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Decoying Deer - By Gary Clancy |
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TI Decoys -
Expert Advice
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Written by Robert Suess
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Using a decoy or multiple decoys is a great way to draw deer from a distance. It's the best way I know of offering a visual confirmation to a buck, which has responded to the invitation of your rattling antlers or grunt call. And it's the best tool you can use to position the buck for the perfect shot. Another big plus to using a decoy is that when a buck comes into a decoy, his total focus is on the decoy. That makes it much easier to draw your bow without being picked off. These are all excellent reasons to use a decoy, but the main reason for using a decoy in my book, is that hunting over a decoy is fun!
Hunting over a decoy brings the excitement level up a notch. You will see more deer if you use a decoy and for most hunters seeing deer is important. And some of the antics deer pull with decoys will have you nearly laughing out loud in your stand. Here are five tips for using your new decoy. - Deer will not tolerate a decoy, which smells like a human, no matter how real the decoy looks. Always wear rubber gloves when handling your decoy. To be on the safe side, I spray mine down with a liquid odor neutralizer before each hunt.
- Movement is a big plus. Where legal, a battery operated Tail-Wagger provides realistic movement. Or you can take narrow strips (4-inch x 1-inch) off a white, plastic garbage bag and attach them to the ears and rump of the decoy. You attach them by heating up a small finishing nail and melting the nail through the plastic and into the body of the decoy. Some hunters use toilet paper, but when damp, toilet paper just clings to the decoy instead of fluttering in the breeze.
- Remove Your Decoys At Night. Don't leave your decoys in position overnight. When I leave mine in the woods, I carry them a hundred yards or more from the stand and stash them in a blowdown, brush pile or gully. If it is cold enough for frost, cover the decoys with a tarp or brush. A decoy glistening with frost will spook deer.
- Do a lot of calling and rattling when using decoys during the rut. If you can get a buck's attention and entice him close enough so that he can see the decoy, the decoy will do the rest.
- Don't rush the shot when a buck comes into your decoy. One of the advantages of using a decoy is that deer will parade around the decoy and give you lots of time to draw and make a good shot.
Recommend this article... |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 04 June 2008 14:01 )
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