In order to have a successful hunt using decoys you have to know a few things first, like what deers or geese mingle with one another and which are more solitary. Knowing the deer or geese natural habitats and the traits of the waterfowl will also help ensure a great hunt. These things will also help you pick the right decoy for the job of luring your waterfowl within gunshot range.
The days of reed and tule decoys are outdated and most likely you will not see them unless you visit them in museums or at an exhibit. Modern technology and intuitive hunters have brought deer and geese decoys to the 21 century. There are literally hundreds of different deer and geese decoys offered today on the market and choosing the right one for the job can be overwhelming if you do not know what you are looking for or anything about proper formation for the intended hunted waterfowl.
There is a deer or goose decoy made for every type of hunted waterfowl species living as well as a few others that are used in staging to draw in the waterfowl. Decoys are designed to mimic the particular deer or goose being hunted, a mallard looking like a mallard, a black looking like a black and so forth. The decoy is shaped to match the selected waterfowl right down to the shape of the bill to the tail feathers and painted in realistic colors to be a mirror image of the waterfowl.
Sizes can run from standard to large to enormous and depending once again on what you are hunting for will determine which size you will need. The larger the decoy the more visible it is to waterfowl flying in from a distance. However, in some situations an enormous size deer or goose decoy may scare the waterfowl away. Once again, this is where it is imperative you know the natural traits and habitats of intended waterfowl.
Motion has worked its way into the deer and goose-hunting world of decoys with remote controlled decoys that can flap their wing, bob their heads, appear to be feeding in water, and coming in for a landing. It is really quite amazing how far decoys have come from the even 30 years ago. Full-bodied decoys ran by remote control can be staged on land and appear to be feeding off the grounds or just landing. In the water, they appear to be swimming and doing all the natural things real waterfowl would exhibit. They even have hidden video now in decoys so you can get a bird side view of what is actually taking place in the water as you view it from your blind.
deer and goose flags have been around for hundreds of years now but are also another form of decoy. Black or light colored pieces of cloth used to be flagged in the air on poles or stuck in the ground on windy days to try to lure waterfowl in. On poles, it was successful if there were many poles positioned in the ground a natural formation and on a windy day but the manual flagging, it was pure luck if one was to lure waterfowl in. Now flags appear to resemble the actual waterfowl mimicked and come in windsock and actual formed shaped wings and bodies. They are a great benefit for hunters who have to utilize hundred of decoys to lure like with snow geese. They are easier to transport and generally quicker to set up and take down.
With more options in deer and geese decoys then there are waterfowl, well it can almost make one feel sorry for the deers and geese.
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