Thread: Idle questions for the duck hunt

Like others, counting down the days. Couple of idle questions.

1. Leaving decoys out on the water overnight. Good or bad idea?

2. Does a couple of parry decoys add/detract/make no difference to bringing in the mallards/greys?

3. Do mallard decoys have any effect on bringing the parries in?

4. Any recommendations for parry decoys? All the ones i've seen look pretty cheap and nasty.

Cheers

Most people put the decoys out mid day Friday. A few parrie​ decoys won't make much difference one way or the other. Parries do come into mallard decoys particularly if you have a parrie call. Repaint some mallard Magnum decoys for parrie decoys. Pm me and i will send you Paul Stennings article on painting decoys.

Decoys out first thing on Saturday morning . put the birds off quietly and leave yourself ten minutes before shooting light so they don't come back in the dark . We leave our decoys out on the sat night of opening weekend then they come in every hunt after that. I don't bother with parrie decoys anymore. If you have a parrie caller you can bring them in with mallard decoys. They are not sharp

female parrie colour is resene hairy heath,with the whitest white you can get. male is a charcoal.
we have between 3 and 8 parrie dekes off to one side just in range but where we will have to move to shoot.theory being the mallards will go past that area into the mallards/greys/spoonies who should be more friendly.

Originally Posted by Nathan F

Decoys out first thing on Saturday morning . put the birds off quietly and leave yourself ten minutes before shooting light so they don't come back in the dark . We leave our decoys out on the sat night of opening weekend then they come in every hunt after that. I don't bother with parrie decoys anymore. If you have a parrie caller you can bring them in with mallard decoys. They are not sharp

agree but i like at least 15 to 20 minutes to settle back in after youve set up and before the early idiots start.
our parries arent as dumb as they were after a summer season rark up but yes they can be easy at times to.
just remember you dont have to kill your limit to be a hunter and just cos they keep coming doesnt mean you have to keep killing.

Decoys out Friday afternoon with a couple of Parrie decoys to one side. It wont matter if the parrie decoys are cheap or exspencive.

Originally Posted by nelpop

Decoys out Friday afternoon with a couple of Parrie decoys to one side. It wont matter if the parrie decoys are cheap or exspencive.

thanks, the reason i ask is that i've heard people making a big deal about mallard decoys having UV paint. maybe it's sales bollocks, don't know. just didn't want to put a couple of cheap parry decoys in to the mix and screw things up for the mallards/greys.

We put our decoys out day before on the river cause they can be a pain to set up. Leave my second lot of decoys in the pond mai mai set them up first thing Sunday morning in the dark settle in and wait for the whistling wings!

Thanks for the replies. Just thought of another question. I may have a go on the river if the ponds are quiet. There's a little inlet/stream outflow, it's surrounded by high trees. What do you think about this as a spot to setup the decoys?

Where abouts are you shooting

northland, private land.

Originally Posted by nelpop

Decoys out Friday afternoon with a couple of Parrie decoys to one side. It wont matter if the parrie decoys are cheap or exspencive.

I'm the same but keep the parries separate they will drop in more readily to there own kind, I also use confidence decoys swans & scaup as there is a large number of both where I shoot. I don't have large expectations this year because of the large flood a month ago. So the 308 will be coming for a drive a redskin hunt may well be on the cards. I've also got a Vinduro ride on the Sunday so my old TT350 will also be loaded on the ute ;-)

Originally Posted by MightyBoosh

Thanks for the replies. Just thought of another question. I may have a go on the river if the ponds are quiet. There's a little inlet/stream outflow, it's surrounded by high trees. What do you think about this as a spot to setup the decoys?

I dont know about setting decoys in that area under the trees but id be keeping a bloody close eye on it.If the feathered buggers do get wise and sneak in to set up hootchies there ,id be tempted to let em get comfy then pay em a sneaky visit -and it aint for tea and scones either.
gut instinct tells me at some stage it will become a mallard holiday camp.

Thanks for the replies. Just thought of another question. I may have a go on the river if the ponds are quiet. There's a little inlet/stream outflow, it's surrounded by high trees. What do you think about this as a spot to setup the decoys?

looks a definate possibility especially in the right wind and if its as sheltered and not to tight as it looks.

Originally Posted by kotuku

gut instinct tells me at some stage it will become a mallard holiday camp.

that was my feeling too!