deer decoys

[JOEL]

hunting state land im worried about someone shooting it and me 

[DeerCamp]

Thats true Joel. I wont be taking mine out on state land, this decoy will make it to the farm in Jackson. I was thinking about spary painting the antlers orange. (Better to play it safe than sorry.) But Im not sure if I will do that.

[JOEL]

just put some surveyors tape around its neck

[vipermann7]

I like the idea of spray painting the antlers orange, great idea, state land or private. Or if you don't want to permanently paint your deer at all, get an orange vest, like a dog vest, and put it on your decoy. Any orange fabric you could drape on the body would work and shouldn't effect it's effectiveness on the deer. You can get those orange safety vests from Fleet Farm/Farm and Fleet/Menards, or whatever is in your area, for just a few bucks.

So that's the safety aspect. As for which one to go with, the primos or the carry lite you mentioned in your post, in my opinion, are equal decoys, and I would go with the better deal on your wallet. They break down and all parts fit in the body, the ears and tails both move, and the antlers can be removed to use as a doe. Those qualities, along with light weight for easy carrying, are all the main things I look for in a decoy and I think either one of those two decoys are equally good. So all being equal, I would go with the cheaper one, even if it is "only 20 bucks". I wouldn't throw a 20 out the car window, so why not save 20 bucks if you can?
How far you're carrying your decoy is a huge consideration. If you have to carry that thing a long ways, you might want to consider a fold up 3D cardboard style target. I'm all about the real looking decoys if carrying distance isn't an issue. But that decoy will get old real fast and will live in your garage all year if you have to carry it too far.

[bckklr]

i know its the big rage lately but are they realy worth the  hassel? it seems like i carry a ton of junk all ready then you have to worry about it stinkin i dont know to me its just another gimmick kind of like the new "bow hunters vest" ive seen advertised i guess they are just not for me ill keep my 120$ & wont be sittin in the stand thinkin ted the poachers watchin my deke      

[ranwin33]

I guess I kind of cheaped out on the whole decoy thing.  We've got three of the 3-D deer targets and use those - they cost around $79.  So I can practice with my bow, then come hunting season I just take them apart, stick them into a plastic garbage bag and off I go.  Granted, I never have more than a 1/2 mile to walk, if that, and I'm on private land.  If we're going to use them near our ground blinds, we just leave them in the ground blind when we're done, then haul them out when next we hunt the blind..

The deer don't seem to mind that they're targets, I've had several show up around them.

[howhill1]

ive used the delta version the last several years and had good results. its easily packable and sets up easy. the best thing they do in my opinion is focus the deers attention toward the ground instead of the camoed death angel in the tree above them. ive seen some pretty convincing reactions from deer while using it. some things to key in on are keeping it clean and scent free. mine stays in a bag sealed unless its being used. never apply lures or urines directly to the decoy. add a strip of white cloth near the tail for that. adding a set of glass eyes from a taxidermy supply adds to realism as well. do you need one to kill a deer ? no not at all. but , they will add a new weapon in your arsenal as well as offer you a chance to see some awesome as well as comical deer reaction's. be prepared though i have had some does and small buck's react negatively to it. but you run that risk with many call and lures designed to attract mature bucks.

[hunter480]

I had one of the decoys, and even carried it out to the field on several occasions. The only interaction with deer  I had that I know of, was one early morning, when I`d staked the deke down in a picked cornfield, 25 yards from my treestand. It was one of those grey, nearly foggy mornings, that seemed like it took the sun forever to come up, and burn through the crud.

Anyway, I just happened to look to the west, and saw a small tacked buck standing, staring down my deke. He was probably 60 or so yards out, and I more sensed his outline in the fog, than saw it. He watched the dedk for minutes, which seemed like an hour, the with just a few steps, he disappeared into the lingering darkness and mist.

IF I were to try dekes again, I`d likely invest in the one diminsional one`s that you just stake into the ground, and figure I was ahead of the game. I`m not likely to assemble a 3-D deke in the dark and stake it into the ground, but I may carry one of the "flat" one`s in a pocket, and throw it out.

Just my thoughts based on what I`ve seen and done.

[fasteddie]

I have had some luck with my 3-D macKenzi target as a decoy but no luck with the Renzo 2-D Decoy . I am considering cutting the legs off of my old MacKenzi and use it like a bedding doe . i that that would make it look like a more relaxed deer . Any thoughts on this idea ?

[scarecrow209]

hi i'm a new member here in florida and i been reading what everyone has wrote in the forum and i learn some new things and i know this alittle late in the hunting season  but i wondering on deer decoys would a buck decoy be better then a doe or the other way around and some tips how to use 1