Montana Decoys Deer Success Photos

The hunting season of 2000 was the year I decided to hunt for quality rather than quantity. For the last several seasons I have shot between 5 and 10 deer per year, most with my bow. Since my fiance started hunting with me I decided to let her fill the freezer and I would hold out for big bucks.

I have four brands of decoys and really enjoy hunting over them, however because of lifelike or the materials they are made of I don`t always set them up every time I hunt. They can be noisy to carry In or they are to small to really stand out and be effective. After seeing the Montana Decoy in a magazine I wanted to try one and so I ordered it.

The very first time I set her up I was hunting a bottleneck approx 100 hundred yards wide. Although I have 25 tree stands, this is one of my favorites. I do a lot of calling while setting on stand and an hour before dark a six pt. came walking down the trail toward me. He was actually only about 40 yds. from me when I saw him. When he was 20 yds. from my stand he saw the decoy. He froze and stood like a statue for 5 minutes staring at the decoy. He then slowly started working closer and ended up within 10 feet of my tree. What a rush, he eyeballed the decoy for the next 15 minutes before wandering off. I could have shot him many times.

Just about sundown I caught movement back in the woods. Here came another buck. This a one was a 8 pt. basket rack. He came up to 15 yds of the decoy and started making his way around it. Both bucks were so intensified on the decoy I think I could have done a dance in the tree and they never would have soon me. As he stood there watching the decoy, the last rays of light shining on his antlers, it was the perfect picture. We have a 2 buck limit in IL. and I was thinking how easy it would have been to, fill both my tags in one evening. After that night I ALWAYS take the decoy with me, It has become just as important as my bow or calls. I have had does watch her for 10 to 30 minutes before deciding to wander off.

As I was sitting in another stand on another farm an Nov. 11, I was thinking I should be some where else. Even though the wind was right for this stand, coming out of the south and the deer bed across the creek which is to the south, I just didn't have a good feeling about my choice of stands for this night. I had my decoy set out 15 yds downwind of me and had a rag doused with 'doe in heat" scent placed between her and me. I always keep my hunting clothes scent free and wear a scent lock suit. I had 15 minutes of shooting light left and really wanted it to get dark so I could go home. I expected the deer to come from the south because 30 yds. behind the decoy is a open pasture so I concentrated on watching to the south.

When I looked north to see the decoy here was a dark faced deer standing about 10 feet behind her. I couldn't tell whether he was looking at me or the decoy so I froze. I could see horns but could not tell how big he was. But it looked like a shooter so I decided to shoot if I got the chance. He stood there several minutes without moving and then he would look away for a few seconds, every time I started to draw he would look in my direction and I would freeze. Finally he turned and started to walk down the trail which put him broadside to me. 10 feet in front of him was a 2 foot dia. tree and the plan was to draw and shoot as he walked behind the tree.

It worked perfectly, as he stopped out from behind the tree I shot and saw the arrow stuck in his side as he ran off. I could hear him run for about 80 yds. and then all was quiet. I set there going over in my mind what had just happened. What a great feeling when it all comes together. I know I had a good hit so I climbed down, grabbed my decoy and followed the blood trail to my buck. What a great feeling when you see they are bigger than what you thought they ORDER YOUR MONTANA DECOY TODAY were. I am sure glad I decided to hunt that stand.

Gay Winterberg
Rockford IL.