Robo duck 101?

[rides bike to work]

Thank you to all that have helped me through the season as a rookie duck commander I am learning constantly.

I have two fields I have permission to hunt on. I have had a couple goo evening shoots with quite a few birds flying but it is quick and over in no time. I have been trying to do some morning hunts with decoys and a robo duck we have cut a good blind into black berries and camo up real good I'm almost 99% sure out cover is good.

We definatley get more birds circling with the robo duck on but haven't had many groups commit to landing in the spread. Only one single actualy.

We have a dozen mallards in the field tryed j shape u shape two clusters three clusters robo on robo off . We don't have a switched wired yet but are working on it . How do you run your robo duck when and where. What else can I do to get them to commit . Any tips on calling for final approach would be much appreciated as well as our calling is not educated.

Thanks for all tips and tricks much appreciated

[pnbrock]

No clumps spread decoys out. Clumped birds are nervous birds. Try moving mojo to one side or other of spread.

[Foxton Gundogs]

Robos are funny things I've seen them act like duck magnets and also seen them flare ducks. Ducks get educated and sometimes that duck that never lands is a danger flag. I know others will disagree but I've seen it with my own eyes sometimes your better off with out any robo. I don't like the timers, the bottom side of the wings look unnatural if they stop up. I usually run 3 robos at different heights coming I to 1 side of the pocket l highest one 6 ft up and droping in height as they "come in" with the closest one about 3' up. A few birds clumped aren't a bad thing just not to many or to tite

[lorneparker1]

Lots of questions and I don't have all the answers as there are a lot of things that can play into birds not committing.


I have two fields I have permission to hunt on. I have had a couple goo evening shoots with quite a few birds flying but it is quick and over in no time. I have been trying to do some morning hunts with decoys and a robo duck we have cut a good blind into black berries and camo up real good I'm almost 99% sure out cover is good.

Firstly its duck hunting! there are no absolutes.

2 things stick out. 1. you are in a traffic field(meaning you aren't where the ducks want to be and are trying to entice them over to you.) 2. this sounds like you are shooting them at last light in the afternoon on your good shoots?? If that's the case, the less light there is, ducks get dumber cant see as well. They see the robos wings come and investigate and decoy a lot closer because they cant see. In the mornings as it gets lighter, the robos will get there attention, but as they come closer, they start picking apart the spread, the hide, your calling etc. Robos are not the be all end all. We sometimes run 4 and still cant get them to commit!!

My suggestions are and only my opinion~!

Make sure your decoys are spread apart. If you only have a dozen make them look like the most comfortable big dozen you can. Space them out.

Set up away from the Robo, off to the side of it. When the ducks are coming in there focus will be on the robo, if you are set up near it or in the same line of sight, they are more likely to pick you out.

Never call when birds are above you. They will look for where the sound is coming from and pin point it. When they start heading your way, go with soft quacks and feeding chuckles.

Lastly, sometimes the birds just want to be somewhere else. They really want nothing to do with you. But since you have mr flashy wings they come take a look, and then its up to you to convince them that your party is the party they should be attending. If that somewhere else is in your field just not where you are, move. IF that somewhere else is another field (which you dont have access on) and you can only get them to commit to 30 yards, stop worrying about getting them closer and shoot them at 30 yards. Traffic shooting doesn't always work out. Especially when you are new and have minimal gear. When we are running traffic, we have 3-4 dozen field decoys, 2-4 robos, a really good hide etc. and sometimes we still got taught a lesson!

Good luck and have fun!

[Dutch]

All good advice ,I sometimes stand off 40 yds. and look at everything the gut feeling is usually right if something looks amiss. and they are plenty smarter than they were a month ago ,frustrating when they won't commit happend this morning to a good friend of mine....I was there as a witness.course charged batteries might have helped:)

[Wild one]

I am no expert on this at all but just passing on what I have been told and adjustments that worked for me.

I was over calling and no doubt they flared because of it. For final approach I now use quacks and or teal peeps with a whistle. It has improved the number of ducks I get to commit and my calling sucks.

Try not to stare up or move too much as they get close.

The other guys here can help you better than I can as I am still learning myself

[longshot]

Call as little as possible to get the job done, put decoys out exactly the way you see birds in the field. Make sure your blind does not stick out even if it is of camo colour as the ducks arent dumb.

As for the robo, I put it exactly where I want the birds to land and it works.. considering after saturdays shoot I had to clean off the blood splatter off the top of the decoy. If set up right (pointing into the wind right in the honey hole IMO) the ducks will literally land on it.

But then yes there are days where if you put the thing out it will even make seagulls flare! Focus on good cover though, make your blind part of the land, not just on top of the land.

As for calling.. if the ducks are vocal you be vocal. If the ducks are quiet then you be quiet. Its better to under-call than over-call IMO.

Just think of being in the eyes of the duck flying in with your intelligence level... now try to make your spot smarter than that and you will kill birds.


Longshot jr.

[B-rad]

Use only hail calls,,,when they within sight of spread,,,,NO calling at all,,,believe it or not,,,there is a such thing as calling to much,,,,,,,,,I'm bird hunting the south Thompson regularly and I don't even call at all,,,I let the quackers and geese make up there own mind to commit to the spread

[Foxton Gundogs]

Re calling, I have been killing ducks since 1958 and had some very good mentors. I cant say that no calling or under calling is better than good calling but no calling is deffinately better than bad calling. Learn how and when to use your calls don't hi-ball when they are looking at you soft feeding chuckles and single quacks work best then. Learn the drake call as well as the hen practise anywhere except the blind and when you think you have it try it if it doesn't produce then practise some more. Good calling is an art. A duck could never win a calling contest so try to sound like a duck not a competition caller.

[f350ps]

You said your blind is cut out of the blackberries so I take it you are on a heavy hedgerow. Birds for the most part especially late season like this will avoid the heavy hedgerows. Good luck and let us know how you make out! K

[Kudu]

Field hunting - I spread my decoys about - mallards together - goose together - (I use goose silos as well as mallard silos - more goose (3doz) than ducks (2doz)) the mojos to the side facing into the wind - as the attractant.

When the ducks dive in towards the mojos I switch them off with the remote.

99% of the time the ducks just keep heading straight towards the mojos (last point of movement) - drop their landing gear and then get smacked with the steel shot.......

This works for me - it may not work for you - but it's a hell of a lot fun either way.....

For silos - this is what I use (http://www.bigalsdecoys.com/duck-decoys/)