Teal or woodies?

[catmaster1557]

I am going to add some variety to my decoy spread this year. I was looking to get either a dozen woody or teal decoys. Which ones would you suggest getting? or should I get 6 of each?

[french_lake_kid]

You could do what you suggested, get half & half. A good 1 would be Green-Head 6 pack. 4 drakes, 2 hens. I have woodies, and they look great! $39.99

[duckster]

Floating Honker decoys. I added a few and it really increases the visibility of your spread. The ducks seem to really key in on them and many times will land right with the Honker decoys.

Duckster

[Jarrod32]

I was doing the same thing...adding some variety...and picked up a box of a dozen Teal decoys. They're pretty small...I should've gone with something else. Not sure that Wood Ducks are what I need in the prairie potholes out here, though.

From your post, I'm not sure what you have in your current selection...so forgive me if you already have some of my suggestions.

I am a fan of the Greenhead Gear 'Puddler Pack'. A couple of those packs will add a bit of variety. Or like was mentioned earlier, a few goose decoys in the mix...or nearby...as confidence decoys. Or get a couple heron/crane type decoys to add to the edge of your spread as confidence decoys as well.

[smg04]

i would go with the avery puddler pack and a few honks . . pintails/gaddys/widgon will be around all season where as most teal and woodies will be long gone by mid oct, i would stay away from any heron/egret decoys, 1 word=gimmik, and also a pain in the a$$ to pack in

[lanyard]

For adding bodies, FF sells single decoys. I picked up extra brown ones (mallards), small and light for packing in. Brown because early season how many full greenhead mally's do you pop.

The typical mix is 50/50, this way early season I can run up to a 30/70 of brown ducks to greenheads and drop the magnum drake mallards all together. Seems to have brought in the 'other' ducks to a tighter committment.

[hanson]

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Floating Honker decoys. I added a few and it really increases the visibility of your spread. The ducks seem to really key in on them and many times will land right with the Honker decoys.

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Agreed.

[french_lake_kid]

Lanyard, can you buy single honker floaters too? & which Fleet-Farm are speaking of?

[2 DA GILLS]

FLK - I am pretty sure you can buy singles of ducks or geese at the Fleet Farm in Owatonna. That should be the closest for you. I know they have single honker floaters at Gander in Mankato.

[french_lake_kid]

Thanx 4 the info I ended up filling 5 of my field shells with "Great Stuff" I think it will work, but I'm just hoping it will stay a-float after being in the water for a while, as long as it doesn't suck up an water it should be OK

[lanyard]

ewww, Great Stuff in decoys... always a risky proposition. The crazier trick with that stuff is balance as it does not expad uniformly and creates pockets.

You SHOULD be able to find single ducks at all FF (except Clintonville and Waupaca, as the add says they NEVER have anything). Single floaters should be found at Gander and FF.

Good luck, I'd like to hear your Great Stuff adventure!

[BarTender]

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I am going to add some variety to my decoy spread this year. I was looking to get either a dozen woody or teal decoys. Which ones would you suggest getting? or should I get 6 of each?

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The key thing to look at is what does the area you hunt hold more of. What do you see when out in the area. If you see more wooddunck, get them, more teal, then teal. Another thing to remember is teal decoy well to mallard decoys where if you have a couple woodduck decoys you have a beter chance at decoying woodducks than with out the decoys.

[Eric Wettschreck]

It also depends on the time of year and the conditions.

Early season I toss out some mallards and teal.If my buddy comes with we put out some of his woodie decoys too. I chuck out a couple of floating honkers too.

Later on, after it's been cold for a while I ditch the teal decoys for divers. I always toss out some floating honkers.

Yes, woodies in prairie potholes work great.

[Hammer Handle]

I would take teal.

Woodies come in to any type of decoy...whether it be mallards, teal, or whatever. Adding teal would help bring teal in...and still bring the wood ducks in.

[catmaster1557]

Thanks for all the replies

[delta hunter]

I was in the same dilemma last year and I went with wood ducks! There are a couple of reasons for my decision is that around our area there seams to be more woodies then teal and the size difference! More visibility, what else can I say! This year I totally redid my spread with all GHG decoys. I don't have just a crap load of mallards anymore, I got mallards, pintails, wigeons, gadwalls, woodies, and blue bills. I am always reading that a variety of decoys equals to more finishing ducks which would lead to more success! I guess I'll see what happens!! But like I said woodies over the teal or I would look at GHG Puddler Packs. The decoys in the puddler pack can be used in situations all season long!!!

[delta hunter]

Oh yeah, I wanted to say one more thing!! I think that both wood duck and teal decoys are worthless! Because I have had both ducks come straight in with just mallard decoys! I just have them for a variety in my spread!!!

[hanson]

We get it all...

Divers into mallard only dekes, Mallards into goose only dekes, Teal into anything, Ring bills into the dekes while we are setting them up in a canoe.

The one thing you will want is Mallard Decoys. I believe just about anything will land in them. If you arrange them right on big water (J-Hook or similar), you'll pull divers into them as well. Diving dekes are nice because of the white on them but divers will still pull into mallard dekes if there are enough of them and they are in proper formation.

I hope to continue pulling more ducks into the decoys with goose floaters out this weekend. They are sooooo visible on the water that they will get checked out. They are a huge confidence decoy for the ducks.

[2 DA GILLS]

I am wondering at what distance do ducks determine a decoy is a mallard vs teal vs pintail vs ..........?

I may be wrong, but I am thinking that more than likely the ducks are within shooting range at that point. I have always hunted with mallard and goose decoys - that is it. A majority of my mallard decoys are super magnums for visibility reasons. These super magnums are 3 times the size of a normal duck and birds still readily decoy. Don't get me wrong, I do not think that there is anything wrong with variety in your spread, but I wonder how much value they really add?

[delta hunter]

The variety point I was trying to make was that later in the season ducks will circle more than usual, and when they do that they tend to be just out of range. For me hunting public water and most people just using mallards and geese, it all looks that same. So with different types of decoys, birds seem to commit more often then not!

[Mark Christianson]

I agree with Gills.

Basically to paraphrase what he said(in my interpretation), teal and woodies will come into pieces of wood anchored to the bottom. They are not picky into what they decoy into if you ask me. Buying dekes to try and lure in Teal and Woodies specifically is a waste of money.

[hanson]

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Basically to paraphrase what he said(in my interpretation), teal and woodies will come into pieces of wood anchored to the bottom. They are not picky into what they decoy into if you ask me.

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LOL!!

We don't shoot ducks that land in the decoys. Teal love to buzz the edge of the cattails and land in the dekes, or come in from behind and drop right in without getting a chance to shoulder the gun. Well... once in the dekes, we let them be and they will seriously swim around in them for 15 minutes if you let them. There is a major size difference between a GHG Life Size Mallard decoy and a live Teal in the decoys. Yet the decoys don't seam to bother them at all. You can talk loudly, and yell at them and they'll still sit there. Fun to watch though, and no better decoy than live decoys in your dekes.

[2 DA GILLS]

Delta Hunter,

I may have to add some variety to my spread some day and see what I think of the results. For late season, we usually set around 8 dozen magnum and super magnum mallard decoys and 1 dozen goose decoys. We go with shear numbers to pull in the ducks. I agree that the late season birds do circle more and can be a challenge and that is when it gets truly rewarding when you get them to dump into your decoys.

[BarTender]

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I agree with Gills.

Basically to paraphrase what he said(in my interpretation), teal and woodies will come into pieces of wood anchored to the bottom. They are not picky into what they decoy into if you ask me. Buying dekes to try and lure in Teal and Woodies specifically is a waste of money.

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I have fund that having a group of woodduck decoys in a small bunch will attract wooducks to your spread better than not having them there. From my experiances having the woodduck decoys is not a wast of money, as for teal decoys that would be a waste in IMO.

[Hammer Handle]

I actually don't even use decoys very often. Just sit on the shore with my dog...and let the first duck(s) land. Usually, one comes in first alone (that lands) and calls the rest in.

Shoot at the ones coming in...rinse...repeat. No need for a decoy or a call.

And Grebe's along the shore bring them in too. Even after you shoot, they may still hand around. My dog can't understand why I don't shoot them though.

[palisade1kid]

My belief is that mallards and geese are the only dekes a guys needs.Although it seems that having a tight group of woodies or teal in my case is more of a confidense decoy setup.

Early on a few dozen mallards 6 geese and a dzen teal really work well ,later on I'll drag all 10 dozen out and make rafts of bills,mallards and honkers.