Pintail Decoys?

[Glenn W]

Ok I'm bored out of my gord, so let me ask a couple trivial questions:
I shoot only a few Pintails (1-4 per year), but like them because they are not all that common-- but a few are around.

For years I just put 1 or 2 in my Mallard spread. Last year I bought a dozen and have been putting them out in a separate group from the Mallards. I have noticed that not a single Puddler has decoyed to them (including Pintails). Case in point, last week I was watching a gang of geese that looked like they might do something and two drake Sprigs snuck into the decoys. They were swimming in the middle of the spread--- not the Pintails but the Mallards. Earlier in the season I had a couple dive bomb the mallard spread as I was hiding the boat.

The Butter balls will come right to them, but I'm beginning to wonder if I would do better all around if I just got rid of the Sprig decoys (maybe 1 or 2 mixed in Mallard puddler spread).

On another note, I also have 2 dozen GW Teal plugs--- talk about worthless so far. However, when I do decide to put the Teal out I don't seem to have any come by. When I don't have the Teal plugs out I don't have any problem in getting the GWs to lock right up though.

BTW the Pintail & Teal deeks are GreenHead Gear plugs and look more lifelike than any other decoys I have seen.

[gottaflylee]

Glenn, you may have answered your own question. I can only say what works for me and where I hunt which is big water and a couple of impoundments. Sounds like to me you only get 1s &2s of pintails coming to your spread so I would not use more than 6 at a time. You said that you put them in a group by them selves but take that one more step and put them in groups of 2s or 3s. Spread that group out more. Remember that ducks are family birds and don't mix much with other when they come in 2s & 3s. Now I'm talking puddlers now...not divers.
Now down here on the open water I don't use pintails or Teal and I get both coming to me. To start with I'm hunting divers and I use more seaduck decoys with some (about 2 dozen) magnum Canvasback and Bluebills in a group by them selves. Out there I'm not looking for them to land...only get them in that 25 to 35 yard range.
When I'm hunting impoundments is when I my Pintails, Teal & Widgeon spread. As you, I put them in family groups with in groups. In others words I spread the group out more than you would think. My spread would...say 4 dozen blocks...will be spread out to where I can't shoot to the outer blocks on each side. I Always leave "flight paths" in my spread for them to fly through so they will fly through your spread near your hide but not be looking or concentrating on where you hide is. Sorry Glenn you know that.
Remember what I have said is not for hunting flyways...that is another ball gane.
Hope this makes since to you as well as helps you out.

[anthony]

Glenn,

All I can offer is what I do and it works for me here, but that don't mean squat somewhere else. First, we get very few pintails where I hunt. They are in this area, just not the places I hunt. That said, when puddle duck hunting I put out a spread of mallards and blackducks mixed together and if I know there are teal in the area I put 6 or 8 GW teal deks in their own little group out as well. The teal generally decoy to the teal deks, but coy to the bigs ducks as well.

[cape_fisherman]

How many are you throwing out in your spread?

[Glenn W]

How many are you throwing out in your spread?

Hunting a shallow bay (100 acres or so) in front of flooded tiber. I'll set out 14-24 Mallards in one group, the dozen Pintail in another, and the Teal off to one side. Thus 2 holes.
On the River, Same, but don't set out Teal, V pattern, Puddlers on on side 3 dozen Scaup on other.

[hunt4fish]

When I use Pintails I will only throw out 4 @max 3 drakes and a hen,mainly just for some more color in the spread,and when I do use them I will put them right inside of my goose dekes in there on little pod.This has worked for me .why I don't know maybe its all that I have done with them and it does work.

[anthony]

That makes sense to use just a few pintails off to themselves...a dozen may very well be overkill. Of course, this is coming from someone who might see a couple of pintails a season. I got to start hunting over on Tangier and Smith Island...now they've got some pintails!

[Glenn W]

That makes sense to use just a few pintails off to themselves...a dozen may very well be overkill. Of course, this is coming from someone who might see a couple of pintails a season. I got to start hunting over on Tangier and Smith Island...now they've got some pintails!

I used to go over there every year and hunt with the Crocket boys. I killed a few Sprigs, but not all that many. Course I love them divers so we would normally set up for them late in the season. Redheads???, Oh my goodness. The bigget concentration of Pintails I've ever seen around here was Assategue Sound.

I've never been there, but had a buddy that would go to the Yucatan every year from the mid '70's till I lost touch with him. He would come back and show photos of so many Pintails in the sack it looked like Mexican dove shooting.
Apparantly, the Biggest concentration of Atlantic Flyway Pintails is in SC--- Go figure.

I think ya'll are right--- about 3, ought to do it. Too much white in the Puddler mess otherwise (around here anyways).

[#1Gaffman]

Well i can only comment on where i hunt and the way i hunt.

I hunt a medium sized pond, in the middle of a marsh right off the river. We see a lot of woodys, mallards, canadas, and early season teal.

When i put my spread out it usually consists of 8 to 10 greenheads,3 or 4 woodys, and about 5 or 6 canadas(floaters). I usually put out a baby mojo to.

We usually get a lot of mallards that pitch in, we get some woodys that pitch, but mostly flybys and pass shots. And we get absolutely 0 teal that land in are spread. When we shoot teal we almost always pass shootem.(the little SOBS are like bottle ROCKETS!) and to this date i have never seen a pintail.

[anthony]

the little SOBS are like bottle ROCKETS!)


That is a perfect description! And ours fly about 15 minutes before legal shooting time so all you here is something that sounds like an f-16 flying right over your head! The good news is we get plenty that pitch which helps on the hit vs miss ratio.