How many diver decoys

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Buy Digital Single Issues. Don't miss an issue. Buy single digital issue for your phone or tablet. Bowhunter Subscribe. Handguns Subscribe. Bowhunting Subscribe. Get the top Wildfowl stories delivered right to your inbox. Add an email address. Get Digital Access Not a Subscriber? There were also different types of motion-makers wing-spinners and water agitators. Building a decoy spread is one of the most enjoyable aspects of waterfowl hunting.

It combines imagination and experimentation. There are theories galore on how to increase a spread's attraction to ducks and geese. An array of gadgets are available that make a spread come to life and there are dozens of options for rigging decoys.

No wonder beginners need help when it comes to putting their first spread together. In a sense, building a decoy spread is like a woman putting on makeup. She starts with foundation, then applies the frills — lipstick and eyeliner. Hunters should start with a basic spread, then add innovations when they can.

Before they know it, they will have their own menagerie, and hopefully it will be a spread that waterfowl can't resist. In most puddle duck spreads, mallards are the predominant species. In nature, these ducks are universal, and other species routinely intermingle with them.

Thus, mallard decoys will also draw pintails, teal, gadwalls, widgeons, and other puddle ducks. There's nothing wrong with setting out an all-mallard spread. However, two refinements can add realism and attraction to a spread. The white on pintail drakes and the all-dark bodies of black ducks will make a spread more visible and help capture passing ducks' attention.

Where these birds exist naturally, the addition of either or both of these species can enhance a spread's drawing power.

Freelancers assembling a portable spread might rig two-dozen mallards, six pintail drakes, and six black ducks. Hunters setting a large permanent spread around a blind or pit should increase these numbers exponentially, depending on how many decoys they're putting out.

Other species can be included in a puddle duck spread: teal, gadwalls, wood ducks, and wigeon. However, there is probably little additional benefit gained by sprinkling an occasional odd species through a spread, especially a large one.

I do this, but only because I have these decoys from years gone by, not because I bought them specifically to enhance my spread's attraction to that particular species. On the other hand, sometimes hunters specifically target wood ducks, pintails, teal, gadwalls, or widgeon, when these are the predominant duck present. In this case, they might assemble a decoy spread solely—or mostly—of their target species. Still, in most places and times, a spread of mallard decoys will work just as well.

With divers, the decision on species is easy. Even when canvasbacks aren't allowed in the bag, these big, bright decoys will help pull other diving ducks into your spread. If puddle ducks are working the same area, set a few mallard, black duck, or pintail decoys out to the side of your diver rig. Decoys come in standard, magnum, and super magnum sizes. What size should a hunter choose or his spread? Decoy size relates to visibility. Bigger decoys are more noticeable, especially at long distances.

However, bigger decoys are also bulkier and heavier to transport. A hunter must weigh these factors in deciding which size is best for his place and purpose.

For instance, a freelancer backpacking decoys into a beaver pond should stick with standards, which are easier to carry. Ducks will likely be working close in such an environment, and oversized decoys won't be necessary. On the other hand, a freelancer hunting from a boat on a large river or lake should go with super magnums because of their bigger profile.

From a distance, 18 super magnums will show up better than three dozen standard-size decoys. The same logic applies to a large permanent spread. In a cypress brake, slough, pothole, or flooded timber — where ducks will be close before they see the spread, standard decoys are sufficient.

On a big lake, flooded field, or dry field where waterfowl may pass at long range, bigger decoys are better, though a mass of decoys for example, to will have plenty visibility regardless of which size decoy is used.

Most modern decoys are molded from thermoplastic resin, and they are hollow inside. This material holds paint well and lends itself to great detail in decoy features. Hollow plastic decoys are reasonably lightweight and tough, but they are somewhat expensive. They are the standard for most hunters in most settings. Their main drawback, however, is vulnerability to stray shot. A misdirected pellet can cause a leak that must be repaired, or the decoy will sink.

The main option to molded plastic decoys is solid foam decoys, which are virtually indestructible and not affected by shot. Solid foam decoys are heavy, however, and expensive.

They are used primarily by hunters who set permanent spreads and who desire the ultimate in toughness and seaworthiness. Wood and cork are traditional materials for making decoys, but both pale in performance to plastic and solid foam decoys. Wood and cork decoys are heavy and very pricey. Some traditionalist hunters still prefer them, especially cork decoys, which ride well in rough water. But decoys of these two materials probably comprise fewer than 1 percent of all gunning decoys in use today.

Floating decoys come with two types of keels: solid and water keel. Solid keels are sealed with weight inside. Water keels are hollow and fill with water for ballast when they are set out. Solid keel decoys are more convenient to use. However, many hunters simply toss out a wad of fakes and expect bluebills and canvasbacks to pile in. Divers differ from puddlers in that they typically fly directly over other divers while approaching a potential landing spot.

Astute hunters have realized this for years and often configure diver spreads in classic J or V formations, or extend a long tail of decoys downwind leading to a much larger mass of fakes.

The tail acts almost like a runway that ducks can follow to the kill hole. Trouble is, many guys neglect the kill hole, leaving an insufficient open area—or no area—for flocks to set down.

That leads to birds streaking over the decoys at Mach II, or landing short or outside of the spread. The fix is simple: No matter which decoy configuration you prefer, leave a generous open area where large flocks of divers would feel comfortable landing.

That might be a large semi-circle in a classic J-hook or several yards of open water between a tail and the main body. Hunters in some highly pressured areas have abandoned classic spreads because they believe divers see them too often, and they instead set long, loose blobs of decoys to appear more realistic. Some diver hunters get finicky about the species composition of decoy spreads, reasoning that canvasbacks, bluebills, redheads, buffleheads, and other species should naturally decoy better to their own kind.

Goldeneyes are an exception, as those late-season divers often work much better to goldeneye decoys. Also, in areas where one species is far more prevalent than others—canvasbacks on the Mississippi River, for example—it only makes sense to load up on decoys that mimic the dominant duck in that area. Where you position decoys in relation to your boat, blind, or the shoreline is critical. Many hunters intuitively set their hides directly upwind of the blocks, hoping for feet-down incoming shots.

Remember, diving ducks are built for open water, and they find safety there. Unless the wind is howling offshore, prompting birds to seek lee shorelines, divers instinctively want to land where they can see open water in front of them. They will shy away from landing directly toward shorelines, islands, and other landforms. Take advantage of this trait by configuring decoys so birds can see open water behind the spread when finishing. In fact, crosswind spreads are often generally good ideas when you have poor cover, are hunting from an open-water boat blind or are dealing with finicky birds.

Setting up perpendicular to the decoys keeps birds from focusing on your hide as they approach.