I am just getting back into this and am looking for advice . I want to keep it simple until I know if it's what i want . So i am buying a few new decoys (half dozen storm front mallards ) to mix with used ones when i find some . I also have about a dozen hollow shell goose shells for the field and i think I also have some goose socks that I never used from before , but I don't know if they will blend in with the shells unless i set up with a large flock . I don't have a boat but expect to be down to Long point a couple times anyway and the rest will be field and pond shooting . S0 here are my questions : Does it matter alot if you mix new and used decoys color wise or will i have to paint them right away . What type , brand and color paints work best on Mallards (male and female ) . When you're on the marsh if you mix decoy species , which are compatible and should you separate species and by how far ? When you are duck hunting , is it a good idea or not to mix ducks and geese (so i know if i need goose floaters ) . I assume you would keep them separated , but does this create a sense of security for ducks coming in ? I heard a crane decoy works well . Otherwise , if it doesn't matter about adding geese , I will hold off on that now and concentrate on field shooting for geese . I'm not so concerned about brands , but from what i have seen , there is a lot of variation in color and ratio of drakes vs hens and what variety of species comes together . At this point I just want to keep it simple but I see guys selling used decoys have mixed blue bills and blacks along with the mallards , but not as many teal or canvasbacks which I remember used to be at Long Point also . How many duck decoys will it take to start getting their attention ? Also : is there a recipe book or recipe anyone could share to for duck and goose as one of the big reasons i stopped hunting for ducks in the past besides time was the taste of duck and I have never ate goose ? I hear it's 75 % preparation and the rest is personal taste. I'm thinking something sweet and sour might help. Any help would be appreciated . Loved shooting them , but it's expensive if you're just giving them away .