Painting Decoys

[tater1997]

I am completely new to duck hunting (went for the first time last year). I stumbled across some decoys at an estate sale and figured for $30 it was worth a shot! I’m in south GA so the main duck I will probably ever see is a wood duck, as far as I know. Should I paint these a certain way or leave them how they are? I’ve read all kinds of things about paint decoys but wanted some insight from people here. I know that that decoys for wood ducks don’t always help, but for $30…I think they’re worth having!

 

[MudDucker]

First, woodies are not a great duck to try to get to decoy and if they do, it is usually to one or two decoys with motion.

Second, down here, what you have is a beginning of a diver spread. Most folks paint them black and white for ringnecks.

 

[Grizzly1775]

Garage sale decoys are the best finds.
If you only ever hunt woodies I would just take 6 of the hens you already have and throw them out. There are opportunities to hunt different species in GA, and considering 50% of ducks (hens) are generic brown with black marking, I end up painting most of mine like a teal hen. Then they work great for teal season, well enough for random puddle ducks, and good to fill out a diver spread. I like a good multi-tool, even if it’s not the perfect tool for every situation.

 

[WOODIE13]

Definitely paint a few like ringnecks, that black and white sucks them in.

I would leave the rest as is, plus get a couple geese for tollers

 

[tater1997]

Thanks for the advise! I’ll probably paint a few black/white and leave the rest as is

 

[WOODIE13]

I run a long line with divers, around a dozen stockers, more puddle ducks decoy to that than my puddler decoys.

Good luck and keep us updated, season will be here soon

 

[tater1997]

Do any of you heave pictures that I could reference?

 

[WOODIE13]

Do any of you heave pictures that I could reference?

Look up ringnecks, bufflehead or bluebill

https://www.ducks.org/hunting/waterfowl-id/#

 

[WOODIE13]

But ringnecks were the most common I saw in GA

 

[MudDucker]

Paint scheme for ringers isn't real important. Grey bill, black head and butt with white shading in the middle. I've killed more ringers than most as a young man using clorox bottles painted like a panda.

 

[king killer delete]

Divers for sure and most don’t care if you paint them as ringers or blue bills or buffleheads. Black Flat Black and white Flat white . Like what mudDucker and Woodie13 have said the wood ducks are not much on Decoys although they will decoy from time to time and drop in like a mallard but that is not a given and being on the X ( the right spot) is more important than decoys. I have decoyed wood ducks to diver decoys. The white can be seen from a great distance .

 

[king killer delete]

At a distance

 

[king killer delete]

These were killed in SE Georgia