Early duck season decoy species?

[Go Big Red!]

What species of ducks do you use for early in the season?  How many of each are put out?  Any particular block patterns?

Depending on where we hunt:

In the NW metro, we use teal, woodies, hen mallards, and a few goose.  A really random pattern, no real organization to it but we leave a few holes open.  Sometimes we don't even set up for the wind, we have a spot that always seems to put birds in the boat regardless.

In the N Central of the state, woodies, mallards, and geese.  A block and string pattern.  (Is that correct FireRanger?)

[Cody Gruchow]

well the metro i use teal woodies and a mixture of mallards, with alot of geese(16). what is a string and block pattern? i use the fish hook(or J) and the X. both have been real productive, i will be  using the X on the water on labor day.

in central mn i use mostly mallards and woodies and thats it, maybe 4 goose decoys

[Go Big Red!]

It looks like this:  (Wind blowing from right to left on the screen)

                                                                               X   X   X    X   X

                                                                                     X    X     X    X   X

                                                                                      X    X     X     X    X

                                                                                 X   X    X     X    X    X    X

X   X     X    X    X     X    X     X     X                         X    X    X     X    X    X   X


Kinda like an open "J" if you will.  Ducks land in holes were it's broken or in the curve.

[Cody Gruchow]

neat i may try that one


XXXXXX     XXXXXX

XXXXXX     XXXXXX i call this one runway it works pretty well

[Go Big Red!]

neat i may try that one


XXXXXX     XXXXXX

XXXXXX     XXXXXX i call this one runway it works pretty well

Looks like that would work with any wind condition as long as the wind isn't at your back.  I hate turning around for the darn things.

[DDSBYDAY]

    I use bill and mallard decoys.  Woodies and teal decoy right in. That is  If they have not left the state before the season starts.  I have over the last couple of years started pulling the drake mallard dekes out of the line up.  I don't know for sure that it make that much of a difference but the local drakes usually have a brown chest and brown heads early in the season.     Sometimes you really have to look to find a few tiny green feather on the head.     

[FireRanger]

This is correct young grasshopper (Big Red). We usually set the 'suck string' out and lead them into the 'block' with the string running into the wind and block so they can land into the wind. Ducks do not like landing over other ducks. At our particular spot the block and string works for all winds except a south wind. In this case we set a loose 'V' with blocks on both sides and anywhere from 35 to over 100 dekes, depending on the time of season and type of duck we're trying to whack. This is also the seldom occasion we'd use the jerk string. This wind is the only direction that would give us such a large expanse of dead water in front of us. The j hook or block and string method can be inverted aswell, but ya gotta be a bit careful with the string on the outside as to not shoot up your dekes. We'd put about 20-30 in the string and 60-70 in the block there abouts. Also we use Mallards, Woodies and then throw a load of Bills out with some geese on the skirts.