what's the largest spread you ever hunted over?

[Anatidae]

This just doesn't look natural to me.........



..........and THIS is just several blinds in the same area, trying to 'out-do' each other.......



So, what makes any ONE of them, any better than the next?........good calling in a heavy fog?

This one is more natural-looking spread........but the blind is too big (IMO)........I'm also sure they kill ducks and geese out of it, though.........



.......needs more 'white' (pintail, ringed-neck, cans, and honker butts)........maybe a few snows for visibility.

[GET-N-RITE]

Hunting over huge spreads usually means 8-15 guns I know of places that can hunt 25. Those decoys are tight, and the rule for me is always least for geese is arms width apart or more.......I would say it is a least 80 yards to the furthest decoy maybe more, in that picture I attached. Lots of geese, and lots of full body ducks.

Do they work birds close? Sometimes. It is not my place and I only hunt there about 1 time a year. I have shot them in the face, and I have heard the shot called and never touched my gun because I couldn't believe what they were shooting at. I know of lots of pictures taken with a pile of ducks, and 95% of them being winged down at 60-70 yards.
Do they shoot the majority on the swing? Yes
What is the average shell or load? 10GA or 12GA 31/2 BBB. I'm not kidding either

The only thing about huge spreads that I do not like is the fact that you cannot adjust. If you feel like you need to move something, its not a 15 minute deal it is big deal.

Also unless I plan on seeing thousands of birds. Then I am not going to put out a massive spread. If you see 200-500 birds why would you put out 40 dozen?

Also hunting here is a lot different than MS or most other places I have been to. We hunt all day or until we limit out. So when I say 60 days, it has zero rest. We have a nice blind with a cooking area, and its warm. Most putting out big spreads I would guess they are getting hunted everyday / almost all day.

[missed mallards]

.......needs more 'white' (pintail, ringed-neck, cans, and honker butts)........maybe a few snows for visibility.

We actually tried that this year, putting out more pintails for visual purposes.

If someone didn't know, they would've sworn we put out acid in the water. I've never understood that, and it happened every time we tried it. we retired our pintails from that hole for the year. (been like that for 10 years). Who knows what/why/or anything else for that matter but the ducks will literally not use it (and pintails are killed there every year) when we add off colored dekes. It's weird I guess, just something I've noticed over the years. you can use the same spread (w/ pintails) in the field adjacent to it, and they will flock in.


As far as the largest spreads, we put out 16 dozen one morning this past year. 8 limits came of our efforts. 10% of the shots where feet down. The other 90% were hail marry shots. We KILLED but I like the moment when the wings rotate in a backward fashion while their eyes strain for a landing area feet away.

To each their own I guess. it is effective, and for those that like shooting, it works.

[Barq's]

going back to the 70's....my Uncle's first time in the delta was hunting with his buddy over 2 liter bottles and milk jugs painted black...they killed ice chests full of nothing but green...
Barq's

[Anatidae]

I think this is the same blind.....(same guy's photobucket).....different angle showing 'jugs'.



I really like this spread.......



.......kinda reminds me of 'Wingman'........

[GET-N-RITE]

Looks like reelfoot

[Hambone]

I hunt a hole kind of like this one. A few years ago, I had the idea of putting out a huge spread and leaving it all season. I think there were 10-12 dozen decoys involved. The water fluctuated between 1 and 6 feet that year, and when time came to pick up the decoys, I have never seen a bigger tangled mess. The big spread worked pretty well, but truth be told, no better than the two or three dozen that I have used ever since.

[RedEyed Duck]

Just over 1k + filler killers many times at Reelfoot Lake.

[tupe]

Back side of pit was packed tight and it was all duck decoys. Farthest decoy on back was 85 yards but we had an open hole near the pit.

Out front we had two "wings" nothing over 50 yards.

Shots were close for pit hunting anyway, 20-30 yards on big ducks, right on your lap with teal.

On the front wings we would adjust 75-100 decoys for wind changes.

That season the pit averaged about 3.5 birds per man per hunt. With just over 500 total for the season.

[JCA]

I like big spreads in a field I just don't like them on a still day. The only way to beat a still day is plenty of jerk strings and motion decoys. We've used the Higdon squirt butt decoys and also the robo ducks with the flappers that throw the water and both seem to help but ducks are still not going to do it like they would on a windy day. Somebody earlier said they didn't like one of the blinds because they thought it was to big and I used to agree with that. The last couple of years we have experimented with some larger blinds and the ducks don't seem to mind them at all. I think maybe the secret is make it so big that it doesn't look like a square box blind that's in every other field and make it look like a big brush pile. They are alot more comfortable to hunt out of than a pit and they are easier to see out of. Just something that we have been playing with.

[Anatidae]

I think maybe the secret is make it so big that it doesn't look like a square box blind that's in every other field and make it look like a big brush pile.

Excellent point - I agree with that logic.

The large blinds take a good bit more effort.......but this one is deadly looking.......I love how 'low-profile' it is.



........but is quite involved, structurally, logistically......and vulnerable to extreme weather events.....here's the write-up on the 're-build'.

http://www.refugeforums.com/refuge/show ... ht=ballast

[hntrpat1]

On catahoula we use a couple thousand but most of them are jugs. Late season I get out of the blind and hunt with four or five drake canvasback decoys and kill limits. Throw all that electronic poopoo away and folks would kill more ducks.

[Anatidae]

Let'em use the poo poo, Patrick.......the birds will shy away from those locations and be more apt to land on us. .....and I hope Avery breaks sales records for quick-set blinds, too.

[Anatidae]

Now, if you really want to add some realism to your spread......I'd suggest a few of these.....

[GET-N-RITE]

The states of SC, NC, and AL should be key marketing areas.

I will however say that I witnessed a man hunting and there were about 8 crane decoys sitting around his spread. He said they were confidence decoys.