January-February 2021 • Nebraskaland 37
will fl y over ducks but ducks don't like to fl y over geese as
they approach a landing site. That was what I read a long
time ago in Ralf Coykendall's book Duck Decoys: And How to
Rig Them."
Wessel also transitions from using a mixed fl ock of decoys
— widgeon, gadwall, pintail, teal and mallards — to mostly
mallard and a few green-winged teal later in the season, as
most of the early to mid-season migrants have long headed
south.
"Honestly, I think I've killed just as many ducks over
mallard decoys as I do now with really nice 'other duck
decoys,'" says Wessel. Full-body, non-fl oating duck decoys
and sleeper goose decoys placed on the ice can be eff ective
if you have a way to retrieve downed birds, but be careful of
thin ice, he warned.
Bisgard also uses sleeper and resting decoys, especially
during conditions of thick ice where you can't make a big
hole.
"If there's no ice, I'll add two or three dozen more decoys to
my spread to create a bigger profi le. I also like motion decoys
to create a more natural look," says Bisgard.
Juelfs, who typically hunts smaller water, tends to run
smaller and more realistic spreads later in the season.
"I feel that calling will get a better response than a large
decoy spread," says Juelfs.
Camouflage
Geiser reminds hunters to touch up their blinds and pits
toward the middle or end of the waterfowl season. Focus
on lids, which birds tend to notice fi rst. Collect corn stalks
Hunters carry out duck decoys after a waterfowl hunt in Hall County on the Platte River.
