Small Spec Spread While Duck Hunting

Looking for some advice...

Over the past few years we've had some opportunities to kill some specs early in the season while duck hunting. This year my group bought 6 spec full bodies to help coax them in. Where would you guys set up the specs? In the water, on the bank, in a field behind? I do have a call and am ok at calling (brought some birds in last year just calling w/out deeks). We normally hunt shallow flooded fields btw. Thanks in advance for the help and good luck to all tomorrow!

-Max

It depends on your decoy layout. My go-to for puddlers was about 3.5 dozen dekes. 1/2 the ducks on the right side in family groups, 1/2 on the left, with kill zones on the sides & middle all in range. We never had specks where I grew up (MN & ND) but I always had 1/2 dozen honkers in my spread. They work great as a confidence decoy & can be seen from a mile away. I'd put a couple of the geese closer to the hunters, right in the front of each of the kill zones, and one or two right on the edge of the duck decoys to add visibility to my spread

I haven't used them since we hunt pretty small water but putting geese off to the side & downwind is what I see as the common advise. when I hunted Canadas in Maryland last year I do recall our guide saying geese don't like to land over ducks but I don't know if it works the other way around.

I like having a few specs off to the side, ~75-100 yards upwind of the duck decoys.

Do specks land in your spread 1971, or are they confidence decoys for ducks?

Use of spec decoys as confidence decoys for ducks has never been my intent. But I've always carried a spec call, and singles especially, will typically respond by at least passing over or nearby, typically downwind of the spec decoys.

BTW, I enjoyed your website. All the food looks good except for the possum ... and maybe the scrapple is a little questionable too. The rattler don't look too bad.

Thanks Snipe. I'm going to add a couple spec decoys.

I can't speak for specs, but this is the case with canadas. Ducks will land over canadas, but canadas will not land over ducks. So, but your geese on the outside or down-wind edge of the spread.

I usually take 1/2 dozen to a full dozen with me every morning to set up with my duck decoys. I typically put them opposite side of which ever way my ducks will be decoying from about 30-40 yards outside my spread. I have pretty good success with this and will average a couple geese per duck hunt.

Upwind 30 yds if possible. Otherwise anywhere shallow in the pond a little bit separated from the ducks

Every now and then I'll put out some specks. Usually off to the side of the duck spread in one little group.