Ducks are naturally curious and when they see a predator, such as a fox, they will keep it at a distance, but tend to follow it. The decoyman uses a dog, preferably a breed similar in appearance to a fox, to lure the ducks along the pipes. The dog appears between a gap in the screens and the ducks approach. It then appears at the next gap further along the pipe, and so on until the ducks are trapped at the end of the pipe.
As finally developed the decoy consisted of a pool of water leading from which are between one and eight curving, tapering ditches. Over the ditches are a series of hoops, initially made from wood, later from iron, which diminish in size as the ditch tapers. The hoops are covered in netting. The complex of ditch and net-covered hoops is known as a pipe. On the outside curve of the pipes, for two-thirds of their length, are overlapping screens.
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