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Less Decoys?

4K views 34 replies 14 participants last post by  Tealer 
#1 ·
When do you guys typically run less decoys than your normal spread. We have a late nuisance season here that we run around 75 decoys. The past few years we do great the first couple days of the season then our number of kills goes way down. Now I realize that these are resident birds that get smart fast but is there anyway to get them to come in. I was thinking of maybe trying just to put out 8-12 decoys to see if that works. Or should I just go all out and double the spread and put out 150 decoys.
Here is one of our first days we shot 22 birds.
 
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#2 ·
I would say next season try both... try maybe 24 decoys one hunt and then on the next hunt try like 100 or 125 decoys. That said, we have better luck with slightly more decoys than less decoys if you are looking to go one way over the other.

I do my field goose hunting with a couple buddies on private land so we are a small operation with mostly local geese. Depending on who shows up for a given hunt, the number of decoys in our spread (and the type - fully body, stake decoys, shells, goose flags, etc) can drastically change. I have found in our area that we typically do better with more, strategically placed decoys but I think mixing it up every once in a while with less decoys helps in showing the birds some variety.

So I would vary it up and see if bigger or smaller spreads work better for you. Also, maybe try dramatically changing how your spreads look to give the geese a different look as the season wears on.
 
#3 ·
Oh, and one of the biggest factors in our goose hunting is the calling. We were getting geese to look at us last season but a lot would then just head on. We decided to focus on calling a lot less and it sure did the trick towards the latter part of the season getting the geese to come in.
 
#8 ·
I understand that being on the x is important. Unfortunately I don't have permission to hunt ever field in town so many times we are basically running traffic on birds moving from roosting areas to feeding fields after the first couple days of the season. I like the idea of changing up the setup for a different look but I also don't think you can go wrong with a huge spread later in the season. Although In our September season I have the opportunity to hunt a couple of the local golf courses before the golfers get out, I have used 2 fullbodies and limited out in a short time just goes to show be where they want to be and you will be succesful. Thanks for the input! :beer:
 
#9 ·
Gcdhunter said:
I understand that being on the x is important. Unfortunately I don't have permission to hunt ever field in town so many times we are basically running traffic on birds moving from roosting areas to feeding fields after the first couple days of the season. I like the idea of changing up the setup for a different look but I also don't think you can go wrong with a huge spread later in the season. Although In our September season I have the opportunity to hunt a couple of the local golf courses before the golfers get out, I have used 2 fullbodies and limited out in a short time just goes to show be where they want to be and you will be succesful. Thanks for the input! :beer:
The X isnt all that important if you have new birds migrating down. they dont have a clue where they want to be...Its your job to convince them that where you are is where they want to be. If you havnt had a push of birds in a week or two then the birds you are dealing with are called stale birds and are established so convincing them to be in field B when theyve been in field A for couple days may be difficult. However, if You have a field thats just been cut and field A is getting fed out then you have a fighting chance at mid morning. They want food so they go to field A and the plates empty and their tummies are rumbling, they either start searching or they leave the area. Point is, get out there and hunt you never know what is going to happen. If you know where the roost is then try to get fields where they will fly over or at least be in sight where you can flag etc.....Trafficing a flock of 50 birds or more may be tough with 2 dozen decoys but im sure its been done. Now if you have a field full of live birds and you are in a field 1/2 mile down the road all i can tell you is best of luck to ya lol.
 
#11 ·
I almost always hunt small decoy set ups. 3-4 floaters or a dozen field decoys broke into 2 groups in the early season. 4-11 floaters or 7-9 full bodies in the regular season. Late season in very high pressured areas 2 full bodies or 3-5 floaters with little to no calling. I always find location to be the most important factor. Scout hard and it makes the hunting easier.
 
#12 ·
jeffro9023 said:
Gcdhunter said:
I understand that being on the x is important. Unfortunately I don't have permission to hunt ever field in town so many times we are basically running traffic on birds moving from roosting areas to feeding fields after the first couple days of the season. I like the idea of changing up the setup for a different look but I also don't think you can go wrong with a huge spread later in the season. Although In our September season I have the opportunity to hunt a couple of the local golf courses before the golfers get out, I have used 2 fullbodies and limited out in a short time just goes to show be where they want to be and you will be succesful. Thanks for the input! :beer:
The X isnt all that important if you have new birds migrating down. they dont have a clue where they want to be...Its your job to convince them that where you are is where they want to be. If you havnt had a push of birds in a week or two then the birds you are dealing with are called stale birds and are established so convincing them to be in field B when theyve been in field A for couple days may be difficult. However, if You have a field thats just been cut and field A is getting fed out then you have a fighting chance at mid morning. They want food so they go to field A and the plates empty and their tummies are rumbling, they either start searching or they leave the area. Point is, get out there and hunt you never know what is going to happen. If you know where the roost is then try to get fields where they will fly over or at least be in sight where you can flag etc.....Trafficing a flock of 50 birds or more may be tough with 2 dozen decoys but im sure its been done. Now if you have a field full of live birds and you are in a field 1/2 mile down the road all i can tell you is best of luck to ya lol.
Everyone has their own theories so I will share mine...pretty simple. Not sure if you have a lot of competetion out where you are hunting but I just do the complete opposite or different from what every other field of hunters is doing in my area and it puts birds on the ground. Guys are running 3 trailers...I run 3 dozen. Guys love the way they sound on their calls and love to blow them... I keep mine in my pocket.
Like i stated everyone has their own method to success. You just need to experiment and find yours. Where I hunt is highly pressured and competitive for birds. They get educated very quickly. Just need to be one thought ahead of the birds and constantly throw them curveballs.
Hope this helps. Good luck! :thumbsup:
 
#13 ·
More is better. More and more as season progresses. More so if you are limted to pulling birds on the pass due to your land restricitons. Vary your spread shape and see what works better too. Also, less calling and more flagging is what we have seen the last three years. Now, our guys can really call well, and even so, we call less and flag more. We flag with 3 or 4 flags goign, get their attention and then just a few soft moans or mimic what they give us right back to them when they are just about in the pocket works realy really well. Obviously some days ya gotta call a lot to pull birds, but that is rare from what we have experienced as of late. In genral i really like more vs less decoys, but being on the X when ya can is always the best bet regardless.
 
#14 ·
Also other than just number keep in my how your spread is set up. You and I could be hunting the same birds, you on one side of the field and I on the other. We both have 75 decoys yet they choose one spread over the other. With all other variables equal, how you place you decoys does make a huge difference. Tight blog, small family groups trickled around, loose family groups, tight family groups, etc. Just some food for thought, you probably already know this.
 
#15 ·
I had always been a big fan of "more is always better" " just dump the trailer" " you can never have out to many decoys unless it`s time to pick -up" mentality , but as I have gotten older and hopefully a bit more knowledgeable I have gravitated to the belief that there is a time for both more and for less. As so many ahead of me have pointed out ,if you are on or close to that magical X you can get by with incredibly small number of decoys . On the other hand if you are running traffic it will no doubt take a much greater effort in terms of decoy numbers to get the job done and enjoy a productive hunt . I would caution you not to get caught up in any hard & fast timeline parameters . I enjoy scouting and watching the birds so I just let them tell me what they are likely to respond to . A good example of this was the last hunt of this past season . The second week of February and we are watching groups of late season birds feeding in a large field complex we have access to . We watched these birds over a three day period filter into the area and feed in small groups rarely exceeding a couple doz birds . The fourth day we hunted . Even though I had a trailer full of decoys behind my truck my buddy and I put out only 17 decoys in an effort to emulate the recent actions of the birds . We collected a two man twelve bird limit in 45 min. Watch the birds , study what they are telling you, act accordingly . Good luck and have a great day . :thumbsup:
Mid February hunt 17 decoys
 
#19 ·
I guess the point of my reply is that (unless you have a free source of DSD's) a 450 spread of those DSD decoys represents (depending on whether you used DSD cacklers, lessors, or honkers) a $21,000, $25,000, or $35,000+ investment for 50+ cacklers killed. That economy of scale is hard to justify, unless the 450 decoys are a shared/joint cost item. I do understand the logistics of cluster f avoiding decoy numbers for 15 hunters in a field.
 
#20 ·
kahunna said:
I guess the point of my reply is that (unless you have a free source of DSD's) a 450 spread of those DSD decoys represents (depending on whether you used DSD cacklers, lessors, or honkers) a $21,000, $25,000, or $35,000+ investment for 50+ cacklers killed. That economy of scale is hard to justify, unless the 450 decoys are a shared/joint cost item. I do understand the logistics of cluster f avoiding decoy numbers for 15 hunters in a field.
When you are talking cost and whether or not it is "justifiable" it goes for anything. One person drives to work in a Ford Focus the guy behind him is driving a Mercedes they drive the same distance to do the same thing. What is worth it to one person may not be for the next. That is why there are so many choices......I dont hunt on a 450 DSD budget but I have had the opportunity to hunt with them and they are extremely durable and will last generations. So, to me that sounds worth it. Its not the 450 DSDs that killed those 50 birds. Its the 450 DSDs that will kill 50 birds 50 years from now. Comparing them to cars is a bad analogy because cars are bad investments regardless.
 
#21 ·
Not all those decoys are mine. At the time I owned 150 lessers. I think there was 4 guys gear in the field. None of us get them free, or even discounted. The way I see it is I hunt a lot. Usually 100 days plus a year. Pretty easy to justify an 8,000 setup when you hunt that often. I also own a trailer and a couple boats to hunt ducks.

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#22 ·
Tealer said:
Not all those decoys are mine. At the time I owned 150 lessers. I think there was 4 guys gear in the field. None of us get them free, or even discounted. The way I see it is I hunt a lot. Usually 100 days plus a year. Pretty easy to justify an 8,000 setup when you hunt that often. I also own a trailer and a couple boats to hunt ducks.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hey man, you dont have to justify what you own or why. In all honesty, if you truely hunt that much then it was a very wise investment, but you owe nobody an an explanation.
 
#23 ·
Tealer - It's all good man. 150 DSD's is a hell of a rig in its own right!

jeffro - Tealer wasn't justifying anything to anybody, he and I were just having a conversation that started out as a joke response about DSD's be me. By the way, weren't you the guy complaining/balking about justifying the $180 price tag on the new Big Sean goose call and how for that price it should be a game changer, etc.?
 
#25 ·
kahunna said:
Tealer - It's all good man. 150 DSD's is a hell of a rig in its own right!

jeffro - Tealer wasn't justifying anything to anybody, he and I were just having a conversation that started out as a joke response about DSD's be me. By the way, weren't you the guy complaining/balking about justifying the $180 price tag on the new Big Sean goose call and how for that price it should be a game changer, etc.?
Yes, You can kill birds with decoys and no call, try killing birds with a 180 dollar call and no decoys. Thats my point....

The cost / value of DSD decoys vs other brands is the DSD decoys will look as good in 20 yrs and be just as valuable as day you bought them will GHG progrades look just as good in 20yrs?.....Now, does a 180 dollar call give THAT kind of advantage over all the other calls?
 
#26 ·
Gcdhunter said:
When do you guys typically run less decoys than your normal spread. We have a late nuisance season here that we run around 75 decoys. The past few years we do great the first couple days of the season then our number of kills goes way down. Now I realize that these are resident birds that get smart fast but is there anyway to get them to come in. I was thinking of maybe trying just to put out 8-12 decoys to see if that works. Or should I just go all out and double the spread and put out 150 decoys.
When I lived in the Mid Ohio Valley where my geese were Canadas, they were most often residents, and whether we used six decoys or 120 depended on how many of us were hunting, whether we could set up where they wanted to be and how well we could hide. That, and when hunting the same field on consecutive days and we had stayed too long the first, we'd try to show them something very different the next. If we could hide well where the birds wanted to be, our MO was to use just a handful of decoys, get our birds and get the heck out without educating later arrivals. But I don't recall making an early/late seasonal or smart/dumb bird adjustment per se.

After moving to Southwest Louisiana, where our specks seem to carry a field guide to decoys under one wing and binoculars under the other, thirty seasons of hunting them virtually daily have seen me gravitate to very small spreads of the best decoys I can find or, in situations where it's hard for the birds to see that there isn't something down there, no decoys at all. Judicious calling is the key both to breaking flights and finishing them over decoys that are hopefully few enough and realistic enough to keep wary birds from smelling the rat. The easier their backdrop makes seeing the decoys, the fewer I'll use - unless I need more as the lesser of evils to draw attention from a poor hide.

By contrast, I've a friend who's widely regarded as one of the best speck hunters in our area whose confidence lies in large spreads. He's an excellent and somewhat unique caller, has one of the most effective blinds I've seen and runs over a hundred mostly DSDs. He kills a lot of specks. Guiding, however, keeps me from getting to join him until late in the season, and I've never hunted with him when I didn't feel like the majority of our birds where hanging up on his spread.

As to the DSD vs the field question. I've both the original and ACE versions, and they never left the shed last season. While my grandsons may well inherit them, they'd be well advised to do something about their shiny, use-burnished paint before using them. Being too chicken to try restoring them myself, I gave Deceptions a try this year and have been well satisfied - so far...

How my experience might translate to the OP or next man's Canada situation depends on all kinds of things, but I know what I'd be trying if I found myself back in the Ohio Valley.
 
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