DECOYS- WHO USES THEM?

[hoosierhunter]

I thought I would bring this topic up as I just had an intersestig experience with a doe decoy. Actually I can also put some horns on the decoy and Whaalaa, I've got a small 6 pointer! I've had reasonable success with a decoy in the right situations, and it accomplishes many desirable results, but as well, if not properly thought out, it can serve as a deterrent to other deer, bucks and does.
 Last evening, I had it set as a doe who was just beginning to enter a bean field from a 20 acre wood lot. She was about 20 feet out of the woods, looking into the field. My purpose was to cause a sense of comfort in the immediate area for does and yearlings, and as the bucks are beginning to become more doe curious right now, its sort of my way of gauging how far a way the chase phase is. Anyway, I seen 5 does ,all over 200 yds away, and they all seen the decoy, letting me know that it was no big deal, by slight flicks of thier tail back and forth. When it was time to leave they were still in the field, and I knew they would be most of the night, so I decided to leave the decoy all night rather than bump the deer. As I went in this morning, the does were still in the feild and the decoy was on its side. after the deer went into the adjacent corn field (thats really messing up my funnel right now ) I went to retrieve the decoy. It had a big ole hoof print in the foam side ( its a Delta ) and the 3/8 all thread that I use for a stake, which runs up the leg about 12", was bent at 45 degrees! Some deer somewhere wasn't feeling to sociable last night!
 
I'm wanna hear about your decoy experiences.  

[hunter480]

I`ve used a deke several times, but with no real success.
 
For starters, they can be taken apart and carried to the site inside the body cavity, but I`m not going to assemble the thing in the dark on the way to my stand. Then, it was too awkard to carry any distance put together, so I never took it afield often.
 
Of the dozen or so times I used it, I had only one experience where I got to see any response to it.
 
I had carried it about 500 yards across a picked bean field and staked it into the field, about 30 yards away from the field edge, facing out into the field. It was set up as a small racked buck by the way. It was still dark, but was beginning to get where I could see some distance into the field, when I noticed a small buck standing in the field, around 80 yards to the south west of me. I could just make out the  dark body shape, and he was just standing there, watching the intruder. He was there, then he took a few measured steps, and was gone, disappearing into the darkness. Although you might say the response was neutral, I`d say it was negative, believing that a positive response would have been for the buck to apprach the deke to investigate.
 
I`d like to experiment more with them, but they`re just not worth the hassle for me.

[Squirrelhawker]

I have use them intermittently over the years, either jury-rigged or borrowed. Some years ago I had gotten a pretty usable realistic 3D target as a birthday gift and decided to haul it back to one of my stands. Quite a haul as it didn't really break down.

I set it in a small neck of a alfalfa field in front of my ladder stand, dumped some tinks on it and snuck over to the edge of the creek bottom where I expected deer to come from. I put out some scent canisters right on the edge and got in my stand.

Light enough to see but too dark to shoot, one of the local bruisers comes casually out of the bottom, walks right up to the decoy and sticks his nose in it's butt. I can just make all this out. Instead of getting all confused and excited he continues on past as if to say "nice try" and I hear him rubbing for about 5 minutes.

Never saw that buck again. he never spooked, or showed any sign of alarm. He was broadside to me for about a full minute while he inspected the decoy, but again too dark to pick a spot.

I have fooled around a little since then, but nothing to write about really.

I think decoys are like calls in that they don't work all the time on all deer, and they are subject to variables like time of year, individual deer, and the sound of the particular call. When it all lines up it can be dramatic.
Other times not so much. I think those of us that have not had a great deal of success(myself included), have not persevered into that magic moment.

[JPH]

I have a Montana Buck. Under the right conditions, it is awesome.

If you do connect on one, it is a rush. I decoyed my 2nd biggest buck last season. I had to let my draw down twice before he offered a close range broadside.

[hunter480]

ORIGINAL: JPH

I have a Montana Buck. Under the right conditions, it is a awesome.

If you do connect on one, it is a rush. I decoyed my 2nd biggest buck last season. I had to let my draw down twice before he offered a close range broadside.

 
That`s not a 3-D is it?
 
 

[JPH]

ORIGINAL: hunter480

ORIGINAL: JPH

I have a Montana Buck. Under the right conditions, it is a awesome.

If you do connect on one, it is a rush. I decoyed my 2nd biggest buck last season. I had to let my draw down twice before he offered a close range broadside.

That`s not a 3-D is it?

 
No, it is a photo-realistic, cloth covered, fold out with two colapsable stakes. Very convincing.
 
The company now makes the buck with a small rack, but mine has the old, 120ish 8 pt. rack.

[Woods Walker]

I guess the closest I ever get to using a decoy, is when I see a lone doe during the rut acting "breedy".
 
I stillhunt, therefore I can be quite mobile, so I will set up downwind in cover/shadows from where she passed, and wait for a buck to show up. This isn't foolproof, but it's worked enough for me that I always will consider it if the opportunity presents itself.

[Patriot]

My 3D target doubles as a decoy.  I had it set up as a doe last October.  It kept the live does attention long enough for me to get the shot off.
 
I plan to use it again this year during the rut.  Not sure if I'll put the antlers on or not.

[hoosierhunter]

I have used a montana decoy for elk and I must say it is extremely light and packable. It held the bull for a little bit but as I was using archery equip. the yardage,200 at best, wasn't in my favor. AS he had some cows over the ridge one cow 200 yds away wasn't enough to make him bother investigating any further. How, JPH, did that buck react to the thinness of the montana decoy? That has been my concern about using one on a whitetail. That and the price of $100.00 2 yrs ago. I do understand the other fellows concerns on the carry in of the 3-Ds, and as I have to normally cross a 1/2 mile of bean field I tend to leave the decoy in the brush reasonably close to the area I'll be using it. Of course I am careful to conceal the deke appropriatley, and as I use a fake tail of my own making usually covered in a scent, I bag the tail before hiding the deke. Also I have cut the ears almost off, and as they are made of light foam, they really give good movement in a light breeze as does the custom tail. 

[msbadger]

I use the RENZO and it's great....the doe spooked my local doe s ...so she doesn't come outunless I'm desperate and I use her with the buck...so far only smaller bucks have come in but they didn't spook and I was holding out so no shots....I set mine up so that it's head and tail face a tree and if thats not possible ...I plan the hunt and leave a couple of cut branches attached to stakes with zip ties then put them in front and back