Deer Decoys Done Right During the Rut

I did manage to lure in a cruising Nebraska buck several years ago on some public dirt. The deer were traveling along a grassy ridgetop with sparse cedars and very few ambush spots. The stand-friendly trees just weren’t on their route, so I put up a decoy in the hopes that one of the cruisers would see and swing on through.

It worked, but it was thin gruel to live on. It wasn’t until the last couple of seasons that I realized how valuable a decoy can be, but there are a few considerations to make so you don’t get this wrong. This starts first with the type of decoy that is best for your situation and goals.

The default decoy choice is to go with a buck. Big buck, little buck, something with antlers. This is a good choice for a couple of situations. If your uncle, whose last name is Drury, gives you permission to hunt Candyland and you know you’ll be where the big ones are numerous and not overly cautious, a big buck decoy is the move.

If your bloodline isn’t so generous with hunting spots, a buck decoy might still be the move. The more big deer you have to hunt, the better. Otherwise, a smaller buck might be the best bet so you can lure in deer of various age classes, not just the king of the whole spot.

There is also a matter of timing. While buck decoys can work any time, there is a sorting out period with deer that really ramps up during the pre-rut and the early stages of the chase phase. Now, some bucks will fight any time during the rut, so this rule is a loose one. But if you want to hunt Halloween deer, a buck decoy might be better for you then than on November 15th. By then, you should probably give the bucks what they really want.

I like doe decoys a lot. It’s just a simple calculus for me. During the rut, bucks are looking to pass on their genes, so I present them with what they believe is a good option for that. It’s not rocket science.

I don’t know why so many people think that a buck decoy is a better bet to lure in big bucks, but a doe decoy can be real effective. Doe decoys also represent a non-threatening member of the herd, especially if you buy a good one that doesn’t look like she has just seen a mountain lion working with a pack of wolves to surround her.

Doe decoys are also a great move if you’re not overly concerned with killing only giant deer. For those of us who really like shooting bucks of various sizes for various reasons, a doe decoy during the rut will outshine any scent, call, or whatever you can buy. It’s that effective. Of course, you have to remember that you’re inviting a deer into a zone where you will definitely leave your mark, which is where a lot of hunters screw up.

Last year when I watched a small northern Wisconsin six-pointer sniff the butt of my doe decoy, I realized something important. That deer extended his neck out to get a good whiff while my daughter centered the cross-hairs of her crossbow scope. It was a tense situation that only got more tense when he suddenly recoiled and backed up.

Lucky for us he was young and dumb and not thinking too clearly because he went back in for a follow-up sniff. It was clear that I thought I had sprayed that decoy down better than I had. When you invite a deer into a spot where you have handled the very object they are approaching, you open yourself up to a costly mistake.

While they do sort of go into a trance and get dumber if they buy your setup, it’s not a guarantee that a whiff of hand scent or something else won’t topple the whole house of cards. Use gloves, spray the decoy liberally with scent-eliminating spray, and try not to touch any part of the landscape that you don’t absolutely need to touch.