With either setup, David likes to add a little Tink's 69 doe-in-heat scent around the decoy, and he never starts calling until after he sees a buck. He tries to stay away from blind calling to avoid a buck circling downwind from the stand and blowing the setup.

David relies on a combination of grunting and rattling to grab a buck's attention.

This type of calling is capable of making a buck turn around and completely change course. According to David, once you see that the buck has committed and is heading toward your stand, it's time to stop calling and make him look for you. These decoying strategies have allowed David to film and tag a number of trophy-class bucks across the country.

DECOYING TIPS Always set up your decoy where it can be seen from great distances. Adding attractant scents and calling can be extremely effective when hunting with decoys. However, never put any kind of attractant scent directly onto your decoy. Instead, always place estrous doe and dominant buck scent on the ground around it. Always use rubber or latex gloves when handling your decoy and try to be as scent-free as possible. When it’s not in use, try hiding your decoy near your stand to prevent picking up foreign odors from transporting it back and forth. This will keep the decoy scent-free and saves you the hassle of carrying it in and out of the woods. Allow current deer behavior to dictate your decoy setup. Sometimes a buck and doe combination will work better than a single-buck setup. Modifying a set of real antlers to fit the decoy can add realism to your setup, but remember to keep the rack small to avoid spooking possible shooter bucks. Hanging a real deer tail on the back of the decoy can also add realism to your setup. Once you have a buck committed and working toward your position, make sure you stop calling. This will prevent the buck from hanging up or changing his mind. Making the buck look for you is usually your best option with this setup. Try to avoid blind calling to bucks to prevent having a buck circle downwind of your setup after hearing you call. When you see a good buck, however, by all means use attention-grabbing grunts or rattling to draw him in close.

HAROLD KNIGHT'S METHOD TO THE MADNESS
Anyone who has ever watched Harold Knight hunt turkeys on television knows that he is a strong believer in decoys, especially the strutting tom "Pretty Boy." This phenomenal turkey decoy has completely changed the way Harold hunts during the spring, but he also feels that deer decoys can be every bit as effective later in the year. In fact, Harold highly recommends that every hunter adding a deer decoy to his or her hunting arsenal, especially bowhunters who are looking to gain an edge by bringing big bucks up close and personal. Harold feels the following decoying strategies will help you close the distance on a thick-necked bruiser this season. He believes that the prime time to use a decoy is from the middle of October until the first of November.

"One of my favorite times to break out a decoy is when bucks are cruising for does," Harold says. "At this point in the season, anticipation of the rut strikes a competitive nerve among bucks with high testosterone levels. Bucks that are territorial are easily provoked to fight and can't stand the sight of another male on their turf. The key to pulling a mature buck into range is to set up the decoy in plain view and utilize calling to grab his attention."

With this setup, Harold will use a combination of grunts with his Rack Blaster grunt call and intense rattling sequences. He says the blasting chamber on this new grunt call allows a hunter to be extremely loud, and this type of calling is capable of bringing a heavy-racked giant in on a dead run.

"It's not a bad idea to add Code Blue dominant buck urine scent around the decoy to coax any buck that is downwind from your stand closer to the setup. Simply not being afraid to pack a decoy into the field and trying these deadly strategies can be all you need to tag a monster this season!"

STAN POTTS' PRIMETIME STRATEGIES
Stan Potts, co-host of North American Whitetail Television, has built a reputation as a decoying master. In fact, Stan has dropped an impressive number of long-tined giants with his customized decoying setups.

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