[Fsbirdhouse]

Except for the X flapper, I think I'll put the Lucky Duck flappers in reserve for late in the season and watch effect I'm seeing then with new birds from up North, as they are first arrived in the local area.
The X flapper is 'MONEY' when used at any respectable distance because it closes it's wings, we liked flags at a distance, but flags must be maneuvered by hand where the X flapper is just a push on button and does not draw attention to one's self in use as it can be placed away from the shooters.
I suppose the closest thing to 'A Magic Bullet' in motion was the MOJOs when they first came out, but anymore they are hit and miss these days.

 

[mudpack]

Size is probably the most important element in a spread. By that I mean spread size, not individual decoy size. It's a lot easier to put out a large spread with standard decoys than with magnum decoys. A large SPREAD is much more readily seen by the ducks than a smaller spread of larger decoys.

Does a duck see a large spread of life-size decoys and say "lot's of my buddies down there, must be a good place to be"?
Does a duck see a small spread of big decoys and say to himself "not many cousins there, probably not anything for me....but, man, are those big boys!"

Which is easier to see from half a mile away a spread of magnums covering 400 square feet, or a spread of standards covering 800 square feet?
Probably boils down to how many decoys can you get out to the spot, not how big each decoy is.

 

[Pacific Fisher]

I am a big fan of larger over more. I sold all my standard decoys and bought up all the GHG oversize decoys I could find and painted them better than new with Parker brand paint. Never looked back

 

[BusterAZ]

I am a big fan of larger over more. I sold all my standard decoys and bought up all the GHG oversize decoys I could find and painted them better than new with Parker brand paint. Never looked back

I adhered to this logic for awhile, but have just switched to all life size for ease of packing and carrying. Previously preferring larger and darker, but now just experimenting to see if I can downsize and still decoy birds.

 

[likesbigspreads]

I hunt open water with 3 or 4 blinds within a couple hundred yards of me. We use a lot and supermag duck decoys and if I can find it, I have an aerial photo of about 3 blinds on our lake and our spread stands out night and day from the others. I think 200 supermags show up way better than 400 standards.