Decoys,,

D

d2admin

Administrator
I have been experimenting with some various decoys lately.
Trying to determine if they are a boon or simply entertainment.
I have seen some pretty interesting behaviors from some coyotes lately and if I can weigh the time and effort of packing one around against the increase in opportunities I may some day have an answer.
I am finding that I am gravitating towards lighter and quicker to set up. A feather on a string I guess would be the ultimate in convenience I would imagine.
How elaborate have you taken this ? any good feild experiances that might lead you to believe that it can actually increase the odds? I for one am sure interested.
 
Craig...

I've never messed with decoys much cause I never really found the need to. From my experiences, if a caller does everything by the book, responding predators never pick up the shooter. Course bear in mind here, that I'm talking about using an electronic caller; where a caller can put some distance between him and the sound produced.

I can see where someone who is using a hand call might benefit from the use of a decoy. Particularly if they are calling by themselves.

On the other hand, I've talked to many callers who swear by using decoys.

I will add that I sure like crows to show up on my stands. Seems like every time I get crows overhead making noise, a critter is close hind them...
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http://www.predatormasters.com
 
Craig,
I use an electric caller and hand calls when they get close to a great degree of success
but my Riggor Rabbit has really made a big
difference!!Once they see him they come in
like gang busters its the greatest decoy in
the world!!Hunt safe hunt clean!!
 
Craig,
I too have spent an incredable amount of time with various decoys. Back east, they are a must for coyote calling. Here in AZ forget them for coyotes, I can do as well or better without them.

Now lions and bobcats are another story. Decoys for the cats......I never leave home without them. I have video of a bobcat hammering my decoy just before my client hammers him. You can not get a lion in close, on a consistant basis, without the decoy. I was working a lion the other day without the decoy,(got lazy), and it cost me a lion. Decoy's work!
Steve

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www.azpredatorhunts.com
 
decoys work real well but i also like to be as mobile as possible.for shotgunning coyotes here in the east decoys are almost a nessesity.for rifling them,i will drop them long before they would see a decoy any way.but they deffinetly work.
 
decoys work real well but i also like to be as mobile as possible.for shotgunning coyotes here in the east decoys are almost a nessesity.for rifling them,i will drop them long before they would see a decoy any way.but they deffinetly work.

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Craig Hamilton,
I feel that decoys, in particular motion decoys are important if you're hunting predators east of the Mississippi. I use 6 crow decoys and an owl decoy when I'm crow hunting and it works great.
Motion decoys give the animal being called something to attract their attention, while the hunter makes the shot.
I'd rather not hunt without them.
Good hunting, bowhunter57
 
I think decoys certainly have some applications. I saw a video the other night with a decoy heart and rabbit hide. That sure got the coyotes attention. I really question the value in most situations. In the country I call, I would have to expose myself more if I placed a decoy where they could see it. Again, I think they have merit in certain places but I am not sure whether they would help me much in the open country that I call. Wiley E
 
Wiley , that is a great point you make.
A decoy isn't always an aid. I need to always remember that this is a game of odds and percentages.
Just because something increases our odds on one stand , it may very well decrease it on another.

I guess that is just where some good old fashioned experiance comes into play.
I am just glad that there are folks here like you who do know have that kind of knowledge.
I have been playing with this computer for several years now, and am constantly amazed at the wealth of info that is available.
I ask friends ever now and then if they ever look into these kinds of sites and when they say no, I just think why you poor souls.
 
I agree with Wiley. Getting exposed in open country to set up the decoy may be counter productive. In this open country a hunter needs to be very careful how he approaches a stand. I always try to approach my selected calling location via the low ground, and I always try to walk around hills rather than over the top.

This is especially true, if there is any wind and the hunter is walking to his stand facing directly into the wind. The problem here is that the coyotes here will almost always declare "nap time" on the downwind side of something. Thus, they are in a perfect position to see the hunter that skylines himself in this manner.
 
Steve C.,

What decoys do you fancy for your lion stands ??

Thnx,

--Steve

[This message has been edited by WayCool (edited 03-08-2001).]
 
Gosh Steve brings up a good point to consider here guys. In the type of country we hunt in, coyotes nap where they can see what they can't smell and where they can smell what they can't see. Just like the big bucks do. When walking with or against the wind keep that in mind. Good point Steve! Wiley E
 
I started using this turkey decoy this year. Not so much as a decoy, but to take their mind off of me. Can't remember the name right now, but it is small and comes with a stick ya just stick in the ground and place the decoy over it, it sorta swings in the wind and seems to get them to watch it instead of where I am.

I sometimes also use a coyote skin I had tanned a few years ago. Just hang it from a limb about 20-30 yards out front and to one side of me. Same idea.

Pecos
 
I got a Feather Flex Rabbit decoy in Feb. I was very excited to try this new way of hunting out. The next week a friend of mine asked if I could take him coyote hunting. I asked if he had any place in mind, he told me a lady that live by him had a horse farm. She had noticed a lot of coyote around and was concerned for her younger horses safety. We were asked not to use rifles for fear of striking a horse. I didn't have my shot gun in Erie so I went without a gun (just called). I called in two yotes (2 different stands), and the end result was great. These things are so light the wind moves them around. The first dog was a young male, he ran right at the decoy, catching a 3 1/2 mag at about 35 yards. The second was a BIG female, she came in circled down wind and snuck into the field about 70 yards down wind of me, when she saw the decoy she dropped down low to the ground and made her way to the decoy ever so quickly. She broke into a steady run at about 40 yards... she found the same fate as her neighbor. It was a real treat to watch a coyote go from a yote looking for a quick meal to a very weary hunter that just spotted dinner. Buy the way, after they saw the decoy, they never took their eyes off of them.
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Now my bud is hooked!
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Craig,

I use a tanned rabbit skin and two quail wings tied together with a piece of string. Use a clothes pin to hang the skin from a low limb and hang the wings over another limb so they hang down close to the skin. The decoy moves easily in the breeze and is very portable. I use this mostly in brushy country to help take attention from my position and to help position the animal for a shot.

Take care,
Daryl
 
I always use a decoy for predator hunting here in Missouri. I honestly feel and my experience leads me to believe that a motion decoy will lead to more rugged out fur. I've had coyotes stalk the decoy and or stare and slowly begin circling the decoy from close range, thus giving me all the opportunity I needed to make the shot.
Currently I use a homemade Frankenrabbit motion decoy. This contraption uses a Decoy Heart occilating battery operated ball with a tanned rabbit hide stretched over it. Two large black buttons funtion as eyes and a turkey decoy stake allows easy placement in the ground with some ability for height. A spritz of fox urine completes the set-up.
My hope is that the coyote is responding to distress screams, sees a small furry something scuttling about as if injured, smells a fox scent and wants to beat the fox to the meal, or steal the deal from brier fox. So far so good, the Decoy Heart is a little noisy, but not overly so.

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"Doing the Right thing isn't always easy, but it's always RIGHT!"
 
Hey Critr,
I think I am using Fluffy's twin brother! First time someone was with me and I pulled out "TOTO" the guy started laughing and asked,"What are you doing with that"? I said just watch! He said that it would never work and that I was gonna scare off anything that comes in..Well in less than 15 minutes I shot a bobcat and a coyote at the same stand. The cat was laying dead and the yote walked the same path the cat did and stopped 2 feet from the cat laying dead on the ground and then he got it
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..Needless to say when I go huntn' with that guy he always asks,"Where is TOTO"?
Made a believer out of him. My decoy is set up totally different than yours, but that is a secret that only the people I hunt with knows!ha!ha! I can't share all my secrets!!

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Buster K.
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I think I can shootm' if I can see'm!!
 
I'm a fan of decoys. I don't use them on every stand but on those where I want the critter a bit closer or in a certain spot, they work great.

When I hunted in the wide open spaces of North Dakota, I didn't use a decoy until I started using my wiener dog. He's large enough that the coyotes can see him a long ways off and dark enough against the snow that they see him easily.

In Minnesota, I don't use the wiener dog because there is too much chance a coyote could sneak in and have him for lunch. But, I do use other decoys there. I have a blow bunny that works great if the wind condition is just right. I also use a new proto-type decoy by the maker of tail-wagger. I've experimented with them all. I think if you want a good one, get a wiener dog or a tail wagger predator decoy. Both are great!

Randy Buker

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Hunting the Red Fox
 
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