Dupe Em with a Decoy

[kighty7]

I just got my December edition of D&DH and read it cover to cover klast night. I really enjoyed the article by Steve Bartylla on using decoys during the gun season. I thought this was great but would never in a million years use one during gun season in my state of PA. We have close to 1 million gun hunters on the first day and it would just not be safe. I liked how he talked in detail about the safety aspect and how he set it up with the outfitter. I would really love to try it here in PA but feel it would be ubsafe for many reasons in which people already know.

Great article.

[Everyday Hunter]

I have met Steve Bartylla and I have the greatest respect for him. I, too, enjoyed his article about using decoys in gun season. I agree with a lot of what he said, and he provides some important safety cautions. However, the very last sentence needs a minor edit for hunters where I live who might decide to use a deke in gun season:

By following the safety rules, you eliminate the dangers and are left with a powerful draw that can do wonders for filling buck tags.

Here's my edit:

By following the safety rules, you reduce the dangers and are left with a powerful draw that can do wonders for filling buck tags.

Like Kighty7, I live in Pennsylvania. Some hunters might be able to find a place to use the deke on a weekday late in the gun season, or in the post-Christmas flintlock season, but nothing you can do will eliminate the dangers, even on private property. So many of the private properties we have here are open to all comers, and some of them draw more hunters than public properties. I can't think of a place where I'd dare use a decoy in an either-sex gun season.

Steve

[ranwin33]

I would never put one up where it could be seen from the road, I even worry when we leave our 3-D targets out when we're practicing.
 
But I've got a little spot at the opening of what we call our dozer trail that I'm thinking about putting one up.  It's about 100 yards from one of my stands and for gun season I just might try it.

[upsman]

Tried Scarface for the first time this morning- no luck. I put it at the edge of one of my plots where I had seen 18 deer a week ago. I did have 1 buck come up near the edge but he wouldn't come on out. I'll try another stand this week that is back in the timber and about 70 yards from a nice scrape.

[dl4655]

I have used a buck 3D decoy tending a 2D doe decoy with varying success.  Several good deer gave him alot of space while the deer I wa able to harvest came right at him very aggressively.  I believe he was the dominant buck in the woods.  I think it may also have a lot to do with my decoy was facing right at the deer as he was coming in, a very dominant pose from my decoy.  I got lucky that the deer happened to come in at that exact angle.  I would always rather be lucky than smart!!!  I am convinced it all depends on that deers attitude at that moment.  God only knows the experiences that deer just had the past few hours.