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Decoy?

J

jlburns23

New Member
I'm entering desperation mode this year and just curious if anybody has had any luck this time of year with decoys. If they have had any luck I'd love to hear details. Buck or doe? Position from the stand? Morning or afternoon? Sorry for all the questions but I'd like to hear what has worked for others and get some opinions from season veteran deer hunters.

Thanks everybody.
 
Only my second year of decoying, so would also be interested. I have used mine (3d target) a few times this year, but not since 11/7. Had to use it as a bedded doe that day because I couldn't get the stakes to go in the ground and was in an open field with no brush to stand it up against!
 
My decoy has worked awesome this year. I use the ole jack decoy because I didn't like how big the boss buck was. Figured bucks would be more apt to fight a smaller deer. I place the decoy about 20 yards from the stand quartering to. I have had many younger bucks come into it and posture up. I also had an OLD buck run in to it and begin posturing and scraping the ground next to the decoy. The kid I'm mentoring shoulder shot that deer. Haven't used it much since.
 
We use decoys quite often. Set them facing your stand/blind about 30 yards out. This will allow an approaching deer room to approach the head of the decoy. Keep in mind wind direction and place the butt of the decoy upwind of the head as well. This time of year we like to try double decoy sets with the boss buck and use the carry lite as a doe. We like to use tarsal scent hung on the buck and doe in estrous on the doe. We had a 3 yr old at 3 yards from the blind last Sunday morning, he worked back and forth in the decoys for 15 minutes of good video. Make sure the decoys are in the open as well. Deer, especially does, don't like to be surprised by decoys. This time of year a single buck decoy isn't as likely to pull a buck off a doe unless she runs right past the setup. That is why we use the double decoys.
 
I have had great success with a decoy this year. Only 2 times I didn't use it were the times I couldn't get the buck to come in. I set mine up facing my stand so when the buck circles him he isn't lookin toward me. I also spray the gland area of the decoy with buck bomb. It's spooked a few does off but the comes come right in to investigate
 
I have also had great success with using a buck decoy, 3d target, 125" rack. Have had many 2-3 year old bucks come in to check him out this season. Havent seen a great deal of shooters this year in my area...I took out the big guy last year. I took my cousin out last weekend for his first time ever hunting whitetail. He was able to get 5 or 6 opportunities to shoot does and some fawns, electing to pass for a possible trophy. We ended up having a spike buck come in to the area from a long ways out, saw the decoy, circled downwind of the decoy(one couldn't have drawn this up any better), danced around a bit checking out the decoy. Jim pulled back, I gave him the green light when the buck quartered away from us, and he absolutely smoked him!!!! Double lung and stuck into the opposite shoulder. Also, we got it all on video!!!! A remarkable opening weekend for a first timer, and he will have that experience to share and relive for a lifetime. I am not sure who was more excited, me or him!
 
Two years running... two bucks doubled-lunged both the result of a decoy. My decoy is a 3D target miniature with removable antlers, but it does the trick very well.

Last year's success, morning of Nov 7th was up-wind about 20 yards facing directly or nearly directly at me. The buck came from further up-wind after I grunted at him. He began circling around to get downwind of the decoy, and he crossed into a shooting lane.

This year's success, sundown of Nov 8th, it was set up in a fence line with me about 15 yds in the woods with a perfect broadside shooting lane between me and the area 10 yds in front of the decoy. Wind was blowing into the woods from the field. The decoy was facing a thicker part of the woods at the far edge of the field, and was slightly quartering-to the stand. At sundown the deer came out of the woods into the field. When the buck saw the decoy he made a B-line to it, 150 yards covered in no time, following the fence line. As he got close, he started walking sideways, getting ready for the charge. My arrow got him exactly as I set up. He read the script!

I'm completely sold on using a buck decoy, but those hunts were early November. Later November, I'd try as a doe and flood the area with doe estrus scent. Use doe bleats too.

Maybe I'll get another decoy to use a combo set, as kjohn15 said. That sounds cool.

Good luck.
 
I used a doe decoy around thanksgiving last year and I believe it cost me a shot. I set a blind up in a sandbar facing a cut bean field. I knew a good one had been bedding in there all year but there were no trees big enough to support a stand. I put the blind up late October and brushed it in good so he could get used to it. I snuck in real early and put the doe decoy in the cut bean field in front of me. He came off the bluff in front of me at daylight and headed to the sandbar. He was heading right for me and I thought it was going to work out but as soon as he seen the decoy he skirted it and entered the sandbar out of range. My second mistake that day was not cutting shooting lanes on the backside of the blind because he walked by at ten yards but it was too thick. Only deer I've had respond using decoys are younger bucks but I don't use them a lot.
 
Thanks for the advice everybody. Went with a doe facing me at 30 yards and she is smelling purty. I'll update later this morning with the results.
 
As can be read by the variety of responses here, obviously it varies. I used mine a few times when I was hunting an acre sized food plot. My box blind is smack-dab in the middle and typically the deer come from one end or the other and sometimes will pass right on through without coming by me.
I used the decoy to give them an excuse to come my way & had good results with it and I think it ended up and helped me fill my tag.
I've used them other years where they spooked deer too, but that's just the chance you take.
The thing that absolutely makes it worth the chance of spooking the occasional deer is......even if it's not a shooter that comes into the decoy, it's a riot watching deer interact with them! :)
 
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