Deer Decoy Secrets of Pro Hunters
Preparing a Deer Decoy
 Editor’s Note: In the last couple of years, deer decoys, in states where allowed, have proved themselves as very-effective deer-hunting aids, especially on the edges of agricultural fields, green fields and pastures. However, a large number of deer hun ters resist carrying any more stuff into the woods than what they’ve already got, particularly with the weight involved with 3-D decoys. Let’s listen to some hunters who successfully have used deer decoys and learn why they don’t hunt deer without their deer decoys.
Longtime, avid deer hunter Matt Morrett of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, uses deer decoys to solve his deer-hunting problems. “Once I was hunting acut corn field with the wind in my favor,” Morrett recalls. “Although I was seeing a large number of deer, I never could get close enough to take any shots. I noticed that the deer kept moving toward a large pile of brush in the middle of the corn field where the combine couldn’t gather the crop. I walked over to that brush pile and found two water holes out in its middle. I moved my tree stand to the edge of the field, directly across from the brush pile and in-between the two water holes. I set up a buck decoy on the edge of this cut corn field with the Missouri River to my back, and my scent blowing out over the  river.
“The first evening after I moved the stand, we spotted a big 8 point come into the field about 100 yards to my right. I had a buck decoy set up at about 18 yards. When I first saw the deer, he hadn’t spotted my decoy, so I grunted at him with my True Talker. The buck looked up, immediately saw the decoy and grunted back at the decoy with his hair bristled-up. He then went into the brush pile to get a drink of  water. I knew the corn stalks were at 30 yards. The buck was about 4 yards behind the stalks of corn. I shota 60-pound Mathews Switchback bow with a heavy Carbon Express arrow and New Archery Products’ Nitron broadhead to take that nice buck.
“I’m convinced that decoy preparation is the key to a deer decoy’s effectiveness. I wash my decoy down before every hunt with Hunter’s Specialties’ Scent-A-Way laundry detergent and then spray it down with Scent-A-Way spray. I pack the decoy in a plastic bag afterwards and also carry it to my hunting site in the plastic to keep from getting any human odor or other kinds of smells like wood smoke, foods, etc. on the decoy. Once I arrive at my hunting site, I again spray it down with Scent-A-Way spray and wear gloves to assemble it. I like to set my decoy up facing out in the field and spray Dominant Buck Urine on the ground behind the decoy. This strategy has consistently worked for me.”
Tommorrow: Keeping Your Decoy Scent-Free |
