The best decoys spreads always have a properly placed landing zone and what most hunters don’t real realized is that a properly placed decoy spread requires less decoys. I’ve seen decoy spreads that have had over 600 decoys, and I know I shouldn’t laugh but… on that particular day they never got a thing. Their intention was to increase the size of the spread for realism BUT what they forgot was the landing zone, there was nowhere for the geese (in this case) to land. Mind you while duck hunting I have pulled ducks in with just 1 duck decoy before and I while goose hunting I have see geese land to just 4 goose decoys before too.

Proper placement of decoys is not as easy as you think, a properly placed decoy spread will increase your chances greatly for a successful hunt.

Here are some key factors for you to implement;

1. Consider the species of duck or goose your decoying,

• Diving ducks like to land at the front of the spread so typically placing your decoys in a V or U pattern won’t always work. I tend to place my duck hunting decoys with three small landing zones, so three  small bunches works fine.
• Puddle ducks need a clear landing zone and will only land in clam water so use a V, C or U pattern for best results. I will always use a duck call for puddle ducks.
• Mix different species of duck decoys together for instance I have Mallards, Gadwalls, Pintails, Ringnecks and Teals typically in my duck hunting decoy spreads.
• Most geese have to see the landing zone so just about any pattern you use brings them in with the right goose calls. I have seen decoys with no pattern at all actually bring in geese in the field but on the water it was a different story, with out a landing zone they fly right on by.
• Diver ducks fly in large groups where puddles duck don’t usually so you you will need more duck decoys.

A proper placement of duck decoys means your spread should be set out properly for the type of bird you are hunting. Make sure you place both your diver and puddle duck spread within shotgun range and for the diver duck decoys you should string them out about 100 yards for increased visibility.

2. Landing zone size,

The typical landing zone should always start at about 10 yards of  open area at the end of your U, C or V. The open end is on the side where ducks make their final approach. Since ducks decoy into the wind, the down wind edge is always open. As the season progresses and the flocks of ducks become larger, expanding the size of your landing zone will help increase your success and don’t forget to increase the amount of decoys you use as you have to add realism to the spread.

3. Always scout before the hunt,

Not only will you know where the ducks and geese will be you will also know what their behaviors are. You can then use this information to help you prepare your decoy spreads. For instance, I scouted three weeks before opening one year and found that there were no ducks at my duck hunting blinds at all. why? Got me… so I changed my location to a bigger pond about 2 miles from my blind because that’s where they were. I also noticed that they were using banks more then normal so I used some resters and this was the magic formula that year.

4.   Be ready to change things up,

Watch the ducks and geese to see what their reaction is to the decoy spreads, meaning if they do a fly by more then three times then something is not right and they are not comfortable to land yet. Get out there and change things around, like increase the lading zone size make sure the decoys are naturally spaced but not to close or too far apart. etc.

The proper use of these key points will ensure proper and successful decoy spreads. Remember that creating landing zones or even small landing zone pockets in your decoy pattern in the shape of C, V, or U is, in my opinion, the most critical strategy for setting up a successful decoy spread.