I've even seen counterweight and pulley contraptions that make it possible to "swim" the decoy to the blind by pulling the string; when the hunter lets it go, the counterweight drops and pulls the decoy back into position. Wiggle strings can be added to field decoys as well. The decoy is placed on a limber metal, wood or fiberglass rod and rocked back and forth by a string leading to the blind.

Using a wiggle string has its downsides: The string can snare a retriever (or even an overly excited shotgunner) in the act of fetching a downed bird. Setting one up also takes a bit of effort and time and also requires the use of at least one hand, or possible a foot.

Another way of adding motion: Wave a flag. In the past, a black stocking cap or just the arms proved effective for this, but now the use of commercially manufactured banners for attracting the notice of distant geese is now standard practice for waterfowling. Open-water duck hunters also use flags, especially when diving ducks and sea ducks head the quarry list. Inexpensive and durable, easily stowed and very light in weight, the flags sport extremely realistic contours and color schemes tailored to specific species, and so can dupe even close-range birds in need of further convincing that a spread is real.

WIND-POWERED DECOYS
Any waterfowler knows that windy days are best for creating motion in decoys set on the water. But there are other ways to add motion to decoys, especially when the decoys are set on land.

When hunting for greater snow geese resumed along the Atlantic Flyway in the early 1970s, the season had been closed for so long that no species-specific decoys were available. The answer was found inside rolls of white kitchen garbage bags and bundles of cut reeds. A bag was shaken open and its open end knotted around the top of a reed stuck into the marsh bottom or soft soil of an agricultural field. The tag end of the bag resembled the head of a snow goose, with the rest of the bag serviceably mimicking its body. A slight breeze would set the plastic "goose balloons" rippling, thus creating a lifelike decoy spread. This was probably the first of the "windsock" decoys.

Hunters can now buy windsock decoys with plastic or metal stakes and plastic heads that are much easier to set up and store than reeds and plastic bags (which were usually just tossed out with the garbage after a hunt). The typical windsock decoy is a fabric balloon that catches any wind through an opening of hard circular plastic held by the stake at the approximate location of the decoy's lower neck. (Continued)

Windsock decoys are amazingly convincing, imprinted with the color patterns of the various species they're intended to target. They fill, waddle, rotate and shake, orienting into the wind, moving at the slightest breeze. They also compress, taking up little storage space compared to shell or full-bodied decoys, and are remarkably light in weight, making them the best decoys for large field spreads. Their only disadvantage: In the absence of wind, they deflate, presenting a shrunken silhouette. Other decoys are therefore usually mixed in with a windsock spread.