why ducks decoy: Steelheader.net- Steelhead, Salmon and trout fishing

now that the season is over thought you would like to know why. got this from delta water fowl enjoy Aix.

The magic moment in duck-hunting is when the birds see the decoys and turn into the wind with flaps down for the final approach. Wow! The ticker just races when I think about it. But did you ever wonder why they respond so well to blocks of plastic and wood in the first place?
Survival and something biologists call “reproductive fitness” motivates all living creatures. Survival (you know what that is) and reproductive fitness (a fancy way to talk about “leaving offspring”) are separate but related issues, and they have a lot to do with why birds will visit your blocks. If you don’t survive, you can’t reproduce, but sometimes you need to put survival at some risk to have a chance with the opposite sex….its sort of like trying to pick up the only good looking gal in a cowboy bar…there are trade- offs.
Survival means the birds must find food & shelter from the elements and protection from predators. Finding locations with all the right elements in new areas entails some risks. Since ducks migrate over thousands of miles (as a matter of fact most ducks are constantly on the move except during the breeding & wing- molting seasons), the birds need to rapidly share information about the new areas when they arrive. Flocking behavior allows new birds and young ones to follow experienced birds to sources of food, the best roost sites and the safest environments. That is why hunting is always better when there are lots of young birds or when “new” birds arrive.
Ducks respond to decoys because other ducks (and the information about the area’s food sources, roosting sites and safe zones) hold the key to their survival. Ducks are drawn to specific locations by a phenomenon called “local enhancement”, meaning that the presence of birds (or decoys) on an area enhances the appeal of the site to passing birds. Calling may also enhance the appeal of the location. Vocalizations or calling is also a big part of the information sharing process in ducks and geese.
Ducks like mallards and black ducks begin to seek mates in autumn, and since there may be 2 or 3 drakes vying for each hen, the competition for the best hens can be pretty intense. Mallards court during the bright, clear and often cold days of autumn, and that is why they tend to respond to the call and decoys more under clear skies, as the season progresses. As late fall- early winter arrives, unpaired mallards and black ducks will take greater risks and are often attracted to places they would rather avoid by good calling.
The white plumage of species like snow geese, and the light backs of some drake bay ducks such as canvasback and scaup, are visible from a tremendous distance, particularly when the birds gather in large flocks. Some biologists believe this enhanced visibility serves as a signal to passing birds. The bright plumage allows “new” birds to quickly locate their own species in unfamiliar locations, and helps them minimize risks in strange environments, by plugging into a social system that “knows” where the good feeding, resting and safe areas are located.
Calling by species like the Canada Goose may also serve the same local enhancement – information sharing function. When I want to know where the local Canadas are in the lakes surrounding my home, all I have to do is listen. Even when the birds are silent, a toot on the flute call will let me know where they are. Snow geese use both visibility and constant calling, and all of these species continue calling at night. These are highly important social contact signals for the birds. And if you have ever hunted mid to late season snow geese, you know how well the system works for them.
Hunters will often mistake the presence of powerful flocking adaptations for a lack of wariness in birds, especially toward the beginning of a season and at the upper end of the continental bird funnel or flyways. I have sometimes heard hunters remark that bay ducks are not very wary, but this is not necessarily the case. Flocking behavior (both the visibility and the calling) is such a compelling adaptation for several species that it takes time and experience for individual birds to develop a resistance to the duck hunter’s artificial forms of local enhancement. In effect, some birds have to counter their own instincts to avoid hunting situations. But over time, the birds do adapt to hunting pressure. Late season waterfowlers either learn about location, proper decoy placement, concealment and the power of the call in heavily hunted public sections of the flyways, or they may spend a lot of time fishing.

delta water fowl

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In memory of Floyd M. Wright; Nov 3 1925 - Oct 8 2007. you were the greatest, I love you Dad.