On the campfire I have read several threads about the pros and cons of deer feeding or baiting but don't remember anything on deer decoys.

How do you feel ethical or not, do they attract bucks or not?

I am almost to the point of trying one. The past two bow seasons I have had 4 instances where I think it would have paid off.

Two seasons back I had the same good buck come by me 7 times in one day and I threw everything I had at him with no luck. He just wouldn't come that last little bit. The same day a bruiser 140 class wide 8 crossed a lane at 50yds. I got him to stop, but he lost interest and went on.

Then, last year the same exact buck that gave me the slip 7 times the year before fought another buck about 70yds from me. I snort wheezed at him and he stiff legged my way trashing some little trees. He hung up at 32yds behind some brush and wouldn't budge, just kept scanning for the other buck. A dang doe blew by and carried him away. I hit him again with a SW at around 40, he stopped and puffed up, but took off after the doe.

That same day a nice tall 10pt crossed 3 of my lanes bout 60yds out. If he could have seen what was grunting at him, I think he may have came in for the shot.

If I would have had a decoy on those hunts, I feel like I would have put a tag on at least a couple of those bucks. Maybe one day they'll open rifle or MLer during the rut!

loder

I need to hunt where you do...

I have an archery target that looks like a deer. I left the antlers off of it and used it one year. It didn't appear to draw deer in from any distance, but it did catch their attention which may keep you from getting busted. I lent it to a friend, and his observations pretty much matched mine.

2 years ago I was hunting a picked bean field in Iowa. Starting at about 3 pm I started rattling about every 20 minutes. 3rd sequence has a nice mature 8 pt walking stiff legged behind my stand about 60 yards. He saw the decoy and stiff legged it all the way to the decoy, I mean nose to nose at 12 yards. He had a muzzy moment shortly thereafter. I'll definitely use them again, one of my favorite memories.

Made me look this up , sorry for the tangent , but .....

Oh Well, thanks for the photo evidence! That answers the question if they work.

The only time I was around a decoy was in Alberta on a whitetail hunt. There was a small whitetail buck decoy and a mature mule deer buck trotted out from the tree line and smelled of it. Walked around a few times stopping as if asking himself what the [bleep],then he walked off. No wnitetails paid any attention to that decoy. But in fairness to the decoy, there was a hot doe nearby some small bucks courting.

I used one two years ago. We use decoys in predator hunting with fantastic results. In my mind I didn't see how this would be any different. I also wasn't bowhunting, but was in a large pine 30ft+ up. At that height I can stand, move around, and get a full 360 degree view of the valley I was setup in.

Deer saw it. Dumb curious ones came in. It helped to use calls and when the deer tried to locate the calls they saw the decoy and trotted in. Older deer held up. Saw it and just stood there frozen staring at it. A few older does lost their [bleep] and stamped and snorted before blowing and running off.

After these experiences I did some more reading and question asking. It seems like the decoy needs to move. A lot of people talk about making the tail move. Some use tp and tape a folded fluff on which blows in the wind. Other decoys have more elaborate robotics.

I sold the decoy to a bow hunter who was stoked to try it out. I was seriously freaked out by carrying it, even broken down through the woods during season.

guy I know shot one several years back. Sadly, it belonged to the Fish & Game cop, who arrested my acquaintance. At the trial, he got a $500 fine, and they confiscated his rifle, and put him on a No hunting license ban for 10 years.

They are hard to cook....and sure don't taste like chicken Flinch

yeah, but they are esier to drag outta the woods, and even easier to gut!

Mine tasted a little rubbery. (hey that's it & don't forget to tip your waitress!)

I know really bad. I bought one Jim shockey was hawking that rolled up, and I never saw anything when i used it. I now hunt public land, so using one is a signifigant risk, but I sometimes consider it.

Beat me to it....

No idea whether they work or not and I can't imagine ever buying one.

I don't understand what sort of ethics question there could be. Man has been trying to decoy wildlife for countless ages. I suspect anyone with an issue over deer decoys is working at being hurt, offended, and mad.

I hunt in Minnesota. No way in hell would I ever, under any circumstance, no way, no how hunt over a deer decoy! I hunt deer on private property, always have, but that doesn't mean some idiot won't show up and shoot at the bleeping decoy.

If an idiot is shooting at a decoy, it's an idiot shooting way too close to me. I have learned there's no shortage of idiots. I wouldn't ever even consider hunting over a decoy for a second.

I've used them with mixed results. When I set one up, it gets sprayed down with scent killer and I put a white feather on the tail for movement. I've had deer come right to it, and other times, they look at it and spook back to the wood line. I have never had a mature buck come to mine though. Does and little bucks are usually the investigators.

Yup it is just better to hunt. Then taken for a jack $ss.

Mike,

I've used decoys for several years while hunting in Manitoba.
The reason for the decoy in that locale was oftentimes the bucks crossing the narrow cutlines don't give one enough time to size them up. The decoy does a pretty good job of at least getting them to stop and look, or, for them to cross only for them to reappear 100 yards closer to investigate.

The decoy worked pretty slick in that application.

Like calling or anything else. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't and sometimes they can cost you an opportunity.

I'm not big on decoys, but I believe they can be useful if you know when and where to use 'em.

We had deer that would run across a small bean field during shooting hours. You could whistle, scream, grunt, fart and they wouldn't stop. We were also about 110 yds from where they crossed and it was the only cover available, so we couldn't move any closer to get a shot.

This was in the 90's. We stuck a deer target out in the field to try to get them to stop.

Next time around, they ran across as usual... but 30 yds closer to our set up than on their previous sprints. My guess is they watched the deer from cover, decided to give it a wide berth and moved down to cross the field.

We borrowed another deer target, put it out about 20 yds from the other decoy in hopes the deer would run across 50-60 yds from our set up and give us a decent chance at a shot.

Next time we saw them cross, they ran on the far side of the decoys away from us.

We moved the furthest one 20 yds back and tried it again.

Sure enough, they popped out about 40 yds from us and my buddy killed a nice 7 point.

We may could have gotten the same results using washing machines, but I don't think so.

JM

I walk almost constantly, stopping to glass terrain as needed. I don't know how I could ever make use of a decoy.

You'd have to dress up like one.

Hey, I might try that.

they work on all the hunting shows!

seriously though, i'd try one. probably couldn't hurt.

I used them to get deer walking across logging roads/ power/gas lines to stop and look.

Bad thing about decoy's is that they will pick up scent...do NOT underestimate this fact.

I tried them a few times in some open areas like food plots and right aways on some control hunts for does. At best I would say it was mixed. Some deer would walk within a few feet and never even look and some deer would not take their eyes off of a decoy once it entered the field.

I was hoping I could shoot a doe or two and the ones that ran off would see one left standing there and come back so we could kill more does. Didn't work out so well.

I have a friend how uses one sometimes during bow season and he seems to think that it is helpful but he does not use it all the time.

I've used one of those cardboard cutouts the last couple of years. I'd say it's at it's best near dusk and dawn.

Did get this guy to walk right up to me on opening morning tho from across a fence and in some trees where he would have been safe.




Lots of other deer have stopped and looked at it for a moment. Hasn't spooked any yet that I know of.

Last year I used a deer shadow decoy. Inexpensive, life sized, head shaped, painted piece of foam that you hang in a tree with fishing line and another piece tied off to the ground. Spins slowly in a light breeze. Gives a now you see it now you don't affect.

I had one doe watch it for some time. I was in a stand between her and the decoy and she didn't bust me, it certianly occupied her eyes long enough for me to shoot her if I had wanted.

It gave me something to watch and later when I pointed it out to my grampa at about one hundred yards it was a hard sell to convince him it wasn't a deer.

So, I strongly recomend one if your hunting my grandfather.

I have tried them here in CT during archery season on several occassions. What I have found is that they don't work to well. They will bring a deer into them but once they notice it doesn't move which has been fast (before getting into archery range) they don't want anything to do with it. I had a young doe come into one within range, and a young buck come into one. He looked at it snorted at it, false charged it, and then walked off. To me it is just more crap to carry in. I hunt active deer trails that run to and from their bedroom and kitchen. Don't need any scents or decoys when doing that.

i used 'em a few times during bow in ny without much success, both doe & buck type decoys.

-ken

Waders, when I was a kid I had a wooden toy dog that you pulled behind you on a leash and had a spring for a tail. Maybe you could put wheels on the deer decoy and pull it behind you.