# decoy setup rules



## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

Unfortunately for me, I haven't hunted water fowl since the day I proposed to my wife. That was 19 years ago. Oh well -- sometimes you just have to give up 1 thing in order to pick up another.



My question is: What are the rules for setting up decoys? Can they be left out over night?


I went fishing on Friday. While moving upstream, I came across a lost decoy floating on the bank of the river. A hundred yards further upstream, I found the rest of the decoys. There were probably two dozen mallards, along with a few pintails and teal, and a heron. It was obvious due to debris tangled up in all of the anchor lines that the decoys had been let for quite some time. Probably weeks, even months. I was under the impression that you could not leave decoys out over night?


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

Page 20 in the Guidebook
"You cannot leave waterfowl blinds or decoys unattended overnight to reserve a spot."

That's all it say's about that........


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

so, does that bother anyone?
I have to admit that the thought crossed my mind: "hey, free decoys"

There was a "permanent" blind made from fence posts and wire fencing. Pretty nice setup. But it obviously had not been used for a while. 


Lots of pheasants -- I think we flushed at least 6 while fishing. That was fun.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

PBH said:


> so, does that bother anyone?
> I have to admit that the thought crossed my mind: "hey, free decoys"
> 
> There was a "permanent" blind made from fence posts and wire fencing. Pretty nice setup. But it obviously had not been used for a while.
> ...


It bothers me that people do it on public land, like they own it or something. I have found a few "free decoys" over the years.


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## Pumpgunner (Jan 12, 2010)

Morbid thought-there wasn't a dead guy in the blind, was there? I doubt it, but for some reason that's one of the first things I thought of. It's more likely some guys that consider that "their" spot and can't be bothered to haul their decoys in and out of there. I would hunt their blind over their decoys just for spite. :mrgreen:


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

This was on a WMA -- so yes, "public" land. No dead people. I'm positive it was just someone that leaves the decoys for the year. This stream does not freeze, so no threat of losing the decoys from freezing.

I would guess they are a local hunter that doesn't have a lot of competition from other hunters, and just leaves the decoys out of convenience.


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

It pisses me off and to me they become free decoys to the person that takes them.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

Decades ago I had a permanent blind in LA on private land. I left my dekes out all season long and never had one go missing. I didn't mind people hunting in my blind if I wasn't there. Never showed up to hunt and had anyone in my blind over the 4 years I hunted out of that blind.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

This thread takes an interesting turn if you replace the word "decoys" with "trailcam".

Ok to take one but not the other if you find it in the field? I think I need a notepad to write down all these rules regarding things left in the public lands.


-DallanC


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

DallanC said:


> This thread takes an interesting turn if you replace the word "decoys" with "trailcam".
> 
> Ok to take one but not the other if you find it in the field? I think I need a notepad to write down all these rules regarding things left in the public lands.
> 
> -DallanC


I found half a dozen decoys last week. I think they were probably unintentionally left behind, probably didn't get picked up in the dark or something like that. They are pretty nice though and were Texas rigged and all. I always find a few "drifters" floating in no mans land too, usually a broken line with no weight. I grab those too. I think I'm up to 8 or so this year.


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## Pumpgunner (Jan 12, 2010)

Fowlmouth said:


> I found half a dozen decoys last week. I think they were probably unintentionally left behind, probably didn't get picked up in the dark or something like that. They are pretty nice though and were Texas rigged and all. I always find a few "drifters" floating in no mans land too, usually a broken line with no weight. I grab those too. I think I'm up to 8 or so this year.


I have at least a dozen decoys I've found out in the marsh over the years, sometimes you score on a nice one! Last year I got an Avian X teal and this year I found a G&H bluebill-I have also lost a few over the years too so I think it usually evens out over time.


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## Pumpgunner (Jan 12, 2010)

DallanC said:


> This thread takes an interesting turn if you replace the word "decoys" with "trailcam".
> 
> Ok to take one but not the other if you find it in the field? I think I need a notepad to write down all these rules regarding things left in the public lands.
> 
> -DallanC


I see your meaning, but there isn't a law specifically prohibiting leaving your trailcam out overnight. I wouldn't take somebody's decoys, but I don't think that's in the same league as messing with a trailcam.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

I was hunting the ice a few years ago when I tripped and almost fell on my face. I looked down and there was a black nylon loop sticking up out of the ice. With some effort I broke the ice, grabbed the strap and pulled out a decoy bag with a couple dozen duck floaters in it. Some were cheap flambeaus, but there were some good GHG's in there too. I posted in the lost and found on a few pages, but nobody claimed them. I kept the good one's and gave the cheapies away. 

Several times I have walked out to holes and found duck floaters frozen in the ice. Guys leave them overnight to save the spot. I leave those alone, but I will hunt over them. Sometimes they "accidentally" get shot. ;-)


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## Clarq (Jul 21, 2011)

I've always considered decoys left overnight in the marsh abandoned property. And no, I've never taken any (I have way too many as it is, and they're nicer than any I've found). 

I was tempted last year when I found a stash of them in the phrag near a late-season hunting spot of mine. They were there all four times I hunted, up until the last week of the season. By that fourth trip, I was regretting bringing my own decoys, if there was already a spread waiting there for me. 

I still wonder whether someone ever came back and got them. It's a painful walk out to that spot, and I wonder if someone decided they'd rather cut their losses than go back. If I had hunted that spot on the last day of the season and they were still there, I might have considered taking them back with me. Who knows, maybe I'll get to chip them out of the ice this year.


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## Clarq (Jul 21, 2011)

That also reminds me... people do get pretty gutsy with what they're willing to leave in the marsh overnight. A friend and I arrived early one morning to find a Remington 870 where we had planned to hide, along with some decoys.

The owner showed up about 15 minutes later. He told us he had such a good shoot the night before that he figured he'd just leave everything and come back in the morning. He collected his things from our hide and moved on. We had a good shoot, just like he thought we would.

I also met a guy who stashed an inflatable pontoon boat deep in the Layton-Kaysville marshes, probably worth $500+. 

I never leave anything unattended for more than a few hours (I have been known to leave the decoys and go for a bit of a walk if the hunting is slow). I don't trust humanity enough, and I don't hunt enough consecutive days either.


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