# Leaving decoys?



## makova (Dec 23, 2008)

I am new to the sport, and the guy i am hunting with is an old timer. He said that we should leave our decoys out, just move them every few hunts. This worked great the 1st couple of days, now we are seeing less and less birds coming in to land,many many fly overs. Is this wrong? We have around 150 decoys out in corn stubble. 
mike


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## shooteminthelips (Jun 13, 2007)

You need to be where the birds want to be! How many times would you dive into the decoys in the same place everyday before you decided that pellets hurt?


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## wetspot27 (Jul 16, 2008)

I have hunted places where people leave them out and killed alot of geese but it is mainly on lakes and rest areas. In the field I disagree with it but hey different strokes for different fokes. I like being mobile and if my decoys are in the field I am not very mobile.


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## diver_sniper (Sep 6, 2004)

I'm going to guess that goose hunting works a bit differently in Virginia than it does here in Nodak. Are these the same birds that you're hunting everyday? Are they park birds flying out of town to feed? Are you hunting out of a pit? Are you able to hunt any fields other than the one you speak of?


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## makova (Dec 23, 2008)

diver_sniper said:


> I'm going to guess that goose hunting works a bit differently in Virginia than it does here in Nodak. Are these the same birds that you're hunting everyday? Are they park birds flying out of town to feed? Are you hunting out of a pit? Are you able to hunt any fields other than the one you speak of?


How does one know if they are the same geese? We see 400 or 500 geese a day flying over. They roost on the Potomac river. We have 500 acres split in two fields, we have hunted them 3 days, 1st day limint in the am! 4 days later just a few landed and shot 3 geese, two days later no geese would land. Just wondering if we should not leave the decoys out. I have moverd them from one field to the other once. Both firlds are full of corn and there is some goose droppings in both fields. 
thanks mike


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## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

Are you waiting for them to land before shooting? Just curious if you have more birds in range but passing on them?


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## makova (Dec 23, 2008)

Leo Porcello said:


> Are you waiting for them to land before shooting? Just curious if you have more birds in range but passing on them?


 Sorry not land but come in and try to land. I dont like to blast at birds 50 or 60 yards high flying by. There is trees around the fields that keep the birds up that high unless they decide to land.
mike


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## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

gotcha!

Personally I would pick up the spread, use different amounts, different formations, change sides of the field with different wind directions


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## makova (Dec 23, 2008)

Leo Porcello said:


> gotcha!
> 
> Personally I would pick up the spread, use different amounts, different formations, change sides of the field with different wind directions


thanks LEO
I will give it a try for a couple of days and see if it picks up.


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## SDwaterfowler (Mar 2, 2006)

I agree with LEO. If you only have a couple spots you can hunt, move the spread between each hunt. Give the birds something different to see each time. If it is the same birds, they will recognize the exact same spread in the exact spot.


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## goosebusters (Jan 12, 2006)

Well by leaving the decoys out you aren't giving the geese a chance to start using that field when you aren't hunting. If you pick them up after every hunt at least some might start going in there again, then you would have the ability to be on the "X".


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## USAlx50 (Nov 30, 2004)

I would at the very least change the spread if the wind changes to give the birds a lot of room to work the spread, and work it to where you want to kill them.

I think picking them up alltogether would also be benficial for the reasons GB and others mentioned.


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## cut'em (Oct 23, 2004)

I've got fields that if you hunted them 3 days in a row you've beat them up pretty good and must stay away till they feel comfortable returning. Definitly get into the habit of picking up your dekes. Although at the end of every hunt we dread the chore and in my area it's taboo to drive into a farmers field we march back and forth only to carry them back out in the am. Plus you won't give some $hithead the chance to steal everything you got.


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