Page 44 THE BOOK OF DUCK DECOYS.

THE BOOK OF DUCK DECOYS.

    As previously shown, these are the shelters that at all times hide the Decoyman from the ducks. This they do whether he be reconnoitring them in the first instance, or afterwards enticing them up the pipes with dog or food.
    They should be 6 ft. high. If the Decoyman be over 6 feet tall he must sacrifice the comfort of an erect figure to the benefit of the Decoy, as very high screens give too much the idea of a suspicious enclosure to the pipe they flank.
    The first screen, the one that reaches from the show place to the pipe's mouth, is 28 ft. long, then all the others on towards the tunnel net may be 12 feet. Eleven screens in all without the breast-wall screens.
    The latter are 18 ft. and 12 ft. in length, and shelter the broad landing between them and the water's edge. Between these latter is the "Yackoop" (see plan 2 before page 57) At the show place, under the screen that projects over the water, there is just space for the dog to run round, and so jump back to his master.
    All the little screens or dog-jumps, that join the large screen ends, are 2 ft. 6 in. in height, and 2 ft. 6 in. wide across their openings, save the one at the head show, which is 3 ft. 6 in. wide.
    Each tall screen has a peep-hole in it through the reeds, and this, as occasion demands, is kept open by a flat and pointed piece of lath-wood, 8 inches in length by an inch wide; when no view of the ducks is required to be taken, the wedge of wood is left perpendicularly between the reeds, and the hole caused by turning it edgeways closes.
    On twisting the wedge from side to side, a clear sight of the pipe and pond can be taken in any direction.
    When setting up the screens fix their posts and rails first. The posts nearest to the edge of the water being about 2 ft. 10 in distant from the bank of the ditch, the farthest posts 5 to 6 ft., the 28 ft. screen being 2 ft. only from the water its entire length. The distances of some of the 12 ft. screen posts will vary a few inches as the curve of the pipe is followed. Be sure that each opening between the screens over the dog-jumps, as you move from the mouth of the pipe towards its tail, points fair and true up the ditch of water and the network of the pipe.