So i am looking into buying about 3 dozen decoys and saw that academy sells them for around 20-30 bucks for a dozen mallard. I am just going to bring them to hunt with a buddy that already has some, but i would like to be able to hunt with just these decoys if the circumstances allowed.

Should I buy the more expensive ones from bass pro or cabelas, because they look more life like?

What other types of birds would go good with mallard?

Or i guess, what all should i get if i have nothing but waders and a gun?

3 dozen is alot. i have two dozen, and i kill limits. it all depends on where you are hunting. if i wanted to spend 2-30 bucks, i would goto gander and buy the flambeau masters series. they look more life like then the cheapos at academy, and are still only 25 bucks

There are some things that you may want to consider that you may have just not made clear in your post...

How are you going to transoport these decoys...meaning are you going to have a 4 wheeler to load them up? I say that because it may be easier to go light (not so many decoys) if you're going to have to haul everything a long ways...carrying your gun, shells, bag full of decoys and everything else you need can get pretty heavy pretty quick on a long walk...

We've hunted the last 3 years with the same decoys from Academy...the ones from bass pro, cabelas, and gander mountain sure are nice, but what we have now seems to work pretty well...people swear certain brands are more lifelike and work better, but our birds still continue to lock up pretty well...ive also heard those expensive decoys chip pretty easily and have to be repainted...depending on the terrain you hunt, those pretty decoys get just as muddy as the cheap ones

We usually have a mix of birds in our spread...some mallards...pintails...teal...all depends on the size of the area we are hunting...smaller areas we may just have teal decoys with a couple big ducks just to get their attention...

Ultimately, it depends on your budget...if you have the money, go for it!

Something else to think about decoys is how you rig them...this website (hopefully it works) shows a quick and easy way to transport, pick them up, and store them rather than winding the string and weight up around the bottom of the decoy...

http://www.txwaterfowler.com/html_pages/duck_hunting/texas_rigged_decoys/index.htm

I haven't baught decoys for a few years, with the exception of a few replacement decoys last year, but GHG decoys are my favorite. I've got plenty of the the Academy specials that have last several years. I think the difference, beside the detail, is the durability. I don't shoot the decoys, but inevitably, people you hunt with will. My brother being the worst. The cheap ones will start riding low in the water almost imediately after being shot. The GHG decoys will take a lot of damage before you have to replace them. My plan is to replace about half a dozen each year with new GHG decoys.

The species and the amount you need depend on the area you are hunting. Do a little research on this and you'll have your answer. I've hunted over three mallard decoys and I've hunted over seven dozen decoys made up of mallards, teal, gadwall, and pintail. It all depends on your area, the water you hunt and the time of the year.

Aggie Hunter, I will mostly be walking, the main place i have to hunt is public land (Peach Point WMA) and you have to walk. If its water i am walking through then I will probably end up buying one of those sled things to pull the decoys, etc. on.
I have some money that I am going to spend on duck decoys, I think 2 dozen mallard, half dozen pintail, and some teal will be a good start for me.

Any suggestions on calls?

bullsprig01: life size or over size?


[This message has been edited by IrishFishermen (edited 10/16/2007 9:24a).]

get some GHG gadwall & greenwing teal. can't go wrong there since you'll be shooting those mostly.

I own close to 1000 decoys. All makes and models and I can tell you that the biggest factor in picking decoys is the type of keel you want and the durability of the paint. I hunt and abuse the dekes due to customers shooting them, getting them thrown around the boat etc..the paint must be tough. the other thing is the keel. You really need to buy decoys that float up no matter what. I still have a bunch of water keel flambous and they suck. I just have to use them because of the amount that I put out in the big bays. I normally hunt over 120+ and it even though I buy more every year, I still get 50 or more that get shot every year and have to be fixed. Just my 10cents.

Sounds good man...those sleds are going to be your best friend...

Good luck!

as far as calls. i really wouldnt spend more then thirty bucks. my personal favorit is the wood wench by primos http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000CPYJIM?ie=UTF8&condition=new&tag=msnshop-sports-mp-20&creative=380345&creativeASIN=B000CPYJIM&linkCode=asm
, or the quackstacker, made by the same company as rnt

Dont buy the Academy specials, thats what I did when I got into duck hunting many years ago, and within two years I replaced all of them with GHG. I personally like GHG alot, some people dont, but for the price you cant get a longer lasting and better looking decoy. I would say 2 dozen is sufficient for anywhere except for the most open of water. Starting out, I would recommend the GHG hot buy mallards, ($20 a dozen if you shop around) and two puddler packs, which include a drake and a hen of gadwalls, green wings and pintails ($35 for each). That would bring your total to under $100 to start and thats a great beginning spread with lots of variety. You will always be adding more decoys, for variety and just to replace some old ones. Also, flambeau sucks, paint chips and they dont look that great.

For a call I would recommend the Little Easy from Cutt Down calls, or the Quack Stacker by Quackhead (RNT). Both are great sounding calls and easy to learn on. Dont forget to buy a cd, that is the best way to learn, and keep practicing.

[This message has been edited by mneisch (edited 10/16/2007 10:00a).]

Oh, I almost forgot, Texas rigging is the way to go. I just got done doing all my decoys and it is awesome, I cant believe that I hadnt done it before. If you cant get the heavy mono, use weedeater line, it works just as well.

Hell if you can afford it go for an RnT (Rich n Tone) they run about 70 bucks or so but are pretty damn good calls.

wait till the end of season. I bought about 10 dozen new flambeaus at Academy for $7.88/dozen after the close of duck season

We have found that out at Peach Point that numbers are what it is all about. With all the spreads out there on any given day you need to stand out from every one else. The Flambeaus are a good cheap way to go but they suck. They blow over in high wind and will flip over easily. Their paint is crap and wont hold up for a full season. A few years ago we drove up to Henrietta Oklahoma and bought some G&H seconds from the factory. Those old guys up there hooked us up when we told them where we came from. Those G&H decoys are bad arse! The green head gear that gander has are pretty good also. Sure they are a bit more expensive but they will hold up allot better over the years. Also try to get some motion into your spread. Like I said before you want to stand out at Peach Point. Any thing that you can do to get their attention out there will pay big dividends. I know that buying decoys is expensive but if you do it right the first time you won’t have to do it every year! I have 9 dozen myself. I didn't buy them all at once though. I am still in school and pops doesn’t pay me enough to do it all at once! I try to buy about 2 dozen each year. I will use them as I see fit. Depending on where I am hunting tells me what to get out of the garage. Last year I lost 4 dozen due to a flood out on the Navasota that I wasn't expecting. I used to leave the ones that I was using in the blind. NEVER AGAIN! That was a cruddy day.

I would go with the puddle ducks when looking buying decoys. Mallards of coarse are a great start, Pintails ad allot of white into the spread as well as Widgeon, a dozen teal are good for adding variation to it and so are some of the magnum decoys. If you want some divers in it look at some Cans, Ringers or Scaup for some contrasting colors. Just fool around with them and find what you have the most confidence in. I hope this helps.

[This message has been edited by TexAg0308 (edited 10/16/2007 3:50p).]

As far as calls go I use a Foils Timber Rattler. Its great but sticks a bit if I don't keep it dry. Which is hard with a dip in. I also have a RNT Daisy Cutter that I think is ok. But for the $ it better be ok! One of my best friends little brothers bought a buck gardner spit tech double nasty a few years ago and It is awesome. I think I will try to get one this year. If you don't want to spend a lot of $ then go get a regular buck gardners double nasty. Its pretty good but will stick a bit when wet. Duck Commander makes some great duck call that are pretty reasonable as well. Once again I hope this helps man!

TexAg0308:
So would say that a mojo or something like that would be good out there for motion, or just have some stuff that moves?
Also, Does the RNT Daisy Cutter stick when you have dip in? This is very precious information as I will more than likely not be able to keep the call dry with a pinch in.
You say you used to hunt at peach point, why not anymore? I saw you posted when i had the discussion about peach point, did you go to high school around there?

DuckGuide1: What type of keel do I want? I dont quite know the difference.

mneisch: Whats the difference between the GHG Hot Buy Mallards and the life size ones besides the price?


[This message has been edited by IrishFishermen (edited 10/17/2007 10:35a).]

The hot buys dont have a removable keel like the life-size and over-size decoys do. There isnt a whole lot of difference, hot buys arent as detailed, but they are great for the price. I would recommned weighted keels, the problem with water keels is that if you throw them out in the dark, without actually placing them down in the water, half of them will be upside down. You then have to go around and fix each one, they also dont ride as naturally in the water as weighted keels. Last, if you get weighted keels, decide they weigh too much, you can always turn them into water keels by dumping the sand out of them. Water keels cant be made into weighted keels as easily.

If you are in CS, I'll be more than happy to show you all my decoys, how I have them rigged, what Flambeaus look like compared to GHG and everything else you are asking about. When it comes to hunting, experience is the best teacher. You can only learn so much from the internet. Shoot me an email, my address is in my profile.

I've hunted with Flambeau's for years. Not the best out there, but if you don't make a habit of punching holes in your decoys they will work fine.

I also don't believe the detail in the paint makes all that much of a difference. I know several old timers that hunted with all black decoys and managed to do extremely well over their lifetimes. I'm not saying it hurts you at all to have life like paint, but I don't see it as an absolute necessity.

I'm also a fan of the Faulk's line of calls. Wood calls, easy to use and have great sounds. I've never had a problem calling with Copenhagen in my mouth, and they are about a $20 call. It hasn't failed me in the 15-20 years I've used it. The expensive calls are just that - expensive. They might have a little better sound, but I havent' come across a call yet that is worth $100 or more. Stick with a good quality and good priced call and you won't go wrong.

I've heard great things about the GHC decoys from people outside of the internet, and I don't think theya re all that expensive. They would probably be your best choice. The number you use is going to be dependent on where you hunt, so ask around to people that hunt in your general area. If you are on Peach Point, you need more decoys than I'll need on Matagorda bay, and I need more on Matagorda than I do on my buddy's land outside of Alvin where we hunt on flooded fields.

Everything seems to be covered about decoys.

I will throw in just a little advice I have learned. Coot decoys can add confidence to a spread down in the marsh and on some lakes like Rayburn and Toledo. Hunting the river, it never hurts to add a Blue heron decoy or something of that nature on the outside of a spread just for confidence.

For your first trip I would recommend carrying in 2-3 dozen decoys on your back and leave the sled at home. The trails at peach point have some large clumps of vegetation that make dragging a sled pretty difficult in some places. It will be a pain in the butt dragging that sled in and out.

My bag is mostly teal for numbers (you can carry more) with a few bigger ducks mixed in for some visibility.

Some of the hunt locations are in 6 inches to a foot of standing water, so be prepared.

Also, if you have a q beam with a car plug or battery bring it. When you reach you parking area, spot your reflector before you start walking and it could save you a few hundred yards of walking through the marsh.

I used to be there almost every weekend before it got too crowded, but I got fed up with the crazy line at 530 the afternoon before the hunt. We used to do pretty well there, but it wasnt as good the last few seasons that we were there, so we moved on to other less popular locations.

Good luck

Problem solved: Be in the spot where the ducks want to be and you could have a spread of tin cans and you will kill ducks. It dosen't really make a difference to the ducks what type of decoys you are using, they can't ID decoys brands from the air.

?1- A mojo is a good start, also you may want to try a shaker, back when we hunted there we rigged up some jerk coards which were the money shot for us.

?2- The daisy cutter will stick just like my timber rattler. I just have to check it from time to time keeping it as dry as possible. I also have a few cheepies on my lanyard that I can grab if one of my others craps out on me.

?3- I grew up in Cypress and went to Cy-Fair. PP is about an hour away. We learned about it from our baseball coach. We used to take out on a friday after school and get in line early. It was a cheap place to hunt. In highschool we didn't have the money to be on a lease or for a boat so it was a good place that we could walk into and hunt. We also hunted Mad Island WMA and Guadalupe Delta WMA. I no longer hunt there because I am here in C.S. My soon to be Father in Law owns a big chunk of property on the Navasota. I love hunting the flooded timber and driving to my blind on a four wheeler beats the crap out of the PP death marches that we used to make. I also now have rich oldag friends that have fancy expensive boats. I am just leaching off of them now!

[This message has been edited by TexAg0308 (edited 10/18/2007 11:30a).]

[This message has been edited by TexAg0308 (edited 10/18/2007 11:31a).]

IslandFishingGuy01: So what your saying is that I should be in for making some great memorys of horrible walks through the Peach Point terrain....cant wait. Are their blinds out there where the assigned spots are? Or is there any kind of tall grass to at least sit in for cover?

TexAg0308: Sounds like your making a good choice on marriage. Do you recommend any kind of shaker? Would a jerk cord be a fishing line tied to a couple of decoys and strung to you? Also same questions about peachpoint that i asked above: Are their blinds out there where the assigned spots are? Or is there any kind of tall grass to at least sit in for cover?

Is everyone tired of me asking questions about Peach Point and want me to figure it out myself.

The last question about peach point is: When you park out there to wait all night, Can you drink beer or are you on state property?

Get one of those wabble duck butts if you can find one. The Jerk cord is just a long cord connecting 4 or so deeks to it and run back to you. There are no blinds out there You need to sit close to your marker but not right on top of it if there is an area of taller grass close by with a favorable wind by all means go get in it. Bring a low chair with a back on it if you wand or a lay out blind. We just layed on the ground and tried to stay as low as possible. Every thing will get muddy and wet so prepare yourself for that. As far as drinking goes... Well just be smart about it, We used to get rowdy out there but that was some time ago. Go the first time and feel it out. Bring a grill and some food along with you and a comfie chair to chill in. Mingl with the other guys they are mostly friendly. Some are a$$ bags but for the most part they are good people who are in the same situation that you are in. They just want to kill birds. Once you go the first time you will see what I am talking about. Go out there and enjoy every part of it. Looking back on it some of my favorite stories come from the memories that I had walking threw that mud for 30 min. The walks are what makes it an adventure. Once you get to your spot you aren't really sure that you can make the walk back. J/K Some spots are worse than others just look at the airial photograph and ask the Biologist what he thinks are the easiest and most productive spots left.

for those that care. I took a little bit of everyone's advice. I bought the life size GHG puddler pack with 2 gadwall, 2 pintail, and 2 widgeon. 1 dozen GHG hot buy mallards. 1 dozen Flambeau green wing teal.

Quackstacker call.

What is the best way to learn calling? I see CDs that have ducks in nature noises. Should i just listen to this and try and match it up?

I'd get some more pintail if it were me, but I usually hunt where pintails make up about half the birds I see. As far as learning how to call, get a DVD or CD that will actually teach you how to call, or get someone that is a good caller (not just competent as they'll probably have bad habits that you won't want) and have them teach you how to do it. The key for me is fast air though.

If you have never called before, get a pintail whistle. It is almost impossible to mess up. Some of the most horrendous calling I have ever heard came from the guys next to me at Peach Point. Your decoys will do the work for you. Peep the whistle once in a while till they cup then stop calling.