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I know there was already a thread on decoy placement but its not quite along the lines of what I'm wondering. I have never paid much attention to wind or its direction or anything like that. I Just throw out the decoys and hope it looks good to birds. I hunt one lake frequently that is open water that has a lot of divers and we will try to line them up or throw out a J usually but we are currently limited to hunting them from shore. (Hopefully ill be able to get a layout boat this off season and take the big water approach to this lake next season)
The other spots I plan to hunt on the upcoming and ever so distant season... and maybe a little this weekend are some flooded timber just off the river that I found on the local public land.
Really what I am asking is what are the basics for setting up a spread as far as wind direction, shapes, hunting location and time of year. I'm tired of birds flying by and subsequently gettin skunked, just wana do everything I can to make next seasons hunts more productive than this years.

Once read an article on this subject in DU magazine...it had aerial photos of ducks, not decoys.
The jist of the article was that live ducks tended to be spread out, and random.
Hope this helps.
J's, C's, W's and that sort of thinking is confusing and complicates something that's actually simple.

For divers and sea ducks please ignore this comment.
Puddle ducks is all I target.

A couple times this season I really studied what the rafts of ducks were doing. Watches through my binoculars for hours. They would be spread out and in groups of 5-10. With 30-40 yards between them. Then there would be random singles and pairs scattered around amongst the larger groups. Then when a group would come in they would land going into the wind and lite about 20 yards short of the first big group.

You can also set up a boat blind on open water and get divers to decoy. At least around here you can.

NuffDaddy wrote:
You can also set up a boat blind on open water and get divers to decoy. At least around here you can.

Are you saying that divers will decoy to just a boat? Wtf?

aunt betty wrote:Once read an article on this subject in DU magazine...it had aerial photos of ducks, not decoys.
The jist of the article was that live ducks tended to be spread out, and random.
Hope this helps.
J's, C's, W's and that sort of thinking is confusing and complicates something that's actually simple.

I tend to agree. I avoid any patterns if possible. Bootlip at his rice blind sets up a giant J pattern with his 400+ decoys. It's about a quarter mile long.

As far as wind direction, it's not always possible to have it at your back. You set up where you can. You just have to understand ducks may be lighting from behind you, or from either side

Later in the season, if I'm hunting my mallard/ teal spots, we tend to use less and less decoys, simply because they're aren't as many of them around in the late season. But areas differ in terms of "hot times of the season."

Forgot to add. When the groups would land they would form a line and swim to the first big group they landed by. Then they would disperse swimming between the big groups and around on their own. The hens would normally either be in the big groups or with at least one male. The drakes would be the ones in their own.

NuffDaddy wrote:Forgot to add. When the groups would land they would form a line and swim to the first big group they landed by. Then they would disperse swimming between the big groups and around on their own. The hens would normally either be in the big groups or with at least one male. The drakes would be the ones in their own.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1390409306.890670.jpg

sweet drawing. Looks like fleas jumping off a dog's ass

The Duck Hammer wrote:

NuffDaddy wrote:
You can also set up a boat blind on open water and get divers to decoy. At least around here you can.

Are you saying that divers will decoy to just a boat? Wtf?

With a blind yes. I park my boat out in the middle if the water with my blind up and they don't give a second look. Peddlers around here don't have problems with it either.

Redbeard wrote:

NuffDaddy wrote:Forgot to add. When the groups would land they would form a line and swim to the first big group they landed by. Then they would disperse swimming between the big groups and around on their own. The hens would normally either be in the big groups or with at least one male. The drakes would be the ones in their own.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1390409306.890670.jpg

sweet drawing. Looks like fleas jumping off a dog's ass

I know right

Believe it or not, Tiler uses just enough decoys to put out a penis shaped spread. 45' long with a 6' head

Redbeard wrote:Believe it or not, Tiler uses just enough decoys to put out a penis shaped spread. 45' long with a 6' head

Does he put the head facing him or away?

Redbeard wrote:Believe it or not, Tiler uses just enough decoys to put out a penis shaped spread. 45' long with a 6' head

Just the cock and no balls?

NuffDaddy wrote:

Redbeard wrote:Believe it or not, Tiler uses just enough decoys to put out a penis shaped spread. 45' long with a 6' head

Does he put the head facing him or away?

Hey! Tiler's my friend man! He usually points it at the neighbor's club or Texas

AKPirate wrote:

Redbeard wrote:Believe it or not, Tiler uses just enough decoys to put out a penis shaped spread. 45' long with a 6' head

Just the cock and no balls?

he might do they balls early in the season when the ducks aren't used to seeing big spreads. But as the season wears on he neuters his spread when the ducks becoming wary of bigger spreads

Redbeard wrote:

aunt betty wrote:Once read an article on this subject in DU magazine...it had aerial photos of ducks, not decoys.
The jist of the article was that live ducks tended to be spread out, and random.
Hope this helps.
J's, C's, W's and that sort of thinking is confusing and complicates something that's actually simple.

Later in the season, if I'm hunting my mallard/ teal spots, we tend to use less and less decoys, simply because they're aren't as many of them around in the late season. But areas differ in terms of "hot times of the season."

This has kinda been my thought here in late season, also on the public land where the groups are small to begin with. Bigger isn't always better huh

My honey hole is a big hole but has a small LZ.
There are times when ducks almost lite, but then fly under the canopy to exit.
I BLOCK those exits with decoys thus forcing them to land or fly over the decoys. Ducks will almost never fly directly over decoys when down under the trees. They don't want to get t-boned by ducks taking off the water.
Use this knowledge and start using decoys like a fence...
Its counterintuitive but that is very, very good information.
Nevermind...
I'm a nut.

FlintRiverFowler wrote:

Redbeard wrote:

aunt betty wrote:Once read an article on this subject in DU magazine...it had aerial photos of ducks, not decoys.
The jist of the article was that live ducks tended to be spread out, and random.
Hope this helps.
J's, C's, W's and that sort of thinking is confusing and complicates something that's actually simple.

Later in the season, if I'm hunting my mallard/ teal spots, we tend to use less and less decoys, simply because they're aren't as many of them around in the late season. But areas differ in terms of "hot times of the season."

This has kinda been my thought here in late season, also on the public land where the groups are small to begin with. Bigger isn't always better huh

women claim its true. But I've played with enough tits to know its not true at all

aunt betty wrote:My honey hole is a big hole but has a small LZ.
There are times when ducks almost lite, but then fly under the canopy to exit.
I BLOCK those exits with decoys thus forcing them to land or fly over the decoys. Ducks will almost never fly directly over decoys when down under the trees. They don't want to get t-boned by ducks taking off the water.
Use this knowledge and start using decoys like a fence...
Its counterintuitive but that is very, very good information.
Nevermind...
I'm a nut.

Haven't hunted enough timber to know. Just found those small spots I posted pics of last weekend. Might try to get out there tonight and see what I can catch coming back in.