What would make the perfect puddle duck decoy combo?

[Eric Larsgaard]

Guys,

I am back again getting the best info from the best!!!

If you could pick up a mixed box of puddle duck decoys (excluding Mallards) in one box what would it be???? I have two questions here!!
A. Dozen or 6pack B. What decoys would you want in the box!!!
Here are a couple of examples!!!!
Keep in mind it can be anything you want these are just examples.

1.
Wigeon 2 drakes 1hen
Gadwall 2 drakes 1hen
Pintail 2 drakes 1hen
GW Teal 2drake 1hen

2.
Wigeon 3 Drakes
Gadwall 3 Drakes
Pintail 3 Drakes
Shovelers 3 Drakes

For those of you who do not know our entire line of decoys here they are!


Life-Size Series™ Pintails
Life-Size Series™ Wood Ducks
Life-Size Series™ Wigeons
Life-Size Series™ Eurasian Wigeons
Life-Size Series™ Gadwalls
Life-Size Series™ Green-Winged Teal
Life-Size Series™ Blue-Winged Teal
Life-Size Series™ Cinnamon Teal

Over-Size Series™ Decoys
Over-Size Series™ Pintails
Over-Size Series™ Black Ducks
Over-Size Series™ Shovelers
Over Size Series™ Coots
Over Size Series™ Mallard Butt-Up™ Feeder Decoys

Thanks again for all your help!!!

Eric

[Nicholas Lisec]

I think that this thread will be very interesting. This would be a pretty cool idea if you could have the ultimate setup in just one box.

Here is my .02.

2 Drake Black Ducks - Great Visibility
3 Drake Wigeon - I have had Wigeon try to land on our two Wigeon decoys out in a spread of four dozen other duck decoys. These were in different flocks as well so it wasn't just coincidence.
3 Drake Pintails - Great Visibility
2 GW Teal Drakes - Realism in a size difference
1 Drake Mallard Butt Up Feeder - Helping to show a relaxed and content spread.
1 Drake Shoveler - Since these seem to be everywhere and they look great too.

I think that setup would give you some great visibility and realism. I can't wait to see what everyone else has to say.

Nick

[Lybeck]

that sounds like a great Idea personally I would go with mallards,wigeons,teal,and maybe some shovelers.thats mostly all i see all year,also I would do maybe a 2 dozen combo and put 6 of each species in a box.

[Eric Larsgaard]

Nic,

Sorry man, forgot to mention no mallards. I re-did the post please get back to it when you get a chance.

Thanks,

Eric

[duckboy1]

this is going to change all over the place but i would go with a 12 pack of.
4 pintail 3D/1H
2 teal 1D/1H
2 wigeon drakes
2 spoony drakes
2 gadwall 1D/1H

[Cory Johnson]

Alright I think This Thread Will Get Alot Of Responce.

Ok so no Mallards, I would go with...

2-Drake Gadwalls, 2 Hen Gadwall
2-Drake Pintails, 2 Hen Pintail
2-Drake Green Wing Teal,
2-Drake Wood Ducks,



But I would rather take 2 Drake Mallards instead of having the Wood Ducks but thats just me.

[Rob Cater]

2 pintails overssize drakes, 2 wigeon drakes life size ,2 gadwells drakes Life size

[Nick Bury]

Definitly a doz. and maby somethin like this

4 mallards (2 drakes 2 hens)
3 wigeons (2 drakes 1 hen)
3 gadwalls (2 drake 1 hen)
2 pintails ( 1 drake 1 hen)

[pintail21]

Go with the most common, widgeon, pintail, GWT. No shovelers, blacks, cin. teal or BW's because they aren't as spread out as the other species, or in winter plummage nearly as much as the others

[iluvfish2]

I love my OS sides deeks, so heres my pennies worth:

2 OS Blacks ( 1 drake 1 hen )
2 OS Pintails (both drakes)
2 OS Shovelers (drakes)

Given what I get in my area, I should probably trade the shovelers in for some GW teal, but kinda nice to look at deeks when the birds aren't flying :)

[Keath Wetovick]

4-Mallard Drakes 1-Hen
3-Drake Widgeons
3-Shovelers
2-Drake Gadwalls

That would be sweet!

[Keath Wetovick]

My bad.......2-Drake Widgeons, not 3..

[Nicholas Lisec]

Keath,

You can't include Mallards man.

Nick

[Jon Autrey]

Eric, I think that for the Delta it would be hard to beat a rice field pack using 4 Mallard drakes, 2 Mallard hens, 4 Pintail drakes, and for just a little more white to show up 2 Shoveler drakes. The tough thing is leaving out the teal but I think that group is a pretty strong representation of what you see feeding in the fields throughout the Delta.


Jon Autrey
Avery Pro Staff

[Keath Wetovick]

My bad Nick, I seen yours with mallards? HA! but i would definitly go to Green-Wings and Blacks then.

[jolle]

A dozen:

3 gad
3 wig
3 pin
3 black

all drakes, good mix. I'd do a separate teal mix pack if at all.

This one's gonna be tough, b/c everybody will want everything.

[Jeremy Kriese]

I would go with
2 shovelers (drakes)
2 blacks(drakes)
4 pintail(3 drakes/1 hen)
4 gadwal(3 drakes/1 hen)

[hunter]

3 blacks(drakes)
3 pintail(2 drakes/1 hen)
2 gadwal(1 drake/1 hen)
2 Green Wing Teal
2 Wood Ducks

[walleye killer]

since we dont have very many species of puddlers I would say a 6 pack of....


3 blacks

2 gadwalls (to add a new dimension since we dont get hardly any)

1 shoveler


remember this is all late season b/c round here first season all we get is mallards b/c most woodrows ant teal r gone by the time the season starts and shovs and blacks arent down yet. But of course, i would have mallards mixed in.

[Traxion]

For me, the blacks are pretty useless in that I never see them. For visibility they would be OK, but not much else. I know it will be a compromise, because people from other regions don't see some species I do. Anyhow, a dozen would be-

3- Widgeon, 2 d, 1h
3-Pintail, 3 d
3-Shovelers 3 d
3-Gadwalls 2 d, 1 h

For me, teal are pretty seasonal, so I'd still like them separate. My .02!!!

[Cody Frazier]

5 gaddies 3 D/ 2H
5 coots Are there male and female coots? hehe:)
2 widgeon 2 D

[A Grant]

I would go with:

2 widgeon
2 gw teal
2 pintail
1 gadwal
1 wood duck
1 shoveler
2 coots
1 RINGNECK

I would add the ringneck since they like marshes and are considered a crossover duck to some people. I have had divers zero in on a single ringneck decoy I had out in the marsh. I often see an odd diver flying around looking for buddies where you wouldn't think there should be any. Adding it will up visability and may encourage puddle hunters to add some more diver decoys to their spread or try out for divers too.

Basically the same reasoning on the coots, but also to help promote a new decoy.

You may want to add any species that are under realizing their potential (if you have any that is). If people get one and see how cool it really is they might get more.

[Cory Johnson]

Or how bout 1 of all the species.

[duckboy1]

the more i think about this that almost every area is going to need its own puddler pack. so there would be differnat areas that have differant numbers and types of decoys. like a East coast pack a West coast and a southern states pack. because the west coast woulnt need blacks or blue wings and the east wouldnt need very many pins if any. so i think i mix in differant syles of puddler packs would be the best choice!

[Mike Bard]

First I would make the package a dozen decoys and go with the following:


Life-Size Series™ Pintails 3 drakes 1 hen
Life-Size Series™ Wigeons 3 drakes 1 hen
Over-Size Series™ Blacks 2 and 2

[Richnkwack]

12 Pack for Marsh hunters

-6 Life Size Mallards (4 drakes/ 2 hens)
-2 Pintail (drake/hen)
-4 GW Teal (2 drakes/2hens)

12 Pack for Timber hunters

-8 Life Size Mallards (6 drakes/ 3 hens)
-4 Wood duck (3 drakes/ 1 hen)

-Mark Wood

[Richnkwack]

12 Pack for Timber hunters:

8 Life size Mallards (6 drakes/ 3 hens)
4 Wood ducks (3 drakes/ 1 hen)

-Mark Wood

[SwampHunter]

All pairs:

2 Pintails
2 Coots
2 Wigeons
2 Gadwalls
2 Black Ducks
2 Shovelers

[Mallards-N-Muskies]

The ticket for an early season Wisconsin 6-pack would be:

2 BW Teal Hens
2 GW Teal Hens
2 Wood Duck Drakes

The late season Wisconsin 6-pack would be:

2 Widgeon drakes
2 OS Shoveler drakes
2 OS Bufflehead Drakes

[xdasher19]

3 pin
3 spoons
2 widg
if can have mal. butts 4 of them
if cannot have mal butts then 2 GWT and 2 Blacks

[Travis Mueller]

BJ, you are right. It will be inpossible to make the right combination. No matter what we will do, it won't be right for everyone.

[Chris Smith]

I would like to see a 12-pack consisting of:

3-Drake Gadwalls, 1 Hen Gadwall
3-Drake Pintails, 1 Hen Pintail
2-Drake Shovelers
2-Drake Wood Ducks

Add a dozen LS Mallards and I think that would be a deadly combo for most situations!:)

[Montauker]

Ideally you could do three packages, Miss. River Flyway people sorry, not trying to exclude you.


Three packages:

East:

3 blacks
3 Gaddies 2d/1h
2 teal drakes
3 Pins 2d/1h

Central:

2 Blacks
2 woodies pair
2 teal drakes
4 gaddies
2 Bootlips

West:

4 Pins
4 Widgeon
4 teal

(all 3:1 drakes/hens)


If you were to do only one package though I would go with:

2 teal gw
2 Pins
3 widgeon
3 gaddies
2 shovelers or two feeders

I love black ducks but including them excludes close to 1/2 the country, at least geography wise, maybe not market wise.

[In-coming]

4 L/S pintail, 3 male 1 hen
3 L/S gadwall 2 male 1 hen
3 L/S widgeon 2 male 1 hen
2 L/S woodie

[Tim Bouchard]

Eric, For me you hit it right on the head with number 1

Widgeon 2 drakes 1hen
Gadwall 2 drakes 1hen
Pintail 2 drakes 1hen
GW Teal 2drake 1hen

I might do more hens than drakes, but that is just because all our birds are brown. Only us northern guys want that. Maybe you should consider for Canada/Alaska:

Widgeon 4 hen
Gadwall 4 hen
Pintail 2 hen
GW Teal 2 hen

[Luke Graham]

This woud be good for maximum visibility and realism in the lower 48
Pintails 4 drakes
O.S. Shoveler 4 drakes
Widgeon 4 drakes

Then, offer a early season package for us northern guys

Pintails 4 hens
O.S. Shoveler 4 hens
Widgeon 4 hens

I would still like to see packages of just hens in Widgeon and pintail.
The only fully plumed drake pintails and widgeon I have ever seen up here are during the spring time, not during hunting season. So, If avery would market these packages in the right places, they would make a killing.

Thanks,
Luke