How to Fight Decoy Frost

by
posted on November 20, 2016
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
fight_decoy_frost_f.jpg

When temperatures fall, the water in the air has a nasty habit of forming a crisp layer of frost over anything that will stand still long enough. You know what stands still? Decoys. What doesn’t: real ducks and geese. And darn it if they can’t spot a frosted-over decoy from a mile away, ending your hunt before it really even begins. Snow you can beat off with a brush. Frost isn’t so simple. Here are a couple ways to combat that early-morning sheen of ice.

Wait For It
Max Cochran of Habitat Flats recommends not putting your spread out until the last second to reduce its chances of frosting over. If it’s a particularly cold morning, he says, the birds will probably stay on the ground a little longer anyway. Put your blinds out right away, though—you want them to accumulate a layer of “good” frost so they blend into the surrounding environment.

Spray ’Em Down
Another solution comes from my father, Pat Skipper, who’s been killing birds in all conditions for decades now. If he suspects morning frost, he brings along a few squirt bottles full of windshield wiper fluid—the same stuff you put in your car. Spray each decoy just before dawn. The fluid dries quickly and won’t freeze in most conditions. Its properties will help keep frost from forming. Each application is good for a couple of hours, and the fluid shouldn’t do your decoys any harm.

Latest

Ledepoach And Pay Major Findings
Ledepoach And Pay Major Findings

Boone and Crockett Club Poaching Data Published

Did you know that the majority of wildlife violations never result in citations? Sure, with so much ground to cover, it may be easy to guess that most violations committed deep in the backcountry will never see the light of day, but the scale is still quite surprising. 

First Look: Horizon Firearms Exclusive

Custom & Collectable Firearms proudly unveils the Horizon Firearms Exclusive, a 1-of-50 limited series built for hunters and anyone who values accuracy, value and dependability.

Boone & Crockett and Pope & Young Now Accepting Javelina Entries

The Boone and Crockett Club (B&C) and Pope and Young Club (P&Y) announced in August that they have completed scoring procedures and are now accepting entries for javelina (collared peccary, Pecari tajacu) in their record books.

First Look: SnapSafe Modular Super Titan

The SnapSafe Super Titan, with all of the security of a conventional, welded safe in an easy-to-assemble gun vault that moves anywhere piece-by-piece and then locks together in minutes with included hand tools, offers gun owners the security they require with all the convenience and mobility they demand.

First Look: CVA Endura Muzzleloaders

CVA has announced its Endura series of muzzleloaders, the most advanced muzzleloader series CVA has ever built.

Smith & Wesson Announces Grand Opening of Training Academy

Smith & Wesson has announced the grand opening of the new Smith & Wesson Academy.

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.