5 Deer Decoy Setting Gold Rules
Decoys setting is a very valuable tool to attract bucks towards you, especially when bow hunting since the range is much shorter than firearms one, however to set a decoy is not just to put it randomly, instead it's an art you will master only practicing, but following these 5 Gold Rules you will certainly begin with the right step.
1. Use the proper decoy
If you are looking for does, the best idea is to set up a doe decoy. Female deer are gregarious and tend to group, thus a lonely doe will attract other does attention and will get near to investigate what's going on with that lonely fella.
On the other hand if you wish to take down a giant buck, the best way is to set a subdominant buck decoy. Deer are territorial animals, especially during rut; hence putting a subdominant decoy on the area "challenging" the dominant male around there will be enough to catch a big buck attention, after all it's necessary to look what's going on with the intruder, and to do so the dominant buck needs to get closer to the decoy.
2. Set decoys near your position
After setting your blind, choose a proper place to set the decoy not so far from your shooting position. A 10 to 15 feet range is a good choice to be near enough to have a clear shoot and still being undetectable.
3. Decoys must be on deer sight
The aim of a decoy is to be detected, hence you must place it on a trail or an open space where other deer may see it, otherwise it will remain undetectable and won't do its job.
After properly scouting an area you will be able to choose a right place to set your blind, ideally it must be near a trail with signs of deer activities or a clear among the bushes with a good provision of food and water, something you know deer will need, then set your decoy properly on that area.
Be sure your decoy may be seen at least 50 yards away in order to attract curious deer towards the intruder.
4. Set couples to increase your chances
The only thing driving mad a dominant buck other than an intruder on its territory, it's an intruder trying to steal its does! Hence setting a decoys couple, a doe and a subdominant buck will be something the dominant male on the area won't ignore, after all it's necessary to show who's in charge and you may have for sure it will come towards your decoys to leave things clear, just what you wish!
5. Remember to remove odors from decoys
First thing deer will do once they have approached to the decoys is to sniff all the area, not only to detect danger but also to identify this new individual, thus you will need to diminish all human odor traces from the decoys, otherwise deer will become suspicious and will run away before giving you a chance to react.
First thing to do is to use an odor remover to eliminate as much as possible each all human odors, afterwards you may use doe urine lure (if using a doe decoy) in order to set the trap properly. Additionally you may use some food near the decoy to render the trap as much natural as possible.
Afterwards it's time to get into your blind and keep eyes wide open; it's just a matter of time to see a deer coming towards your position!
