Duck Decoys

Collecting Duck Decoys

You don’t have to be a duck hunter to get duck decoys. Collecting duck decoys can be a fantastic hobby as these decoys are all great works of art. These decoys are often hand crafted to make them look as natural as possible. To collect these items, you need to know something about them in the first place.

Originally, basic duck decoys were very rough pieces, carved out of wood to roughly resemble the duck types the hunter would generally hunt. But later, carving the decoys became an art because hunters wanted to be sure that the decoys did actually work and attract a number of birds. The carvers of the decoys even started adding glass eyes to make the decoys more lifelike.

For collectors, duck decoys can range in price and importance depending on various factors. These factors are age of the decoy, how rare are they, the craftsmanship and also the condition of the decoy. Sometimes these decoys can fetch a good amount in auctions due to their uniqueness.

But craftsmanship is not the only factor to attract the collectors. Various decoys with innovations, like automation of various degrees, makes these items collectibles. These days you can find decoys that swim about, cause ripples like a real duck, bend and move the neck and do other realistic movements. Similarly, the basic material of wood and cork has given way to plastic and foam. Wood and plastic are more valuable as they last longer. But to collectors, any good decoy is worth collecting, whatever the material is.

Weather plays a huge role in your decoying strategies when duck or goose hunting as much as the type and positioning of your decoys.  Overcast skies and wind can really cause a damper on your hunting intake if you do not strategize for the situations.  Waterfowl natural habits alter from their normal daily routines when weather becomes les then desirable such as high winds and gray skies.  They become more alert and are more cautious of where they land to take a break in their flight or to feed. 

Overcast skies strategy
With dark over cast skies waterfowl cannot see as well and avoid anything they cannot make out readily.  To help make the ducks feel more secure cut back on the number of decoys used.  By removing 5 to 10 decoys you take away extra shadows, glare, and the ripples in the water making visibility better for the waterfowl.  Utilize in replace of the removed decoys a jerk string or if you started with 50 decoys lessen the count to 38 or 40 and add a couple swimming or splashing decoy in the mix. 

Strong straight wind offshore
Set decoys in two family units spread 6 to 8 feet apart with an ample size incoming landing area between the family units.  The blind should face the landing area.  Place the furthest decoy no more then 30 yards from the blind. 

Crosswinds
Wind from the left, position blind to the left of the decoys and decoys in “C” pattern and visa versa when wind is from the right.  Position the blind to where the landing area is directly in front.  This lures the ducks into the “C” central landing area and since ducks do not want to fly over other ducks or decoys to land it will draw them right into shooting range. 

Strong angled wind offshore
When strong winds are coming at an angle from offshore ducks will fly downwind.  Whenever the wind angle is from the left, position one decoy flock to the right and one to the left.  Place the majority of the decoys in the left flock unit.  Since the ducks will be flying in from the right, you want an open landing approach for them and want them to be lured in within shooting range.  If the wind is at an angle to the right, reverse the positioning.  

A few points to remember are keep your back positioned against the wind when positioning decoys.  Also, remember waterfowl land into the wind and to the side where there are the least amount of decoys, so make sure your blind is facing the landing area created for easy targets as the waterfowl approach head on and resituated your blind and/or decoys as needed if wind direction changes.