So I have had a decoy”primos Scarface” for a number of years but only used it once or twice. I’m planning on taking it into the woods with me this evening and stashing it by a set I made over a scrapeline that is getting hammered daily. Any input on setup would be appreciated. I was thinking I would set it on the scrape that is 20 yards from my stand. Good idea? It can be doe or buck. Which would be more likely to draw in bucks? Should I be trying to piss them off or get them thinking they might find some love? Also what direction should it be facing in reference to my stand. I’m kinda excited to try this and wish I had a camera to record any action that happens. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
I forgot to add I’m not actually hunting set until Saturday and don’t want to lug the thing in and put it together in the dark. Plan on sitting there for most of the day. I have someplace to be at 5 so may have to get down around 3 Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
I believe conventional wisdom suggests placing the decoy perpendicular to the direction that you want him to approach from. They seem to like to approach from the side of the decoy rather than from the head or tail side. I've got two of those and last year tried to set up a 'love scene' that i figured was pretty well thought through. I set the doe bedded down with the buck standing behind her. It nearly worked too, but I couldn't get my target buck to commit. He approached into the the setup but hung up in some underbrush and I couldn't get a shot. He backed out and started to walk away. I grunted at him and he did the same thing again and again I never was able to get a shot. In my area, the fighting for does isn't that intense because of the buck-doe ratio is in the deer's favor, not the hunters. Take that for what it's worth as that is my only experience with decoys. Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk
The reason I ask is the prevailing wisdom is not to use them in heavily wooded areas or other areas of low visibility. I used my buck decoy in the woods once and it didn’t work very well. The deer seemed startled by it and uninterested. I have had good luck (lots of cool encounters and killed a nice buck looking to fight) with my buck decoy in the open. Up wind and facing me. I just hide my decoy in the brush and cover it up with branches etc. The mice will find it and make a nest inside so be careful or you will have a house full of mice.
I also have a Scarface decoy and have had a lot of success with it. I only use it out in the open and set it up upwind and quartering to me. The bucks have pretty much always approached it from whatever direction they saw it from but as they get to about 50 yds, swing downwind to get the scent in their favor. That puts them between me and the decoy broadside. Killed my biggest buck 160” that way and passed many others. Hope this helps.
They are along a creek on an trail that leads to an old ore mine. There is about a 15 yard wide bench on top of creek bank that always gets hammered with scrapes. The trail leads into some steep thick rocky stuff that I know the deer bed on. Great creek crossing very close to scrapes also. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
There is also a driveway on the opposite side of the creek as well. It’s fairly open so I think deer on opposite side will easily be able to see it. Also anything above me on the hillside can see to creek at this section also. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
This pic shows kind of what the area looks like. Red dot is my stand location. Aprox. 30 yards from waters edge. Green line is direction the old road leads. It funnels right to the tip of the field downstream about 80 yards or so. Edge of field along creek has scrapes also but not like just in the woods where stand is. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Looks like a great spot. Give it a shot and see how it goes. You can always take it down if it’s creating problems.
