mix in black duck decoys with mallards????

[weedsnager]

.......even though there are no blacks in my area?

[Curt Wilson]

I would not go overboard with the black ducks, but they do show up very well in the spread. A few birds could just be enough to get the birds attention from a distance.

[weedsnager]

i'm thinking about 6 blacks mixed in with 5 1/2 dozen mallards.........sound ok?

[beretta man]

Sounds good to me. As a matter of fact, thats how many you saw in my basement the other day. Believe it or not, there are more Black Ducks around our area than you would think.

It's amazing when you add dark decoys to your spread and take a look at them from a distance how well they stand out. You think it would be the opposite since they are dark, but its not.

[Christian Curtis]

I think adding a few is a great idea. I think it is important to be realistic but it is also important to be seen. The Black Ducks will add a great amount of visibility to your spread. Try it and I think you will see the advantage.

[Travis Mueller]

Great idea. We have very few blacks as well, but I am thinking of doing the exact opposite. More blacks, and less mallards. The visibility is amazing. Just like the old black milk jugs that are still used heavily today on the river.

[Rob Jepson]

Like the guys have stated: you don't want to over do it if Black ducks are not that prevalent in your area but the increased visibility of a few select decoys might help the overall appearance of your rig.

The color black offers an increased amount of contrast when compared to other colors and is one reason why a black lure is a great color to use when fishing at night. This same contrast aspect of the color black is what sets the black duck decoys apart from the others in the rig.

[Webbedconnection]

I would have to disagree with the majority here. I use 2 dozen Blacks and a dozen Mallards, and that is in my diver rig.

When I leave the spread to get a cripple, it is the Black Duck decoys that have the greatest visability, the drake Cans are second. On big water visability is key- and the Over-size Blacks have it!

And for a Mallard rig, the same thing is true. I wouldn't be afraid to put out a third Black decoys for late season Mallards.

My 2 cents... duck in Michigan

[Rick Frisch]

Living in the Upper Midwest, I am thinking I will us a lot of Black Ducks this year. Our mallards don't reach anything that remotely looks like a duck in full plumage until mid to late October. I am going to use more Black Ducks to resemble these ducks.

Thanks,

[goosehunter64]

Jeff, it's one of those things you'll have to experiment with. Maybe earlier in the season go with 5-9, then move up to 11-15. Yeah, I'm a very firm believer in odd numbers with black ducks. over 20 some odd yrs hunting them on the east coast....tells me this.

[weedsnager]

good deal...............i'm glad you guys think the blacks will work........i'd like to buy something besides mallards .......... and i really like the way the GHG blacks look.

[Curt Wilson]

Make sure you post some pictures of your spread this fall. I sure everyone would like to see what the spread will look like and how it worked on the birds.

[weedsnager]

will do.........

[J Kryspin]

Not only do Black Ducks show up well from a distance, but they will give mallards the confidence to come take a closer look.

Any advantage is better than none.