Coastal Decoy Spread

[duckman88]

To appease Squatty I will keep this vague. My dad, brother and I have waited a long time to go on a hunt on the coast. We finally have the opportunity to hunt at the end of this month. I know what species of decoys to take but my main question is numbers. Is it kind of a 2 decoys on a jerk string kind of deal or a decent spread?

[abarill]

depends where- big open water vs back creek on coast.

I don't think when I was hunting last week there were a lot of divers, and we hunted a big spread twice, only shot a few birds. Normally big water= big spread. The birds actually saw our decoys, then flew 150 yrs to one side and passed by that way. So I got out of the boat and stood where they were passing and knocked down a pair.

In back creeks on the coast, I had birds decoy to two large hen mallards on a jerk string. 12 decoys a few days before didn't work, so I went even smaller Hope this helps.

[Waterfowler]

As many decoys as the bag can hold since your only allowed 1. Pintails, widgeon, gadwalls.

[reezen44]

Where you are going... You really don't need any

[reezen44]

But I'd take a few teal and gadwall for fun

[Fish]

Everything that has any inclination at all to land in your shit will pitch into black duck decoys. People worry like hell about this decoy thing, but if I got serious about hunting the coast again, I'd use all black duck decoys and I'd either use 3 or 100 depending on where I was setting up.

[Longbeard Exterminator]

Everything that has any inclination at all to land in your shit will pitch into black duck decoys. People worry like hell about this decoy thing, but if I got serious about hunting the coast again, I'd use all black duck decoys and I'd either use 3 or 100 depending on where I was setting up.

Lot of truth here... depends u hunting divers? or big ducks? I've hunted over 110 decoys and not kill a thing, and have killed big ducks over 7 decoys on the coast. One thing wear lots of face paint and eat a chocolate bar to help tone down the color of ur teeth. Cant be flaring birds.

[PBiz]

Black Duck Decoys...

[Murray]

Depends.

They've put me in an open 10 acre field, and I've been advised to hike through 1/2 mile of marsh and find an open pocket. I would assume that you are hunting more open water fields so take 2-3 dozen (about all that you can fit in one bag) with a jerk string. Jerk string will be most important thing you can take if the winds are calm. You can't really take more than one decoy bag on those hunts. Might as well fill it up and use whatever you need.

If the birds are there, it should not really matter and the first 15 minutes of shooting time is the best fun you have with clothes on.

I've got a GHG Pro Grade coastal set collecting dust. Your welcome to grab them if no one else is borrowing them that week.

[GobblerHntr]

2 black ducks on a jerk string plus 4 single black duck decoys. Then 4 to 6 Pintal decoys.

Good luck!

[PBiz]

Go buy a half dozen of the Fully Flocked Avian X Black MAllards..


Boy o Boy

[formerly bohica]

If youre hunting on the coast, coot decoys.

[Strick9]

You have the information needed above from Fish, add some white of any sort as well.

[Swamp Rat]

I used to require a barge to tote my decoys. For back salt creeks, I like three or five big ass (super magnum) black ducks. If I add anything to that it's one or two big pintail drake dekes.

For big water (tidal, salt), I liked long lined blue bills, redheads, and cans, with the small group of black ducks off to the side. But that is labor intensive.

For some coastal draw hunts, you'd be well served with about seven black ducks, widgeon, pintails, or gadwall, and as many COOT decoys as you can tote. Putting coots and a couple of widgeon on a jerk string can be money. I can simulate widgeon chasing coots (to steal food) in the midst of a knot of texas rigged coots and it works well.