Thread: Decoys

Size is important so don't go buying 16 inch parries and 16 inch mallards. Personally I would get some mallard floaters one size bigger than your normal mallard floater (so 20 or 18 inch if you normally use 16 inch mallards) and repaint them. Parries will decoy into mallard deeks and most people don't run dedicated mallard spreads on water. Go and have a look at your mai mai and try and replicate the mix of birds you normally see there. It's good to have a couple of parries off to the side of your mallard spread just to mix it up a bit and also the solid color of the parries makes the whole spread a bit more visible.

Most people start their goose spread off with a dozen shells because you get a lot more for your money than most other decoy styles. Don't buy the Avery (GHG) Hot buy shells, the paint chips and they don't stack properly. You can use your shells on land or on stakes on the lake edge.

My next step was to buy four goose floaters (higdon magnums). I put my shells on the lake edge and the floaters on the water next to it. The floaters add some very realistic movement to the spread and geese tend to land on water when given the choice as the landing is softer. When shooting on paddocks I take the keels out and use the floaters as additional shells.

The step after that is to buy some full bodies. Much more visible than shells and a much more realistic copy of a standing goose than a shell on a stake which just looks like half a goose on a stake. They are a pain to transport though.

With mallards, try and get a couple of head positions to mix it up a bit and I would try and buy the big ones. 16 inch or even better 18 inch. Much more visible on the big water.