The easy way to approach this story simply would involve a recap of all the available information on traditional decoy sets that bring ducks into shotgun range. But what fun would that be?!

Realistic, lightweight decoys like those made by Carry Lite make it easy for one or two hunters to haul in enough decoys to set up effective spreads at their favorite locations. Photo by Ron Sinfelt.

Instead -- and as a way to get waterfowlers of various skills and experience levels thinking -- let me offer a two-word piece of advice that will do more for your duck-hunting success than anything else: Be resourceful.

Look . . . we'll go through the basic sets shortly, and you may find some drawings that illustrate the various kinds of decoy sets that are tried and true and that bring ducks into range consistently. What I'm suggesting with the "be resourceful" nudge is that you learn about these basic sets but be willing to apply them to every unique situation you encounter.

Successful duck hunting is not formulaic. You don't roll out of bed hours before sunrise and think, OK, if I use that "J" set, they'll be tumbling in at first light. I'll have my limit before the first cup of coffee out of the thermos begins to cool.

Well, you can do that. Just know that you'll be disappointed.

There are times and places, for example, when using the traditional approach of a large decoy set will be advantageous. From here, however, there is a chance that ducks -- especially those migrating into your area from regions to the north -- are going to arrive with some "decoy education" as the season unfolds.

Think about it. There are guys hunting ducks in northern areas, while die-hard waterfowlers in other places -- much farther south -- are still getting sunburned on the front casting decks of their bass boats. Have you ever considered just how many decoy sets migrating ducks actually see over the course of their annual trek to their winter homes?

That's why you must be resourceful. Use the basics, but adapt them slightly to your specific hunting situation. Don't make your "J" pattern look like every other "J" pattern the ducks have seen in several other states on their way to yours.

One concept I've adapted from fishing is a "match the hatch" approach. No matter where you look for information on decoying ducks, you'll read hunters and guides say to place your decoys by species -- that is, put all the mallard dekes together, all the pintails together, and so on.

I take that a step further. I only use decoys that represent ducks in the area at the time I'm hunting. This may be nonessential, but my thought simply is to make things appear as natural as possible. It occurs to me that ducks overhead that see the same kinds of on-the-water shapes and outlines represented by the real ducks using your hunting area are going to be at least a bit more comfortable than they would if they begin to approach your decoy set and notice dekes representing species they have not seen in a while -- if at all. So, pay attention to reports from local fish and game agencies and focus on those ducks that are reported in your area in fair-to-good numbers. I believe that will help.