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Decoy or not...?

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browninggold9

New Member
Does anyone use decoys during the rut? I see in videos that a lot of guys use them, I was wondering if they are an effective tool or just more gadgets to lug around. I'm guessing they work like grunting & rattling - if the buck is in the mood... What about buck decoy VS. doe decoy? Thanks!!
 
I checked out the new bobble-head decoy. The tail bobbles too. It looks like the detail is good & it might work. For $200, I might own one of these. I think it would be a killer during the rut w/ a bow.
 
I used a decoy once last year in mid November. I used it as a doe. A lot of does came out and they kept their distance but every buck that came out that night eventually came over to check her out. Unfortunately all the bucks were young deer. It was very fun to have 5 or 6 bucks to come in. I guess I was just to lazy to try it again. Every buck came in and smelled all over the decoy until they smelled human scent so you have to be very scent contious.
 
starting the last week of October through the end of November, i very rarely go to the woods without one. and i dont use it as a doe any more. to many busted setups.
it isn always a for sure thing, but it definately adds some real excitement!!
 
I believe in the right setup you use these very effectivley as far as stand location and time of the year.

Now whether it will draw a buck depends on the mood he is in.

I would probably try a buck decoy as well for the fact that most people prefer to get aggressive w/ horns and grunt calls.

Also there is an abundance of does out there to which the odds of a mature buck being w/ one are pretty good. So for this reason too is why I would use a buck decoy and get aggressive w/ him.
 
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I checked out the new bobble-head decoy. The tail bobbles too. It looks like the detail is good & it might work. For $200, I might own one of these. I think it would be a killer during the rut w/ a bow.

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I have just sat here thinking about whether to respond to this post or not and risk a firestorm if I do. Well here goes. A couple of years ago we had a big discussion on here about the Robo-Ducks and how ethical they were. There were, as always, a real diversity from YEA to NAY and lots in between. At that time I , being of the NAYs, made a comment about where do we draw the line on technology and how long would it be before we had a deer decoy that walked grunted and peed. I know that this bobble head thing isn't there yet, but I still wonder HOW LONG? How hard will it be to add electronics that will move the head with a remote and activate a sound chip with a varity of vocal sounds from that same remote. Would this then become unethical to use or would it just become one more thing to make it much easier to harvest a trophy? As we progress we also move farther from the original ideals of the originators of the PRIMATIVE WEAPON SEASONS, be it bow or muzzle loader. Originally most bow hunters took it up because of the different challenges involved in it. Now a lot of recent bow hunters will tell you that it is because of the longer season during the rut gives them a much better chance of killing a big buck. If you really look at every thing the challenges of todays bow hunters are far less than those of the shotgun hunters of the 60s and 70s. Almost any compound bow, in the proper hands, is capable of pretty easily makeing a 50 yard kill, where as the slug shooters of old were really unsure of a 50 yard kill. Better clothing, beter scents and scent control, better more mobile tree stands, a vast aray of calls, and now decoys all smiply put make it easier to kill a buck now than then with bow or gun.

I guess that I am starting to ramble, and I really didn't mean to steal or side track this post and I appologize if I did. These are just some of the issues that I feel we must face upto in the near future if we are to continue to enjoy our sport and the great outdoors. Also it is a very quiet morning here at work and you know the saying about idle hands and feble minds.
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.....if we are to continue to enjoy our sport and the great outdoors.

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i enjoy using a decoy!!
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The reason that THA4 loves using a decoy so much is because he likes to tell people that he had a buck in front of him for the entire hunt...
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bowmaker, i understand where you're coming from. for me it comes down to the fact that if a person is hunting with a bow they still have to be in the right place at the right time to be able to kill a trophy deer. no matter how many gadgets a person has, it doesn't automatically draw trophy deer. i wouldn't want to use a decoy that grunted, peed, and walked around with a remote because it is a little too far in my opinion. i enjoy using the decoy because it's fun to see deer interact with it, whether they are trophies or not.

good discussion.
 
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how long would it be before we had a deer decoy that walked grunted and peed.

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If I had any technology skills, I think I would build one of these. I'd sell the hell out em!

I agree, somewhat, but where does the line get drawn. If ethics or primative bow hunting is the issue, a peeing deer decoy would make little difference. Climbing stands, scents, calls, and advanced FOOD PLOT technologies have already moved deer hunting into a different category.

I think the advancement in bows has made archery hunting a far more ethical sport. With the vast number of hunters think of the number of deer that would be crippled today if we were still only using stick bows. Although many of us(actually most) have bows capable of killing at 50 yards, I believe most bow hunters hunt for the challenge of harvesting a nice deer at extremely close range and still harvest game within 20 or 25 yards.
I, my opinion only, feel that harvesting a buck, or doe for that matter,with a bow and other advanced technology is still much more of a challenge than having one come running by during a drive and shooting with a gun! Personally, I enjoy seeing deer in a natural habitat.

My point (as I am rambling as well) is, where is the line to be drawn? We are already miles beyond the Primative bowhunting point!
 
Mojo Outdoors made a deer decoy for a short time that moved its head and tail electronically but I see they quit making it. I used a decoy for the first time last year and it was a blast. Had a nice 10 point come in on a string to it last year (shot right over him). Its a lot of fun to see how deer react to them. I think anything mechanical or electronic is a little too much. Just my 2 cents
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think of the number of deer that would be crippled today if we were still only using stick bows.

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WOW!!

Anybody here shoot a deer crippling stickbow? I guess this means you won't be selling any traditional equipment in your shop.
 
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think of the number of deer that would be crippled today if we were still only using stick bows.

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WOW!!

Anybody here shoot a deer crippling stickbow? I guess this means you won't be selling any traditional equipment in your shop.

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Actually, I do sell some traditional equipment, not much but some.
I also believe that was taken out of context.
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I shoot traditional equipment, and personally suck at it. I am learning, but still am far from capable of harvesting anything with it. I believe a lot of people are very accurate, but for the masses, pry not. I believe many people can be marginal shots with "high tech compounds" and get away with it, where as with a traditional bow, there is MUCH less forgiveness. That is what I was saying, by no means was I bashing traditional archery. My goal was to harvest a deer traditionally this year but in 6 months of practicing, I have found out just how stinking hard it is, decoy or not!! (sorry had to move this back to the original thread some)
 
I had a lot of fun using a decoy last year (besides lugging the thing 1 1/4 miles out in western Kansas
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). It was a learning process, I still don't know exactly how to set it up; I had bucks approach it from the front and behind. I finally came to the conclusion they approach it from downwind the majority (but definitely not all) of the time. A little different set up with that knowledge would have given my wife a shot at a dandy nine point. Oh well, live and learn. As far as the debate goes, I'd never lug around a decoy with all the gadgets, ethics aside, it'd weigh a ton!
 
Now Now boys play nice. I am one of those old fashion old farts who really do still use a home made stick bow and enjoy it very much. Do I expect everyone to do that? Mercy NO. But remember when you were small and got a new bike and it had "training wheels" on it and you just couldn't wait to get rid of them as you progressed and got older? Now you have a bow with "training wheels" and as you grow older and progress you will want to get rid of them also.
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Ain't that right Shovel! I call it progression towards regression.
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I see your point, but if we are going to limit advantages lets do it right. Think about everything we use to get deer. Sunrise-Sunset charts, alarm clocks, maps, GPS, clothes, vehicles, cover scents, binocs, treestands, weapons, decoys & etc. Should we get rid of all this stuff? How far back in time should we go? And electronic calls won't happen - they're illegal.
 
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starting the last week of October through the end of November, i very rarely go to the woods without one. and i dont use it as a doe any more. to many busted setups.
it isn always a for sure thing, but it definately adds some real excitement!!

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What do you mean too many busted set ups with the doe decoy? In my mind (don't laugh!) I was thinking a doe decoy with some doe in heat on a rag hanging off "her" tail. What is the reason for using the buck and not the doe? Thanks!
 
" And electronic calls won't happen, they are illegal".
So WAS using high powered rifles for deer hunting in Iowa. The only certain thing is the certainity of change.
I surley don't expect or really want everyone to do as I do, but I do often question how far we are willing to go to make it easier and more efficent to kill deer and how that will effect the hunting morality of future generations in what they will view as both ethical and legal. They will be the ones making the new laws and if they get used to the easier way as normal then they will be looking for ways to make it even more easier, at least that is how I see it happening.
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