# Salt Marsh Decoy Spreads



## Bingo baits (May 11, 2011)

Hey what do y'all do in the salt marsh?
I'm putting together my spread and just painted a dozen bluebills with a dozen redheads on the way







The bills too blue, but all I had was that color...
Let's see y'all's decoys!


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## Bingo baits (May 11, 2011)

Anyone


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## ak (May 6, 2012)

Thats good the more the merrier to a point. But youve got a good start. Alot of people will say spread em out but those people prolly dont hunt marsh or have never seen a group of redheads. They sit pretty tight in a circle. Try both ways see whats best. On a clear day I like mine tight because its more noticeable and ducks from all over can see it from a long way. Nice paint job.


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## palmwad89 (Dec 9, 2008)

If you're in the marsh, you don't necessarily need diving duck decoys. Widgeon, Gadwalls, Teal, Mottled ducks, Pintails, teal and Shovelers and others frequent the marsh, even on rare occassions a Northern Mallard may come swinging over. If you're in open water bays then you are good to do the diving duck routine.


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## droebuck (Oct 17, 2011)

Teal, Pintail, Widgeon in family groups 5 or 6 in each group 4 or 5 dozen total. Arange groups no more than 30yds from blind with landing zone in middlle. I don't prefer j hook or v patterns don't look real. If your hunting a smaller pond you could use as little as a dozen and a half.


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## Texas Jeweler (Nov 6, 2007)

If it floats and looks like a decoy, put it out and hide. I have yet to figure out why someone has to hunt a species of decoy, when we have birds drop in among 2 litler plastic bottles painted black and white. 

Whistle more than quack, let 'em get in close and mark where they fall.

Wear waders, keep from getting your bottom wet.


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## Timemachine (Nov 25, 2008)

A bag of 5 dozen teal is easy to hike way back in the marsh and gives you LOTS of decoys on the water. That is...if your talking aboout salt marsh pot holes.


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## Seein' Spots (Apr 27, 2012)

I take 4-4.5 dozen decoys with me. Dozen pintail, ~2 dozen teal (bwt and gwt), dozen widgeon, ~half dozen gadwall, and a couple redheads.


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## Spec-Rig.006 (Nov 2, 2007)

Typically we run between 8 - 12 dozen decoys in the marsh. Most of which are pintail and redhead, with some scaup and wigeon mixed in.

Basically you want to have the appearance of a big raft of divers, with your pintail and wigeon (mostly seperated) J-hooked in between the divers and the shore off to one side (upwind).

But, if you can get out to do some scouting ... try to make your spread look like the birds you see that you're hunting in both size shape and species.


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## Mojo281 (Sep 7, 2006)

Counting down the days!!


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## Bingo baits (May 11, 2011)

Ill be huntin both salt ponds and open bay...
I've heard the 2 liter bottle trick. Does it really work?


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## Mojo281 (Sep 7, 2006)

Lol! I've never tried it but I imagine it would work well for divers!!


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## Texas Jeweler (Nov 6, 2007)

Bingo baits said:


> Ill be huntin both salt ponds and open bay...
> I've heard the 2 liter bottle trick. Does it really work?


We have been doing it for over 25 years! Works great, any low wind current moves them. If you have any flowing water, they move, movement atracts ducks.


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## chuck leaman (Jul 15, 2004)

Folks have been using 2 liter and bleach bottles painted black for years. I sent you a pm on what paint to use on your diver bills.


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## JFolm (Apr 22, 2012)

Does anyone mind sharing what their two liter bottles look like? Painting and rigging. 


Do you guys make your spreads smaller further in the year?


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## ak (May 6, 2012)

Thats funny yall use trash. One clear windy day I tied a couple white plastic bags I had around the neck of my decoys to make it look like a mojo. Seemed to work it definetly didnt scare any off. Its funny what people come up with.


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## Cody C (May 15, 2009)

Just look at the birds. We can nearly always see some sitting. If they're tight, move you're tight. If they are spread out... 
We start out with a couple dozen and may end up with 12+ by the end of the second split. 

Depends a lot of the spot. Open water, throw them all. Small pothole, 4 will do


Cody C


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## Gilbert (May 25, 2004)

JFolm said:


> Does anyone mind sharing what their two liter bottles look like? Painting and rigging.
> 
> Do you guys make your spreads smaller further in the year?


flat black paint, flat brown paint. Black or green nylon string tied around the neck of the bottle. Use some appliance white paint to accent the butt and side. them mofo's dance like crazy with the slightest breeze. It works, trust me. I did it last year.


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## the hook (Aug 8, 2011)

All the bottle replys surprise me...lol..What say Texas Jeweler??.....I believe I was the 1st, or one of the first in the area to use them...I guided in the mid 70s on the Katy prarie and had read about people using bottles, jugs, mud clumps etc...
.At the time there was not much use for empty 2litre bottles, not that there is now either. Plus I had about 70 dozen duck decoys already...Anyway, I decided to put an ad in the penny saver paper that is delivered by mail, I think...I offered $.05 per bottle.....At first I received phone calls as to "why".....After explaining, I didn't get a lot of feed back for a week or so....Lets just say that one day I got home from work and I thought my wife was going to leave me..In the garage were bags of bottles...Oh, in the living room were bags of bottlesh:..She goes on to explain that the local boyscout troop had decided to make a few bucks....I didn't have the cash(mid 70s) on me, but did the next day...2000 bottles+/_ ...Only $100, so cheap deks....BTW, the glue then circled the bottle and to get the wrapper off I soaked them in the bathtub in hot water, then scraped the wrapper...Did I tell you about my wife leaving??...Also, most didn't have caps....We had our hunters save caps etc from smaller bottles to fix it...
Was a lot of work, but as you guys know, if it works, so much satisfaction....Flat black with a stripe of white...They will roll in the water and "flash" with the water on the paint...I was hunting in Ark once on a nice sunny day, and watched a bunch of broadbills splashing around....It looked like they had water cannons, there was so much shinning and splashing...I also would keep a few bottles near my pit and when birds were "working" the prarie, and looking" where to drop", I'd throw 1 or 2 while calling, "just" to get their attention...When it worked, which was often, they looked like they were on a string...

As far as rigging, we used 1oz I believe...For the length, just long enough to hold good..just nylon string, nuttin fancy...I think on a long line, they sit like a decoy, jmo....We could hunt with 20 or 30 dozen deks, then add a few hundred bottles for bulk and movement...They are real light too..Try it, I think it will surprise you...BTW, you can use the 12oz bottles for teal:spineyes: and now I have some 55 gal drums for greaters up here I have pics, but no way to put them on "scan), but TJ might??


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## JFolm (Apr 22, 2012)

Thanks for your input guys. I will have to try a few out this year. I was thinking about putting a few on the edges and a few in the middle to draw attention. I like trying different things!


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## John Cocktosen (Mar 26, 2009)

Look at a raft of ducks from a distance - their white features really stand out, so make sure to touch up the white paint on your decoys, especially on your pintail dekes if they've seen a few seasons. This tip and some mojos have really made a difference for me and I usually only put out about 5 doz dekes.


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## CROAKERSOAKER67 (Mar 14, 2006)

I have been hunting divers on open water for 35 years get your old mallard decoys paint the front 1/4 and the back 1/4 of the decoy flat black and the middle flat white like a oreo cookie its a lot cheaper than buying new ones the white is all you need if they are close enough to tell the difference you probably are shooting


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## Bingo baits (May 11, 2011)

Lets see some pics! Theese are great ideas guys!!!!
I need to start saving them!
Keep em coming!


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