Well, been thinking bout trying out a decoy this year, not sure what to use...Doe, Buck with a rack or Buck with a half rack. I have a few pretty good bucks running around and a few others that I would shoot in a heart beat as well. I just dont know much about decoys, never really tried em to seriously. Any info would be much appreciated! Whats you decoy set up?
I bought the Primos decoy called "Scarface" last year before going to Kansas. I'm glad I did. Not having used a decoy before, I read all the articles I could on the subject and paid close attention to any tips they gave on hunting videos. Sometimes they don't come right out and tell you what they are doing but will drop a few hints about wind direction, etc. The first thing I did was scrub the decoy with a non-scent soap. Not something I read about but seemed like a good idea. I then sprayed it with a scent killer spray just prior to setting it up. Don't know if I have much faith in scent killer sprays but thought it wouldn't hurt. I then added a two inch piece of white marabou feather to the tail and two one inch pieces to the ears. The marabou is a super soft feather that will move in the slightest of winds so it creates a little movement in the decoy. The Scarface also has a head that will move back and forth in a slight wind. Finally I turned the ears down and back like a buck that is about to fight. Mainly what I learned is that a buck will circle downwind of the decoy to get a good whiff before moving in on it. It needs to be in an open area where the deer can see it; preferably where bucks are cruising or where you can rattle or grunt them in. Place the decoy upwind and quartering to you. By doing that the deer will circle down wind presenting a broadside shot. I chose to leave both antlers on because they are not huge antlers and any buck would not be intimidated by them. I've talked to a couple of hunters who have used a single antler and done well. I've never used a doe decoy but have seen them used in conjunction with a buck in some videos. The buck I took over the decoy did exactly like he was supposed to. I set the decoy 25 yards quartering to me on the right and the buck came in from that side. He saw the deer from 100 yards away and came in quickly. I shot him at 20 yards as he was getting a whiff of ol' Scarface. The buck scored 159. Hope this helps, good luck.
I Gotta try this at least one season. I use miss November in bedding position and it brings em right in.
Thats awesome info Thanks. I'm thinking of trying this on a field edge loaded with scrapes. Just not sure what to use, I was thinking a half rack buck!
I recently picked up a Montana Decoy (buck) and thought I'd give it a try. The information presented here hopefully will help in harvesting a nice deer. Thanks guys for the posts.
I hunt 2 different wood lots at one spot the decoy works great and at the other the same setup sends them running? Its all about timeing and how the buck to doe ratio is. Lots of . Girls they dont have to fight for it. Few girls and the boys have to work for it! But thats just my experience so far..
I'm thinking my buck to doe ratio is pretty solid. I am getting way more pics of bucks than does, a lot of 3.5+ bucks to boot..... Thats why I was wondering maybe a Doe might work....such a crap shoot I guess.
I thought about getting a Miss November. Do you just put them up and hunt around 20 yards out or spray an estrus scent or anything like that?
I tried that decoys when it first came out, the deer sure didnt seem to like it. I must say it does look pretty realistic from a distance while on stand, took a few double take here and there...lol!
