According to the Michigan DNR “Robo Ducks” (electronic spinning wing decoys) will not be allowed at the Shiawassee River State Game Area this season. Hunters have complained that these decoys flare ducks late in the season ruining their overall hunting experience. This ban is a temporary and experimental effort. Mojo’s will be banned for up to THREE YEARS in this area with the impact of the ban measured through hunter opinion surveys.
I’ve got an opinion for your survey right here……
If the decoy is legal, let people use it. There is NO doubt in my mind that ducks flock to these decoys. Mallards and other puddle ducks (more often than divers) but the fact is THEY WORK. And as long as these decoys have been sold ducks have been figuring them out along with every other tool we use to hunt them. Late season ducks will flare at almost anything. The outline of a boat. Movement from the dog. Bad calling. So are we going to ban that stuff too? I’m not going to leave Zeus at home because, one time…some birds saw his tail wagging. Getting ducks over the decoys is tricky. It’s in the nature of the challenge that draws me to duck hunting.
I’m in full support of ensuring a quality hunt and a good experiences in the marsh. So why then punish hunters in the early and mid-season by banning a tool that works? I hunt Harsen’s Island quite a bit. When everyone else had a mojo (and I didn’t) the ducks wouldn’t even consider landing in my spread. So I bought one. Such is life when hunting public “bingo” areas. They are high-pressure hunting situations that require specific tools. “Leveling the playing field” and taking away tools that attract birds decreases the amount of “good experiences” for all hunters.
To be very clear, if you don’t like hunting a field in competition with a spinning wing decoy either buy one or hunt somewhere else. There’s plenty of other areas in the state that hold birds. And in the late season, you often have these spots to yourself. Quit ruining hunts for the majority because a few people make some noise.
I’d love to ban sky-busting and bad calling both of which flare more birds in managed areas than anything else. Long live the Mojo Mallard.
image from http://www.cabelas.com
Hunt Ducks Hook Fish 
Well said…long live the mojo
Posted by fishslime | June 14, 2010, 1:32 pmthis is a very good argument for keeping the mojo, however living in michigan and having hunted at shiawassee i can vouch for this ban. i have seen people have 9-10 mojos in a field and like two floating decoys. at this point it is just about out doing the guy next to you. i feel as though putting out an electronic decoy is a bypass for poor hunting skills such as calling and making a realistic decoy spread. you could argue that you dont even need to be very well concealed because they are so fixated on the mojo! a world champion caller could be 200-300 yards away from a newbie with a mojo or two and theres no way he could peel birds away from the mojos, especially in early season.
All in all i believe that the ban is a good thing and i HOPE it goes statewide. In my opinion it would make hunting better and eliminate some of the slobs that are just duck hunters for the shooting.
Posted by austin | September 8, 2010, 10:23 pmI appreciate your point of view. Thanks for sharing.
Posted by huntduckshookfish | September 9, 2010, 1:37 pmI’m curious on your opinion now. Is it still the same or is changed at all?
I know you hunt harsens, but have you hunted next to guys with 9-10 spinners? have you talked to anyone who seen the change in effect this year? curious of your take on it now that season is rolling.
Posted by dan b | November 10, 2010, 7:47 pmHey SK. Thanks for leaving a comment.
I’m still positive about Mojos because they grab attention from a distance. Mine has helped to put more ducks in the bag, especially at Harsen’s, because other people are using theirs as well. The insulting “attack” from my decoy this past weekend hasn’t changed my mind on their effectiveness.
But we did have a great hunt at Shiawassee without a spinner. I attribute that to satisfying the basic needs of a good hunt. Be where the ducks want to be and set-up a spread that mimics the birds in the area. We set almost 70 blocks of divers and mallards at the Flats which I really think looked different than the other spreads and instilled confidence because of the diversity of the ducks in the spread.
If Harsen’s were to prohibit mojo’s I’d be pissed. Mostly because they’re legal to use in the state and they help me bag ducks. Would I still hunt there? Of course. But I might be more willing to make the trip to the Flats first!
Posted by huntduckshookfish | November 10, 2010, 10:03 pm