Decoying Waterfowl / High
Visibility Waterfowl Hunting
By T.R. Michels,
Trinity Mountain Outdoors
By using
decoys to attract ducks or geese you are appealing to one of the
“3 S’s”, Sight, Scent and Sound. The more visible the decoys
are, the more effective they are in attracting the ducks or
geese. There are five ways to make your decoys more visible:
numbers, size, color, movement and location.
Numbers
The craze
among ducks and goose hunters in the past was big decoys, magnum
ducks decoys and 36 and 42 inch goose decoys can still be seen
in almost every ducks spread or goose field. Hunters used to be
convinced that bigger decoys would bring in the wariest goose,
and bigger decoys do work, especially on ducks. However, they
are not the best or only way to bring in ducks and geese.
According to Dr. Cooper size is not as important as numbers. The
more ducks or geese (or decoys) there are on the ground or
water, the more willing the ducks or geese are to land; there is
security in numbers.
Size
Bigger decoys
work to attract ducks and geese because they are a prey species.
Most prey species have their eyes located on the sides of their
head, giving them a wide range of vision. However, because of
their widely spaced eyes prey species have poor binocular vision
and depth perception; they see very little at the sides of their
heads with both eyes at the same time. The only place they can
see an object with both eyes at the same time is a small area
directly in front of their head. It would be the same if you
held a hand over one eye. You (and the geese) then have
difficulty judging distance and size. Bigger decoys work because
they are seen farther away; and because of their poor depth
perception ducks and the geese can’t tell if the decoys are
larger than life or not. If you put out only a few decoys you
should probably use large decoys. But, if you can put out more
decoys, do so. Waterfowl, especially geese, feel security in
numbers; the more decoys the better. Most professional guides
put out dozens of decoys when they hunt uneducated ducks and
hundreds of decoys when they hunt uneducated geese. I have put
out as many as a five hundred decoys when hunting snow geese in
North Dakota.
Color
Obviously a
couple of hundred decoys are easily seen because they present a
large mass of color that is visible at a distance. However, dark
colored decoys don’t show up well in a plowed field or in
stubble. This is when you need to take color contrast into
account. A few snow goose decoys placed off to one side of your
Canada goose decoys in a plowed field can draw attention to your
spread. You can also enhance the color of your Canada goose
decoys by enlarging the white patch on the rump. This contrast
in color between the black and white makes the decoys more
visible when they are in dark surroundings. When you are hunting
puddle ducks late in the year you may want to use more drake
Mallard or Bluebill decoys in your spread, because the lighter
colors and contrast of colors of the drakes show up farther away
then the drab plumage of the hens.
Movement
There have
been a number of advances in duck and goose decoys in the past
20 years. We now have duck and goose flags and kites, flying
decoys, wind-activated decoys, hand-operated decoys and electric
decoys that swim or bob, or with flapping or rotating wings and
moving heads. These products use one basic means of attracting
ducks and geese; they move, and movement attracts ducks and
geese. Placing a few moving decoys in your spread can really
make a difference. Most moving decoys are set in the landing
hole; just upwind of the landing hole; or off to one side where
they can be easily seen, and the movement noticed by incoming
bird.
Once I
realized how much more visible a moving decoy was I began to
work on ways to create a lifelike moving decoy. The problem with
using existing decoys was that they were too heavy. I needed a
lightweight decoy that would move with the wind. I had been
using Feather Flex turkey decoys for turkey hunting and realized
that a hollow goose decoy designed with the same foam plastic
was just what I needed. I called Dave Berkley at Feather Flex
and mentioned my idea and told him that the stake for the decoy
should be at the front, so the decoy would face into the wind
and move. The Upwind Goose Decoy weighs about six ounces,
collapses flat so that I can easily carry a hundred decoys, is
very realistic, and moves in the wind.
Location
All these
techniques help attract waterfowl. But none of them work if the
last key to good decoying is left out; location. There are two
things to consider when putting out your decoys. First choose a
spot that the ducks or geese are comfortable with, used to, or
going to. Choose a place that offers food (a field of grass,
hay, corn, barley, beans or other forage, or a water resting
area for geese; a pond, slough, bay, lake, stream or river for
ducks) and some sort of security. A goose field should be large
enough so the geese don’t have to land near fences, ditches,
rock piles, or brush. Then choose a location in the middle of
the feeding site if possible, on a hill or away from cover. When
you choose the spot for your decoys take into account where the
ducks or geese are likely to come from, and where they are
likely land under the weather conditions that day. On windy days
ducks and geese may land or swing downwind, and they often
prefer to land on the downwind side of the hill on land in
strong winds. Ducks often prefer to land on waters that are out
of the wind, or in areas on the downwind side of hills, points,
cattails, grasses, brush or trees.
The other
consideration as to where to place your decoys is visibility.
When you are hunting open land areas, place your decoys on a
hill if you can, the higher up they are the more visible they
are, especially if the downwind side of the hill is the same
side the birds are coming from. If the ducks or geese come from
the wrong direction be sure to place some of your decoys on the
top of the hill, or on the side of the hill where they can be
seen by the geese. When you are putting out your decoys keep in
mind that ducks and geese prefer to land into the wind. On cold,
windy days they prefer to stay out of the wind. Place some
decoys near the top of the hill and the rest a third of the way
down the hill, where the wind speed is lower.
When you are
setting up your decoys visualize where your shooting position
should be in relation to the decoys. Geese and ducks often land
short of the decoys, and you may want to sit downwind so that
when the birds swing short of the decoys or land downwind, they
are in shooting range. On windy days you may have to sit as far
as fifty yards downwind.
One of the
biggest mistakes goose and diver duck hunters make is putting
their decoys near existing cover, so they can use the cover to
conceal themselves. Do not set your decoys near available cover.
Diver ducks and Geese are learning not to land near any cover
that is large enough to conceal a predator, especially a hunter.
I have seen geese walk near brush, tall grass and trees, but
only after they have landed. Placing goose decoys near ditches,
fencerows, brush or rock piles, is putting them in the wrong
location. Geese prefer to land in the middle of a field, often
on high ground where they can see. Security to a goose is being
where it can see all around.
The location
of your decoys should actually be the first consideration in
setting up; after you have done your scouting to determine when
the geese are flying, which way they are flying, where they are
feeding, and where they prefer to land. Pick the right time and
place to hunt, and then use the whole range of tactics for “High
Visibility” duck and goose attraction.
Flagging Waterfowl
Flagging is
one of the best methods to attract ducks and geese to your
spread. I first used a black flag while hunting Bluebills back
in the fifties. Then I began using flags to hunt geese in the
80’s. The first flags we used for goose hunting were simply a
large piece of black cloth stapled to a broom handle or long
pole. Then my good friend Randy “Flag Man” Bartz began designing
goose shaped wings and attaching them to a short dowel with
fiberglass struts: he called it the T Flag. Eventually he came
up with the Lander Kite, a more realistic version of a goose's
wings and tail. It wasn’t until later that he added the white
crescent to the Lander Kite; and it is the white crescent that
revolutionized goose flagging.
The first
time I really noticed the white crescent on a goose I called Dr.
Cooper and asked him if it was a visual signal. He told me that
the white crescent on a goose’s tail serves the same purpose as
the speculum on a ducks wing; it causes an involuntary nervous
system response to flock; not voluntary, involuntary. When geese
see the white crescent they want to get up behind it. When geese
see the white crescent below them, looking like a goose landing,
and hear the landing call (the fast cluck), it signals to them
that other geese are landing. The sight and sound of landing
geese makes flying flocks feel secure, and makes them want to
join geese below them. Randy "Flag Man" Bartz heard me mention
this in a seminar and added it to his Lander Kite, and a
flagging revolution began.
The Lander
Kite can be used with a short pole, or placed on a long fishing
rod to gain more height and visibility. I put mine on a 20-foot
telescoping fishing pole. You can attach two or more kites to
the fishing pole to simulate a pair of geese. The Lander can
also be attached to your gun barrel. When you use flags attached
to your barrel you can flag with the gun while you are concealed
by the flag. Any movement you make will go unnoticed by the
geese, because the flag is in front of you. When you are ready
to shoot, shoulder your gun and pull the trigger. For more
realism you can also attach Flapperz wings to your goose decoys
to simulate geese flapping their wings.
For ducks
there are several different models of wind activated and
motorized decoys available. However, there is talk of regulating
or prohibiting their use in some areas. Research in California
shows that while motorized wing decoys may increase the number
of ducks hunters decoy, they may also result in higher crippling
rates when hunters take longer shots than they should.
I begin
flagging as soon as I see ducks or geese in the distance,
holding the flag high in the air with one hand to simulate a
flying duck or goose. In the other hand I have my call, and I
use it. Remember, you want to recreate both the sight and sound
of flying ducks or geese. When I am hunting geese, and the birds
are far away I flag slowly, and call slow and loud. As the birds
get closer I keep flagging, but I start calling faster,
imitating the sounds of anxious landing geese and the clucking
of threatening geese on the ground. As the geese get closer I
bring the flag closer to the ground and shake it with my wrist,
like a goose landing. I don’t stop flagging until the geese are
within range. I have seen flocks swing away if I stop flagging
before they are over the decoys. When the geese are almost in
range I drop the flag and the call and grab the gun. Flag Man
goose flags and other products are available in the Trinity
Mountain Outdoor Products catalog at the back of this book.
If you are
interested in more waterfowl hunting tips, or more waterfowl
biology and behavior, click on Trinity Mountain Outdoor News and
T.R.'s Hunting Tips at www.TRMichels.com. If you have questions
about ducks and geese log on to the T.R.'s Tips message board.
This article
is an excerpt from the Ducks & Goose Addict's Manual ($14.95 +
$5.00 S&H), by T.R. Michels, available in the Trinity Mountain
Outdoor Products catalog.
T.R. Michels is a nationally recognized game
researcher/wildlife behaviorist, outdoor writer and speaker. He
is the author of the Whitetail, Elk, Duck & Goose, and Turkey
Addict's Manuals. His latest products are the 2003 Revised
Edition of the Whitetail Addict's Manual, the 2003 Revised
Edition of the Elk Addict's Manual; and the 2003 Revised Edition
of the Duck & Goose Addict's Manual. For a catalog of books and
other hunting products contact: T.R. Michels, Trinity Mountain
Outdoors, PO Box 284, Wanamingo, MN 55983, USA. Phone:
507-824-3296, E-mail: TRMichels@yahoo.com, Web Site:
www.TRMichels.com
