Water bottle decoys?

[Small Bore Hunter]

Yes, uber-realistic decoys are for the hunter/buyer moreso than for the ducks.
This doesn't mean that there isn't a valid reason for making, or buying, this type of decoy.

For those minimalists among us (myself included), killing duck over a small number of Pro-Grades or Backwaters is far more satisfying (and far less trouble/expensive) than doing the same over 500 tarred soda pop bottles. And, if you are set up in the right spot, probably just as doable.

In pirogue 8 feather flex, mallards.
12’ slough boat 1 to 2 dozen plastic, mallards, wood duck or teal depending on what season it is and where,
1652 boat 18 cork & 12 herters, mallards. I don’t always set out the full load it depends on amount of water I am in.
300 plus more in shed for blind if we draw.

 

[Tuleman]

In pirogue 8 feather flex, mallards.
12’ slough boat 1 to 2 dozen plastic, mallards, wood duck or teal depending on what season it is and where,
1652 boat 18 cork & 12 herters, mallards. I don’t always set out the full load it depends on amount of water I am in.
300 plus more in shed for blind if we draw.

What, no painted 2 liter pop bottles??

 

[Tuleman]

I think if you are way north in your flyway it’s not gonna matter much.
The further down more pressure the more good dekes matter in my opinion.

They certainly matter more to the hunter!

I can afford to use the best decoys available, be they Avian-X or hand-carved cork and wood.
So, I have no problem using those.
They certainly don't hurt my chances when, after not seeing a duck all morning, a small flock of wigeon materializes over the cattails.

Pop bottles might work 75% of the time. I prefer that my decoys work 95% of the time.

 

[grahler]

They certainly matter more to the hunter!

I can afford to use the best decoys available, be they Avian-X or hand-carved cork and wood.
So, I have no problem using those.
They certainly don't hurt my chances when, after not seeing a duck all morning, a small flock of wigeon materializes over the cattails.

Pop bottles might work 75% of the time. I prefer that my decoys work 95% of the time.

It’s my experience hunting public areas south in the flyway that decoys make a huge difference.
I’ve gone back to back before and after touching up used dekes and that before touch up I used the spread to kind of block birds from going there.
Same spot same birds a day later got setup the same way exactly except had touched up the decoys-had to move spread close to me because birds were landing on them.
Only difference was paint quality.
That’s just one of many examples I can personally think of.
Other times I’ve hunted over stackable tin mallards and homemade goose silhouettes and they worked in a field.
I believe the birds get tougher as the season progresses and as they move south in general.
So I guess my best take is that for me I believe nice paint with floaters makes a big difference sometimes.

 

[Tuleman]

So I guess my best take is that for me I believe nice paint with floaters makes a big difference sometimes.

Agree, and......
Not only nice paint, but accurate body positions and shapes. Especially shapes.

Pop bottles are not shaped like a duck, no matter how they are painted. I want to hunt over a spread that looks like a flock of ducks, not one that looks like I'm hunting on the edge of the county landfill.

I don't care how effective the pop-bottle decoys are, if they look like a month's worth of trash, I'm not using them.


Others may feel differently.....

 

[grahler]

Not only nice paint, but accurate body positions and shapes. Especially shapes.

Definitely.
Some decoys look like alarmed birds gettin ready to leave.

 

[bill cooksey]

I assume due to the "litter factor "....if a bottle broke loose, no one would pick it up vs someone finding an actual decoy that broke loose?

Worse, some folks would just leave the jugs after the season closed, and when ice got them little effort was made to recover. Considering how much trouble they were to save and make, I never understood that mindset.

On big water, jugs can be more effective than beautiful decoys. They ride really high, move really easily and can be seen a hell of a lot farther than any decoy. Reelfoot and Catahoula are two of the places where jugs were/are prevalent. Both are in the south and are two of the most pressured public areas in the entire country.

When Reelfoot outlawed jugs, people, as mentioned, turned to other similar looking alternatives like painted Freon bottles because jugs were so effective. One company, Filler Killer, marketed what was essentially a black molded jug which was as expensive as traditional decoys…because they are effective. They did well regionally, but that’s not enough for long term success. Also, now you can find black molded jugs with a quick google search, and black pool noodles are readily available.

 

[Little Ruddy]

I pickup old crab pot boys on the shore, paint them flat black and run them in the decoys....free, good visibility and since they are made of Styrofoam you can shoot right at them with no worries.

 

[nobands]

My brother lived in Louisiana for awhile and Dad hunted with him a few times on Catahoula with a guide.
Permanent blind surrounded buy hundreds of ,if I remember correctly bleach bottles painted black and white.
Mostly greenwings , spoonies and ringneck were shot .
Dad did say that lots of pintails could have been shot , but they were not in season at that time those years. That's been awhile though.
Up here I've always wondered what a couple hundred black bottles would do as we get some big rafts of coots that the ducks just seem to love .

 

[Duck&Pheasant]

My brother lived in Louisiana for awhile and Dad hunted with him a few times on Catahoula with a guide.
Permanent blind surrounded buy hundreds of ,if I remember correctly bleach bottles painted black and white.
Mostly greenwings , spoonies and ringneck were shot .
Dad did say that lots of pintails could have been shot , but they were not in season at that time those years. That's been awhile though.
Up here I've always wondered what a couple hundred black bottles would do as we get some big rafts of coots that the ducks just seem to love .

I think you hit the nail on the head. Bottle decoys would probably work best in a large numbers game. Preferably running traffic on a large flyway where half the ducks around will keep right on flying by but the other half just might swing in.