36 Nebraskaland • January-February 2021
"An ice eater works well if you have electricity," says
Wessel. "Open up as big an area as you can upwind of your
blind so you can place decoys there and encourage ducks to
approach in front of the blind."
Wessel also uses a spade or spud bar to break ice and move
it out of sight, which keeps his hands from getting wet.
"Don't leave decoys out overnight if there is a risk of icing
in or even a heavy frost. Shiny, frozen decoys or those covered
with frost don't look natural," says Wessel.
Bisgard breaks ice in large circles and slides it underneath
the ice.
"It looks more natural. I don't like shiny broken edges
refl ecting in the sun," he says. "If the ice is thick, I'll only
make a small circle. I also set decoys on the ice. I put sleeper
or resting decoys around the ice hole, just to make it look
more natural and this will also help cover the shiny jagged
edges of the ice. When waterfowl see other birds sleeping
or resting, it gives them confi dence. They'll see these birds
relaxing, and they'll want to come down."
Bisgard keeps a close eye for ice forming on decoys. He goes
out every couple of hours to clean ice off the decoys' bills.
Decoys
"For geese during the late season, hunters may need to
work the wind more with their decoy spreads," says Geiser.
"Geese will decoy and land coming into the wind."
If birds are decoy-shy, Geiser suggests moving the decoy
spread away from your pit or blind, in a location that would
force birds to fl y over you as they are looking at your spread.
Also consider competition with other hunters. Wessel
utilizes a bigger spread when there are other hunters in the
area, "but a few decoys will work if pressure is light." He also
bunches decoys closer together during colder conditions,
which simulates natural behavior.
"I always place goose decoys upwind of ducks," says
Wessel. "I believe, but don't know this for a fact, that geese
From his personal blind overlooking the Platte River, a Labrador retriever awaits the next volley of shots from his handlers.
PHOTO
BY
JEFF
KURRUS
PHOTO
BY
JEFF
KURRUS
