Question:
My hunting partner recently found a very unusual Mallard hen decoy in a thrift shop. It’s a quite professionally made, mass produced hard rubber and appears to be 30-40 years old. The quality of the moulding, painting and thickness of the hard rubber is all good grade. The only markings are a moulded-in "Made In Italy" on the underside. What’s unnusual is that the bird portrayed is decidedly dead! One wing is a bit askew, the neck is stretched out and the head turned to the side. It has no keel or anchor loop, and when laid on the ground, as was obviously intended, it’s the spitting image of a dead duck. The question is why? What purpose would such a decoy serve? Did the makers think that ducks are secretly canabalistic? Is this a lure for buzzards or eagles? Anybody know the story behind this odd decoy? -D
Response:
The dead duck decoy is used to train dogs. Dumbies don’t look like real ducks and regular duck decoys can frighten young pups in the water.
Response:
The decoy is for retriever training your dog. Jerry L. Bayley Modesto, CA Jerry L. Bayley Modesto, CA
Response:
The question is why? What purpose would such a decoy serve? Did the makers think that ducks are secretly canabalistic? Is this a lure for buzzards or eagles? Anybody know the story behind this odd decoy?
I’m not sure if this applies in this case but down in Cincinnati, OH some hotels use dead decoys to keep the ducks and geese from over taking their ponds and thus cause a problem with the guests. Maybe that’s the type of decoy you found? Regrads, Rob — Computer Sciences Corporation http://www.csc.com Dayton, Ohio *Any views I express are my own*
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My hunting partner recently found a very unusual Mallard hen decoy in a thrift shop. It’s a quite professionally made, mass produced hard rubber and appears to be 30-40 years old. The quality of the moulding, painting and thickness of the hard rubber is all good grade. The only markings are a moulded-in "Made In Italy" on the underside. What’s unnusual is that the bird portrayed is decidedly dead! One wing is a bit askew, the neck is stretched out and the head turned to the side. It has no keel or anchor loop, and when laid on the ground, as was obviously intended, it’s the spitting image of a dead duck. The question is why? What purpose would such a decoy serve? Did the makers think that ducks are secretly canabalistic? Is this a lure for buzzards or eagles? Anybody know the story behind this odd decoy?
Sounds to me like a RETRIEVING dummy (for training your dog…) — "Please don’t remember me for anything I may have said."
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My hunting partner recently found a very unusual Mallard hen decoy in a thrift shop. It’s a quite professionally made, mass produced hard rubber and appears to be 30-40 years old. The quality of the moulding, painting and thickness of the hard rubber is all good grade. The only markings are a moulded-in "Made In Italy" on the underside. What’s unnusual is that the bird portrayed is decidedly dead! One wing is a bit askew, the neck is stretched out and the head turned to the side. It has no keel or anchor loop, and when laid on the ground, as was obviously intended, it’s the spitting image of a dead duck. The question is why? What purpose would such a decoy serve? Did the makers think that ducks are secretly canabalistic? Is this a lure for buzzards or eagles? Anybody know the story behind this odd decoy? -D
I suspect that this may be an older training dummy for dogs (although why you would use one is beyond me). Here is the description of such a training aid from a recent Cabelas Magazine: "The Dead Duck Trainer" – Made of unbreakable plastic – resembles a downed duck in the water. This is the only explanation I have (and its just a half-assed guess), otherwise perhaps mallards are canabalistic 
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My hunting partner recently found a very unusual Mallard hen decoy in a thrift shop. It’s a quite professionally made, mass produced hard rubber and appears to be 30-40 years old. The quality of the moulding, painting and thickness of the hard rubber is all good grade. The only markings are a moulded-in "Made In Italy" on the underside. What’s unnusual is that the bird portrayed is decidedly dead! One wing is a bit askew, the neck is stretched out and the head turned to the side. It has no keel or anchor loop, and when laid on the ground, as was obviously intended, it’s the spitting image of a dead duck. The question is why? What purpose would such a decoy serve? Did the makers think that ducks are secretly canabalistic? Is this a lure for buzzards or eagles? Anybody know the story behind this odd decoy?
These decoys were designed for use on golf courses to encourage other ducks to go elsewhere. Ever been on the 18th green at a course with plenty of lakes? More goose shit on the grass than grass. The idea was that the ducks would see their deceased little cousin on the ground and move along to the pond at the city park. As a side note, later experiments in dead pidgeon decoys in D.C. were unsuccessful, however. "Of course, that’s just my opinion, I could be wrong." 
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