# Using water decoys in a field?



## G.P. (Jun 17, 2007)

I will be heading to college next year and i have heard that alot of the hunting could be in fields. I only have a small spread of water decoys. Is there any way to rig these up so that they are more visible in the field? Is there any cheap things i can do to be more successful? THanks for any help.


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## goose killer (Mar 26, 2004)

if you can afford go garage sailing and buy a bunch of cheap duck water decoys and just cut them in half.


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## jonesy12 (Apr 1, 2008)

You can definately use them in the field.


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## whitehorse (Jan 28, 2008)

i wouldn't cut them, that be silly. I have thought about using some strong wire, mold it around the keel and then straight down into the ground... does that make sense? if it stick a little higher outta the ground it'd "move" better in wind... havn't tried it yet, just thought about it. other wise, get a hot shot lucky duck or mojo, one or two of those goes a looong ways...


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## jonesy12 (Apr 1, 2008)

Yeah anything to get them off of the ground and visible to the ducks will work. We used to use our water decoys in the field all of the time just putting them on the ground with no stakes. It worked.


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

The water ones work great. I have the GHG dekes with the removable keel so I just took that off. If I were you I would invest in a mojo or robo duck.


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## whitehorse (Jan 28, 2008)

i've been wantin to put some on stands, maybe i'll make a prototype in a couple weeks... then i'll sell em and make millions :lol: i'll give er a whirl and put a pic up when i get to it!!

honestly, unless you go with a ton of deeks, a few dozen goose deeks and a couple robo's are a pretty good start.

get into a plowed field or cornfield and the deeks pretty much dissapear, even when your lookin FOR them....


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## G.P. (Jun 17, 2007)

Thanks for all the help. So the duck decoys will work just fine? I really appreciate the advice. Is a baby mojo good enough? It is versatile enough for small ponds and fields? Thanks again.


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

Yeah a baby is good enough, I would recommend getting the on/ff remote. I know it cost more, but I really wish I would have gotten one. Like whitehorse said the ducks come into geese decoys in the field. Thats what I used last fall. Yes I did use the duck decoys, but the ducks funnelled in better with the geese. If room is a concern look at getting sillos.


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## G.P. (Jun 17, 2007)

Will ducks pull geese into a field, or is it only the other way around? Do silouettes work as well as regualr decoys? Thanks for your help.


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## Large munsterlander1 (Feb 11, 2008)

I have never noticed ducks pulling geese into a field while i have been out hunting.


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## hunt4P&amp;Y (Sep 23, 2004)

If you are in the right spot... Maybe don't plan on putting out a couple dozen Mallard floaters and running traffic. I think you would be better off with two Robo's and a few ducks on the ground, then a bunch of floaters.

It is all about making them see you. It is really hard to see floaters in a field. Where are you going to school?


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## Luckyduck (Feb 24, 2008)

yep, robo's and silo's are pretty cheap too!


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## USSapper (Sep 26, 2005)

G.P. said:


> Will ducks pull geese into a field, or is it only the other way around? Do silouettes work as well as regualr decoys? Thanks for your help.


Ive ran into a few case where goose dekes will flare ducks out. You just have to reinact what the birds are doing. But doubtful, most geese wont suck into duck dekes


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## Ron Gilmore (Jan 7, 2003)

Have 6 doz GHG removable keel decoys. I bought some 14" pole barn nails and ground the heads down to fit into the slot. Painted them orange and slide them into the slot. The paint helps for setting and pickup. I use them along with my FB and shell decoys with motion stakes. Have had very good success with this in stubble fields as well as corn. Gets the decoy up off the ground for more visibility.

The nice part is that if I want to hunt water, I can put the keel back in and be hunting in short order.

Do a search, as I think Field Hunter posted how to make a wire stand for water decoys with permanent keels a couple years back.


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## G.P. (Jun 17, 2007)

Thanks for the help. I will be attending University of Wisconsin Stevens Point in the Fall. Would a dozen duck decoys , a dozen goose silhouettes and a spinner be a sufficient enough start? I don't have a lot of cash so this is about all i could afford. I also don't have large area to store all of this stuff because i will be in a dorm. Granted i have a friend that will have some decoys too.


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## jonesy12 (Apr 1, 2008)

That's a decent start. It depends on how big of field or body of water you are hunting and how big the flocks of birds are. If they flocks are in the hundreds, it may be difficult to decoy that many birds with that little of decoys. Again, it's a good start anyways.


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## G.P. (Jun 17, 2007)

I understand that i would probably have a tough time pulling huge flocks in with that setup but with having to pay for college i don't have tons of cash to buy a big spread. I hope what i have will do the trick for now. You have to start somewhere when you are building a spread, right?


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

Yeah, its a start. Buy sillo's. They are cheap and don't take up much room.


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## rcnut143 (Jun 21, 2007)

Dont worry G I will by some decoys too. I like the stake idea.


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## itchy (Aug 15, 2006)

Water decoys work just fine, although we have bought some field mallards since that is all we do. Don't worry about putting stakes under them or cutting them up. Last year we had han mallards land in our spread and you could hardly see them from 30 feet away especially when they started feeding. They can see the dekes when they are flying overhead.


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## rcnut143 (Jun 21, 2007)

How bout Jumbo vs. regular sized? If we're hunting a field will larger decoys pull in more ducks? They obviously wont be moving water so is it worth the extra money to buy some jumbos?


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## jonesy12 (Apr 1, 2008)

Standards should work just fine I think.


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## rcnut143 (Jun 21, 2007)

Thats what I thought. Now to keep my eyes open for a layout.


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## USSapper (Sep 26, 2005)

rcnut143 said:


> How bout Jumbo vs. regular sized? If we're hunting a field will larger decoys pull in more ducks? They obviously wont be moving water so is it worth the extra money to buy some jumbos?


No


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## fubar (Mar 10, 2008)

how many decoys dose a guy need to hunt a field?


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

That depends on many factors. Hunting pressure, what your going after, if your hunting where they want to be or are you going to be running traffic. I have seen as little as 6 fullbody goose decoys. I have seen where people do there scouting and find out where and exaclty where the birds are land and just sit and wait.


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## jonesy12 (Apr 1, 2008)

Depends on the species and pressure. Alot of times if I'm hunting a small pond, I'll put out 5-6 Mallard decoys, but if I'm hunting a field in ND, I'll put out 6-7 dozen field decoys. Often if the birds are pressured and become "decoy smart" less is better.


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## itchy (Aug 15, 2006)

Way too many variables, do a search on this sight and you'll find some info.


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## jonesy12 (Apr 1, 2008)

itchy said:


> Way too many variables, do a search on this sight and you'll find some info.


Well said


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## Goldy's Pal (Jan 6, 2004)

> I will be attending University of Wisconsin Stevens Point in the Fall.


Buddy of mine went there, best 4 years of my life. :lol: :beer:

Frank and Ernies. 8) :beer:


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## huntinND (May 1, 2008)

I went to UWSP, did a lot of duck hunting on Mead marsh, not so much in fields. Everybody there hunts so it is hard to get permission. All you need is a couple spinning wing decoys and a descent spread of goose decoys if you are going to hunt fields. Have fun there, best college in the US for an outdoorsman.


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## G.P. (Jun 17, 2007)

So you think i will be alright with a good water spread. What is the Mead Marsh like? Is it hunted real heavily? i know it is pretty large so is it hard to find good spots in the marsh? Any info would be much appreciated. Thanks for the help.


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## huntinND (May 1, 2008)

Mead gets hunted heavily the first weekend, but if you go during the week it isn't bad. a lot of dikes and shallow water, just waders are fine if you don't mind walking( I hunted Teal flowage a lot). If you have access to a small boat the islands on the WI river are good for divers late in the season. Meet somebody that rents a house see if you can keep your stuff there. Sorry kind of off the main topic but I'm just trying to help a brotha out


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## G.P. (Jun 17, 2007)

Thanks for the advice. So what would you say the best decoy setup is, or do you just jump shoot the teals and mallards? I have a dozen decoys and will be getting a baby mojo soon. Is there anything else that would be helpful? Thanks for the help!


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

A good duck call and learn how to use it.


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## G.P. (Jun 17, 2007)

I have a call and i have been practicing with it. I figured that would be a definate thing that i needed to learn.


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

Well, another good thing to have is camo burlap.


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## G.P. (Jun 17, 2007)

The burlap is probably for making a make shift blind of some sort? That is a good idea.


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

Yup, it break you up good, unless your in water then just stand very still. Get the stuff that has the hole in it. I think that it works a little bit better, but that is my opinion.


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## diver_sniper (Sep 6, 2004)

FPP


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## USSapper (Sep 26, 2005)

its gfy


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