Duck Decoys: Background and Theory

Duck decoys have a long and interesting history uncovered by archaeologists in 1924. They found 11 handmade duck decoys made of tule reeds, bulrush and duck feathers. Even these days these are the oldest recognized duck decoys, dating back to 200 A.D. Joel Barber was named “the father of the decoy” which is attributed to his collections, carvings and exhibitions.

The purpose of duck decoys are to draw in live ducks for hunters to shoot and bag. With the proper placement of decoys and also the right number of decoys you will attract other live ducks to join the group. One theory is that if you have done your job well, other ducks will land thinking it’s a secure, safe area.

You are able to also equate this illustration to driving by a restaurant that’s packed with cars and an additional that only sports one or two. Which restaurant do you think has the best food? The greater ducks convinced to land near the decoys the much better the hunt.

You can find probably just as numerous duck decoy theories on how to attract a excellent numerous ducks as you can find fish stories? Hunters of each description and nationality have some formula for attracting ducks. Some hunters believe the larger number of decoys on display will always draw within the most ducks.

There are those hunters that still believe that nothing will do but wooden decoys with efficient realistic paint jobs. Some hunters who use the greater duck decoys is much better theory, are heavily convinced that light weight plastic decoys are the way to go.

Plastic decoys do provide the benefit of being lightweight and easy to transport to difficult locations. No matter what materials are used to produce duck decoys the final effect should be realistic sizes, shapes and colours. The greater effective the decoys, the more successful the hunt.