Sitting in a duck blind gives hunters a lot of time to be inventive, especially if the birds are landing somewhere else writes The Omaha World Herald.
Camouflage-clad Mark Andersen was hunting ducks and Canada geese near Pierre, S.D. He was freezing. Shooting was slow. He stood to peer out of the blind.
“I looked over and saw a bunch of ducks pouring into a field and I said, ‘What’s going on over there?’’’ Andersen said. “Well, a farmer had spilled a big pile of corn, and the ducks were just pouring on top of it to feed.’’
Andersen was inspired. Ducks and geese eat corn. Why not lure birds with waterfowl and corn decoys? Not using artificial ears of corn, but something that resembles a small pile of spilled corn kernels.
After nearly three years of designing and testing, Andersen’s patented and trademarked invention is for sale in 13 stores in six states and online.
He calls it “Cornouflage.’’
Cornouflage is a circular piece of non-ultraviolet fabric (birds can see ultraviolet light) printed with a photograph of field corn. The diameter is about 25 inches, but it twists and folds into a circle less than half that size for stuffing into a day pack. A plastic-coated steel cable is sewn into the rim of the cloth to give it stability.
Setting Cornouflage over a few dirt clods or pieces of corn stubble elevates the center of the cloth, giving it the appearance of spilled grain.
Photo by CORNouflage.