"A Sex Change May be in Order"
April 2005

Before anyone gets off in left field, or thinks I've lost my mind, let's look at the title from a realistic standpoint! The drake species of a duck shows up much better than the hens and in flooded timber or a marsh, the hens are even harder to spot. So what's the solution … "A Sex Change May Be In Order"!

My thoughts and theories on this issue were formed many years ago. It was during the time when outfitters and guides were permitted to hunt public timber in Arkansas. During those days we hunted the mornings and walked, boated or even used an airplane to scout as much of the WMA's as humanly possible in an afternoon. The advantage of this type of scouting normally provided rewards on the next day's hunt, but then it happened … as it usually does with migratory waterfowl.

It was a beautiful bluebird day, ideal conditions for a timber shoot. The previous afternoon I had located a good size group of mallards roosting in the timber and they were so content, they didn't spook when I slipped within yards of them. No doubt, I was excited and I had pumped up our clients to the point they were ready to experience a bit of HammerTime!

As we boated down the narrow channel, it was obvious the moon was full. It was bright enough the waves coming off the boat glistened in the moonlight. I called this to the attention of my hunters and let them know that I didn't expect the ducks to come in first thing. It would probably be later in the morning before they came to roost. As the first group or two of ducks over shot our spread and settled a few hundred yards away, I found it increasingly difficult to get a flock through the trees and in our decoys. The other birds were such a problem I decided to slip through the woods to see if I could break up their party. As I got close enough to see the ducks, I noticed their colors. The sun was hitting the drakes in such a fashion their heads were shinning and their bodies looked much whiter than any factory decoys I had seen. In fact, the live birds looked somewhat animated.

When that hunt was over, I started painting … or repainting my decoys. I lightened them up to look like the live ducks that had just whipped me and that was when I decided more drakes would be a huge visual advantage. That was my first sex change. Let's face the facts; when you look at the shape of your mallard decoy bodies, about the only significant difference are the curly feathers on the tail of the drakes. With this in mind, I started spraying my hens with primer and as the primer dried, they were changed to drakes. From a hen to a drake! Before the next morning, I had an entire spread of drakes … and it paid off and has continued to pay off. To this day, I try to use more drakes than hens in my spread.

With some of the newer decoys I've recently seen on the market, repainting isn't necessary and many come packaged with more drakes than hens. However, when it comes to old, faded decoys … repainting or a bit of touch up will provide you with a big advantage. If you're like me, you want and need, every advantage you can get!

It has been years since I thought about this story or changing a decoy's sex, but last week a company mailed me a DVD to review for them. The DVD was titled "Taylor Painted, how to paint duck decoys" and it's produced by TakeEm.com. These guys aren't paid actors reading from a script, but if you're looking for a DVD that goes into detail on a fast way to properly prep, paint and finish your decoys … this DVD is the one you want. It not only reviews the affordable way to refinish your decoys, it provides step-by-step instructions for plastic, cork and foam decoys alike. Heck, it even tells you an inexpensive way to flock your decoy heads, which paints to use and where to get them!

It all comes down to this; If you're using old, faded decoys or if you feel "A Sex Change May Be In Order" for a few of your hens, this is the DVD for you. I was so impressed with the contents of this DVD, I put them a link on my website.

Information on this DVD is available through www.takeem.com or call 563-210-6451

Email: snapps@arkmo.com

Website: www.arkansaswaterfowl.com

State Parks of Arkansas