Why Are Ducks Acting Decoy Shy?

Posted on April 26, 2016, 9:01 am
4 mins

There are multiple reasons why ducks are decoy shy. Today, we will look at the main reasons why they are shying away from your spread and what to do to fix those problems.

  • Weather Conditions- What is the weather like when the ducks act shy? The majority of days that ducks are “flaring off” are days that are cloudy, overcast, and no wind. Days like this give ducks a better opportunity to look down on a spread and make a more educated decision of whether to land or not. What do they see on a cloudy and no wind day? They can see the dull colors on your decoys. Touch the paint up on those decoys that look faded. They see “dead water”. Holes that have ducks in them have water moving around. Put some movement in your spread either with mechanical decoys or a jerk string. Also, add some confidence building decoys to you spread. In the timber, I like to add some standing duck decoys to logs. That is what ducks do on a day like this so why not add it to your spread? In the field, I will add either speck, shoveler, teal, or coot decoys to the outer edges of my decoys.
  • On days that ducks are acting bashful, Are you calling to much? I know what you are thinking. If ducks are shy acting, shouldn’t I call more? No, the answer is less, softer, and go back to the basics. I am blowing a quack and a lonesome hen. I am blowing those very light.
  • The hole you are hunting has been “Overhunted”. It may be time to give that hole a break if they are hanging up. Check with others in your camp to see if that hole has been hunted recently. If you have a stable weather pattern that is not pushing new birds, hold off a couple of more days on hunting that hole. My rule of thumb is two for seven in a regular weather pattern. Two days shooting a hole every week. That is the max. If there is not a major duck pushing front in the ten day forecast, do not hunt but once.
  • Step out, walk away, and look back! Get out of your blind, walk out into the hole outside of the decoy spread or go to a viewing point that is higher than the hole, and look back at your spread and blind. Did Larry wear old school camo and it is sticking out like a sore thumb? Does he need a facemask or more face paint?  Does the blind need brushing up? Does the decoy spread look natural? This is one of the first things I do when ducks are hanging up just outside of gun range. I get away from my blind and spread and look at it. Most of the time, it is a quick fix of what is sticking out and flaring ducks.

Every day is not going to be a massacre when hunting ducks. We all know that. One of the biggest things I want you to pay attention to when birds are working you is the wing beats. If a duck is comfortable with their surroundings, they have long slow wing beats. If he is not, he has quick short wing beats.  The closer they get to something that makes them uncomfortable the faster they will move those wings. If ducks are turning and burning at the edge of the spread, something is wrong. Go through this checklist. I guarantee you it is one of them.

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