Your '09 Heads Up Decoy Experience

Tell us about your 2009 hunting experiences with the Heads Up Decoy

November 7th-8th

got busted by several deer on Saturday morn. Crops still in the field. Farmers are working hard. Deer coming from all directions on Sat morn and they all seemed to see us or smell us....frustrated.

Rut activity is starting. Little bucks getting chased off by bigger bucks. Does getting harassed by all the bucks.

Saturday night the 7th. Finally managed to see deer that didn't see us. Made the move on a nice 140ish 8 pt. Got too dark, need to hunt the stands at night and ground in the morning.

Sunday morning...decoyed a mule deer buck in with the whitetail doe decoy broadside at 30 yards and I whifted big time.

Alittle sore from crawling on Saturday. Cactus needles in the hands. Back at work hungry for my next time in the field.

G

'09 Heads Up Decoy-What not to do #2

Saw a shooter buck today. I was by myself. The wind, on initial check was out of the WSW. I hunted a new area this morning, Nov 1st. None of the milo or corn in the area was cut due to the wet weather pattern we seem to be in. The morning was cool and the wind was about 5-10mph. I took the whitetail doe and mule deer doe Heads Up Decoy with me not know what I might find.

I also took the video camera...big mistake. It was a pain and may have cost me a close encounter.

I saw my first deer running through the pasture towards the timber. I saw that it was a doe. I was suprised that nothing was chasing her based on her actions. Shortly thereafter, I saw what I thought was a shooter whitetail buck. I jockeyed the video camera and my decoy around only to find that I had a snowball's chance in hell of getting the footage I was after. I crawled through the grass and presented the decoy to the buck that was probably about 150-200 yards away. He acknowledged the decoy and immediately headed in my general direction.

My first mistake was taking the video camera. My second mistake was not getting in better positon to draw the deer to me. He was easily able to get downwind of me and the hunt was over. He did manage to come within 60 yards.

Morale of the story, don't try to video on the ground unless you have help. Secondly, get yourself in a favorable position so the deer cannot easily get downwind of you.

However, I was pleased that the buck responded to the decoy.

'09 Heads Up Decoy-What Not to Do #1

I had turned David and Lincoln on to an area that is loaded with deer, but does not present any traditional whitetail ambush spots...no trees. The terrain is open with thick native grass about knee high to chest high is some places. The deer are easily visible but difficult to get close to. During the rut, the buck will chase does from one end of the field to the other, literally all day long.

We were surveying the area on a mild mid October Sunday morning. The wind was about 10mph from the NNW. We spotted some does moving in our direction on a ridge. We quickly positioned ourselves with David the shooter ahead 40 yards, myself operating the decoy, and Lincoln on the camera. The does acknowledged the decoy but bedded down leaving us wondering what to do. As Lincoln and I discussed our options a good 8 point buck rose from his bed and moved only to bed down a short distance from his original spot. David had no idea the buck was there.

David and I put together a game plan for putting a stock on the bedded buck while Lincoln stayed behind to video from a distance. We belly crawl through grass, yuccas, and cactus to within 47 yards of the bedded buck. I was to hold the decoy up and get the buck to rise drawing his attention while David poked him with the arrow. The wind had layed down some, and I wanted David to try to get closer. The buck spotted David's movement and we didn't get a shot.

Morale of the story, when you have a decoy...use the dang thing. It's to lure in an animal from a distance. We were close enough. We had the cover to use the decoy and to draw the bow, just got too greedy.

Whitetail Bow Kill with Heads Up Decoy '09

Lincoln and David, newest Heads Up Decoy prostaff members, where on stand last weekend on a cold and windy Sunday evening, 10/25/09. Public land hunt. As I am, they are also meat hunters. We all believe that shooting does is a valuable way, not only to fill your freezer, but also to get good at shooting animals. There is no true way to simulate shooting animals other than to do it. Does offer a great way to sharpen your shooting skills under pressure...and, help thin out the herd in the process. I've enjoyed listening to these two jokers talk about their hunts. They are truly two fine young men who enjoy the sport of archery hunting. They know the animals they see almost to the point of naming them...even the does. One particular doe, whose name is not appropriate for this forum, had busted them on more than one occasion this year. No matter how careful David and Lincoln have been with scent control and wind direction, this particular doe had their number. Notice I said "had". There had been many close encounters with the Heads Up Decoy, but the deal had not yet been closed on anything. This night, however, found them neck deep in deer activity. David and Lincoln positioned the decoy 20 yards from their stand. The Heads Up Decoy could easily be seen from a near by bean field and a well used trail leading from a bedding area to the bean field. It wasn't long before the deer started moving. One doe passed directly by the Heads Up Decoy and their nemesis was following close behind. She smelled the decoy, but was fooled just enough to stop and present a shot. With the wind so high, there was a minor miscommunication between camera man and shooter, but as you can see from the video, David made a perfect shot. The gene pool is going to be alittle lower in this area with this lady being gone. Good job David and Lincoln on a great hunt.

'09 Kansas Antelope Hunt

Well, the early season Kansas September archery pronghorn hunt is a 9 day frenzy of chasing one antelope buck after another hoping to find a buck in the right frame of mind to charge the Heads Up Decoy to within bow range. For me, it's 40 yards...maybe 50 with the right conditions. I went this year with less than ideal physical condition and I sure felt it after the first day.

Running, crawling, squat-running, and belly crawling seemed to do me in. Did I mention that it rained every day at least once? Our equipment, clothing, and decoys were caked with mud, but I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.

The weather was unusually wet and cool leading up to and during our 3-day mission to lure in a Kansas pronghorn. 3 days was all I could muster this year with the new baby here. As it was with many we talked to, the bucks were not exactly interested in chasing off any intruders, but Kent and I hunted hard with encounters we would not have otherwise had without the use of the Heads Up Decoy.

The new products we tested make me excited for the 2010 year. They will enhance my line of decoys and may make the antelope Heads Up Decoy the most popular pronghorn decoy on the market.

I look forward to showing you all some footage of our hunt...but you'll have to wait.