When it comes to motion duck decoys, a little goes a long way. Your decoy spread doesn’t need to turn into a field of battery-powered gadgets to have success. We have all seen the hunter with the mindset of “if 1 spinning wing decoy is good, then 15 spinning wing decoys have to be even better.”
Motion decoys can be incredibly beneficial but more important than quantity is using the right type of motion at the right time. If you want a more realistic decoy spread this season, here are 7 motion duck decoys that will bring your decoy spread to life.
Need a quick answer and want to find the best motion duck decoys? Here are my top picks:
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Motion duck decoys are specialized decoys used in waterfowl hunting to simulate the natural movement of live ducks. These decoys have exploded in popularity over the last decade and are available in a wide variety of styles.
These are motion decoys that attract ducks by simulating the wing flash of a landing duck. A small motor rotates a pair of ‘wings’ that alternate between a light and dark color. The strobe effect can pull in ducks from a long distance.
Spinning wing decoys are incredibly effective early in the year and work like magic during early-season teal hunts. They are popular with hunters and if you go to a public marsh, you are likely to see almost every group of hunters using one or more.
Because of their popularity, I think ducks learn to avoid them as the season progresses. I try to use a more subtle motion duck decoy later in the season if I am in an area with lots of competition and hunting pressure.
The next category of motion decoys is designed to create movement in the water. These decoys splash or move water around to produce ripples on calm days. Water motion decoys are highly effective when there is no wind and the water surface is calm.
Ducks find glass-like water unrealistic, so even a small amount of motion can significantly improve your decoy spreads look. When the water is calm, even a small ripple will last a long time.
Flapper decoys use a cam to drive a set of wings in an up-and-down motion, similar to how a real duck would fly. The idea sounds great at first, but they don’t generate the ‘flash’ that you get with a spinning wing decoy.
A duck flaps its wings around 3 to 7 beats per second, and close to double that rate during takeoff or landing. Mechanical flapper decoys can’t achieve this speed. For this reason, they don’t seem to be as effective on ducks as other motion decoys. It is still worth considering them if you are hunting other waterfowl like geese.
With the number of options to choose from, it can be difficult to sort through all the gimmicky motion duck decoys to find the best options that actually work. As an avid hunter, I have first-hand experience with almost every motion decoy on this list (and plenty that didn’t make the list).
Here are my picks for the 7 best motion duck decoys that you can use throughout the entire season that will bring your decoy spread to life.
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After first using Lucky Duck motion decoys in 2020, they quickly became my favorite motion duck decoy company and have remained at the top since. Across their line of products, they make simple and effective motion decoys that are priced right and just flat-out work.
One of the simple details that stands out with the Lucky Duck HD is that the decoy is bungee strapped to the stake. This doesn’t sound like a big deal until you are moving a decoy in waist-deep water and the stake catches in vegetation and leans to the side, knocking your expensive motion decoy into the water.
This spinning wing decoy comes with a remote that is easy to use, has a long battery life and good range to turn the decoy on and off. It uses a 6v rechargeable battery and magnetic wings for easy setup in the dark.
Lucky Duck’s dedication to producing high-quality, reliable decoys has earned it a solid reputation among hunters. Ultimately, if you’re looking for the best spinning wing mallard decoy, the Lucky Duck HD is an excellent choice.
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Having a hands-off motion decoy is important when it comes to teal hunting. Teal tend to buzz around the marsh quickly and if you aren’t paying attention, they will be in your decoys and gone before you even see them. I highly recommend a spinning wing decoy for teal.
New for the 2023 duck season is the Avian X Powerflight Teal. I use a Lucky Duck teal and it is one of my favorite motion decoys, but if I was going to buy a new spinning wing decoy for teal season, I would go with the Powerflight Teal.
It uses Avian X’s patented ‘Angel Wing’ motion, and the wings can still spin in winds up to 30mph. I like that it comes with a small diameter round stake that packs up small into the included carrying bag.
The Powerflight Teal is very realistic looking. I think it is one of the best-looking spinning wing decoys available. It also comes in at a very competitive price compared to other companies teal spinning wing decoys.
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This style of motion decoy uses a pump to suck up water and spray it in the air. The water stream is directed at the tail of the decoy which causes it to turn into a spray and rocks the decoy forward. The result is ripples on the water from the decoy movement, along with a visual spray of water in the air that can be seen from a distance.
Splasher style decoys were a very popular DIY motion duck decoy several years ago, but now many companies make them in a much more convenient package. The big advantage over homemade options is the internal battery instead of carrying around a separate battery storage container.
The Higdon Pulsator XS has a 7-hour battery life with the option to add an internal second battery to double the runtime. Other features include a standard on/off timer, an insert to change the spray pattern, and shallow water operation (as little as 6 inches).
I have used these and they create great motion on the water. If you buy one, you will likely find yourself wanting to add more to get motion throughout your entire decoy spread.
An important thing to consider is that they won’t work in shallow water or in water that has a lot of vegetation or moss as it can clog the intake. It also struggles late season in cold weather as the spray will freeze and ice will build up on the decoy.
Apart from these limitations, the Higdon Pulsator XS is an excellent motion decoy and a great addition to your decoy spread if you are looking for more water motion.
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This is a decoy that uses a floatation insert and a pair of orange plastic strips to stir up the water and splash it around. There are a few various brands of this decoy and Lucky Duck even makes one, however, all of my personal experience has been with this Wonder Duck.
Dan bought this back in 2019 and we have been using it without issues since then. It is not a permanent addition to the decoy spread as it is a little cumbersome to transport, but it excels in one area where other water motion decoys fail: low water.
While a lot of water motion decoys need 6+ inches or more of water, this thing works well in only a few inches of water. That is because it doesn’t have a pump that needs to suck up water. It works by spinning some orange plastic ‘feet’ to splash the water around.
It comes with a random timer that turns the left side on for 5 seconds, then the right side, and then finally both for 5 seconds. It is enough to really get the decoy moving.
Keep in mind that this particular option runs on two D-cell batteries, so if you are looking to stay with rechargeable 6v batteries, you might want a different motion decoy.
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If you hunt deep water, you have fewer options when it comes to spinning wing decoys. You could opt for a longer stake to continue using a traditional spinning wing setup, but at some point, it becomes easier to use a floating decoy.
I personally haven’t used this floating motion duck decoy style of spinning wing decoy, but two primary brands have good options: Mojo and Lucky Duck. The mojo style uses a round floating base, which might be better if you are in deep, rough water. However, it is bulkier than the convenient floater duck decoy base of the Lucky Duck.
If I was going to buy one of these, I would go with the Lucky Duck. Based on my experience with Mojo, I recommend you do the same. But to be fair, I haven’t had any hands-on experience with either of these two floating motion duck decoys.
The advantage of this style of motion duck decoy is that you can rig the decoy up just like you would a traditional decoy. It can be deployed in deep water with a standard rig and anchor or as part of a long-line setup. Either way, adding a spinning wing decoy to your deep water setup will be a great addition to your decoy spread.
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Motion duck decoys are generally not cheap. But a cost-effective way to get into motion duck decoys is to build your own. Not only will it save money, but using something homemade can present a different look to ducks that have seen the same thing all season long.
One of the best homemade motion duck decoys that you can make is a simple jerk rig. A jerk rig works by moving duck decoys on the water to produce motion and ripples.
An anchor is attached to a bungee cord with a string going to the duck blind. Decoys are clipped to the string so that when the cord is pulled they move to the blind, and when the cord is released the bungee pulls the decoys back to the anchor.
Get detailed instructions and see our ‘how to’ guide for building your own jerk rig.
When it comes to late season on heavily hunted ground, my favorite motion decoy is a jerk rig. It takes a little more effort and you need to be mindful of not making too much motion in the blind when pulling the cord, but the results are worth the extra setup.
If you are looking for the best homemade motion duck decoy, you really can’t go wrong with a jerk rig. I like to keep one in my blind bag all season so I am never caught without motion if the wind slows down unexpectedly.
It can get expensive if you try to source all the best components individually. Shop Kayak Guys DIY jerk rig kits to get the best components at a reduced price.
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Late-season motion can be a tough scenario if you have any cold weather at all. Nasty weather is often the best time to be in the field, but the cold can reduce battery life and freezing water causes issues with paddler or splasher type motion decoys.
That’s why I recommend a variation of the jerk rig for late-season motion. While a jerk rig works great by itself, adding a spreader bar is another trick to get even more decoy motion. Instead of a single line of decoys, you can have an entire group of ducks that get attached to the jerk rig.
Another benefit of the spreader system for cold weather is that you can keep your decoys attached to the setup, meaning you only need to clip or unclip from your jerk rig one time, instead of clipping on each decoy. This becomes important when you are setting up in the morning with half-frozen fingers.
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The best motion duck decoy will depend on your hunting situation throughout the year. Early in the season, spinning wing decoys are most effective. As you transition to late season, having water motion becomes very important.
If you are looking for only the essential motion decoys, you can’t go wrong with the Lucky Duck HD for a spinning wing decoy, and a jerk rig kit for water motion. These two motion decoys will cover all your basic scenarios and will result in a more realistic decoy spread.
I am passionate about duck hunting and regularly use these motion duck decoys to help shoot more ducks. I hope this list helps you find some options you hadn’t thought of yet!
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