Decoy

[bigfoot22]

Maybe someone can give me some input on this. I plan to use a decoy this bow season.What type of lure should I use on my decoy.(young buck or dom. buck)or should I take the antlers off and use doe in estrus?Thanks for the help.

[unioncountyslayer]

Re: Decoy

Never been much of a decoy guy early in the season, or pre-rut. I generally, if at all, will use one during the rut, with the antlers, and have had some success. Early in the season I just hunt over or near a good food source. But you could give it a try, but I wouldn't use any scent right now.

[bigfoot22]

Re: Decoy

Sorry,I should have cleared up on something.I won't be using the decoy untill about the last week in oct.thru 3 weeks in nov.

[unioncountyslayer]

Re: Decoy

During the rut I've always had better luck with the antlers on, rather than a doe with estrus scent. The only way I can explain it is that if there's a mature buck in the area, and he sees another buck out in the open, he may think that buck is tailing a hot doe. Anyway, it's worked for me. Best of luck!

[GWSmith]

Re: Decoy

I'll have 2 or 3 feeding doe decoys out anytime I'm hunting. In the early season I add the handles from white plastic grocery bags to the tail section to give them some motion. I'll spray a small amount of regular doe urine on the ground near the decoys but I prefer not to spray it directly on them.

I dont use any estrus scent until mid to later November. Then I'll start hanging the real deer tails on my decoys that have been stored in ziploc bags with sex-scent wafers. I also occassionally hang an old t-shirt pocket on a nearby limb, soak it with doe estrus, then put a handwarmer inside it. This year I'll probably be using my Therma-Scent for that purpose though.

First day of last year I put out 2 does in front of my fathers standsite and 3 in front of mine...we were done early that day I was down in the woods collecting my doe when I heard him shoot!

[AdvantageTimberLou]

Re: Decoy

I have not used a decoy but from what I read and see on shows, I think they are effective. I would think a doe would work best, depends on your area, if they are not a ton of bucks having a buck decoy might not be effective because the bucks don't have to fight for does. This usually happens in areas where the buck to doe ratio is way off. That is why you see bucks running to rattling in Texas and areas where the bucks to does ratio is almost even. They have to fight to bred!

I would try a doe decoy with some Tinks 69.

Good luck!

[VTbowman]

Re: Decoy

I used my 3D target without antler last year during the Oct bow season in VT. I had mixed results. I had a spike smell mine (no scent used) and then feed next to it for 45 minutes at 8 yards away from my ground blind. I had mature doe stomping there feet at it from 75 yards away the saem evening.

We do not have mature or large rack bucks in my area so I can not say if it would of worked on them or not. It seemed to me that any deer that was 2.5 years old was very cautious about it. Younger deer came right in.

I would bet during the rut a doe decoy set up in the right spot would attract bucks if they saw and smelled it and it smelled right.

JMO