Waterfowl 2019 Questions

[Power engineer]

(Just so everyone knows, my friend and I started waterfowl hunting by ourselves 3 years ago.)

It seems like an odd year.. not seeing very many flocks so far. We've been out a few times and have had the odd group come in. (We shoot in a field close to a lake.) When driving I see quite a few in ponds and hanging in the water all nuzzled up together.

Are they lazy this year or has the migration not happened yet?? Maybe they're walking into the fields near the said pond to eat then come back for siestas?? idk.

Do you guys mix your dekes? I know they say not to put duck dekes with geese dekes if you're hunting geese. I have a dozen snows and was thinking of adding them to my 4 dozen spread. Should I spread them near eachother or have them through out my geese dekes? Can I add speckles? Or should I forget about them all together and use only my canadians?

This is the first year my friend and I have used laydown blinds and we're enjoying them so far. I keep having to tell him to brush his more (haha) but we've had geese land in our spread or quite close and they seem not to care about them. (Yet) The biggest issue I'm finding with them is getting ready for a shot in time. I do all of the calling and it seems like I'm always rushing to grab my gun in time.. Maybe I'm calling to much? My friend is an awesome pass shooter so he's usually looking for a shot before they even land... Bad for me haha

Any tips for getting ready in them? I find my gun is usually off to the side, maybe it should lay on my lap more? We found we were pushing the blinds open with our hands the first couple of times which was so stupid! We caught it and now are trying to just sit-up, aim and shoot.

I know this gets asked all the time but, what is your fave deke spread? We've been using U's and V's spacing dekes 6ft plus from eachother. They seem to work not bad and always get some birds to land but, I've noticed some not interested in it at all and fly on by. (Usually in afternoon or later morning.) This always discourages me into thinking my spread is garbage..

Is there a certain spread you love or must use for laydown blinds?

Maybe I'm thinking to much about this waterfowl stuff

[dth_]

It seems to me that you are overthinking the whole thing way too much. When you scout birds how often do you see them in a U or V shape and no less than 6 feet apart? How you set your decoys/blinds has as more to do with wind direction and available cover as anything. We will often set decoys and blinds in a semi-lazy/random C-ish shape, if the wind/cover complies, as it does seem to present a "landing pad". Remember, the birds will land into the wind. Cover your blind as naturally as possible and don't silhouette it, also be aware of the sun/glare. If the wind lets you set up so the birds have the sun in their eyes when they are landing, use it to your advantage.

Next thing is, you need to be where the birds are. Scout a field where you know they are feeding and set up where they are feeding. Its a lot harder to run traffic than it is to already be where the birds want to be. Sure you might turn some heads and maybe get some fly-bys just winging it, but you will have far more success if you are setting up where they already want to be.

Birds generally want to be in the field early in the morning and in the evening. The birds you're trying to run traffic on late morning and afternoon are most likely done feeding and headed back to the water for the day. Don't be discouraged about your spread. Get out early and be set up before shooting light. Thats when the ducks start to show up. Don't be scared to put duck decoys in with your canadas. We always throw a dozen full body mallards out. If you're running a mojo/lucky duck, remember to shut it off if you have geese coming in, preferably with the white sides of the wings down. As far as adding snows, in my experience set up for snows only if you're going for snows.

Hope this is helpful. The biggest thing is SCOUTING! Good luck

[Sneeze]

Less time fussing over decoys. More time putting miles on truck looking for the right spot.

[tikka250]

As already said do your best to be right where the birds want to be. A good rule of thumb is to be at least a km away from where they are roosting so your first shots don't spook em out.
Ducks and geese land together all the time so don't be afraid to set ducks in your spread as well. Just make sure if using a spinning wing decoy to shut it off when geese are coming as they don't like it.
When calling and getting out of a blind I like to have my gun resting on my right side with the barrel out of the blind. When geese get real close I will move the call to my left hand for the odd cluck while my right hand takes hold of my gun.