Duck Season is Upon Us Part 2: Utilizing Movement in the Decoys

It’s chilly here in Central Washington and the ducks are starting to move into the valley. My roommates and I have been chasing quackers around for the last couple weeks and are starting to hone in our water fowling skills to have better success on the water.

Last Thursday, three of us rolled out of bed and snuck over to the lake before class. We got to the lake early, set our decoy spread, and waited for shooting light. This was the first trip we would be using a jerk-string, which allows us to move decoys from our position on shore.

Our rigging is pretty minimal. I purchased a 50 foot rope (which is much too short for this rig to be effective) that I tied to a feeding mallard decoy. The decoy has a heavy weight attached that holds the entire string. Spaced out every five feet or so I tied a loop in the rope, which I connect my sitting decoys to. As of right now, I only have four decoys attached besides the feeder to:
1.) minimize complexity when first trying the technique
2.) accurately match the small spreads of ducks where I hunt

Our jerk-string is much too short to be effective. It’s usable, but we may end up purchasing another longer rope or paracord in the future.

We had a flock or two look at our decoys during the morning hunt, but there weren’t many birds in the air. We snuck up on one that landed in a lake next to us and shot him shortly after daylight.

As we were pulling decoys in, one of my roommates and I were causing a lot of disturbance on the water. Two widgeon flew over us low to the water and looked to land in the spread. Our other roommate stood by with his shotgun, and as the birds made a turn to come back, he was able to take one.

We were all surprised how the birds come in even though two of us were standing in the wide open bringing the decoys in. We attributed the success to the movement of the decoys on the water and the ripples we had caused. This shows me that movement is going to be key in our future success this winter.

All in all, I can tell you for certain that we will work on improving our jerk-string game this season. I’m looking forward to the cold, early mornings ahead of us.