Patent Publication Number: US-2022232819-A1

Title: Decoy motion system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     This application is a Continuation Application of U.S. Patent Application 16/555,420, filed August 29, 2019, which claims priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/724,312 filed August 29, 2018. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The present disclosure relates to decoys for watching and/or hunting birds and, in particular, to a motion and support system for a decoy body. 
     Decoys are utilized to attract birds, such as waterfowl, for the purposes of drawing the birds within distance to watch and/or hunt. Decoys vary in size, shape, and movement. Some decoys are stationary and allow for no movement of the decoy body. Others are animatronic or utilize wind to provide movement of the decoy body. Often times, the movement of the decoy body is unrealistic (e.g., does not mimic the movement of the bird) due to the design of the decoy motion system. Much time and effort has been put into making the movement of the decoy body as realistic as possible so as to better attract the birds. However, realistic motion systems are complex and expensive. Additionally, such motion systems are often times bulky/heavy, making transport of the motion system and decoy body problematic. Thus, a decoy motion system that is simple, light weight, and realistically mimics the movement of the birds would be advantageous to hunters, bird watchers, and others in need of life-like bird decoys. 
     SUMMARY 
     A decoy system for attracting birds includes a ground stake, a decoy body, and a ground stake topper. The ground stake includes a first end and a second end configured to support the decoy system. The decoy body includes an outer surface, an inner surface, a bottom opening through which the ground stake extends, and a top opening that has a first elongated shape. The ground stake topper is configured to extend into the top opening of the decoy body with the ground stake topper having a base connected to the ground stake, a head, and a neck between the base and the head. The neck has a second elongated shape that is smaller in area than the first elongated shape of the top opening. The neck of the ground stake topper is configured to be held within the top opening of the decoy body to allow the decoy body to moderately tilt and rotate relative to the ground stake topper. 
     A decoy system that allows tilting and rotation of a decoy body. The decoy system includes the decoy body having a void with a first opening on a top side and a second opening on a bottom side, a stake for supporting the decoy body with the stake having a first end configured to extend through the void in the decoy body and a second end, and a topper having a base connected to the first end of the stake, a neck connected to the base and configured to extend through the first opening in the decoy body, and a head connected to the neck and configured to hold the decoy body adjacent to the topper. The first opening of the decoy body and the neck of the topper are sized and shaped to allow for the decoy body to tilt vertically up to forty degrees relative to the topper and rotate horizontally up to sixty degrees relative to the topper. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1A  is an isometric view of a decoy system. 
         FIG. 1B  is a side perspective view of the decoy system. 
         FIG. 1C  is a top perspective view of the decoy system. 
         FIG. 2A  is a side perspective view of a decoy body of the decoy system. 
         FIG. 2B  is a top perspective view of the decoy body. 
         FIG. 2C  is a bottom perspective view of the decoy body. 
         FIG. 2D  is an isometric view of the decoy body. 
         FIG. 3A  is an isometric view of a ground stake topper of the decoy system. 
         FIG. 3B  is a side perspective view of the ground stake topper. 
         FIG. 3C  is a front perspective view of the ground stake topper. 
         FIG. 3D  is a top perspective view of the ground stake topper. 
         FIG. 3E  is a side cross-sectional view of the ground stake topper. 
         FIG. 4A  is a front cross-sectional view of the decoy system. 
         FIG. 4B  is an enlarged front cross-sectional view of the ground stake topper in relation to the decoy body and ground stake. 
         FIG. 4C  is a side cross-sectional view of the decoy system. 
         FIG. 4D  is an enlarged side cross-sectional view of the ground stake topper in relation to the decoy body and ground stake. 
         FIG. 4E  is a bottom cross-sectional view of the decoy system. 
         FIG. 4F  is an enlarged bottom cross-sectional view of a neck of the ground stake topper in relation to a top opening of the decoy body. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A decoy system for use in attracting birds, such as waterfowl, is disclosed herein that includes a decoy body, a ground stake, and a ground stake topper. The decoy body is sized and shaped to look like the body of the bird that is intended to be attracted. The ground stake is configured to support the decoy system to stand the decoy body substantially vertically upright. The ground stake topper has a head, neck, and base. The neck is sized to correspond to and extend through a top opening in the decoy body. The neck is held adjacent to the decoy body by the head and the base of the ground stake topper. The top opening of the decoy body has a first elongated shape, and the neck of the ground stake topper has a second elongated shape with an area that is smaller than that of the first elongated shape of the top opening. The size and shape of the neck is configured to allow the decoy body to tilt in every direction and rotate/twist horizontally in each direction relative to the ground stake topper (the tilt and rotation of the decoy body are collectively referred to as wobble). The decoy system is a simple, inexpensive, and light-weight motion system that is able to wobble to realistically mimic the movement of the bird. 
     The decoy system is described herein with regards to a vertical direction and first and second horizontal directions (with the first direction extending along a length of the decoy body and the second horizontal direction being perpendicular to the first horizontal direction). However, the decoy system can have any orientation. “Vertical” and “horizontal” are used only to more easily describe location of components relative to each other and does not limit the decoy system to a particular orientation relative to the ground upon which the decoy system can be placed. For explanation only, the decoy system is described herein with the ground stake extending in a vertical direction, the length of the decoy body extending in the first horizontal direction, and the width (perpendicular to the length) of the decoy body extending in the second horizontal direction. As shown, the length of the decoy body is greater than the width of the decoy body. 
       FIG. 1A  is an isometric view of a decoy system,  FIG. 1B  is a side perspective view of the decoy system, and  FIG. 1C  is a top perspective view of the decoy system. Decoy system  10  includes decoy body  12 , ground stake  14 , and ground stake topper  16 . 
     Ground stake  14  provides structural support to decoy body  12  and connects to ground stake topper  16  at a top end. As shown, ground stake  14  is an elongated pole/rod that extends between top end  17 A and bottom end  17 B. Bottom end  17 B can be inserted into the ground to stand ground stake  14  vertically upright, and ground stake topper  16  and decoy body  12  are on top end  17 A of ground stake  14 . (top end  17 A is shown in  FIGS. 4A-4F ). Bottom end  17 B of ground stake  14  can be pointed to provide for easier insertion into the ground, or bottom end  17 B can have another configuration, such as a disc-like base, feet, or another component that keeps ground stake  14  upright. While shown as extending substantially vertical relative to the ground upon which ground stake  14  is located, ground stake  14  can be tilted in any direction to lean decoy body  12  forward, rearward, or to either side. Further, ground stake  14  does not need to be a straight rod and can be configured to have bends, turns, or other features. Ground stake  14  can be constructed from a variety of materials, including plastic, metal, a composite, a polymer, or another material. Additionally, if desired, ground stake  14  can be constructed from a material that is elastic to allow for bending, twisting, and other motion to increase the amount of tilt and/or rotation of decoy body  12  caused by wind or other external forces. However, ground stake  14  should be sufficiently rigid to support decoy body  12  without breaking. 
     Decoy body  12  (shown in isolation in  FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C ) includes decoy head  18  and decoy torso  19 . Decoy head  18  is located on a top side of decoy body  12  vertically above decoy torso  19 . Head  18  and torso  19  are sized, shaped, and colored to look similar to a bird intended to be attracted by decoy system  10 . For example, decoy body  12  can be sized, shaped, and colored to look like a Canada goose, snow goose, or various species of duck. Head  18  can be solid, hollow, and/or detachable from torso  19  to improve durability and transportability while allowing for different heads  18  to be used with different torsos  19 . Alternatively, head  18  and torso  19  can be one continuous and monolithic component that is molded or otherwise manufactured as a single component. Decoy body  12  can be constructed from a variety of materials, such as plastic, a composite, a polymer, or another material. The material used to construct decoy body  12  can be substantially elastic to allow for deformation of decoy body  12  (which may occur during setup and/or storage) while still returning to the intended, full shape and size of decoy body  12 . Decoy body  12  is configured to be held by ground stake  14  in a position such that decoy head  18  is on a top side and decoy torso  19  is on a bottom side with ground stake  14  extending downward from decoy body  12 . 
     Decoy torso  19  extends substantially in the first horizontal direction with a length that is greater than a width, which extends in the second horizontal direction. Decoy torso  19  looks similarly to the torso of a bird that is intended to be attracted by decoy system  10 . Decoy torso  19  can be mostly solid or entirely hollow. Decoy torso  19  as shown includes void  20 , which is at least a substantially frustoconical void extending from bottom opening  22  (shown in  FIG. 2C ) to top opening  24  (shown in  FIGS. 2B and 2C ). Along with void  20 , decoy torso  19  also includes outer surface  21 A and inner surface  21 B (shown in  FIGS. 4A-4F ). It may be advantageous for torso  19  to be hollow to reduce the weight of decoy system  10  to allow for easier transport. Additionally, if torso  19  is hollow, torso  19  may be able to be compressed/pushed in to allow for more space-efficient storage of decoy system  10 . While shown as including bottom opening  22  and top opening  24 , decoy torso  19  (and decoy head  18 ) can include other features not expressly disclosed, such as attachment points for feather, internal cavities for electronic bird calling machines, etc. 
     Bottom opening  22  is on a bottom side of decoy torso  19  and is configured to allow ground stake  14  to extend therethrough to interact with ground stake topper  16  within top opening  24 . Bottom opening  22  can have a variety of shapes and sizes but should be sized to allow a specific amount of tilt of decoy body  12  relative to ground stake  14  with the tilt of decoy body  12  being stopped by the edges of bottom opening  22 . For example, bottom opening  22  can be oval to extend a greater length in the first horizontal direction running along decoy torso  19  than a width extending in the second horizontal direction perpendicular to the first direction (this configuration is shown in  FIG. 2C ). Bottom opening  22  can be oblong, elliptical, circular, rectangular, or another shape. In the disclosed embodiment, bottom opening  22  is centered about top opening  24  (i.e., top opening  24  is vertically above bottom opening  22 ). 
     Top opening  24  is on a top side of decoy torso  19  horizontally rearward of decoy head  18  (in the first horizontal direction) and vertically above bottom opening  22 . Top opening  24  is configured to allow ground stake topper  16  to extend through top opening  24  to hold and structurally support decoy body  12 . Top opening  24  can be configured to elastically deform slightly when ground stake topper  16  is inserted through top opening  24 . As shown in  FIGS. 2B and 2C , top opening  24  is rectangular in shape to accommodate neck  32  of ground stake topper  16 . The shape of top opening  24  in relation to ground stake topper  16  is important because any open space of top opening  24  that is not filled by neck  32  of ground stake topper  16  allows freedom for decoy body  12  to tilt and rotate (i.e., wobble) to provide for realistic movement of decoy body  12  (i.e., mimicking the movement of a real life bird). Top opening  24  can have a variety of sizes and shapes to correspond to the size and shape of ground stake topper  16  and to customize the amount and type of movement desired by decoy body  12 . Top opening  24  is located on the top side of decoy torso  19  at a location such that decoy torso  19  balances on ground stake  14  and does not tilt forward, rearward, or to either side when at rest (i.e., when wind or another external force is not acting upon decoy body  12 ) and when ground stake  14  extends entirely in the vertical direction to hold decoy body  12  up. However, other configurations of decoy system  10  can include a placement of top opening  24  that has the decoy body  12  tilted forward to, for example, mimic a bird bending forward to eat and/or drink. 
     Ground stake topper  16  is shown in isolation in  FIGS. 3A-3E . Ground stake topper  16  includes topper head  30  at first/top end  28 A, neck  32 , and base  34  at bottom end  28 B. Topper head  30  includes guide line  36 . Neck  32  includes fins  38  and core  40 . Base  34  includes disk  42 , cylindrical portion  43 , aperture  44 , and guide line  46 . 
     Ground stake topper  16  is connected to ground stake  14  and is configured to extend through top opening  24  to hold decoy body  12  in place while allowing moderate movement of decoy body  12  relative to ground stake topper  16  to mimic the movements of a real-life bird. Ground stake topper  16  has a specific size and shape such that space is present between top opening  24  and neck  32 . The specific size and shape of ground stake topper  16  can be modified to provide for increased or decreased tilt and/or rotation of decoy body  12  relative to ground stake topper  16 . Ground stake topper  16  and ground stake  14  can be one continuous and monolithic component that is molded or otherwise manufactured as a single component, or ground stake topper  16  and ground stake  14  can be separate components that are easily separable for storage or transport. Additionally, ground stake topper  16  can be removed from ground stake  14  and replaced with a different ground stake topper  16  to modify the tilt and rotation of body decoy  12 . Ground stake topper  16  can be constructed from a variety of materials, such plastic, metal, a composite, a polymer, or another material. 
     Base  34  of ground stake topper  16  is configured to connect ground stake topper  16  to ground stake  14 . Ground stake  14  can be inserted into and held within aperture  44  at bottom end  28 B. Ground stake topper  16  can be connected to ground stake  14  by other means, such as a bolt, screw, welding, or be one continuous and monolithic component with ground stake  14 . Base  34  includes cylindrical portion  43  that houses aperture  44  and includes guide line  46  on an outer surface to provide for easier visual alignment of neck  32  as ground stake topper  16  is being inserted into top opening  24  of decoy body  12 . Guide line  46  is useful when looking at top opening  24  in decoy body  12  from the bottom of decoy body  12  through bottom opening  22 . 
     Disc  42  at a top end of base  34 . Disc  42  is sized and shaped to provide a top surface upon which the inner surface of decoy body  12  (the inner surface adjacent top opening  24 ) rests such that decoy body  12  is supported by disc  42  of base  34 . While shown as a circular cross-sectional component, disc  42  can have any shape and configuration able to support decoy body  12 . Further, while disc  42  is shown as having a greater diameter than a diameter of cylindrical portion  43 , other configurations can have disc  42  having the same or a smaller diameter (or a different shape altogether). The top surface of disc  42  can be angled downwards to allow for decoy body  12  to tilt about ground stake topper  14  (i.e., inner surface  21 B of decoy body  12  does not rest on a flat top surface of disc  42  and instead rests on an angled top surface to allow for tilting of decoy body  12 ). In other words, disc  42  can have a cone-like shape to limit the amount of contact disc  42  has with decoy body  12 . The small amount of contact between disc  42  and decoy body  12  enables decoy body  12  to tilt and rotate in light winds because there is little resistance. Disc  42  can have other shapes, such as a hemisphere or a configuration that forms a single point of contact with decoy body  12 . The downward angle of the top surface of disc  42  can be any degree and can be designed to allow for increased or decreased tilting of decoy body  12 . As shown in  FIGS. 3B, 3C, and 3E , the downward angle of the top surface of disc  42  is constant throughout the entire circumference of disc  42 . 
     Topper head  30  is at the top of ground stake topper  16  and is configured to extend through top opening  24  so as to be adjacent outer surface  21 A of decoy body  12 . Topper head  30  ensures that decoy body  12  does not become separated from ground stake topper  16  during operation of decoy system  10 . Topper head  30  is connected to neck  32 , which in turn is connected to base  34 . Topper head  30  can any shape configured to hold decoy body  12  on ground stake topper  16 . As shown in  FIGS. 3A-3E , topper head  30  is substantially hemispherical with a bottom of topper head  30  being substantially rounded/angled adjacent to neck  32 . Topper head  30  has a width that is greater than a width of top opening  24  such that decoy body  12  cannot be separated from ground stake topper  16  (i.e., topper head  30  cannot be pulled downward through top opening  24 ) without substantially more force than that exerted by the wind. Thus, in normal operations, decoy body  12  is installed upon ground stake topper  16  by pushing topper head  30  through top opening  24  with the portion of decoy body  12  adjacent to and at least partially surrounding top opening  24  deforming slightly momentarily as topper head  30  (which has a larger width than top opening  24 ) pushes through top opening  24 . Topper head  30  should be sized and shaped to correspond to top opening  24  to allow topper head  30  to be pushed or pulled through top opening  24  with the portion of decoy body  12  adjacent to and at least partially surrounding top opening  24  deforming slightly and then springing back to be smaller than the width (or length) of topper head. The underside of topper head  30  can be rounded or angled upwards to allow for decoy body  12  to tilt about ground stake topper  16 . The upward angle of the underside of topper head  30  can be any degree and can be designed to allow for increased or decreased tilting of decoy body  12 . As shown in  FIGS. 3B, 3C, and 3E , the upward angle of the underside of topper head  30  is only located on sides of topper head  30  and is not located on a front or rear side of topper head  30  due to the elongated shape of neck  32 . Guide line  36  is on the top of topper head  30  to provide for easier visual alignment of neck  32  as ground stake topper  16  is being inserted into top opening  24  of decoy body  12 . Guide line  46  is useful when looking at top opening  24  in decoy body  12  from above decoy body  12 . 
     Neck  32  extends between base  34  and topper head  30  and is configured to be held within top opening  24 . Neck  32  has an elongated shape that is smaller in area than the elongated shape of top opening  24  such that neck  32  is able to moderately move within top opening  24  relative to ground stake topper  16  to mimic the movement of the bird intended to be attracted. Neck  32  can have any size and shape with a cross-sectional area that is less than the cross-sectional area of top opening  24 . For example, neck  32  can have more than two fins or have a rectangular, triangular, or another shape to control the movement of decoy body  12 . Neck  32  can be comprised of multiple vertically extending components, such as pins/pedestals at the front and rear ends and a pivot point in a middle portion. However, in the disclosed embodiment as shown in  FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3E , neck  32  has an elongated shape with fins  38 A and  38 B at front and rear ends, respectively, and core  40  at a middle of neck  32 . As shown in the disclosed embodiment, neck  32  has a similar length to the length of topper head  30  (shown in  FIG. 3A, 3B , and  3 D). However, neck  32  can have a length that is greater than or less than the length of topper head  30  depending on the size and shape of top opening  24  and the amount of rotation of decoy body  12  that is desired. 
     Fins  38 A and  38 B have a width that is smaller than a width of core  40  and also smaller than a width of top opening  24 . The width of fins  38 A and  38 B is sized to allow for moderate rotation of decoy body  12  relative to ground stake topper  16  but prevents decoy body  12  from rotating a full rotation (360 degrees). For example, width of fins  38 A and  38 B relative to the width of top opening  24  creates enough distance between the edges of decoy body  12  adjacent top opening  24  and fins  38 A and  38 B to allow for horizontal rotation of decoy body  12  up to approximately sixty degrees relative to ground stake topper  16 . Thus, decoy head  18  will remain pointing in generally the same horizontal direction plus or minus approximately sixty degrees depending on wind and other external forces. Such capabilities are advantageous as it may be desired to point/place decoy system  10  a specific direction and have decoy body  12  generally stay pointing that direction while rotating only moderately to mimic the movement of a real-life bird. The width of fins  38 A and  38 B can be modified to provide for an increased or decreased range of rotation, with a smaller width of fins  38 A and  38 B relative to the width of top opening  24  resulting in a greater range of rotation and a larger width of fins  38 A and  38 B relative to the width of top opening  24  resulting in a smaller range of rotation. 
     Core  40  is between fins  38 A and  38 B at a middle of neck  32 . Core  40  can be substantially cylindrical in shape or have another shape. Core  40  is shown as having a width that is substantially equal to (or slightly smaller than) the width of top opening  24  to provide a pivot point about which decoy body  12  rotates relative to ground stake topper  16 . However, if side-to-side motion of decoy body  12  is desired, then the width of core  40  may be smaller than the width of top opening  24 . 
     Neck  32  has a height that is at least equal to a thickness of decoy body  12  at top opening  24  (i.e., the height of neck  32  is greater than or equal to the distance between outer surface  21 A and inner surface  21 B of decoy body  12  adjacent top opening  24 ). If the height of neck  32  is substantially equal to the thickness of decoy body  12 , then decoy body  12  will be limited from tilting by the top surface of disc  42  of base  34  and the underside of topper head  30 . Such a configuration may be desired in some configurations of decoy system  10 . However, neck  32  (as shown in  FIG. 4B ) has a height that is greater than the thickness of decoy body  12 , so decoy body  12  is able to tilt until outer surface  21 A of decoy body  12  contacts the underside of head  30 , inner surface  21 B of decoy body  12  contacts the top surface of disc  42 , or the edge of bottom opening  22  contact ground stake  14 . In the disclosed embodiment, the height of neck  32 , the downward angle of the top surface of disc  42 , the upward angle of the underside of head  30 , and the size of bottom opening  22  are configured to allow for vertical tilt of decoy body  12  of up to approximately forty degrees relative to ground stake topper  16 . Thus, decoy head  18  will remain pointing in generally the same vertical direction plus or minus approximately forty degrees depending on wind and other external forces. Such capabilities are advantageous as it may be desired to point/place decoy system  10  a specific direction and have decoy body  12  generally stay pointing that direction while tilting only moderately to mimic the movement of a real-life bird. The height of neck  32  (and the size of bottom opening  22 ) can be modified to provide for an increased or decreased range of tilt, with a smaller height of neck  32  relative to the thickness of decoy body  12  (and/or a smaller bottom opening  22 ) resulting in a smaller range of tilt and a larger height of neck  32  relative to the thickness of decoy body  12  (and/or a larger bottom opening  22 ) resulting in a larger range of tilt. 
       FIGS. 4A-4F  show the interaction of decoy body  12  (and top opening  24 ) with ground stake topper  16 .  FIG. 4A  is a front cross-sectional view of decoy system  10 ,  FIG. 4B  is an enlarged front cross-sectional view of ground stake topper  16  in relation to decoy body  12  and ground stake  14 ,  FIG. 4C  is a side cross-sectional view of decoy system  10 ,  FIG. 4D  is an enlarged side cross-sectional view of ground stake topper  16  in relation to decoy body  12  and ground stake  14 ,  FIG. 4E  is a bottom cross-sectional view of decoy system  10 , and  FIG. 4F  is an enlarged bottom cross-sectional view of neck  32  of ground stake topper  16  in relation to top opening  24  of decoy body  12 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B , ground stake  14  extends through bottom opening  22  into void  20  within decoy torso  19 . With ground stake topper  16  connected to top end  17 A of ground stake  14 , ground stake topper  16  extends through top opening  24  in decoy torso  19  so that decoy body  12  is supported by ground stake topper  16 , which in turn is supported by ground stake  14 . When at rest with no wind or other external forces acting on decoy body  12 , decoy body  12  rests on a small portion of the top surface of disc  42  of base  34  as shown in  FIG. 4B . The minimal contact between disc  42  and decoy body  12  enables tilt of decoy body  12  even when the wind (or another external force) is light. When wind or another external force is acting on decoy body  12  and causes decoy body  12  to tilt, ground stake topper  16  (head  30 , neck  32 , and base  36 ) allows for decoy body  12  to tilt relative to ground stake topper  16 . Further, the tilt of decoy body  12  relative to ground stake topper  16  can be stopped from going further than a specific degree (such as 40 degrees) by ground stake  14  contacting the edge of bottom opening  22 . This is also shown in  FIGS. 4C and 4D , which show a side view of ground stake topper  16  in relation to decoy body  12  and ground stake  14 . Head  30  and neck  32  are indistinguishable from one another in  FIGS. 4C and 4D  because neck  32  has a length that is equal to a length of head  30 . However,  FIG. 4D  shows that decoy body  12  can tilt forward and rearward relative to ground stake topper  16 . 
       FIGS. 4E and 4F  show the size and shape of neck  32  in relation to top opening  24 . In  FIG. 4F , one can see that the elongated shape of neck  32  has a smaller cross-sectional area than the elongated shape of top opening  24  to provide space for decoy body  12  to rotate relative to neck  32  of ground stake topper  16 . Fins  38 A and  38 B have a width that is less than a width of top opening  24  to allow for decoy body  12  to rotate, while core  40  has a width that is substantially equal to (or slightly smaller than) the width of top opening  24  to provide a pivot point about which decoy body  12  rotates. One can also see that the entire length of neck  32  is less than the length of top opening  24  to allow for additional space for decoy body  12  to rotate. 
     To summarize, decoy system  10  includes three main components: decoy body  12 , ground stake  14 , and ground stake topper  16 . Ground stake topper  16  (which is affixed to top end  17 A of ground stake  14 ) extends through top opening  24  in decoy body  12  with neck  32  of ground stake topper  16  being sized and shaped to allow for moderate tilt and rotation of decoy body  12  relative to ground stake topper  16  while also preventing large tilt and rotation (e.g., past  40  degrees tilt and  60  degrees rotation). The size and shape of bottom opening  22  also prevents large tilt by preventing further movement of decoy body  12  when the edge of bottom opening  22  contacts ground stake  14 . The limitation in tilt and rotation keeps decoy body  12  from spinning completely around while in use. While the disclosed embodiment utilizes the size and shape of ground stake topper  16  relative to top opening  24  to control the movement of decoy body  12 , the size and shape of opening  24  (other than a rectangular shape) can be tailored to control the movement of decoy body  12 . Additionally, decoy body  12  can have a slot distant from top opening  24  to correspond a finger or another component of ground stake topper  16  that is configured to insert into the slot to control the movement of decoy body  12 . 
     As disclosed above, decoy system  10  is utilized to attract birds, such as waterfowl. Decoy body  12  is sized and shaped to look like the body of the bird. Neck  32  of ground stake topper  16  is sized to correspond to and extend through top opening  24  in decoy body  12 . Neck  32  is held adjacent to decoy body  12  by head  30  and base  34  of ground stake topper  16 . Top opening  24  of decoy body  12  has a first elongated shape, and neck  32  of ground stake topper  16  has a second elongated shape with an area that is smaller than that of the first elongated shape. The size and shape of neck  32  is configured to allow decoy body  12  to tilt in every direction and rotate/twist laterally relative to ground stake topper  16  (i.e., wobble) in response to wind and other external forces. Decoy system  10  is a simple, inexpensive, and light-weight motion system that is able to wobble to realistically mimic the movement of the bird. 
     While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment(s), it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.