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 My first duck season, decoy question/opinion
#6624585
01/10/17 12:17 AM
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Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 64
Youngone2016
OP
Outdoorsman
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OP
Outdoorsman
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 64 |
This season was my first dove/ duck season.... my boss gave me a few dozen decoys, and I was wondering if they were in good enough shape to use or if they look too worn out. I plan on Texas rigging which ever decoys I end up using.  
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Re: My first duck season, decoy question/opinion
[Re: Youngone2016]
#6624597
01/10/17 12:21 AM
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 4,478
4Weight
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Extreme Tracker
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 4,478 |
Heck ya, I'm no expert but those look good to me.
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Re: My first duck season, decoy question/opinion
[Re: Youngone2016]
#6624600
01/10/17 12:23 AM
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Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 1,648
thomas_z71
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I'd use'm! Especially if free. You guys hiring by chance? 
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Re: My first duck season, decoy question/opinion
[Re: Youngone2016]
#6624651
01/10/17 12:44 AM
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 694
Windrider
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 694 |
They look better than at least half of mine.
Thought for the day: Ducks were almost hunted to extinction long before camo was invented.
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Re: My first duck season, decoy question/opinion
[Re: Youngone2016]
#6624681
01/10/17 12:56 AM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,649
Ridn9high
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Those will work nicely.  If you saw how beat up mine were, you would think I drag them to the duck hole. As long as the birds keep coming in, I'll keep using.
Last edited by Ridn9high; 01/10/17 12:57 AM.
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Re: My first duck season, decoy question/opinion
[Re: Youngone2016]
#6624709
01/10/17 01:15 AM
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Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 64
Youngone2016
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Outdoorsman
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OP
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Posts: 64 |
Thank you guys! This past Friday was the first duck hunt I had gone on where we actually saw a good amount of ducks in the air, but they wouldn't decoy. They would come close but then would turn around and land about 20 yards to the left or right of us. Not real sure what was going on. The guys that are showing me the ropes are getting onto a different place next season so I will be on my own this next year and getting my equipment ready. 
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Re: My first duck season, decoy question/opinion
[Re: Youngone2016]
#6624827
01/10/17 02:19 AM
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 11,788
wal1809
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They are fine. If you are texas rigging give some thought about converting the keels to weighted keel. The easy way is to stick a silicon nozzle as far in the keel as possible and fill it with just enough to flip the decoy. I used to put about your squeezes and then set it in water to see if it would flip. When I found out how many it took I just repeated that with each keel. Also give consideration to using snap swivels. I used to not use them. Every now and again the line would not slip correctly. Also when I needed to remove the line for any reason I had to cut it. Noe I can take off the line in seconds. 
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Re: My first duck season, decoy question/opinion
[Re: Youngone2016]
#6624868
01/10/17 02:31 AM
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 981
scubaarchery
Tracker
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Tracker
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Posts: 981 |
Ducks will always flare at one point or another no matter how good your decoys are. There could be a couple of other explanations:
1. You could be on the edge of the X vs exactly where they want to land
2. The wind could be wrong, you want the wind on the back of your neck
3. They may see something about your setup that they just don't like (usually will not land at all)
4. It's duck hunting and no one can figure them out all the time
I think 1 or 2 are the likely culprit but 4 is always a factor. Good luck!
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Re: My first duck season, decoy question/opinion
[Re: Youngone2016]
#6625028
01/10/17 03:39 AM
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Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 2,450
Aggieduck
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Joined: Jul 2010
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The reason they aren't decoying right is they are teal. They are spaz when it comes to decoying and landing like a "big" duck
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Re: My first duck season, decoy question/opinion
[Re: wal1809]
#6625041
01/10/17 03:43 AM
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Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 92
Kilo11
Outdoorsman
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Outdoorsman
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 92 |
They are fine. If you are texas rigging give some thought about converting the keels to weighted keel. The easy way is to stick a silicon nozzle as far in the keel as possible and fill it with just enough to flip the decoy. I used to put about your squeezes and then set it in water to see if it would flip. When I found out how many it took I just repeated that with each keel. Also give consideration to using snap swivels. I used to not use them. Every now and again the line would not slip correctly. Also when I needed to remove the line for any reason I had to cut it. Noe I can take off the line in seconds.
Talk to me about weighting the keels. What does that do for you? Does it slow the decoys down in light wind (kill some of the action) or will you still get the same amount of movement?
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Re: My first duck season, decoy question/opinion
[Re: Youngone2016]
#6625339
01/10/17 11:03 AM
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 11,788
wal1809
THF Celebrity
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Weighting the keel ve water keel, it makes the decoy flip upright when you throw the decoy. It's always frustrating having to walk out into the spread to flip half the decoys. With T rig and weighted keeps you can put out a lot of decoys fast and not have to walk about there a half a dozen times. It does no alter their motion on the water.
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Re: My first duck season, decoy question/opinion
[Re: Youngone2016]
#6625537
01/10/17 02:36 PM
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 4,721
Dave Speer
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decoys that won't self right when ya throw em are worthy of the landfill
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Re: My first duck season, decoy question/opinion
[Re: Youngone2016]
#6625628
01/10/17 03:21 PM
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,859
LarryCopper
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,859 |
Those decoys are fine. I'd add to the list above:
5. They are wary late season dux or may have been hunted in the same area recently.
#3 is a good possibility, too. Sometimes all it takes is moving a few decoys to get them in the hole. Had that happen last week.
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Re: My first duck season, decoy question/opinion
[Re: Youngone2016]
#6625635
01/10/17 03:25 PM
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,071
sprigsss
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If they are consistently landing in the same area, move. Either move personally if you aren't in a permanent blind and there is a location to hide, or shift the decoy spread.
Have hunted several times with decoys out of gun range on the down wind side of the spread. Wary late season birds sometimes prefer to just land by themselves and land way short.
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Re: My first duck season, decoy question/opinion
[Re: Dave Speer]
#6625789
01/10/17 04:50 PM
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 11,788
wal1809
THF Celebrity
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 11,788 |
decoys that won't self right when ya throw em are worthy of the landfill X 2. Grow up as a kid being the youngest and see who gets picked to right the decoys every time. Water keel decoys are Chinese torture to say the least.
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Re: My first duck season, decoy question/opinion
[Re: Youngone2016]
#6627237
01/11/17 02:51 PM
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Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 45
Woodlands Water Turkey
Light Foot
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Light Foot
Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 45 |
"Water keel decoys are Chinese torture to say the least."
Unless you are having to pack in 3 or 4 dozen decoys through a marsh death march. They they are the greatest thing ever.
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