Fake water?

[Lip'em]

I know that this has probably been talked about before but I wanted to start a current post on hunting over fake water. I have heard that if you take a dark colored tarp and place it in a field with a few mallard and goose decoys that it really works to fool ducks, they act like it is real water. Just wondering if anyone has tried this recently or even if it is legal (baiting?). Could be good to try now that small lakes are beginning to freeze up.

[Jimmy from Cottage Grove]

I have never tried that, but I have heard that it works. I haven't heard about it in a field, but I have heard that it works on the frozen lake, that it tricks them into thinking that it is open water.

[Eric Wettschreck]

I've done it and it works well.

I use like a 10 by 10 tarp.

[outdoor ran]

I heard about this trick 15 years ago. I've always wanted to try it but there always seems to be open water till seasons end where I hunt. If everything is frozen the ducks seem to have already gone threw. Let us know how you do if you try it.

[schr0563]

I gave it a shot earlier this year in a bean field. I had a great spread of ducks and geese set up around two sheets of 10X25 pieces of black plastic. Only problem was that we didn't see any birds. The few birds we saw were coming or going to the nearby lake and didn't even come within a half mile of us. I learned my lesson - LOCATION is way more important than having a great setup.

[Jimmy from Cottage Grove]

Do you use blue or black tarps? Boilerguy where did you try it in the field or on a frozen lake?

[SSSTaxidermy]

I have heard black tarp...Haven't tried it myself...I guess the black tarp represents a shallow slough or pond more realistically. I guess it makes sense. I want to give it a try this year...

[Eric Wettschreck]

Use a darker tarp. I like black. I set them up in fields.

Around these parts the tiny little potholes can be real nice magnets for migrating mallards. Especially the ones near cut corn fields. Set up smack dab in the middle of a cut field that YOU HAVE SCOUTED and know that mallards are feeding there. It really works.

[Curly]

How do you anchor it down so the wind does not blow it away?

[Eric Wettschreck]

You're in a field........ try to find some dirt.

Bury the edges of it and it won't go anywhere. You don't want it looking perfectly square anyway. Use dirt to change the shape a bit.