Decoy ‘ditch ducks’ magically reproducing in Minnesota’s Aitkin County

Author and outdoorsman Doug Lodermeier doesn’t remember the precise date and year, but he does recall doing an extreme double-take.
An avid bird hunter, Lodermeier, 69, of Edina, Minn., was heading north along Highway 65 in Aitkin County near McGregor, an unremarkable stretch of road he has traveled many times over the years on his way to hunt ruffed grouse and woodcock. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw flickers of color. Decoys – indeed, many decoys painted in a kaleidoscope of vibrant colors and patterns – sat bobbing and listing in the marshy ditch.