Talk to a dozen hunters, and you’ll get your share of those who’ll say wood ducks don’t respond to decoys, but you’ll get just as many who’ll say the opposite.
Ethan Amerson is among those who believe in decoying for woodies. “They don’t always land amongst the dekes, but they will certainly check them out, and that draws them down low and well within shotgun range,” he said.
Often, woodies come over in pairs and zip quickly over hunters who, by the time they notice and identify the noise, find it too late to take a shot. Other times, a whole flock of woodies will fly through, offering hunters more time to shoot, but woodies give hunters their best chance when they are flying with mallards.
“Mallards much more consistently respond to decoys, and when woodies are with them, they will land where the mallards do,” Amerson said.
For decoying while hunting small waters, Amerson believes that a little goes a long way.
“We use a pair of mallards, a pair of woodies and a pair of teal,” said Amerson, who believes in realism when it comes to decoys.
“A lot of decoys have realistic paint jobs and shapes, but Fowl Foolers decoys also act realistically,” said Amerson. “Most decoys I’ve seen bob from left to right when the water is disturbed, but real ducks don’t do that — they bob front to back, and that’s what Fowl Foolers decoys do.
“Decoys take a lot of stray shot, and that’s the death of plastic models. Fowl Foolers are made of Styrofoam and wrapped in burlap, so stray shots won’t sink these,” Amerson said.
The burlap gives the painted finish a more realistic, feathery look, and the Styrofoam body keeps the decoys light, yet they are strong enough for a person to stand on. Fowl Foolers (www.fowlfoolers.com) also come with replaceable heads in several different poses. Real glass eyes add a touch of detail lacking in many other decoys.
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