Free: Contests & Raffles.
I wouldn't worry too much about it. Focus more on scouting, finding where the birds want to be and then hiding yourself. I have shot limits over no decoys or just 2-3. Another bit of advice is adding movement to your spread can be a huge benefit. Some spots I hunt I only pack in 6 decoys and 3 of those are on my jerk cord.There are also "puddler pack" set ups that have multiple species if memory serves
I'll cast another vote for movement. Ripples on the water seem to keep the ducks focus on the decoys and not your blind. Jerk strings help. Wind spinners work in certain areas and certain situations. I hunted over a few winduk decoys last year and liked them. They spin in very little wind and are easy to pack in. I usually only hunt over mallard decoys and shoot lots of teal, wigeon, and pin tail. The teal decoys are quite small and might make for a good light pack-in setup.. I wonder if people shoot mallards over spreads of just teal or wigeon?
Wow, I can't tell you how grateful I am to receive so much advice so quickly. Thank you very much. I will take your advice to heart. I had about 15-16 dekes that someone gave me 25 years ago, but most have disintegrated and/or been chewed up by various puppies over the years, and these are all that remain that can still float:
Hey Salish, I have a pile of decoys in my garage that don't get hunted much. If you are in the basin, I can meet up with you sometime and you can use a handful of them for the season if you want. They are all fully rigged up and ready to hunt over