Church Decoy Company

When the weather turns bad and the sleet, rain, and snow begin to pile up on the backs of decoys, your spread will instantly look "unnatural"! You can dunk them occasionally under water to take the ice and snow off or brush your field dekes off. Another option is Rain-X or environmentally safe anti-freeze in a squirt bottle. Both of these will keep the backs ice and snow free and add more realism to your spread. Take'em when they're all cupped up.       dc

When your favorite area gets iced in, you can still find some decent gunning. If birds are still working the area, put your cork or plastic decoys out on the ice as if they are loafing. Always ensure that the ice is thick enough to walk on and if you bring a bird down that the ice where it lands is thick enough to support your weight or the weight of your dog. Take'em when they're all cupped up. dc

A heron decoy has always been my favorite decoy trick. I use one and place him about ten yards down the bank from the blind. You can get close to real herons, but they won't stay for long. One heron decoy with my spread has made the difference time and time again.

Since I live within 10 minutes of the main Bass Pro store and my dog and I practically live there, I went to their outlet store on Saturday to look around. I came across a product called Wing Wavers and they have a website at wingwavers.com. The decoy is of a mallard drake. It sits on a PVC pipe that you supply. The body is flat like a silhouette and it has a piece of tail board that slides into the bottom. The wings are a nylon material and they are braced with athin piece of metal that reminded me of a "slim Jim" we used to unlock our cars when we locked the keys inside. The wings attach to the body with some tiny bungy cords. When the wind blows, the wings flap and it doesn't take much at all to make the wing material move. Has anyone heard of these or own one. I really like the design and it comes in a carry bag. There are no batteries to go dead, no chargers, no electronics to get wet, etc. The only problem is that it appears that they only sell the Canada goose model now. I'll let you know how they are after the season. dc

Ok, it's not what you think. Sitting ducks is an actual product manufacturer of a really cool item. For us older guys who used to make our own Tri-boards, "Y" boards, and "V" boards, this company will show you a new way of doing business. They have developed a three pronged base for land and for water that will accept most of the name brand silhouette decoys including Big Flock. Just snap them on and put them in the field or in the water. A convenient handle is built in to easily fold and carry your dekes. Lightweight plastic make it more durable than the wood ones I used to make. Very cool product. Take'em while they're all cupped up. dc

I have been conversing with the Big Flock Decoy Company out of Kansas and they were good enough to send me a dozen decoys to look over as I decide whether I would like to become a dealer of their products. I was very impressed with the quality and they are very lifelike. If you are looking for quality, realistic silhouettes........look for Big Flock Decoys on the internet. Who knows....you might just find them on this website real soon. Take'em when they're all cupped up. dc

I have heard of many tips over the years on how to keep the ice from forming on decoys. The main concern is the head and bill since they are the part of the decoy that tends to dip in the water the most. Some people use a good wax such as you would use for skis and others use Rain-X, Anti-freeze in a squirt bottle, and de-icing windshield washer fluid. What other ways do you know of?  dc

When setting out decoys, it never fails that we find all kinds of decoys as we start to empty out the decoy bag. Some I can never remember where they came from. Others , if I think long enough, will remind me of the summer fishing trip when I found the decoy as I retrieved a good fishing lure from a tree branch. I have had people drop them off at my house saying they found one in a ditch, saw it fall out of the back of a truck, from a yard sale, even tied to the mirror of an old school bus in a junk yard. No matter how you came upon your spread of decoys, you will most likely have some sort of variety. The main focus should be to keep like groups together. Try to keep puddle ducks with puddle ducks, divers with divers. If you are set up in a back marsh where the water is calm and weedy, several types of puddle ducks mixed together is fine. If you are hunting big open waters, try to keep mallards together, teal, widgeon, etc. For setting up for both divers and puddlers, keep the puddle ducks together and rig the divers on a gang rig in a straight line. The puddle ducks will fly to the puddle duck spread, and the divers will buzz right down a gang line and give you good pass shooting. A gang line has a heavy anchor in the front and is attached to a decoy which is seperated by about three feet to another decoy, etc. Most gang lines have about 8-12 decoys per line. Some circumstances (current, wind) might require a second anchor at the end of the line. Divers love to see big splashes of white and black so make sure the decoys have plenty of both. I used old teal decoys and painted them up white and black for hunting buffleheads and it worked like a charm. Take'em when they're all cupped up.

-dc

I am going to talk about the fundamentals of using decoys. This is designed for the beginner, but there is probably something in the next few lines that might remind the old pros to remember the basics. Make sure your decoys are in good working order. Standing in chest waders at 3:30 am is not the time to try and untie knots or attach weights. Get them in order before the season. If you are using plastic decoys, make sure any leaks have been fixed. Drain the water out, if any, and fill holes with a hot glue gun or silicone. Water left inside can freeze and crack the decoy over the winter months. Scrub the decoys with soap and water and a soft brush to remove any dirt or flaking paint. Touch up any paint that is missing making sure to use the proper colors and in a flat finish. Make sure the decoy line is in good shape and that the weights are secure. If using nylon line, melt the knots with a lighter or match to make sure they will not untie. Make sure you know the depth of where you are hunting. Tides, current, and wind can make a mess of decoys if the lines are too short. Use a headlamp or hat light when placing decoys in the dark. This will ensure they are spaced far enough apart that they won't clunk together in the wind, the lines are not tangled around the neck, and they are floating upright. First light is when the birds start moving, and you don't want to be in the decoys trying to fix your mistakes. Count the decoys as you put them out. It is not abnormal to have less decoys when the sun comes up. Knowing early enough might allow you to retrieve them before they get too far away. Make sure your spread takes the wind direction in account and any current. It might be necessary to string the decoys from the tail if the current is going one way and the wind is blowing the other. Remember, decoys need to be facing into the wind and leave a landing zone in the middle of the decoys. This landing zone should be in front of where you are to give you the best chance for a good shot. Take'em when they're all cupped up! 

-dc

Mallards are the most common duck throughout North America and can be found in all flyways. I have hunted for Mallards on rivers, creeks, ponds, lakes, and even the Chesapeake Bay. They are found on fresh water, salt water, still marshes, and fast moving rivers. Many ducks will decoy to a spread of mallards including widgeon, teal, wooducks, bluebills, ringnecks, Canada geese, buffleheads, mergansers, and others. My advice to anyone starting out would be to purchase good mallards to start your spread. You can always add more and different decoys later, but the mallards should be the foundation.

-dc