Decoying Whitetails

By Coltin Gresser

Before we get into the tenderloins and the backstraps of this article, I need you to CHECK YOUR STATE’S REGULATIONS ON DECOYING DEER! Some states do not allow their hunters to use deer

decoys. This may be confusing, and you may wonder “why I can decoy turkeys but not deer?”

The answer to that is for the safety of you and to increase fair chase.

Here is going to be the part where I sound like a nagging parent, I’m sorry but it must be

said. When decoying for deer you must have your head on a swivel. Not only will it attract the

most stubborn deer you have been seen. It will catch the eye of the lazy road hunter. If you

plan on using decoys during rifle season, or in an area you know poaching is heavy. WEAR

YOUR HUNTER’S ORANGE! Especially if you’re going to have those decoys close to you.

So, with the safety speech out of the way let us talk about the decoys themselves. There are

two main types of deer decoys I use. Silhouette decoys are super lightweight and easy to pack

away, most of them break down or fold making them easy to pack more gear into your trailer or

truck. If you are like me, you are always saying man… I really need to lighten up my pack. Then

I get to thinking and I still pack more and more gear than I really need. The silhouette decoys

only have a front and back picture on them. You know the political signs you see in everyone’s

yard. Well, that’s exactly what these look like but instead of saying the name of a politician that

promises everything and does nothing. These have a picture of a buck or doe on it.

The second type I use are full-body decoys. The name gives it away, these decoys are

heavy and the size of a whole deer. You may be saying, “well if those full bodies are so darn

heavy, why in god’s green earth do I want to use them?”, Let me tell you some positives of these

decoys! One positive is that no matter what angle or direction the deer comes in the decoy looks

real. Let’s say a deer was coming in and started to circle your position naturally or on purpose to

try and wind you. The full body with a three-dimensional decoy would look good no matter what

direction that deer comes in. However, the silhouette is a two-dimensional decoy and if that deer

comes in close it usually will catch on to the game you are playing.

One other positive is that those full bodies are sturdier than silhouettes. Staking down the

full bodies no matter if the winds blowing mock Jesus, or a buck tries to get lucky on your doe

decoy they will still stand. The downside to the full bodies is that they are going to be more

expensive than the silhouettes.

When and where do you use these decoys is the main question I get asked. I start using

my decoys anywhere from the end of October and early November till the end of January. When

you start to notice the rut ramping up is a great time to get the decoys out. If you have been

seeing an older more mature buck, I suggest throwing out a buck decoy. This decoy with the

calling you will be doing will draw that big boy out, and if he sees his does over by your decoy,

he will come in wanting to fight. It’s never a bad idea to throw a buck and doe decoy together.

If you are hunting a parcel of property you have no idea what kind of deer are

moving through or living there. The best kind of deer decoy to throw in that case is a single doe

decoy. Every deer no matter buck or doe, will feel safer to come check out a single doe than a

single buck decoy. Even though you may see a buck that looks like he is a badass dude, he may

have gotten his rear end beat and is decoy shy.

Not only can you bring deer in during the rut with decoys. Towards the end of the season

decoying makes the deer feel safer with numbers. In December and January, they will start to

join up in bigger herds to stay safe. They start to realize that if they are herded up and have more

eyes they can live longer. So, if you got your three to four decoys out, deer moving through will

come to stop by to hang out with their new herd!

One last little tip I have is if you use scents. At the end of your drag rag or instead of

putting the scents by you. Drip or place those scents with those decoys. That is just adding the

cherry on top to your decoy cake! Adding that real smell to those decoys can really increase the

percentage of bringing in any deer. To them they can not only see the “deer” but now they can

smell him or her too. That is the double whammy of deer hunting with decoys. Now I could go

on and on about deer scents from pre rut, prime rut, or even just deer calming scents and

attractors. I will save that for another article.

Yes, reading articles, watching videos, and studying online about how deer move, think,

and feed is important. The real lessons, however, will be taught in the field. So, get out and hunt!

Remember that you can’t kill them from the couch!