Decoying up's and down's!?

[jjenness]

So after elk hunting many years I finally bought my first decoy for the 2011 season, and let's just say that I had some of the best and worst instances while trying to implement this new, for me, tactic. On opening day of the archery season I got to within 70 yards of some elk that were coming from the timber into the open field that I was in, and proceeded to set up my decoy. Some cows came out first, and then the lead cow saw the decoy and proceeded to do a 180 and go right back into the timber taking the rest of the elk with her. I then was able to glass this patch of timber from a vantage point after the elk had left and saw a huge 7x7 in tow with the cows that I had just seen at 68 yards. I think that I might have been a little over zealous with my untimely deployment of the decoy, due to the rut not being in full swing yet. Then 3 weeks later I had an amazing encounter with a 350+ bull using the same decoy. The decoy that I am using is the Elk Mountain Gear decoy, and you can read the full account of the second encounter on their website here, http://elkmtngear.com/reviews. So I am wondering what decoy's some of you out there use, and what tactics you use successfully each year.

 

[jenbickel]

I use a Montana cow elk decoy. I have had a lot of luck with it. Just make sure you are spraying it down with scent eliminator. The decoys don't just work during the rut. Especially like a cow decoy because it's definitely just a sense of safety to them if there is something out there already feeding.

 

[trophyhill]

I haven't used one yet but after reading a review on elk101.com i will consider it in the future. Jeff if you are watchin it sounds like you made another elk hunter happy. great job!

 

[griz]

I started to use "miss September" this year. Haven't had anything come into it yet, but my buddy swears by it!

 

[trophyhill]

i purchased the Slip System on line the other day. i cant wait to try it for my January open country mule deer hunt. i got the open country buck cover.

 

[elkmtngear]

Thanks Trophyhill, I'm watchin!

Having a decoy in hand can be huge in the right situation. When you are dealing with aggressive hunting tactics, not every situation is going to work, obviously. On antelope, you might only get one out of 10 bucks that actually "charges" at the decoy. But, it can give you a better chance of getting into bowrange.

For elk, many times you find yourself "pinned", with no means to advance on a group. I have personally used my elk decoy as a shield, and walked around feeding cows and spikes, to get an advantage on vocal bulls. Also, many times, a bull will sound aggressive coming in, and "hang up". Many times, this is due to the fact that he knows exactly where you were calling from, and he is standing back under cover, looking for the elk that he heard. Elk want visual confirmation! A decoy can be your ace in the hole in that situation, like in Justin's situation!

Hunting deer in the rut can be frustrating. Bucks are just coked up and stupid on testosterone, but unfortunately, they are always a nose-length from a hot doe. And the does will bust you, time after time. Using a deer decoy will oftentimes allow you to be "tolerated" by the does. They will keep watch on you, but many times you can easily work your way into bow range with a deer decoy covering your human outline.

Having a decoy that can be easily converted into a stalking blind is a nice option, and if it helps you out of the canyon, so much the better!

Best of Luck,
Jeff