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outdoorsnow
Guest
I'm planning on purchacing a white tail decoy for next years archery season. Curious if anyone has some good stories (pro or con), or can recommend a good brand. Maybe someone will sway me to not buy one. Thanks
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clyde
Guest
I used a montana decoy for elk and it worked well, so good that i literally held it in front of me and wanted to see if i could walk towards a small rag and got within 50 yards out in the open. another time i used it to sneak into a group of 30 and fooled them all!! haven't tried a decoy for deer but it seems to work on some of the outdoor shows you see on tv.
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Piker
Guest
I've been using a full bodied whitetail decoy for years. I think it is a Feather-lite. It's bulky to carry, noisy to set up, and a whole lota fun! Half the archery hunters in my office are now using them, and between us, we've just about seen it all.
The best use for the decoy is bringing bucks from way out there in an open field, and positioning them right in front of you. We have only been successful setting the decoy as a buck. Set as a buck, the decoy must face your position as precisely as you can set it. Bucks come in to face the decoy, but they often get nervous as the decoy just stares at them. If you are hunting from the ground, you must be a minimum of 35 yards from the decoy. Even that is probably not far enough. On the ground, you can not get away with hardly any movement. You can do gymnastics in a treestand without scaring some of the smaller bucks that come to the decoy.
None of us has ever decoyed the same buck twice, so make the first time count. One of the guys carries rocks to throw at the little bucks to get rid of them, before the big guys come out. Another guy had a little 5 point run right through the decoy, knocking it apart. I had a button buck stick its nose right up under the decoys tail, and didn't like what it smelled!
If you have a good set-up where the decoy doesn't add anything don't use it until you feel you need some extra help. If the decoy adds something to your setup, take it out on the first day. For all the fun we've had none of us has yet killed a BIG buck over the decoy.
The best use for the decoy is bringing bucks from way out there in an open field, and positioning them right in front of you. We have only been successful setting the decoy as a buck. Set as a buck, the decoy must face your position as precisely as you can set it. Bucks come in to face the decoy, but they often get nervous as the decoy just stares at them. If you are hunting from the ground, you must be a minimum of 35 yards from the decoy. Even that is probably not far enough. On the ground, you can not get away with hardly any movement. You can do gymnastics in a treestand without scaring some of the smaller bucks that come to the decoy.
None of us has ever decoyed the same buck twice, so make the first time count. One of the guys carries rocks to throw at the little bucks to get rid of them, before the big guys come out. Another guy had a little 5 point run right through the decoy, knocking it apart. I had a button buck stick its nose right up under the decoys tail, and didn't like what it smelled!
If you have a good set-up where the decoy doesn't add anything don't use it until you feel you need some extra help. If the decoy adds something to your setup, take it out on the first day. For all the fun we've had none of us has yet killed a BIG buck over the decoy.
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outdoorsnow
Guest
Do you use any scents on your decoy? Also I have read you can attach pieces of white plastic bag to the ears and tail which would move in the wind. It is supposed to make the deer less leary since there is some movement.
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Piker
Guest
I have put scent on a tissue under the decoys tail, but I don't think it helps. The plain white tissue or plastic under the tail and in the ears may help put a buck at ease when he gets there, but it's unnecessary to bring them in.
It's very rare to see a buck walk away without a closer look once he has seen the decoy. I've only seen it once. That buck had lost track of a doe he was chasing in a corn field. I grunted to get his attention, and he started comming as soon as he saw the decoy. When he cut the doe's trail he went back to chasing her. The buck decoy definitely looses some of its attraction once the rut starts. Set as a doe with the proper scent on it should work in the rut, but I don't have any success stories. I guess we just haven't tried that enough.
One guy who hunts a very large tract of private woodland with a few fields doesn't even bother trying to keep the decoy free of human scent. This is the guy who carries rocks to chase off the little bucks. His observations have led him to believe that when a bucks eyes see a friend, and his nose smells danger, he believes his eyes.
When you see a buck walk a hundred yards plus in a straight line to your decoy you will be sold on the decoy forever. It's like realing in a fish! Bringing game to you is so much more fun that just waiting for it to wander by!
It's very rare to see a buck walk away without a closer look once he has seen the decoy. I've only seen it once. That buck had lost track of a doe he was chasing in a corn field. I grunted to get his attention, and he started comming as soon as he saw the decoy. When he cut the doe's trail he went back to chasing her. The buck decoy definitely looses some of its attraction once the rut starts. Set as a doe with the proper scent on it should work in the rut, but I don't have any success stories. I guess we just haven't tried that enough.
One guy who hunts a very large tract of private woodland with a few fields doesn't even bother trying to keep the decoy free of human scent. This is the guy who carries rocks to chase off the little bucks. His observations have led him to believe that when a bucks eyes see a friend, and his nose smells danger, he believes his eyes.
When you see a buck walk a hundred yards plus in a straight line to your decoy you will be sold on the decoy forever. It's like realing in a fish! Bringing game to you is so much more fun that just waiting for it to wander by!
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Piker
Guest
Thanks BOHNTR
I've been lurking on the Mule Deer forum for about 3 years. Being a resident of Pennsylvarnia, I have practially nothing to contribute over there, so I just pick the posts over looking for info that might be helpfull on future trips west. Only recently, I discovered what good information is posted on many of these other forums.
I don't have time to post crap. If I can help someone with an answer, I'll post. Otherwise, I'm busy learning : )
Neil
I've been lurking on the Mule Deer forum for about 3 years. Being a resident of Pennsylvarnia, I have practially nothing to contribute over there, so I just pick the posts over looking for info that might be helpfull on future trips west. Only recently, I discovered what good information is posted on many of these other forums.
I don't have time to post crap. If I can help someone with an answer, I'll post. Otherwise, I'm busy learning : )
Neil
Yep, I have a full body decoy as well and love it.
I cut some peices of white plastic garbage bag and stapled them to the inside of the ears, and one on the butt in the shape of a tail. The slightest breeze makes them move, adding deer movement calms an approaching deer. During the prerut/rut, I take and put a some scent on the ground by the back legs, not ever on the decoy.
As already stated, they are clumbsy and noisy, but they work GREAT when set up right!
Good luck.
Lien2
I cut some peices of white plastic garbage bag and stapled them to the inside of the ears, and one on the butt in the shape of a tail. The slightest breeze makes them move, adding deer movement calms an approaching deer. During the prerut/rut, I take and put a some scent on the ground by the back legs, not ever on the decoy.
As already stated, they are clumbsy and noisy, but they work GREAT when set up right!
Good luck.
Lien2
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WIBoy
Guest
I've had tremendous success with 2 very different decoys. Before I got married (about 7 years ago), I'd take my buddy's little 2 year old decoy to the lakes around Minneapolis. She never let me down. Now that I've been married for a while, I'm rather partial to the inflatable style decoys. Particularly the ones with multiple receptacles. 
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coonhound40
Guest
My hunting partner tried the Montana decoy on Whitetails this year.
He set it up in his shooting lane put doe in heat sent on the tail end and up the tree he went.
After about an hour he said a doe came out and looked his decoy over and slowly wandered off. Here is where it gets good. About 20 minutes later he heard a buck grunting to his left. The Buck came into his decoy, sniffed its rear end and proceeded to look to the left and then to right. He must have been thinking WOW that is one skinny deer. My partner said you could almost see the confusion on his face. However that did not last long, as my partner sent a Muzzy on its way. The buck green scored about 150 P & Y.
So I guess I would have to say, yes it has the potential to work.
He set it up in his shooting lane put doe in heat sent on the tail end and up the tree he went.
After about an hour he said a doe came out and looked his decoy over and slowly wandered off. Here is where it gets good. About 20 minutes later he heard a buck grunting to his left. The Buck came into his decoy, sniffed its rear end and proceeded to look to the left and then to right. He must have been thinking WOW that is one skinny deer. My partner said you could almost see the confusion on his face. However that did not last long, as my partner sent a Muzzy on its way. The buck green scored about 150 P & Y.
So I guess I would have to say, yes it has the potential to work.
Outdoordan
Very Active Member
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We bought a "Renzo" cardboard buck decoy. We hunted Kansas around Thanksgiving. It looks good, but the does were cautious of it because they had been run ragged by the bucks. It actually kind of made them leave. I am sure pulling dominant bucks across fields with a buck decoy would work great, but we ended up not using it because we felt that having does around bring bucks in. Well I ended up shooting a very nice 5X5. Would have liked to have tried a doe decoy, I think it would have worked better.
