Today saw tons more ducks then opening weekend, however lots of them were circling the tank but wouldn't decoy.

Was it my spread, crappy blind, dog movement, too much calling, not enough calling, all of the above?

my best advice is to spend $150 and go with a local guide and see how he gets them in....I would do it earlier rather than later in the season. Only because it gets easier later in the year (usually). If it is a great guide, it will be the best $150 you will ever spend on duck hunting.

If you see them locked up coming your way, just let them come don't call at them. If the start to slide just give some soft quacks or soft feed chuckles. Make sure your hid well and don't move. Being hid well and not moving are the key.

This! Unless it is pintails!!! They are madding

My advice is try something different throughout the hunt. Think of what can be wrong and then adjust it as the hunt goes on. If you are flaring birds then it isnt' like you are going to mess up the hunt any more at that point.

My young pup is a bird watcher so I have to hold his head to keep him still.


I think I could do a bunch more for my blind just a few logs stacked on the side of our tank.

Make a change. if the first group didnt like it, the second, third and fourth will not either.

Some ducks just circle a few times to check things out

X2

Who knows. You really never know. You just try and eliminate things that flare ducks. But interesting, I was watching a private pond on my leases, this pond has not been hunted yet this season, I watched ducks work into this pond, and the gaddies would circle and circle, I mean 5 or 6 times, if not more, before they would land, and that is a spot where they have never been shot at.

Like Guy said.... Who knows! If it was that simple it wouldn't be hunting.
But some factors could be
Was your truck parked to close to the pond and when I say close even 80 yards away can be too close because of a down wind swing.
You named all of the thing that you could have done wrong and maybe it was one of those.
What was the ducks doing on the swings??? Were the wings moving or were they locked while swinging? Were they vocal on the swings, were they acting as if they saw something every time and got higher each swing, also the thing I look for is head checking down......, did you see any checking?

The list goes on and on when working ducks but these are a few main things to look for. Also just my thoughts of hunting ponds and open water, being from Arkansas and learning how to hunt ducks in that state it's either timber or rice fields and the difference between the two hunts is huge this is why guys make pit blinds in the fields. I was told that ducks travel flyways using the shape of the terrain below as their guide so to speak, and this is why I believe that ponds and open water are a challenge because they can see blinds and new shapes that seem unusuall and it keeps them on guard.

A little thing that I've picked up on (maybe I'm crazy) is that if all you have out are mostly mallard decoys, and you never see mallards in the area, the birds notice that too.

Just one more thing to evaluate.

Check your decoy spread for an opening....
I keep mine in a line to a veer U shape with a opening for a landing area..
The birds will come in...circle and zoom right in the opening
I do not call at all when they are circling and coming in..
Do not move and be very concealed.. the birds see any movement and
they will be gone.
This is a spread a guide friend of mine uses on Aransas bay and what he does with clients..I have seen this work time and time again..

Txpride is right as well...mix your decoys
Mallards in one area.... row of bluebill in another... teal in another row..

Too many of the same will wave them off.

Another thing too many hunters do wrong with circling birds that will not come in
..
.Do not have no more than one spin wing decoy in your spread..
The migrating birds see them all the way here from where they came from and get shot at ......Too many spinners will wave them off quick..

Water movement!! Go watch a pond full of ducks. You'll see nothing but a ton of ripples on the water. If you didn't have some motion decoys or jerk string, go invest in some/one. Also make sure you aren't moving and have your face hidden.

Scot, you could do every single suggestion on here and still have the same problem. There's certain things that trigger birds to do what they do.

Had the same thing happen to us today, and so did the other guides. It is what it is. You make adjustments and just see what happens, most people don't even bother to adjust anything, start trying different things when it gets tough and you may be able to pick a few more off. But there is no real answer to your question.

They could probably smell you. Shoulda used scent spray.

I'd just watch some more duck dynasty. You can learn everything from them.

I guarantee they see you in your crappy blind

How big is the tank and how much cover do you have?

I don't even use decoys, just two dozen spinners!