bufflehead ?

[xdasher19]

When you guys put out bufflehead decoys in a string do you mix them in or put them in their own pod or string?

[CRIPLE CUTTER]

bufflehead will mix right in you can put decoys to the side but it wont make a difference.

[MuskyHunter]

They decoy to anything.

[Clayton]

Buffs will zoom through most any black and white spread but they will actually try to land with bufflehead decoys. I separate mine from the other diver species usually in groups of 6 or less. Mostly 2 and 3's.

[MuskyHunter]

Buffs will zoom through most any black and white spread but they will actually try to land with bufflehead decoys. I separate mine from the other diver species usually in groups of 6 or less. Mostly 2 and 3's.

I disagree, we usualy don't even run bufflehead dekes. They kept landing in our cans last season. Those things are dumber than ringnecks.

[Andrew Bremseth]

I disagree, we usualy don't even run bufflehead dekes. They kept landing in our cans last season. Those things are dumber than ringnecks.
Dumber than ringers?? :D are you sure thats possible ;)

[Clayton]

I think the difference may be that you are dealing with buffleheads that have not seen much hunting pressure yet vs ones that have by the time they reach this part of the country. Heck by the end of the season they even ignore bufflehead decoys! Most people think gadwall are dumb but around here the open lake gadwall are by far the smartest ducks around.

[CRIPLE CUTTER]

Dumber than ringers?? :D are you sure that's possible ;)
o ya its possible i walk up to them some times wen they land in the decoys i walked behind one for some time before he flew and he just staid about arms length the hole time.

[MuskyHunter]

I think the difference may be that you are dealing with buffleheads that have not seen much hunting pressure yet vs ones that have by the time they reach this part of the country. Heck by the end of the season they even ignore bufflehead decoys! Most people think gadwall are dumb but around here the open lake gadwall are by far the smartest ducks around.

Our bufflehead shoots are normally on the Mississippi River and Lake Michigan in mid to late November and into December. They have to be nearly the dumbest duck around.

Had a nice flock of 9 come in last year and only 3 made it out, right over the spread of Cans and Redheads.

I did however take some old Flambeau Mallards and turn them into drake buffies. I like to have a huge varitey of dekes even if I don't need em. Im debating if I should leave the heads black and white or attempt to airbrush some pearl purple/green into them.

[Lybeck]

around here the buffleheads will mix right into flocks of Bluebills and ringnecks and goldeneyes.

[Clayton]

I have seen times when they can be pretty dumb especially the immature birds. Keep in mind our season does not even start until Thanksgiving. They aren't all that dumb by January. As I said before my experience has been that they mostly buzz through decoy spreads or along the edges around here. One has much better luck of truly decoying them with bufflehead decoys. I mostly only target adult males and they can be pretty difficult to decoy in as they mostly fly by 40 - 60 yards out. As has been pointed out so many times before on these forums, birds can behave very differently from one part of the country to the next.

[goosegrinder87]

we run 2 doz buffies and put them right next to the lay out boat cause it makes the shot that much more easier. you dont need buffle head decoys to kill them but they do ussually land with them if you have some out

[goosegrinder87]

shots with buff decoys ussually 5-10 yards

[duckin82]

Dumber than ringers?? :D are you sure thats possible ;)
you think ringers are dumb, come to md and shoot some ruddys, youll definitely think they are

as for buffies, they will decoy to anything but we put a group of about half a dozen or less on the side anyways and yes they will ineviteably land with cans or bills or somethin like that

[MuskyHunter]

Oh I know how dumb ruddys are, we don't get a whole lot here, but when you do get into them, they are thick and as dumb as can be. We actually stalked 2 of em in a skiff, middle of the water, no cover and got to about 5 yards before they started to fly and met there demise.

I don't shoot em too much, they are so ugly here they aren't even worth mounting.

[duckin82]

Oh I know how dumb ruddys are, we don't get a whole lot here, but when you do get into them, they are thick and as dumb as can be. We actually stalked 2 of em in a skiff, middle of the water, no cover and got to about 5 yards before they started to fly and met there demise.

I don't shoot em too much, they are so ugly here they aren't even worth mounting.
i actually think they're quite perty, i had my first real encounter with em this past year and i paddled straight to them in a 5 acre pond, got 15 yards away, didnt jump but one of the three dove, i shot once and missed, dont know how, but then it was just playin whack a mole for a couple minutes, if i shoot a nice drake i might get it mounted but all i shot were hens so i just said to heck wit it, ill eat em

[Dux r me]

They dont have their pretty colors till after the season.

i actually think they're quite perty, i had my first real encounter with em this past year and i paddled straight to them in a 5 acre pond, got 15 yards away, didnt jump but one of the three dove, i shot once and missed, dont know how, but then it was just playin whack a mole for a couple minutes, if i shoot a nice drake i might get it mounted but all i shot were hens so i just said to heck wit it, ill eat em

[Hunter Haynes]

I agree with clayton.
The buffleheads down here are pretty picky. Somtimes they will decoy to bluebills and what not, but most of time they wont, or they will short stop you just out of range. I think Buff decoys really help out.
Its probly different up north. Im pretty much at the end of the flyway and after being shot at the whole way down, the ducks wise up by the time I see em. I think yall would be surprised at how smart the ringnecks are by the time they make it down.

[MuskyHunter]

They dont have their pretty colors till after the season.

Agreed, just brown and gray here. No blue or white.

[duckin82]

They dont have their pretty colors till after the season.
they dont get their orange til the summer but i like the different shades of brown they have on em

[Tait Ronningen]

I disagree with musky hunter... about not using bufflehead decoys. I have ran diver rigs out of the layouts for 4 years and have hunted ducks for 10 years. I have ran any where from 45- 230 duck decoys at a time out of the layout boats and I have found that buffleheads will come into cans and bill decoys, but to have the buffleheads pocket nice i will run a small group of the buffleheads to certain part of my diver spread. The buffleheads almost always land with the bufflehead decoys. You can be effective at decoying them using other diver decoys but having a few buffs out can really help in bringing them in closer and have them pocket where you want them land.