How many geese decoys in a duck spread

[Spot shooter]

I picked up some sleeping floaters, already have shells, and 4 floaters... after hearing so many people say mid to late season ducks come into geese more than ducks... I’m thinking 8 floaters, and 3 dozen duck deks...

[cluckmeister]

All depends on where you are hunting. If you are hunting big water the more the merrier, Marsh setting for me would be about 18 duck decoys and 6 to 8 floaters. That is if youre a decent caller!

[Spot shooter]

Well I thought I had 8 floaters (4 sleepers & 4 peepers), I told my hunting my hunting partner about the sale on sleepers that tanglefree is having... He informed me that we now we have 12 sleepers, and 4 peepers... so I’ll cut the ducks down to 3 dozen and we are set.

I do need to learn how to call better, but the ducks and geese do seem to answer back to me when I practice on high flyers that look like they’d never come in. I get them to circle sometimes from the ion-osphere, and it’s cool when you can see them cocking their heads and thinking about it.
But as always... I have a lot to learn yet.

[cluckmeister]

Theres a lot to learn when it comes to calling, all it takes is practice. One main thing that goes hand in hand with playing them a seranade on that call, is knowing how to read what they are doing in flight. You can be a world champion caller but if you cant read those criiters flight movements it makes for a bad day.

[Spot shooter]

Reading the birds has come a lot easier than working some of the calls.

the stupid feeding call was the hard one for me, the hail and comeback calls are easy... I need to do some refreshing on my goose calling.

The sounds of the calls I make sound a lot like the birds... timing is a big deal - but like I said, some of the calls are just a bugger to make for my tongue for some reason.

I’ll start practicing more frequently here shortly - the wife has been riding with me in the truck lately and that seriously cuts into my practice time... I guess if I ran the call with her in the truck I might be able to get her to drive separately )

[John O`Neal]

I picked up some sleeping floaters, already have shells, and 4 floaters... after hearing so many people say mid to late season ducks come into geese more than ducks... I’m thinking 8 floaters, and 3 dozen duck deks...

Great question spot and I`m sure you will get a good response . There had been some movement into the area of using goose spreads with a lesser amount of duck decoys for hunting ducks . Field Hudnall 2013 World Calling Champion as well as Big Sean of Sean Man calls both swear they have switched to using a spread made up mostly of goose floaters and a doz or so duck dekes . The biggest problem I see with the concept is a logistical one , carrying a load of goose floaters takes up a lot of room in the boat. As far as an accepted ratio of ducks to geese in the spread take a cue from watching waterfowl in a refuge setting. It`s been my experience that the birds freely co-mingle . Good luck .

[Spot shooter]

Luckily the boat will carry 5 dozen plus duck decoys up front so I’m just swapping out a dozen and a half duck decoys for Geese.

I’m pouring the decoy weights in the morning for the new doz geese decoys and I’ll rig them up right after.
If deer season didn’t start on Wed, I’d be hunting birds mid week...

[mudpack]

All depends on where you are hunting.

This^

90% of my duck hunting is in small, out-of-the-way spots that no goose would use, so putting goose decoys out would be a waste of time and space(in the boat).
I have been on hunts where its logical to put out goose floaters and we have done just that. Killed geese and ducks both on those hunts.
So, the correct answer is "it depends on where you're hunting". If your scouting reveals that geese are using the area, and your chosen spot in particular, then a handful of goose decoys might be worth their trouble.

[mudpack]

It`s been my experience that the birds freely co-mingle . Good luck .

It's been my experience that ducks will come into a goose spread, but geese will very seldom come into a duck spread.

[John O`Neal]

It's been my experience that ducks will come into a goose spread, but geese will very seldom come into a duck spread.

I would tend to agree with you Gary. We have rarely pulled geese into an all duck spread even with some convincing calling but we have had it happen . My reference was based on observing ducks and geese in a refuge setting or both feeding in the same field. Hope your having a good season . Have a great day .

[mudpack]

Hope your having a good season . Have a great day .

Having a pretty good season, considering that the duck migration stalled out in October.

Hope your's is going great guns, John. Get out there; it's rapidly coming to a close.

[mudpack]

How many geese decoys in a duck spread?
Answer: zero.
Put any goose decoys out and what you have is a goose spread.


Seriously, the number of goose decoys you put in a duck spread depends on how badly you want to shoot a goose.

[Duckinsam]

of the calls.

the stupid feeding call was the hard one for me, the hail and comeback calls are easy... I need to do some refreshing on my goose calling.

What helped me the most was learning Spanish in high school

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