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I have a question about the mallard machine. I know everyone doesn't like any divices that help harvest ducks, example(Robo, shakers etc..) If you don't then please don't respond. For any one else who has used the mallard machine, would you share your experience. I would also like to know how easy it is to make one.
Thanks

BB

I don't own one myself but hunted with some guys from Arkansas that had two in their timber hole. Made some great motion. One feature that I liked about it was during a freeze. We busted ice out that morning and kept the ice out by using the two mallard machines. Saved a bunch of time from going out and clearing ice every 30-45 minutes. All they are made from is a foot of a trolling motor some braces and enough cable to get back to your blind with a switch and a 12 volt. Couldn't be too difficult.

We screwed up and didn't patent ours 10 years ago.
We took an old trolling motor, drove a pipe below the water line several inches, attached the motor to the top of the pipe and then hooked a decoy on a line about 8 inces long.
When you hit the switch it shot a small rooster tail that looked like a duck landing.

THEY'RE GREAT FOR MOVING WATER. THEY ARE A PAIN IN THE ASS TO SET UP. IF YOU PUT THEM OUT AND LEAVE THEM THEY'RE WORTH IT..I THINK A TROLLING MOTOR MOUNTED ON THE SIDE OF A BLIND WOULD WORK TOO, AND ALOT CHEAPER..

would someone please explain in detail how these things work.......

You hook it up to a battery and flip the switch to the "ON" position. [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

ant,
I was thinking more along the lines of homemade instead of the $250 ones

Oh..........I haven't really had much experience with this sorta thing, but it seems like one could 'rig' something up that accomplishes what this thing does.

'Seems like a lot of trouble on a 'portable' rig (like someone said), but may be worth it on a semi-permanent basis.

Thanks for not gettin' [img]images/smiles/icon_mad.gif[/img] at my response. [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] Good luck! [img]images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]

They are fairly easy to make with conduit or pvc and a trolling motor. You just make a square frame and brace the trolling motor in the center with the propeller facing the ducks. Attach a decoy to each corner (really need to be super magnums). You can also permanently mount the trolling motor(make sure you seal off the shaft properly) to a post in the ground and place four decoys close to the post. Fairly simple and if you leave it out in the field it is not that much trouble.

We tried to use one last season. We hunt in shallow rice fields and there just wasn't enough water (about 2.5 ft) to properly float the machine. In the shallow field, it would move water and make a great splashing sound, but the attached decoys wouldn't move as designed.

You may want to keep this in mind if you normally hunt shallow water.