Using a buck decoy

[sweet old bill]

I see in the hunting mags there are a lot of stories of using a buck decoy. One of them suggest it best used in the rut and to only put one horn on the buck. Seems if you do this it makes your decoy more prone to be pushed out of the area by the big buck. Have you used a decoy and if so how did it work for you ????

[SteveMcD]

Sounds like the writer was searching for an article to write and needed to fill some space with extra verb-age.  I gave up on hunting mags for advice decades ago.  Most articles aren't right or wrong... they just fill up space with content so the publisher and distribute his advertizers products - that's where they make their money - not on subscriptions.

[Doewhacker]

Do they sell spike buck decoy's? haha jk...

[Fantail]

I have two 2-D McKenzie decoys, 1 feeding doe & a buck. Not sure they were a wiser buy. I'm going to try them again this year but more then once I've had them spotted and deer go out of their way to avoid them.

Now that I mention it they arn't that durrable either. They have a tendancy to become very brittle on the fold, fixed that with some camo cloth tape. The plastic clips that hold them for display slide off easily.

[Doc]

My one and only attempt at decoying resulted in one very aggravated doe and her young-uns.

I set up my 3-d target down below the garden while I hid in the hedgerow. Momma and her two offspring came along, got one look at the decoy and there we went with the foot stomping, head-bobbing dance routine. That lasted for about 5 minutes. I had my bow with me, but I was more interested in watching the show than trying a shot. It was pretty amusing, but I didn't get the feeling that I was fooling her for one minute.....lol. Finally, she blew me the raspberry and took off with her crew. By the way, I was completely hidden away from the line of sight, and the wind was blowing exactly away from the deer, so they had no idea I was anywhere around. Also, I didn't have the antlers on the target so it wasn't a case of her getting bothered by another pesky buck.

I never tried the experiment again, but someday I will just to see what kind of reaction I get with a different bunch of deer. If nothing else it sure was entertaining.

Doc

[Geno C]

i cant see a buck with one side of his rack being considered a threat to a mature buck?

that seems silly to me...  ive read about dominet bucks even loosing there one side or breaking part of it off in battle and becoming less dominant for that reason. So why would a one racked buck appose a threat to another? seems made up to me but anything is possible i guess...

[WNYBuckHunter]

Id like to give it a try with my 3D target, but its too heavy to carry in. The lighter weight decoys are too expensive for me to buy just to experiment with.

[Doc]

Id like to give it a try with my 3D target, but its too heavy to carry in. The lighter weight decoys are too expensive for me to buy just to experiment with.

Lol ..... That's why I only carried it down to just below the garden. I wasn't going to lug that thing any farther than I had to. Besides, I had those deer coming through there like clockwork. It was perfect for an experiment just to see what they would do.

[burmjohn]

I'd be nervous carrying any decoy in the woods...

[Doc]

Blaze orange cloth would take care of any hazard. In my case with the decoy experiment, I really wasn't even leaving my yard.

Doc

[sweet old bill]

The reason he only put one side antler was it makes the decoy appear to be the one who would get his butt kicked by any other live bigger bucks in the area.

[Cabin Fever]

Decoys are used a lot by guys on hunting shows on the Outdoor Channel. Seems to work pretty well in open fields where the deer can see the decoy from a long ways off. Sure helps bring them in. I get a kick out of watching the bucks come in posturing, hair standing on end, walking sideways, and glaring at the decoy like they are gonna open a can of whoop ass on it!

[WNYBuckHunter]

Like this?

;D

[nyslowhand]

Did I get sucked into buying one, Yes!

Was it a waste of $125+, Yes!

Use it infrequently, but have never attracted one in!

Generally under my treestand covered up with camo neting.

Scared them off, don't know!

Will I use it again, probably, as a doe during the rut!?!

Do I want to see the big boy spar with my buck decoy, YEAH!

Don't hunt fields/food plots, so is it appropriate for semi-open woods???

FYI - comes with an orange carrying mesh bag.

[sweet old bill]

I see a lot of the decoys now put a white cloth on the tail and it is about 12 inches long by 6 inches wide. Theis give the tail action of a live doe.

A firm I use to buy local deer lure from had a notice that if you apply doe in rut lure to the decoy to make sure you have rubber bloves on whenever you handle the decoy so you do not leave your humen scent on the decoy.

[gjs4]

I use a flambeau (~115") and i have had 4 pts charge it, and 130s run from it. Individual buck perosnalities matter. Of all the hunting gimmicks beyond calling (such as scents) a decoy is the only that will stay in my arsenal. Usually when things go wrong it is in the setup. I have pulled some bucks clear across an open field with it. My advice is not to use one where there are lots of doe groups though.....if anyone wont like the setup; its a doe.