Why Do You Need to Think About Motion?
By Shawn Swearingen
When hunting for as long as I and other ‘old timers’ have, things come second nature and never stop to think of the ‘why’. I had taken a close friend duck hunting a few years ago, and who came to wingshooting later in life. Like learning anything new, there were plenty of questions. The question, ‘Why do ducks like motion?’, took me longer to answer than I’d like to admit.
Sure, the spinning wing decoys are all the rage and have been since Mojo Outdoors introduced them to the mass-market in 2000. There is no denying the power that strobe effect has on passing birds. Some states banned electronic decoys outright, while others allowed their use. What gave me pause in the companion’s question was specifically about surface motion. We had floating decoys out, wouldn't that be enough? Like spinning wing decoys, there are a plethora of pulsating and rippling and swimming battery operated decoys on the market. However, the concept of motion isn’t new. Watch birds on a lake or slough during a windless day and your eyes are drawn to where the birds are. Why? The ripples.
Now, take the thought process a step further to the perspective of what a bird sees when flying by. The old-timers of yesteryear would take a handful of pebbles from their coat pocket and toss it into the decoys when birds were working. Why? The ripples refracted against the decoys for the appearance of movement. There is a similar process when utilizing pull-string or jerk-rig when setting decoys. Place the anchor on one end of the target ‘kill hole’, clipping decoys on the mainline, then run the terminance of the line to where you will be pulling from behind an oak tree or from the blind. Decoying ducks focus on the movement. The wake caused from the jerk action on those moving decoys cause ripples on other blocks that then amplify the effect.
Technology is catching up with attachments now on spinning wing decoys that will throw motion on the water as well. There is a lot to be said for the old jerk string set up though. A hunter can customize how many decoys are on the line, the distance between them, plus it allows a hunting companion that may not be as confident of a caller to play an integral role.
Recently the effectiveness of surface motion was reinforced when the second duck season split opened in Virginia. A cloudy and low hanging fog extended that cherished pre-dawn light. After a pair of wood ducks gave a passing look, my hunting buddy and I were surprised when out of the graying light four mallards locked on the decoys. Cupped up, turning, and with orange feet out, they were ready to set in on top of spread when we decided to shoot. A short while later, the pair of wood ducks came back and like the mallards, no circling required and they fell to the bark of my 20 gauge as they focused on the water movement in the decoys.
If you aren’t already, it may be time to think three dimensional about the motion in your decoys.
