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North Texas Duck Hunts

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Duck And Goose Hunting 50 Minutes From Dallas Texas

If You hunt ducks in north Texas you have your own ways and places to hunt. No
one knows it all and every hunter can learn new secrets that when you hear them
you say “man that’s a good idea.” First of all looking for the ducks to hunt. The
way I have found the really hot morning feeding areas is to, well go look for them
before daybreak. This may sound very obvious but most duck hunters get up at 7-
8 am drive an hour or so and go look for ducks. You need to learn the flight paths
at the times you will be hunting the ducks. If you get to the duck hunting area
when the ducks are starting to leave you will most probably not get the whole pic.
You can learn two things One where the heck there coming from and where there
landing in the early am feeding times. Why do you want to know where the ducks
are coming from. To hit it in the pm once or twice a week. You can find many
different feeding flight paths this way. Rule of thumb when out before daybreak
looking for ducks. If you stop the boat and just drift you can here the ducks for
miles. If you motor every hundred yards or so and shut it down you can zero in on
them. If you have a trolling motor you can really roll in on the area. Ok that said be
very aware that you just might be moving in on a roost or night time feeding area.
Stick around for day light and see what happens to the ducks. If it is a roost and
you can hunt the lake all day great but if not your out of luck they will leave before
legal shooting time. If it is a night time feeding area you can mark it as a morning
hunting area as well. Ducks coming back from a night time feeding area. This can
be a great area. You can find this by watching the early morning sky. Hordes of
ducks coming to deep timber to drink and rest. Look for the plants that ducks like
to feed on. Smart weed beds are hot areas along with the mud flats for teal. Just
remember to be very patient it takes a lot of sitting and listening. If you see an area
that ducks seem to be using plan on sitting there for about 1-2 hours to get the
whole pic. If just a few ducks fly in, move in about 40 min. or so.

Duck Hunting Tips

Decoys…I have had the best luck in the early season Nov-mid
Dec with large amounts minimum of 6 doz. As the season
progresses and the ducks become decoy shy I bring it down to
about 3 doz. Ok the spinners everyone has them now but 9 out
of 10 people use only one or two. Use 4-5 of these and you will
be covered up in the early season put most of them away from
the main body of your duck decoys. Use the tallest pole you
can handle. The main thing is to look different from the rest of
the herd. I also use plenty of decoys with white on them. This
has the same result as the spinners. On a windy day the white
flashes on and off in the water and from the air it looks like they
are moving around from place to place. Know I have looked
from the air at 500-1000 feet. Pintail, Scaup and Canvasback
seem to work best. The pattern, well I don’t use one. I just put
the bulk of them up-wind from the blind with a long string of
them going downwind from the blind. The next one I use is two
large groups either side of the blind with a large opening in
front of the blind. Hunting divers I use min of 10 doz decoys any
decoy will do. I use the fish hook pattern with a string about 70-
80 yds down wind. Movement in the decoys. I like to use a hand
pull string. This way I can control the amount of movement
when the ducks get close in.

How To Retriever
Training Video's

richard@northtexasdogtrainers.com

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Ways To Achieve Movement In Decoys

- Kicking and thrashing your legs when
standing in the water
- Pulling decoys connected by a
jerk-string
- Swimming decoys
- Shaker decoys
- Paddling decoys
- Fluttering decoys
These Products Are Very Useful

1. As long as the ducks are coming in, forget calling.

2. When the ducks start an erratic wing beat, hit them with a
comeback call immediately to bring them back on line.

3. If they look as if they may drift off-line, use single quacks and
feed calls to bring them back online.

4. Try calling at birds as they circle when they quarter into the
wind. This will make it easier for them to set up for a landing zone
into the wind. (Anticipate their swing).

5. Remember your whistle and mix these sounds in with your
mallard call. Youngsters can blow these with ease and feel partly
responsible for bringing the ducks in! The mallard drake sound
should not be discounted either, especially on windless days!

6. Always start high and come down the scale smoothly with no
"start-up note."

7. If possible use a call that applies to the species you're trying to
call. Speak their language (eg. blue-wing teal, use a blue-wing
call).

8. When team calling, one person should be the leader while the
others just fill in. Don't compete against yourselves.

9. Realize that not all ducks are callable and that even real ducks
do not call in all the ducks all the time.

10. Be different! If what you are doing isn't working - CHANGE!
Don't get stuck in a rut!

Lifeless decoys. Allowing your decoys to appear alive or have motion will
increase your success in the field. Motion will bring birds closer to the decoys
. In this article I will discuss several tricks and products that will help to add
motion to your decoy spread
On windless days water decoys may not be very effective. When live ducks
and geese swim on calm water they cause small ripples from their motion.
There are several techniques and devices to mimic these ripples caused by
live waterfowl.
Jerk strings. These are the easiest to operate and the most cost effective.
Jerk strings can be attached to both goose and duck decoys. The jerk string
works the way it sounds. Hunters can tie 15 to 20 yards of decoy line to a
weighted keel decoy, then thread the line through a couple pound weight.
After placing the decoy and the weight in the water the hunter pulls the string,
moving the decoy and creating ripples across the calm water.
Shakers. There are many types of shakers and swimming decoys available
on the market today. All of these decoys serve the same purpose and can be
affective when used properly. I recommend that you purchase one that you
feel comfortable operating. For me I keep two shaker decoys in my bag. They
operate on AA batteries and I only turn them on when needed. Plus I always
keep extra batteries in my blind bag.
Often times hunters in flooded timber kick their legs when standing in a couple
feet of water to create the sound and ripples caused by feeding ducks. This
can easily be done when hunting spots where you have to stand in water.
However, be careful not to move too much and attract the unwanted attention
from passing birds exposing your location
Flagging. The most common technique for adding motion to field decoys while
hunting ducks and geese is flagging. There are many different types of flags
available and they can be deadly when used properly.

Types of Flags. The two basic types of flags are. Pole flags 8 to 12 feet long
and are used to attract geese at a distance. Hand flags are on a short dowel
and when used correctly, look like a goose stretching its wings. Hand flags are
used when geese are closer. “Often times when geese are committed, give
them a few flaps with a hand flag and the motion pulls them to particular side
of the spread.
Flapping wing decoys. Recreate motion caused by geese stretching their
wings. Flappers however are placed away from the hunters drawing attention
away from the concealed field blinds. When used properly different types of
wing flappers do an awesome job of bringing geese in.(Add Weight To The
Decoy)
When flagging or using a flapper decoy it is important not to use them too
much or when geese are directly above your location. I have found that
flagging is the most effective when geese are at a distance or going away
from your spread.
Motion stakes add natural motion with just a 10 mph wind. These stakes also
prop-up shell decoys giving them the appearance of a full-body. Avery motion
stakes can be used with any shell decoy. Hunters just have to drill a hole in
the top of the shell that balances out the weight of the decoy. Higdon Decoy
Company also makes stackable shells that come equipped with motion stakes.
These decoys appear to be birds that are walking or feeding to airborne
flocks.
Windsocks have been used to hunt geese out of fields for a long time. These
decoys operate the best with a 10 mph wind and are used almost exclusively
for snow geese. Snow geese feed through fields very quickly, therefore the
walking motion the wind creates in the socks makes the decoys look real.
Using too few windsocks is the biggest mistake I see hunters making when
snow goose hunting. You cannot buy just a dozen or so windsocks and expect
to shoot geese. I know that everyone is not made of money, but each member
of your party should try to contribute to the spread. I would try to buy by the
100s rather than dozen’s.
Windsocks can also be used to add motion to Canada goose decoy spreads.
A couple buddies of mine mix them in with their full-bodies to add realism.
They have found that using one windsock for every dozen full-bodies is about
the right ratio.
Spinners for ducks can be highly affective in fields and over water. The
studies that have been done on them prove that they work, especially for
Mallards. Spinners are now banned during some parts of season and
completely in some states. Personally I will continue to use one as long as it is
legal to do so.
Spinners are like any other device used to add motion to your decoys; when
they are used properly they can help and when not they can hurt. There are a
few things to keep in mind when using one or more.

Make sure that the wings on your spinner do not reflect in the sun. An easy
way to fix this is by re-painting them with flat paint. When using multiple
spinners try setting them at different heights. Make sure to turn your spinner
off if there are geese working towards your spread. Spinners don’t seem to
scare geese but often the geese will continue to circle waiting for the duck to
land.
http://www.takeem.com/landing-zone.php

LINK

MOTION IN YOUR SPREAD
Jerk cords have been the duck hunter's friend for many years," he
said. "I've got a couple of them rigged in my permanent spread,
and they really make a difference."
I feel that though the many varieties of moving decoys have their
place, some are more trouble, and are more expensive, than
they're really worth. "The Robo-Duck and other spinning-wing
decoys that have become so popular in the last few years are
beginning to lose a lot of their effectiveness," he said. "You could
see a difference in the way ducks reacted to them even as early
as the second year they were used. I'm not saying they don't work
any more - because there are days when they do still make a
difference - but we've educated an entire population of ducks,
and the education is continental in scope. Ducks are becoming
more and more wise to spinners, and the huge advantage the
spinners gave hunters that first year or two just isn't there any
more. Ever since the first duck hunter waded into backwater,
we've been kicking the water to create motion.I also believe in
this, but with a few cautionary words. "If there wasn't some value
to it, it would have gone out of favor over the past 100 years or
so," he said. "But be careful when and how hard you kick. Don't
risk it when the birds are headed your way, unless you're behind
a large-enough tree to completely hide your movements. I've also
spooked ducks by kicking too hard and making too loud a splash.
Just stir the water a little - that's all you need."

DECOY SPREADS
As far as the spread itself is concerned, I don't think much of the
fancy J-hook, double-oval and crossed-lines placement patterns
you see in waterfowl hunting how-to books.
"Just chunk 'em out and don't try to think so hard," he said. "The
most important thing is that you leave places in your spread for
ducks to light. If your spread is a big one, you also need to leave
a few flight lanes. Ducks don't like to cross decoys, and if you
don't leave lanes for them to fly through, they'll swing wide almost
every time."
Public-land hunters generally don't use big decoy spreads, if they
use decoys at all. Most hunters rely on calling and kicking water,
and this works fine when there are good numbers of ducks and
they're in a working mood. But when ducks are scarce and/or
call-shy, I believe, even a dozen or two dozen decoys can be a big
advantage in green-timber hunting.
"You need a little better opening, so the ducks can see them, but
they'll often turn the trick when everything else fails. Just put the
decoys right where you want the ducks to be when it's time to
shoot. If the hole is big enough, put the decoys from the middle of
the hole to the upwind edge of it, to give incoming ducks the best
chance to see them and to give the ducks a place to land. You
want the ducks to light to your decoys, not land in them. Give
them a place to sit."

CALLING ALL DUCKS
We come to the part about calling ducks. "I love to call ducks,
and usually I'm pretty aggressive with it, but there are times when
the best thing to do is put the call in your pocket and grab the jerk
string."
But how do you know which times are which? "By trying different
stuff. A lot of hunters, though, give them too much. Those loud,
long hail calls you hear in the contests don't have a place in the
duck woods. I like to start off to a bunch of ducks with a few loud,
short licks - QUACK, QUACK, quack-quack-quack. That will get
their attention, and it sounds more natural than a long, drawn-out
hail call."
I also believe in trying high ducks. "Lots of hunters don't think they
can break those twinklers down, but sometimes it works," he said.
"You won't get 'em all, but you won't get any of 'em if you don't try."
When I hunt in green timber, I practices a tactic I calls "trolling."
"Basically, I just try to sound like a happy little hen," . "I just call a
little - mostly contented stuff, a few quacks, some clucks, some
feeding calls. In the timber, you're not going to see all the ducks
that are in hearing range of your calling, so it pays to make some
duck noise even when you don't have ducks in sight. Try to sound
like a duck, instead of like a hunter blowing a duck call."Once I
am working a flight of ducks, I trie to take cues from their
reaction and adjusts my calling accordingly. "If you find something
they like, keep at it," . "I like to keep ducks thinking in my direction.
Lots of times when you lay off of them, they'll see something else,
or they might hear a live hen, and a live hen will kick your butt
every time.
"Sometimes I'll stay on 'em all the way down. Sometimes you get
to a point where you feel like you ought to slack up on them, and
then you lose them. I use a lot of hard feed calling on
approaching ducks, even in the woods. I think that sounds a lot
more like ducks on the water than a bunch of loud quacking."
I usually shut up when the ducks make that first pass directly
overhead, but I hit them again when they get past.
"I like to call 'on the corners.' When you see wingtips and tail
feathers, it's time to hit them hard and get them turned. But try to
let them get far enough away on that last downwind swing so they
have time to line up right when they come back. You can turn
ducks too quick and they'll miss you when they come back, so
sometimes you have to let them carry out there a little bit so they
can set up right for the shooting."
Whether or not two or more hunters should be calling to the ducks
depends on a lot of things . Among those things are the
experience and skill of the callers, the call-wariness of the ducks,
wind speed and a few other factors.
"Even if it's the best duck callers there can be too much," . "It's OK
for everybody to help get a flock started, but you're usually better
off if one person finishes them. With too many folks calling,
sometimes you can blow 'em out. You have to slack off sometimes
to let 'em in, and it's easier when only one person is doing it."
In the final analysis, the main mistake most duck hunters make -
with their calling, decoy placement, hunting techniques or other
facets of the sport - is falling into a rut.
"Try not to have a consistent way of doing things," . "Having a
favorite calling style or hunting method is one thing, but when that
favorite way becomes the only way you do something, it's going to
cost you. Be versatile; try new things. Sooner or later you'll hit on
what's working."

Without a doubt, the introduction of layout blinds is one of the biggest assets to
field hunters in the past decade. Every year, existing models get makeovers adding
better modifications. There are many brands on the market, and many models can
be found of each. I’ve hunted out of most of the major brands on the market, and
each of them has their pros and cons. But no matter what brand you choose,
making the transition from hunting on the ground to hunting out of a blind is an
enjoyable one. Not only does it keep you out of the wind, and allow room for storing
gear, it also allows the hunter to hide like never before. But in order to hide
effectively, you need to be prepared on how to properly conceal your blind.

First and foremost, when you first purchase a blind you must “mud it up”. The
fabric from the manufacturer tends to be shiny, causing your blind to stick out and
flare game. You can easily cover this shine by covering it with mud. An easy way to
do this is to fill a bucket with some dirt, than fill with enough water to just cover the
dirt, and mix it until it’s in a paste form. From there you can use a standard paint
brush and apply the muddy paste all over the blind. Give it plenty of hours to dry,
than later you can brush it off. It will sort of dull the camo pattern, but that’s a good
thing. From there your blind is ready to hunt.

Keep in mind that layout layout blinds aren’t very effective out of the box. Birds are
getting wise to field blinds, and are getting good at spotting them from above. Not
only will the camo pattern probably clash with the fields surroundings, you’ll also be
dealing with shadows on sunny days. Still try to take advantage of natural cover
when available, and know when you’ll be able to effectively hide a blind in the field
you’re scouting. Some days we’ll still keep the blinds in the truck when keeping a
low profile is a must. With some effort you can hide your blinds effectively in almost
every situation.
Here’s some scenario’s where you’ll need to hide your blind:

Mud

The toughest terrain to hide a layout blind in, is in a muddy situation. No matter
what camouflage pattern your blind is, or what vegetation you stuff over your blind,
it’s still going to stick out from the surrounding dirt. But with a little work you can
hide your blind beautifully. Try the mudding procedure that was mentioned earlier.
It’s a bit messy and tedious, but it’s necessary if you want to take advantage of
your blinds concealment capabilities. It’s also a good idea to use the mud from the
area you’ll be hunting to ensure a good color match.

Green

Hunting in green colored fields can be very difficult to hide in. In the areas we hunt,
it’s uncommon, but we do hunt in green fields at least once a year. I’m assuming
that whatever camo pattern you have, it’ll stick out in a green field like a sore
thumb. You will need to stuff the camo straps with vegetation, and it will take some
time to have it done right. If you try to stuff the blind one handful at a time pulled
from the field, you’ll be there all morning. But there are a few tips that can help
minimize the time spent concealing the bind. First, we’ll assign a couple of the guys
in the crew to collection duty. While we setup the spread, they use rakes to collect
vegetation for the blinds. If the vegetation in the field is short in height, you might
want to try the surrounding field edges and ditches. That vegetation will be longer
and will conceal more of your blind. When you’re finished you will be amazed at
how good a blind can look fully stuffed!
Stubble

We do a lot of hunting in various types of grain stubble. When cut low they can be
very tricky to hide in, and like the green fields, the vegetation can be quite minimal.
Again, we’ll use the same method at collecting vegetation. A good rake can collect
the stubble easier than by hand. Use your best judgment to determine how much
stuffing is needed. If time is critical in the morning, you might want to try doing your
concealment at night.

Plowed Stubble

If you’re hunting a field that’s been plowed, than you’re looking at a mixture of
stubble and dirt colors. Whether it’s corn stubble or grain stubble, you’ll need to
put in some work. Some blind camo patterns on the market do a pretty good job
alone, but the dark hues may not mesh with the field very well. Try a mixture of the
mudding procedure, with some added stubble in the straps and you can hide well.
How much or how little will depend on your judgment of the field.

Corn

If it’s a plowed field, than you’ll want to try the “plowed stubble” method mentioned
previously. If it’s knocked down corn than your dealing with the easiest
concealment situation in my experience. You can simply pile up corn stalks around
your blind, and stuff the doors. Piling up the corn stalks is much easier than
stuffing one strap at a time, and looks even better in my opinion. If you’re moving
your blind around a lot, you have to make sure you remember to keep the blind
hidden. It can be easy to overlook your blinds concealment, but try not to get too
sloppy.

Peas / Beans

Ouch. I don’t like to hide blinds in bean or pea fields. The vegetation isn’t easy to
stuff, and the vegetation isn’t high off the ground. If you must use your blinds, use
plenty of mud and throw the vegetation on it while the mud is still wet so it’ll stick.
When it dries it’ll hold up pretty well, but it can fall off if you’re not careful.

Snow

Depending on where you live, this may or may not be an issue for you. But for us
we may spend a good part of the regular and late season hunting over snow, and
during some spring seasons. Hiding a blind in the snow can actually be very easy.
You can use old white bed sheets to stuff in the blind, and is an inexpensive
method. There are blind colors available on the market that are white and made to
hide in snow. Be a little weary though of these covers, a lot of the older models
have UV problems. The cover will look white up close but from a distance they will
have a bluish tint. If you have one of these older models I suggest buying a can of
flat white paint and paint over it to hide the tint.

Another great tip for hiding blinds in snow is with snow flocking. It’s the spray that’s
used to flock Christmas trees, and costs around $1/can. It will take at least a can to
cover a blind, and it’s better to have plenty of extra cans depending on how it
looks. Make sure to store the cans in a warm environment, they don’t spray very
well when cold. The flocking can be wiped off the blind easily, and in some rare
instances you may need to remud your blind if some of the white hue holds.

Finally, bring a shovel. You can throw snow over the foot base and around the
sides of the blind. It’s very quick and easy and can save you a lot of work.

There’s three final tips I want to share. First, you can look into blind colors that’ll
better match your surroundings. You can get a cover for pretty much every
camouflage on the market, and they help as a base over the original when taken
out of its matched surroundings. But keep in mind that the cover should still be
stuffed with some of the surrounding vegetation to help it look more natural.
Second, you can also buy fake grass materials to use as stuffing. This is a quick
and easy way to use stuffing, but the stuffing won't always be a very good match
for the field's vegatation. The final tip I want to share is to use decoys around your
blinds to help conceal. Silhouettes work great to break them up 2-dimensionally,
but you can also use full bodies. Not only do they work great to conceal, but
decoys also help break up the shadow of the blind. On sunny days the shadow can
be very difficult to deal with, especially on higher profile blinds.

The methods we use to hide our blinds come from countless hours of testing
techniques in the field. Although I feel these methods work great, we’re always
coming up with more efficient and effective ways. Use these methods as a base,
and don’t be afraid to experiment!

I think snow goose hunters spend the most money out of all species
of waterfowl hunters (excluding what some duck hunters pay for their
boat/accessories). It seems that no matter how many decoys one
owns, it's never enough. Ask anyone who hunts with me and I'm sure
they'll agree that I kind of have a problem with this. I quit fighting it
years ago, I'm a decoy addict so I just roll with it.
Decoying snow geese is typically a numbers game, not always, but
more often then not. I know some people who consistently hunt over
small decoy spreads under 100 decoys, and they claim to do quite
well. But over a long period of time and a lot of snow goose hunting,
there are just too many situations that call for a larger decoy spread.
I would have to say the magic number for most snow goose hunters
is 1,000 decoys. Yes that's right, 1,000 decoys. While that might
seem overkill to some, when you're hunting snow goose feeds in the
thousands, an ultra-small spread just isn't realistic. But also keep in
mind that I feel that there is a ceiling where it doesn't matter if you
put out more. For example, I've hunted in spreads far exceeding
3,000 decoys and I don't think we would've done any different if we
had 500 out. Judging by how the birds reacted, it didn't matter.
Here's a scenario for you to ponder. A couple springs ago, we were
setup in a flooded cornfield in South Dakota with about 500-600
decoys. The following weekend, there was 10,000 decoys setup in
the exact same spot with about an equal number of birds using the
area, and we ended up shooting more with 500 decoys than the
other group with 10,000 decoys and far more shooters. Sure a lot of
other variables come into play besides just the decoys themselves,
but when you think of a spread that large you would assume they
would all just barrel right in. That just isn't the case.

Often there are restrictions on decoys - in Saskatchewan, you
cannot use any non-snow goose decoys in your spread while using
an E-caller
One of the most common questions that has come up in the snow
goose forum over the years is, which decoys should I buy? The
answer just isn't the same for everyone. Here are the questions I like
to ask when this question comes up.
How often do you hunt snows, or how serious do you take snow
goose hunting? What is your budget?
I combined the 2 questions together because I feel they are related.
Obviously the more serious you take your snow goose hunting and
the bigger the budget, the more options you will have. For those on
a limited budget you have to consider buying used decoys, buying
cheaper decoys, or building your own. I also feel one of the most
important things you have to keep in mind is as follows. Are you
trying to build up your spread for the short term or are you buying
decoys that you hope to be using 10 years from now? I am one of
those who'd prefer to spend extra up front to ensure I'm doing it right
the first time. I have owned pretty much every snow goose decoy on
the market for the past 15 or so years, and many of those are broke
and disposed, sold, or given away. I rebuilt my spread from scratch
2 years ago and I feel confident in my decision.
Do you hunt snow geese in the spring, fall, or both? Do you have an
ATV or will you always have access to one when you hunt snows?
I ask this because you typically have different conditions to work with
in both seasons. In the fall, we almost always can drive into the field
to setup our decoys. In the spring, I assume it to be the opposite.
Those where I can drive in I consider a bonus. I combined the
question on ATV's for those who hunt the spring a lot or all the time.
I spent most of my spring hunting years without an ATV, therefore I
always had to be efficient in how I transported my decoys. I have
spent as much as 7 hours setting up a decoy spread. With that
experience in mind, I do not recommend doing it, nor do I want to go
through that again. As a result of trial and error, we can get my
entire spread out in 1-2 hours.
Do you have a trailer?

With large flocks and feeds come the need for large decoy spreads
This is a key question because you are limited in how many decoys
you can actually take with you on each hunt. In my trailer, I have
almost all of my snow goose decoys hanging on the wall and tucked
away in the front. The amount of space you can save with some of
the modern decoys is amazing compared to the older days. On the
other hand, I know some people who fill their 20-foot trailers with full
bodies. If you plan on purchasing a trailer, you need to parallel that
decision with the decoy spread you are pursuing.
Do you have room to store your decoys in your garage, storage
shed, etc.?
This question is kind of related to the previous question about
owning a trailer. How much room will you have to store them all? Are
they going in an attic, staying in a trailer, or are they just piled up
somewhere? You also have to consider how many dirty looks you
can take from your spouse, because if you stack up half of the
garage you will get many (I know from experience).
How comfortable are you spending time doing maintenance on your
decoys?
This can be huge when it comes to decoys. Let's face it, in the
manufacturing market of today, most everything is made as cheap
as possible. They have to make a buck, it's the American way. So
with that being said, there are a lot of weak decoys in the market.
Anything that is plastic is really just begging to break. Even when
you think you know exactly how NOT to break the decoy, you end up
spending a weekend hunting with 5 guys who seem to be really
good at it. It happens so don't lie to yourself when you want to drop
money on a decoy you know is flimsy. Do as much research on the
Internet as possible, there are A LOT of opinions available. If you're
patient, I recommend purchasing a dozen or two of various decoys
and test them all throughout a season to judge for yourself. I did this
with the decoys I use now and I'm glad I did.
Is the time it takes you to setup important? I guess the question
related to this is, how much do you value your sleep before hunting?
There has been quite a decoy craze for snow geese the past 5 or so
years. There has been quite the bandwagon on stacking up as
many full body decoys as possible. I don't blame someone for
making that plunge, there are some really nice looking decoys on
the market today. I'm also hearing that many of these full body
hunters are spending between 3-5 hours to setup on average
spread, often more. Now I'm not going to hate on anyone for doing
it, my hat's off to you. I could do that easily when I was in high school
and college, nowadays I just don't have that kind of time. I know a
snow goose hunter who used a large full-body spread for an entire
year and then sold them all. For the work, he claimed he just wasn't
seeing any difference in how the birds decoyed. Opinions will vary,
and so will decoy choices every year. But I often feel setup time is
overlooked when buying decoys which I feel is a big mistake.

Here are 3 scenarios I find for a snow goose hunter:
1)Snow goose hunter who doesn't actively decoy much, or wants to
give it a try. The budget is generally pretty low so the cheapest
he/she can get into a decent spread the better. Space is fairly
limited and should usually fit in a truck bed.
2)Snow goose hunter who does pursue snow geese often. This
hunter likes to be mobile and is without an ATV, and space is limited
for both storing and transport. The budget is low to medium.
3)Snow goose hunter who does pursue snow geese often. This
hunter has plenty of space, has access to an ATV, and the budget
is the highest of the 3.
Keep in mind these are 3 common scenarios, and there are many. I
also included the ATV part for those who hunt snow geese in the
spring.
For the guy in option 1, you're looking at windsock or collapsible
type decoys. Forget the shells or the full bodies, unless you foresee
yourself getting richer down the road. My first suggestion is to go to
the classifieds, and seek out various windsock style decoys. There
are a lot of windsocks that sell on the net from classifieds such as
ours. Of course there are also big sites like Ebay. Also DO NOT
overlook your local garage sales or classifieds, I found some of my
best deals there over the years. And if you want to buy new on a
budget, there are a lot of manufacturers that offer a cheaper or
“economy” version where you can paint and construct yourself.
These are usually good deals if you have the time. Texas rags are
the cheapest of all snow goose decoys, and require quite a bit of
assembly. Personally, I did the rag thing for years and I ended up
throwing them all away. See what happens to your spread in high
winds in a cornfield, it'll get torn to shreds. But in some areas this is
still a heavily used decoy for various reasons, to each their own.

For the guy in option 2, you need to look long term with your buying
decisions. I would put myself in this category. I've often heard the
phrase, “your decoy spread is only as good as your worst decoy.” I
would have to agree. With this being said, buy what you're the most
confident with. I was just in this situation when I rebuilt my decoy
spread from scratch a couple years ago. I had what I called a “mutt
spread” that was full of various styles and brands. My most common
decoy was a windsock, and they were loaded in large plastic tubs.
They worked, but there was often drawbacks such as weight (steel
stakes get heavy in large numbers), mud/blood/rust getting on the
decoys, and transport. So when I purchased my new spread I went
for the most realism, movement, and portability. I went that entire
route with my spread and it's proved to be a good decision based on
how I hunt. Since many ask, I mostly use Sillosock feeder decoys on
carriers and Deadly Decoys for my sentries. If I want, I can move the
blinds and around 900 decoys all in the back of my truck if needed
(although usually in the trailer). To be honest, they are both
sponsors of the site, but regardless, if I did it all over again I still
would have bought the same spread. It's always easier to support
products you are confident using by choice.

For the guy in option 3, the sky is the limit. It appears that these are
usually the hunters who run the larger full body spreads. If that is
you, here is what I recommend. First and foremost, get a system to
your transport and setup of your decoys. If you can afford it, the
slotted decoy bags are awesome to store/transport/set out. I use
these for all my Canada full body decoys. Second, I would have
plenty of friends to help you set them out. If you're running hundreds
of full bodies, it will take a long time to setup no matter how you slice
it. I know some groups where everyone pitches in on the spread and
they all hunt together. Great, just make sure that you're not moving
in the near future otherwise you're stuck with a small full body
spread yourself.
Let's face it, the old days of sticking out paper plates, old
homemades, or even diapers (one of my favorites) are gone.
Nowadays we have decoys that move and look exactly like geese,
with real flying decoys circling overhead. While in the background is
a 4-system, 16-speaker surround sound e-caller system, boasting
enough snow goose sounding volume that would make a rock star
jealous. And while the effectiveness has come and gone, like a black
jack table at the casino, the house will always win in the long run. As
the old saying goes, “We will never win the war on snow geese, God
just won't allow it.” But it sure is fun to try......

When I duck hunt in water i have several dozen of these
out to add movement to the decoys..Very good for mud
flats..Work as well or better than full body

These wind sock decoys work very well in shallow water
and add lots of movement to the spread..They have
back bones so they are always full and do not lay limp in
the water..I have them on two foot PVC pipe for deeper
water

To Purchase Deadly Goose Decoys

These Wind sock decoys are as deadly
as there name implies. Deadly Decoys,
Inc. Manufacturer of ultra realistic
windsock decoys.Welcome to Deadly
Decoys, Inc. manufacturer of ultra
realistic windsock decoys. In recent
years, there has been a push toward
realism in waterfowl decoys. This trend
has not carried over to windsock decoys
as both manufacturers and waterfowl
hunters have largely overlooked them.
Windsocks have huge advantages over
other types of decoys. They are light
weight, compact, affordable, and add
unrivaled movement to your spread. Most
hunters agree that large decoy spreads
and movement is very attractive to ducks
and geese. The biggest downfall of
windsock decoys has been the lack of
realism and their limp look on no wind
days. Deadly Decoys has designed a
decoy that addresses both of these
problems, resulting in a deadly decoy
that has a full body appearance with a
windsock price.

To Purchase SilloSocks Goose Decoys