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Small Spreads #7715012 01/12/20 03:05 AM
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HVILLE HNTR Offline OP
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Ok it’s late season, let’s talk small spreads. How small is small? Hunting a 1 acre tank and having problems with them landing out of range and swimming in. Right now lm using a dozen dekes (about 3 to 4 feeders along shoreline and then scatter remaining extending outwards and away. It’s more of a check mark than a V. Debating on just going to half of this and putting them right in front of me so landing out of the spread is now in range. What do you guys think?

Re: Small Spreads [Re: HVILLE HNTR] #7715027 01/12/20 03:20 AM
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BradyBuck Online Content
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On a 1 acre tank, maybe a half dozen and hunt the wind.

Pattern doesn't really matter.

Put yourself where you get the shots if they are landing outside the spread.

Screen shot a satellite photo of the pond and post it.

Last edited by BradyBuck; 01/12/20 03:22 AM.

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Re: Small Spreads [Re: HVILLE HNTR] #7715276 01/12/20 03:03 PM
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Jerk rig with four dekes on it. Nothing else.


Originally Posted by bill oxner
I just turned it on . I was looking bird dogs in the butt this morning.


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Re: Small Spreads [Re: Duck_Hunter] #7715473 01/12/20 06:43 PM
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Originally Posted by Duck_Hunter
Jerk rig with four dekes on it. Nothing else.


Yeah I’d run that, but I’d probably keep a couple full body feeders on the edge. I’m a big fan of jerk strings.

Re: Small Spreads [Re: HVILLE HNTR] #7715819 01/13/20 12:53 AM
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On an acre of water, with "decoy shy" birds, i run 2 or 3 widgeon, that way I can whistle instead of quacking away...something the birds have heard daily...I've even been known to put out a full spread on the other side of the tank...to "force" the birds to work to the side I'm on...little to no blind, just some die cut camo material looseley draped over me to brake up my outline...


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Re: Small Spreads [Re: HVILLE HNTR] #7715840 01/13/20 01:13 AM
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How about big lake hunting? In the past I’ve used small spreads. This year I’ve gone a little bigger, but I’m not sure it’s working. I’ve had great decoying birds early, and then lots of working and not a lot of committing later in the morning.

Re: Small Spreads [Re: HVILLE HNTR] #7715923 01/13/20 02:05 AM
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Movement is key, I also like fully flocked decoys when using small spreads


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Re: Small Spreads [Re: HVILLE HNTR] #7715984 01/13/20 03:07 AM
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I liked to put them in pairs or small groups, 6-8 decoys.

Re: Small Spreads [Re: HVILLE HNTR] #7716308 01/13/20 03:54 PM
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We have a similar setup at our deer lease. Even smaller than an acre tho. I like to setup a cross shoot when possible. Like other said, a jerk rig works great on ponds. 90%+ of the time they'll land right behind those decoys. Usually I'll put out two small pods of dekes to either side of the jerk rig, trying to match species. They don't hesitate, sometimes I have to whistle the wigeon in but they immediately commit and it's right in the hole. Gaddies drop straight in of course.

Saturday's hunt from that spot with a pretty quick 2 man limit, cross shoot setup with jerk rig. 6-8 wigeon on one side, 6-8 gaddies on the other. 3 loner mallards blocking the far side of the pond. A bigger spread than you might think for a small pond, but it holds a lot of ducks. Try to match what you see.

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Re: Small Spreads [Re: LarryCopper] #7716316 01/13/20 04:00 PM
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Originally Posted by LarryCopper
We have a similar setup at our deer lease. Even smaller than an acre tho. I like to setup a cross shoot when possible. Like other said, a jerk rig works great on ponds. 90%+ of the time they'll land right behind those decoys. Usually I'll put out two small pods of dekes to either side of the jerk rig, trying to match species. They don't hesitate, sometimes I have to whistle the wigeon in but they immediately commit and it's right in the hole. Gaddies drop straight in of course.

Saturday's hunt from that spot with a pretty quick 2 man limit, cross shoot setup with jerk rig. 6-8 wigeon on one side, 6-8 gaddies on the other. 3 loner mallards blocking the far side of the pond. A bigger spread than you might think for a small pond, but it holds a lot of ducks. Try to match what you see.

[Linked Image]


Great advice here. I don't pond hunt anymore, but when I did jerk rigs were deadly. If your pond is relatively free of vegetation, a swimmer decoy works great as well.

Re: Small Spreads [Re: HVILLE HNTR] #7716351 01/13/20 04:34 PM
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I forgot to mention, a big part of the cross shoot is that it puts you downwind of the decoys. If they land short, like that sprig did, they're still in range.


Re: Small Spreads [Re: HVILLE HNTR] #7716364 01/13/20 04:56 PM
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Adjust your position relative to the spread in order to shoot the birds. Block an area, cross shoot em, ect…

Re: Small Spreads [Re: HVILLE HNTR] #7716390 01/13/20 05:13 PM
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Late season and I actually increased my spread size this year. Reason being, we haven't had a lot of bird numbers during season, it seems they are just now showing up with this last weather push. Seeing more birds during scouting, so we added more decoys, it seemed to work well.


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Re: Small Spreads [Re: LarryCopper] #7717034 01/14/20 02:20 AM
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Are your pods parallel to the wind or perpendicular?

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