# Coot Decoys



## Hunter_17 (Mar 15, 2008)

Have many of you guys ans gals use coot decoys in your spread as confidence decoys?


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

I put them in my spread.


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## Jeff Bringhurst (May 20, 2009)

I do.


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## toasty (May 15, 2008)

The word "confidence decoy" has done more to sell a ton of worthless garbage to waterfowlers than anything other product name. Do you really think a duck is looking to see if there are coots in a spread as it decides to land? 

It is funny how smart we think a bird is with a brain the size of a pea. I can think of 15 other things that will bring more ducks into a spread than coot decoys.


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## HONER80080 (Nov 18, 2009)

I think you have a brain the size of a pea if you don't put coots decoys in your spread.


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## RJ-Max4 (Sep 11, 2007)

I put my Coot decoys right where I want to kill Wigeon's.


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## toasty (May 15, 2008)

HONER80080 said:


> I think you have a brain the size of a pea if you don't put coots decoys in your spread.


I think they only serve as a crutch for the guys that can't call worth a crap like Honer80080. I'll bet you use the duck butts and mojos in your spread as well.

I don't need any of that, I do just fine with my clumps of mud and handmade snakegrass duck call.


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

I use em... they're certainly not a cure all. They do bring in coots pretty well. I use black silo's late season and thats basically the only role I felt like the coots filled when I packed a dozen of them with me.... felt I did better using other dekes with a little color to them. This year early season I'll be running silos a bit more just for volume and the coots will be out there again not for confidence but just as floating "filler" to help get birds to finish.


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## king eider (Aug 20, 2009)

toasty said:


> The word "confidence decoy" has done more to sell a ton of worthless garbage to waterfowlers than anything other product name. Do you really think a duck is looking to see if there are coots in a spread as it decides to land?


sounds like the fly fishing argument of whether the fly catches the fish or the fisherman...



toasty said:


> I can think of 15 other things that will bring more ducks into a spread than coot decoys.


corn, oats, barley, wheat, white bread, wheat bread, whole oat bread, pumpernickel bread, just to name a few... oh and the old reliable mallard decoys tend to work.

all in fun, carry on with your discussion.


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## Mojo1 (Sep 8, 2007)

I use em cause those coots are lonely too.


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## duckhunter1096 (Sep 25, 2007)

My brother and I use them in our spread. We actually saw an increase in the number of birds that would decoy after we put them in.


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## toasty (May 15, 2008)

We stopped using coots and started using the confidence cow:










Our birds in the bag went way up. It is particularly effect on larger bodies of water. We place it right in the middle of the spread when we hunt strawberry and it really draws the birds in.


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

Speaking of confidence decoys- has anyone seen the egret, heron, and crane decoys that Cabela's is not selling as "confidence decoys" along with the calls for each? I had to chuckle when I saw that. I like the cow one too...as if cows are some crazy creature that are weary of humans. The ducks are up there flying along and see it down there "well, shoot! If that one black cow is down there and not scared, we sure as hell should be too!"


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## richard rouleau (Apr 12, 2008)

i use about a dozen coot decoys in my spread i really think it help out if you go hunt wma or lake that has coot on it.


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## toasty (May 15, 2008)

We laugh about the cow, however I've heard stories of the old timers that used to sneak on ducks with a cow costume. I'm not sure what the costume looked like, but they claim it was very effective.

I've been suckered by the "confidence decoy" thing several times. I've got coots, duck butts, flying ducks, and all sorts of motion decoys. While I think each has it moments on certain days where they may "seem" to help, I would bet a scientific evaluation of them would show there is no statistical probability of increasing the amount of ducks shot with all of these money wasters. Having said all of that, I'll still use coot decoys where coots are common and still put up the Mojos on several hunts. 

We duck hunters are as gullible bunch.


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## fyfcalls (Dec 13, 2008)

Being that I work for an outdoor hunting equipment company as a marketing director, it seems like our marketing plans are working like a charm!!!! Business is booming thanks guys for making my end of year bonus HUGE this year!!!


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## king eider (Aug 20, 2009)

toasty said:


> We laugh about the cow, however I've heard stories of the old timers that used to sneak on ducks with a cow costume. I'm not sure what the costume looked like, but they claim it was very effective.
> 
> We duck hunters are as gullible bunch.


ive seen the cow decoy work. not as a confidence decoy but as a way to put the sneak on some snows. seen two guys sneak up to 20 yrds with one and drop 36 snows in 6 shots. it was pretty sweet. 
i hunt a field with alot of cattle. the hide in the field is near to none. ive often thought about getting two cow silos and kinds put them over me in a triangle. it would probably be a better hide than grassin my laydown with 3 inch stubble.
amen to your last statement. ive fell victim a time or two...


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## stuckduck (Jan 31, 2008)

we all get jerked around a time or two!!!


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## Royal Retrievers (Nov 24, 2009)

We have to put them in the spread. Coots have feelings too. :lol: :lol: 

I use them in my spread also, where coots are to be found.


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## Gee LeDouche (Sep 21, 2007)

I also use seagull confidence decoys. lolz


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## Fowl habits (Dec 4, 2007)

confidence eh? sounds like its more for the hunter than for the duck........GEE you are the man, no wonder we always knock em dead, i always thought you were trying to imitate snow geese


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## hoghunter011583 (Jul 21, 2008)

toasty said:


> HONER80080 said:
> 
> 
> > I think you have a brain the size of a pea if you don't put coots decoys in your spread.
> ...


Good for you


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## hoghunter011583 (Jul 21, 2008)

I don't have any coots anymore but they worked in Louisiana. The trick is to put about 200 coots out and make an opening for the shot and put mallards in that opening, works on high pressured areas!!


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## huntingbuddy (Sep 10, 2007)

toasty said:


> HONER80080 said:
> 
> 
> > I think you have a brain the size of a pea if you don't put coots decoys in your spread.
> ...


Ya and what do you do when the birds get call shy. http://www.ducks.org/Hunting/Decoys/468 ... Oct09Enews In this article it says that even Buck Gardner (you know the guy who has made his reputation selling duck calls and blowing them too) would use decoys over calling. In the same article it also mentions coot decoys as good way to set your spread apart from all the other 2 dozen hot buy mallard spreads. Hmmm Correlation _O\


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## toasty (May 15, 2008)

I've often heard that sarcasm doesn't transfer on the internet. Guess whoever said it was right.


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