The Optimum Number of Duck Decoys for Successful Duck Hunting

It's the question you begin with: How many waterfowl decoys should I take? While there's no definite answer to that question, here are some guidelines and suggestions on decoy numbers.

Size of the body of water you're waterfowl hunting is one guideline to the number of waterfowl decoys you should have on hand. Normally, small bodies of water require fewer decoys. On a big lake you may take four-dozen decoys, but that's not what occurs naturally at smaller bodies of water. A dozen or so clean decoys work wonders on small waters. A few of those can be field decoys placed on the shore to convey a message that all is safe. Another way to send that message is to spread that dozen decoys out a little more than normal – a tight bunch of ducks is a worried flock.

Depending on the size of the water, even fewer decoys may be the ticket. A small pothole or river backwater may need only six decoys and minimal calling to attract flocks. On small waters in heavily hunted areas, try a half-dozen greenwing teal or gadwalls to provide something different and realistic.

Bigger lakes do need more decoys for several reasons. Many other hunters are using 4-, 6-, 8- or even 10-dozen duck decoys, so simple competition is one reason to bring it with big numbers. The larger flocks of ducks that use the bigger lakes is another reason for bigger numbers; matching the normal conditions and situations can be critical to waterfowl hunting success. It's more likely that a flock of 2-dozen mallards will seek the safety of numbers rather than land with a half-dozen others.

However, later in the season those flocks have seen the big duck decoy spreads and likely have lost a few members that way, so it's a good time to vary your spread. Now's the time to pull a dozen or two duck decoys from your spread and replace them with a few confidence decoys such as a heron or a few feeder decoys or sleeping ducks. Or pull a dozen mallard decoys and replace them with a half-dozen greenwing teal. Coots are always good confidence decoys. Place them in a group off to one side of your spread.

Or, it may be time for you to recruit some friends to bring along their duck decoys and create a huge spread. With a landing hole in the right spot, these massive spreads can be the answer to wary mallards.

Two lines of thought enter this discussion of duck decoy numbers at big waters. Do you want to go along with the crowd or give the ducks something different? That's a question only the hunter can answer. If you're being successful doing what you're doing, continue it. If your success has lagged of late, make some changes. Even during the course of a morning hunt, if the ducks aren't working right, make some changes. Pull a dozen dekes, or add a jerk cord. Maybe you should pull the spinning wing decoy(s), especially if it's a bright, bluebird day. The point is that if the ducks are ignoring you, either you're showing them something they don't want to see, or you're in the wrong location. The solution to the wrong location is obvious. It's better to move than just sit there watching the sky.