Looking for Elk Sheds

It's that time of year when many of you are looking for whitetail antlers from the bucks you hope to harvest next year. I do the same here in Wyoming with elk antlers.

A bull like the one this came from this spring would be amazing to find this fall.

Sometimes it's all about using snowshoes to get to hard to reach ridges and you never know what the snow has covered up!

Sign Up for a Chance to Win a Decoy

Heads Up Decoy is looking to significantly expand our social network over the next 2 months, and we want you...to join in. Our goal is to get 1000 Facebook Fans and as many blog followers as we can get by June 1st 2011...100 blog followers would be great.

The Heads Up Decoy blog and Facebook page are far-and-away the best way to keep up with what's going on with Heads Up Decoys. Over the last 6-8 months, the Heads Up Decoy blog blew away our competition...and we continue to do so...with relevant information about the decoys in addition to entertaining stories, pictures, and video.

The Heads Up Decoys are the most versatile decoy on the market and frankly a few sentences in a paragraph on the website cannot begin to touch on some of the things a person can do with them, which makes the blog and Facebook page powerful tools to help you be confident and successful when using the HUD's.

Some topics will be exclusive to one or the other, but what you can expect from the blog and our Facebook page are stories, tips, experiences, pictures, and musings from myself and our impressive Prostaff along with product development updates, and promotional notices.

We currently have 249 Facebook Fans and 12 followers on our blog with about 400-600 pages viewed per month.

The Giveaway Part:

We are going to draw 2 names out of the current 249 Facebook fans and give away a decoy of their choice. At 500, 750, and 1000 Facebook Fans, we will draw 2 new names at each milestone and give away a decoy of their choice up to the point we reach our goal of 1000 fans. If you sign up as a follower on our blog, for every 25 followers, we will draw a name and give away a decoy of their choice up to point we reach our goal of 100 followers.

Thank you for your support.
Garrett Roe,
Owner, Heads Up Decoy

Spring is Upon Us!!

There have been some extremely nice days lately which have been great for doing some post season scouting, shed hunting, and shooting my bow to get ready for the upcoming spring turkey season as well as 3D.

I will try to post some pictures soon of some of the sheds that we have been finding so far. I hope to hit it hard this weekend, but March Madness will probably slow that down a little.

I am going to keep it short and sweet for now, but want to wish everyone good luck this spring in the woods! Hopefully we will all have some turkey stories to share in the near future. Here is a photo of my wife Jerri's first bird from a couple seasons ago to help get everyone fired up!

Scouting New Ground...A New Perspective

A couple of the most powerful tools to scouting and hunting whitetails...or muleys...is an updated property map and a cell phone. I've also found that being a bowhunter never hurts either. It's mid March and turkey season is just around the corner. The shed hunting season has been in full swing for most people except me. However, this day was a particularly perfect and mild day so Kaleb Archer accompanied me on a scouting/shed hunting trip to some new territory.

I have turkey hunted a particular unimpressive, but extremely productive, feeder creek in an open pasture for several years now and was totally unaware of the fact the adjacent property was owned or rented by the same individual...duh. This area is far from your prototypical whitetail or turkey terrain. But it really doesn't matter what anyone thinks as "prototypical" because they use the pasture much more than the small strip of cottonwoods following the small creek. Now, what once was a scrubby 'ol rolling pasture with patches of intermediate grass, some dense pockets of yuccas, and mixed in a few deep draws and that is now the type of habitat I have begun to focus my attention on when scouting. Of course, this is post Heads Up Decoy thinking.

The HUD's have totally changed my mind set. In this example,  I look at this skinny 500 yard strip of cottonwoods bisecting a 160 acre piece of ground with 1 or 2 treestand possibilities and the HUD's have turned it into 640 acres of opportunity. Mostly because of it's position. You see this piece of ground abuts some of the best "prototypical" river bottom whitetail habitat in the area. 2 miles of contiguous uninterrupted river bottom with 1-2 miles on each side before a public road. There is river bottom that trickles into the property, but it is essentially open with most of the food sources well beyond the security of the river bottom...meaning they will need to use the pasture to get to the food and most likely an area for big bucks to bed up with a hot doe.

 So when you are out scouting for turkeys or shed hunting, take a fresh look at your hunting area and I hope you come away with a whole new perspective of ideal whitetail habitat...the Heads Up Decoys can do that for you.

The picture above shows the openness of this area with a small slope in the distance with a pocket of dense yucca...an ideal bedding area for a rutting buck with a hot doe. On a side note, the heart of a yucca makes a great back rest or pillow.

 

In the back ground you see the property line. We don't hunt on property lines, but you can see the river bottom bend to the right into the pasture.

The take home message is, use every inch of property you can. The Heads Up Decoys can literally take a wheat stubble field with a terrace, a pasture with knee high cover and some terrain, intermediate grass and yuccas with a few slopes, and turn it into a bowhunting memory you will never forget. The picture below gives you some perspective what little cover it takes to come up with a hunt you will never forget. Be Mobile...Stay Mobile.

Kaleb, I had a great time today buddy. I can't wait until you are toting bow and arrow along side me.

Heads Up Pronghorn

The 2010 Pronghorn season provided some valuable learning points when using the Heads Up Decoy. In a rush to get in the mountains to chase bulls, I ended up taking my buck at a waterhole but thought I'd share a few things that might help others lure in their trophy with the Heads Up Decoy...

While Pronghorn hunting in Colorado, the Heads Up decoy produced a lot of excitement and adrenaline. Keep in mind that all my hunting was well before the Pronghorn rut so the decoy's effectiveness was somewhat diminished, although the reaction I received from bucks was quite encouraging in spite of the early season. I normally utilized spot and stalk tactics in my attempts to close the distance on lone bucks. The Heads Up decoy was always clipped to my hydration pack by using a simple lightweight c-clip. As I low-crawled and closed the distance on these bucks, they nearly always detected my presence prior to reaching bow range, usually around 80 yards (typical for spot and stalk in open country). This is where I employed the HUD, knowing that my traditional stalk was over.

Although the bucks knew something was near, they rarely spooked and became quite curious instead. While staying as low as possible I simply unclipped the decoy, brought it up in front of me, and slid it into the bow mount. Over fifty percent of the bucks actually began getting closer to investigate the newly discovered buck. Often, these bucks would make many approaches before finally leaving the area. Shot opportunities were only hindered by multiple mistakes by me and I'm confident a later season rut hunt would produce even more aggressive responses to the decoy. I can hardly wait to get back out there this season, filling my knee pads with cactus, and decoying in some Pronghorn bucks! This method and species is quickly rising as a favorite of mine. No doubt, the Pronghorn's curiosity can be used against him!

The small size and light weight of the HUD allowed me to combine two styles of hunting into one very effective method. The decoy never hindered my movement while walking, running, or belly crawling across the prairie. I believe that getting close to the Pronghorn before showing the decoy can be very effective and certainly creates excitement; the second those bucks start walking or running in, things happen very quickly.

Best of luck to everyone.

2010 Turkey Season

I have never had a top-of-the-line bow before and when the Hoyt Maxxis came out in 2010, I pretty much knew it was going to be my next bow. Vanderbilt's is our local pro shop and I was basically all-in with the Maxxis, the Hoyt quiver, and the Hoyt drop away rest. Turkey season was right around the corner and what better way to break in a new bow...and a new turkey decoy.

 A turkey decoy had been in the back of my mind since the beginning, but what kind of turkey decoy was the question. When the Heads Up Decoy Bow Mount materialized, it was designed with some really sinister thoughts of pronghorns at point-blank....and turkeys.

The original turkey decoy idea deviated from the integrity of the HUD's and it was time to rethink the turkey decoy concept and redirect. There were some sleepless nights, which isn't unusual for me given I am trying to get a new business off the ground. The first prototype deviated from my partial body concept, the second prototype was too expensive to sell, and the last prototype had one minor...well...major problem, "How to attach a real fan?"

Already into the turkey season, I was scrambling around trying to "rework" the decoy so I could actually get someone to purchase it in the future. I am not exactly sure how it came about, but the thought of cutting the center out of a strutting turkey and attaching a real fan seemed to be...well...doable. I cut out the center of my original prints and laid it on a fan I had and...bah-da-bing...bah-da-boom...there it was. It was go time. The Heads Up Tom Turkey Decoy was born and it was again, designed to be versatile.

My wife and I have 2 older children and 2 younger children and at the time, the youngest, Kori, was practically brand new. Turkey hunting time was limited at best, but one fine day I was able to accomplish what I set out to do with the HUD Tom Turkey. My goal was to smoke a tom with the decoy in the Bow Mount.

I was in the middle of a wide open pasture working a tom and hen when the tom had had enough of my presence. He left his hen and strutted right into me. I was hiding behind the decoy and fan inserted in the HUD Bow Mount. The tom strolled right in and I was able to easily draw my bow, settle, and...well...MISS! I buzzed the tom's head to the left with a Magnus Bullhead. The arrow flew true, but my aim was off. I had mixed emotions. I was totally STOKED that I was able to get a tom close enough to shoot with the decoy in the Bow Mount, but bummed that I missed when he was soooo close. I was trying to film myself and as the tom was approaching, I heard the camera die on me.

The next week found me picking just the right day to leave the day job early. I marinaded in Off bug spray and picked up prostaffer Justin Sherfick's Double Bull blind and camera. I nestled myself on the edge of an alfalfa field where we had seen turkeys spending the afternoon there on a daily basis. It wasn't long when activity began to pick up. Several hens came up and out of a small wooded draw and headed towards the creek to turn up cow pies. One lone tom later appeared and could not resist a look. He amble across the alfalfa field and strutted right into the decoy set. He was beautiful. Rio Grande tom turkeys are really beautiful birds.

I ranged the edge of the field where I assumed my shot would be. He strutted right in to that very spot eyeballing his competition. I settled my pin on his head and WHIFF! I gave the tom a reverse mohawk. I was utterly disappointed. I couldn't believe I missed again. Well, I did get some great footage.

The Heads Up Decoys are an exciting brand of decoys that are extremely effective and versatile. The Tom Turkey decoy is certainly one we will have loads of fun with. We look forward to the 2011 turkey season and hope to get some redemption. We wish everyone great success this turkey season and we hope the HUD's helps you. Please enjoy the footage by clicking the youtube link below.

2010 Turkey Hunt

Heads Up Decoy Tom Turkey Decoy

Heads Up Decoy is excited to finally introduce our version of a usable and versatile tom turkey decoy. The Heads Up Decoy Tom Turkey Decoy.

Honoring the integrity of our partial body decoy characteristics, the Heads Up Tom Turkey Decoy essentially takes the center circle of a strutting tom and gives it life by sliding a real turkey fan into the "Fan Slot". The "Fan Slot" secures the real turkey fan into anatomical position completing the decoy and adding realism.

 

As a veteran turkey hunter, I have seen many different turkey decoy set ups...and have used many decoy set ups myself. If a fan with no body can work, then a fan with a partial body will work better. And given the fact that...again...we have designed a hassle free decoy...I believe I have design the ultimate tom turkey decoy that embodies the term "versatility". Realism being obvious, versatility, and above all, usability is something I take great pride in when designing the Heads Up Decoys. I want the Heads Up Decoys to work in conventional settings, and to create opportunities when conventional tactics need to be abandoned and a more aggressive and unconventional application needs to be implemented.

As we have proved through the use of our other decoys, we believe this decoy will result in opportunities when opportunity doesn't seem likely because we have designed the "hassle" out of the decoy as can sometimes be the case with the 3D full bodies. I agree, the 3D Tom decoys look great, but they are pretty much stuck where you put them.

Wanted to touch on a few philosophies on why this ended up being the design. One...pretty much most experienced turkey hunters have chucked out a hen turkey decoy and "offed" a tom or a jake. And, pretty much most experienced turkey hunters have repeated this several times over...and if you haven't...you will. So, we do not include a turkey fan with this decoy. If you have a garage or shed full of fans, and you don't like toting a 3D around, but would like to have a tom or jake decoy...then this is the tom turkey decoy for you.Two...I personally believe that this decoy will be more effective than a 3D just because of the simple fact that you can create opportunities that may not have been available with the use of the other bulkier more cumbersome decoys.

The Heads Up Tom Turkey is very versatile. It is sold with a ground stake extension for conventional set ups, but can be used handheld to add movement if you are belly crawlin in the middle of the wide open. The turkey fan will mask your movement. Important point: The handle angle can change because the "Fan Slot" connections slide on the main support frame so you can use the decoy...or decoys...hint hint...in your Heads Up Decoy Bow Mount. In April 2010, I absolutely blew an opportunity to harvest a turkey with the decoy in the Bow Mount. He came right in and I buzzed his nugget at 20 yards...he would have come closer had I not thought I had him dead to rights. The Contour HD camera would have come in handy that day.

The decoy will be available for shipment beginning of February...or sooner. Thank you for your interest and please enjoy the 1 minute promo video I put together describing the decoy by clicking the link below. I CAN'T WAIT FOR APRIL!

Heads Up Tom Turkey Promo Video