Decoying for Deer Hunting

Whitetail hunting is an art, an extremely complicated one, and everything you do to increase your odds of success will be worth it.

That's why some hunters, particularly deer bow hunters trust decoys to get some advantage over the buck they wish to catch.

Decoys are extremely useful if they are used properly, especially during the seeking phase of the rut when all those bucks are looking for the first doe in estrous while keeping away all male intruders on their territory.

Knowing that, it's easy to understand why decoys are so effective but making them work  is not as easy as just setting up a decoy in the bushes and waiting.

First of all, you must have done your homework scouting to have a trustful knowledge of where there are more chances a deer goes through, otherwise, placing the decoy in a remote area far from deer trails will end in a complete failure.

Once the area has been roughly defined it's time to find the perfect spot. Placing the decoy hidden behind a bush or under leafy trees is not the best choice, instead, an open spot that might be seen from the distance tends to be more effective because you wish deer in the area have a clear view of the decoy rather than just meet them accidentally.

Now you have chosen the right spot, it's time to set up everything to make it real. To do so scent concealing remains paramount. Any trace of human odor might be enough to keep deer away from your decoy, so use rubber gloves and boots while setting up the decoy and spray odor killer in the decoy and the surroundings as well.

However you only wish to kill your odor, but not deer's, so get sure to have an estrous doe scent to attract that big rut boy towards your decoy, and nothing is more attractant than the estrous odor.

In addition, adding some buck scent to the back zone of the decoy will complete the show. A buck won't tolerate competition for does in his area and adding some buck scent will force that big boy in the area to find such an intruder.

Once everything has been set up, just hide upwind and wait, sooner or later a big buck will show up to investigate what's going on with that doe in his territory, opening you a big opportunity window to catch a whitetail.

As you may see, it's not just putting a manikin but recreating a natural situation to attract a big whitetail to an area where you might trap him.

In the end, it's a fine art you'll need to master with practice but for sure, after some time, your results will be remarkable.