WRITTEN BY: MD JOHNSON
It’s well-accepted that dabbler decoy spreads don’t have to be complicated nor conform to the traditional ‘J,’ ‘C,’ or ‘V’ format. Me? I’m a huge fan of what I call the Random Placement Theory (RPT). I stand slightly upwind to 12 o’clock of the blind and throw decoys randomly until either the bag or the clip is empty. Simple enough. But there are times throughout the season when Arrangement A or Arrangement B might produce a little better.
October
The RPT works here. These are often home-grown birds. Locals. They know the lay of the land and who’s who. Let your scouting dictate how many decoys to use, and then put an emphasis on young-of-the-year birds. Brown ducks.
November
The Carnival Spread, as a friend of mine calls it. Mallards. Pintails. Green-winged teal. Wigeon. A pair of black ducks. And a ‘coot raft’ of BLACKOUTS™. This is the lull and you’re dealing with local pressured birds and a trickle of migrators, so you want to give them something different to look at.
December
December, and I’m downsizing the spread and throwing 4-to-1 greenheads to hens. There’s a lot of space between decoys now. Give thought to ditching the spinner and focusing on on-the-water motion, e.g. Rig'Em Right’s Jerk Rig armed with a pair of lightweight green-wing teal for extra “bounce.”
January
It’s all about realism now, e.g. Rig'Em Right’s Fully Flocked Mallards. Think about using your decoys as blockers; rather, put them where you DON’T want the birds to be and leave the hole as empty space with just a couple drake mallards and a jerk rig. Go as small as possible.
Link to Fully Flocked Mallards >
