Decoy Set

Hi All,
What's your most consistent decoy layout that requires little calling? Mine's 2 pods with a 15 yd. landing zone between the 2 pods.

Whatever the birds were doing when I scouted them. Calling is based more on how the birds are reacting. Remember natural is best. If everybody around is running two groups of decoys I'm going to do something different.

Everything from a J hook style, 2 groups, 3 groups, no real groups, a bunch of small groups, one big raft, or my personal favorite the W all have their place. Too many people get hung up doing the same thing IMO. Let the birds, the wind, and cover tell you.

Little calling to me equates to pond/slough poppin' since big water means calling.

In that setup I'm gonna match what I see like GG said. Usually a group of gaddies on one side, a group of wigeon on the other. A few park mallards on a jerk rig right where I want them in between. And of course the obligatory racist 2-3 drake pinners way on the upwind side just on the edge of shooting range, a bit separated from the others.

As natural as possible, don't put them too close or too far. If possible, force them to land in an area by arranging your dekes.

scattered all over the place, some more concentrated in certain areas than others. throw them out and the numbers that will be realistic compared to what you observed looking at them the day before. If 9 oclock mallards are used to seeing 3-400 ducks on the water, they may not work into two little pods 15 yds apart, but 200 decoys all over the place will look a little closer to natural

Thanks guys, all solid inputs! Good luck to ya'll this season.

You need to get some stuffer floaters! Realism is key!

My first priority is to block areas I don't want ducks to land. Then I concern myself with size, pattern , species etc.

A group of full body decoys huddled underneath a deer feeder set up about 5 yards from the shoreline seems to work well also.