The main difference between a flock of real ducks and a fine spread of decoys is motion. Ducks rarely sit in one place for more than a second or two unless they are resting. Otherwise, ducks dabble, dive and swim from place to place. One of the best ways to mimic a natural flock is to add motion to the spread.
From motorized decoys to manual jerk rigs, any kind of erratic movement will give a spread an added advantage throughout the season. While rotary-wing decoys will accomplish flash, the continuous, patterned movement may not be the best method to give live effects to decoys.
Josh Roberson of Roanoke River Waterfowl prefers jerk rigs and pulsating decoys over rotary-winged decoys.
“Jerk rigs produce life-like action within the decoy spread. creating ripples and physical movement,” he said.
Depending on how large an opening he’s hunting in the swamp, he’ll incorporate one to two jerk rigs per spread, with three to five decoys attached per jerk rig.
In swamps, wood ducks will dominate, and Roberson creates movement with his feet to attract wood ducks.
“Wood ducks are hard to decoy, but they will come to ripples on the water long before a wood duck decoy,” he said.
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