Decoy
For other uses, see Decoy (disambiguation). ‹ The template below ( Globalize ) is being considered for merging. See templates for discussion to help reach a consensus. › Carved, wooden duck decoys A decoy (derived from the duck-coy , "duck cage" [1] ) is usually a person, device, or event meant as a distraction, to hide what an individual or a group might be looking for. Decoys have been used for centuries most notably in game hunting, but also in wartime and in the committing or resolving of crimes. Illustration demonstrating the use of a dog in a duck decoy tunnel (1886) The term decoy may refer to two distinct devices, both used for hunting wildfowl. One is a long cone-shaped wickerwork tunnel installed on a small pond to catch wild ducks. After the ducks settled on the pond, a small, trained dog would herd the birds into the tunnel. The catch was formerly sent to market for food, but now these are used only to catch ducks to be ringed and released: see or...