decoys to have:
Most ducks will come in to
mallard hen decoys - use the hens of one species to fill in the decoy spread
for another.
Turkey Decoy Placement
Hunting
Wild Turkey is an art, the turkey are notorious for spotting hunters with their
keen eyesight and tend to hang just out of reach. By using turkey decoys on
your next hunt you can help bring that big tom into range.
Just
remember you are not duck hunting, you don't need 50+ decoys, a simple spread
of 2 hens and a tom are all that is needed.
When positioning
your turkey decoys ensure they are quartering away from you either right or left. Make
sure your decoy are approximately 15-20 yards away from your calling spot. This
position will allow the gobbler to approach the decoy from the rear providing
the perfect shot opportunity.
Make sure there is a strutting path open around your decoy; this will give the
gobbler plenty of room to strut around her and put on his show.
Stick the leg rods firmly in the ground until the bottom of the leg is touching
the ground.
Typically when a gobbler comes in to a Turkey Decoy he will strut as he
approaches, strut around and bump her, sometimes you can tell he is trying to
get her to lay for him. This is a good sign that he is about to try and jump on
her back.
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