Know-How: A Duck Spread with Serious Drawing Power

by
posted on December 10, 2016
duck_spread_f.jpg

Contrast is what makes a decoy stand out, due not only to its color but also its size and the shadow it casts. If you want to increase your spread’s effectiveness, start with oversized, or magnum, decoys. Almost every top waterfowler I’ve interviewed advocates magnum decoys, including Kelley Powers.

“Oversized decoys are far more cost effective than standard-sized decoys,” says Powers. “At a certain elevation ducks have a hard time seeing standard decoys, but they can still see super-mags, in part due to the shadows they cast. In highly competitive areas, big decoys are a better draw initially, getting the ducks’ attention first.

“Any hunters who frequent Reelfoot Lake [Tennessee] in the early season have seen high-flying ducks pitch down to the beds of dried lily pads that stick out of the water as the lake dries up. When they get close enough, the ducks will see the pads aren’t other ducks and they’ll break away, but the lesson is clear: The big shadows cast by the tall lily pads create enough contrast to be visible from way up and look like they could be ducks.”

To increase your spread’s visibility, Powers suggests using drake decoys only. “We have 65 dozen decoys at our club, and do you know how many are hens? Not one. Hens are a waste of decoy-bag space. Their browns blend into the water too much, whereas the whites on a mallard drake really stand out. We also use pintail drakes, because of all the white, and also a lot of drake black ducks. Black is also visible from great distances, so use them even if you don’t have black ducks where you hunt.” If you’re wondering what to do with all those brown hen decoys, a can of flat-black spray paint could be your answer.

Latest

IMG 1066
IMG 1066

Re-evaluating the 20-Gauge

Thanks to technological advancements in ammunition, the 20-gauge is now nearly as capable as a 12-gauge. But, it wasn’t always that way, not was it always viewed in a positive light.

Opening Day Turkey Hunting Tactics

Hunters who don’t map out a plan of action beyond when to wake up risk getting skunked. Here’s insight into the mind of turkeys to help you pick the right spots to set up, and when to move and call to outfox toms from sunup to sundown.

8 Great New Hunting Rifles for 2023

Here’s a closer look at some of the most exciting hunting rifles introduced this year.

Recipe: Oven Barbecue Venison Steak

Contributor Brad Fenson gives his audience a recipe that will help keep a venison steak nice and moist in the oven.

Behind the Bullet: .370 Sako Magnum

In 2003, Finnish firearms manufacturer Sako released its own variant of the 9.3mm rimless cartridge: the 9.3x66mm Sako, or as it is known in the U.S., the .370 Sako Magnum. It delivers performance on par with the beloved .375 H&H in a package which can hold one additional round in the magazine in a lighter rifle.

EAA Releases Tip Up Pistol by Girsan

The MC 14 T by Girsan, imported by European American Armory Corporation, focuses on ease of use and high capacity in a very compact design.

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.