What is up with the birds?

[WarEagle2002]

I won't give any specifics on where I was at Saturday morning, but I must have seen 5000 birds. All kinds Mallards, Pintails, Gadwall, Widgeon, Teal, Shovelers, Wood Ducks and none of them would work us or any of the other folks around. We would go run em out of a place, set up real quick, and wait for their return. We would run them out of open water then set up in open water. They would go to the timber. We would go run them out of there, set up real quick and they would go back to the open water. No matter what we did the birds did something else. They seemed to be decoy shy. Do you think these are birds that have been here for a period of time and are set in their ways or what? It beats all I have ever seen and I have been at this for 20+ years. And you talk about being vocal, these ducks were quacking, peeping, whistling, to beat the band.

[Jeff]

Come down here to my neck of the woods and you will see the same thing. It is amazing. Plenty of birds most of the time and none of them work at all. I don't understand it, it's left me banging my head against a wall many a time. Oh well it can only get better I hope!

[WarEagle2002]

I saw these birds on public land. Do you think they have just grown so accustomed to seeing decoy spreads and robos that they simply won't hardly land within 100 yards of another duck/decoy? We didn't have a robo-duck with us, but we do have access to one do any of you think that would have helped? I would hate to resort to that, but if it will help with the way this season is going heck I'm all for it. We did have 3 jerk string set-ups that moved the water well so movement amongst the decoys wasn't a factor I don't think.