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Duck hunting is not complete without the use of duck decoys. The purpose of them
is to create a more natural looking hunting environment. In turn, this tricks
any ducks flying overhead into thinking it is a safe place to
land.
Earlier, tamed ducks were used to attract wild ducks towards a
patch of water. The pond was constructed with a wickerwork tunnel that was long
and cone shaped. Barriers were cleverly built to hide a "decoy man" from the
birds which were in vicinity to the pond side of the tunnel, while he was being
revealed to the birds that were closer to the trap end of the tunnel. The decoy
man employed the use of a trained dog as well as grain to attract the birds
towards the tunnel. Once they entered the tunnel, the birds moved away from the
decoy man towards the dog. Then the birds are driven into a small trap set up at
the end of the tunnel where they were ultimately killed.
Nowadays, duck
decoys are toys of ducks, custom made at home or bought at hunting stores.
Different labels as Taylor Decoys, Columbia River, and E. Allen etc sell
different duck decoys. Many website also offer the sale of a variety of duck
decoys for reasonable rates.
It is always best to know what flock of
birds are expected to decide on the type of duck decoys to use. But it is not
advisable to use ducks of only one type. A variety of duck breeds like Mallards,
Canada geese, Pintails, Drakes, Ringnecks, Gadball give the decoy spread a more
natural look. Confidence decoys like those consisting of crane decoys, swan
decoys, heron decoys or curlew decoys can also be used. These add variety to the
spread and also build confidence. The decoys should also be spread to make it a
very natural and alluring environment. The location of the spread is also
important. Though some may be placed near the blinds, other should be placed in
the open. The open should be a large area that is visible from a flying
duck's point of view. There is no use of a good spread if it is not visible to
the flock. Also, water bodies with high waves do not attract the birds and hence
calm waters are to be preferred while attracting ducks.
It is always
better to have a good decoy spread facing different directions to add
authenticity to the set up. This is because all duck decoys facing the same
direction gives the appearance of birds that are alert and on the look - out for
danger. The additional benefit of having decoys facing different directions is
that, for birds flying above in any direction, the visibility of different
patterns of colours below. Hence birds above get a pattern to colours of
different regions of the birds and assume a natural flock below.
Thus
having a great decoy is just not enough to add more ducks to the hit-list. The
handling and maintenance of duck decoys is also important to create a ‘boom'ing
success.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
