Hale Duck Decoy
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The Hale Duck Decoy is a 17th-century duck decoy located in Hale, Halton Borough, England.
At one time a common sight in the English countryside, only four duck decoys now remain. The Hale Duck Decoy was restored to working order in the 1960s. It can be seen on Google Earth at
The purpose of the decoy was to catch large numbers of waterfowl. Tame or opportunistic wild ducks were used to attract waterfowl onto a small patch of water. The pond was equipped with a long curving cone-shaped wickerwork tunnel. Barriers were cleverly constructed to conceal a "decoyman" from the birds nearer the pond side of the tunnel, while revealing him to the birds nearer the trap end of the tunnel. The decoyman would use grain and a trained dog to entice birds into the tunnel. Once inside the birds would move toward the dog and away from the decoyman. Once the birds had been driven to the small trap at the end of the tunnel, where they could be killed for food.
