Oscar the imposter and Dolly the doe
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Oscar the imposter and Dolly the doe
Long time to see ents. Every bowhunting season I try something new in regards to technique or gear. This year I am hunting completely new property since my uncle sold the family farm and these new properties that I am bowhunting lend themselves to something I have been wanting to further explore and that’s deer decoying so new lands and decoying is the focus for this season.
I had made a homemade buck decoy about 25 years ago but the old family farm was mostly river bottom and cedar swamp too thick for the sight lines required for effective decoying. So the homemade buck decoy has been sitting in the chicken coop at my parent’s farm for the last 25 years. I knew I would return to decoying at some point but I didn’t think it would take 25 years. Last week I bought a used Flambeau boss buck decoy off Craigslist and after reading about decoying during the rut I will add a bedded doe decoy to the set . FYI, everything I have read says leave antler off the buck to make him look weak and the more dominant buck will approach the decoy from the missing antler side. I plan to test that theory.
So I retrieved the old homemade buck decoy from the coop and set about doing a sex change operation to convert the standing buck decoy to a bedded doe. Over the years this decoy has deteriorated quite a bit. The homemade ears are gone and the body is pretty dented up but its still repairable. Like most ladies, Dolly has many facets and layers.
Back in the day I tried my hand at taxidermy so I made the front half of that old decoy with a shoulder mount, form from Van void’s Taxidermy supply. I added glass eyes and painted it with latex paint. I made the body from several layers of 1 inch thick, blue construction foam and wood and then carved it with my mother’s electric turkey carving knife. (oh the memories)
I needed to turn this heavy necked foam form into a skinny neck doe so I upgraded my tools and employed a sawsall with a long blade to take several inches off the neck of this form. Then I sawed off the bottom of the body and added a plywood base since it is supposed to be a bedded doe.
Then I painted her with flat brown paint, a little black and some white paint. For the ears I used an old plastic Easter basket that I cut apart and made wooden bases with a wire inserted into it so I can add and remove the ears as needed. I painted the ears brown, white and black. Not bad for an old Easter basket.
To add motion to both decoys I cut out a tyvek house wrap tail since its nice and white and thin and waterproof and will flap in the breeze. I then covered the tyvek with a smaller tail cut out of brown fabric. I added tyvek to the ears so they move in the breeze. The ear tyveck is held on with a Velcro patch. Here is the tail moving is a very modest breeze.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnxXlOjH ... e=youtu.be
Dolly the Doe
Oscar the imposter and Dolly the doe.
Now I have to wait for Dolly to get rid of that new doe smell by leaving her out in the sun and rain for the next 3 weeks as I wait for the pre-rut and then set the video camera out during some field hunts.
I had made a homemade buck decoy about 25 years ago but the old family farm was mostly river bottom and cedar swamp too thick for the sight lines required for effective decoying. So the homemade buck decoy has been sitting in the chicken coop at my parent’s farm for the last 25 years. I knew I would return to decoying at some point but I didn’t think it would take 25 years. Last week I bought a used Flambeau boss buck decoy off Craigslist and after reading about decoying during the rut I will add a bedded doe decoy to the set . FYI, everything I have read says leave antler off the buck to make him look weak and the more dominant buck will approach the decoy from the missing antler side. I plan to test that theory.
So I retrieved the old homemade buck decoy from the coop and set about doing a sex change operation to convert the standing buck decoy to a bedded doe. Over the years this decoy has deteriorated quite a bit. The homemade ears are gone and the body is pretty dented up but its still repairable. Like most ladies, Dolly has many facets and layers.
Back in the day I tried my hand at taxidermy so I made the front half of that old decoy with a shoulder mount, form from Van void’s Taxidermy supply. I added glass eyes and painted it with latex paint. I made the body from several layers of 1 inch thick, blue construction foam and wood and then carved it with my mother’s electric turkey carving knife. (oh the memories)
I needed to turn this heavy necked foam form into a skinny neck doe so I upgraded my tools and employed a sawsall with a long blade to take several inches off the neck of this form. Then I sawed off the bottom of the body and added a plywood base since it is supposed to be a bedded doe.
Then I painted her with flat brown paint, a little black and some white paint. For the ears I used an old plastic Easter basket that I cut apart and made wooden bases with a wire inserted into it so I can add and remove the ears as needed. I painted the ears brown, white and black. Not bad for an old Easter basket.
To add motion to both decoys I cut out a tyvek house wrap tail since its nice and white and thin and waterproof and will flap in the breeze. I then covered the tyvek with a smaller tail cut out of brown fabric. I added tyvek to the ears so they move in the breeze. The ear tyveck is held on with a Velcro patch. Here is the tail moving is a very modest breeze.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnxXlOjH ... e=youtu.be
Dolly the Doe
Oscar the imposter and Dolly the doe.
Now I have to wait for Dolly to get rid of that new doe smell by leaving her out in the sun and rain for the next 3 weeks as I wait for the pre-rut and then set the video camera out during some field hunts.
- Jackson Marsh
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Re: Oscar the imposter and Dolly the doe
Cool! Good luck with them this season. Videoing the deer reaction to the decoys will be interesting.
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- Mario
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Re: Oscar the imposter and Dolly the doe
I will be interested to see the reaction you get with them.. they look good!
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Re: Oscar the imposter and Dolly the doe
Cool, like to see how it turns out...
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- Stanley
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Re: Oscar the imposter and Dolly the doe
Love the idea.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Oscar the imposter and Dolly the doe
Glad to see you post RC!
Nice work as usual...
Nice work as usual...
Expect the Unexpected when you least Expect it...
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Re: Oscar the imposter and Dolly the doe
looking forward to the results RC
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Re: Oscar the imposter and Dolly the doe
Looks cool, How will you get them to your stand?
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Re: Oscar the imposter and Dolly the doe
Good luck. I take the decoy out once or twice a year during the rut on private land. Its a hoot!
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- Black Squirrel
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Re: Oscar the imposter and Dolly the doe
Looks awesome, have fun!
I have killed a few bucks over a 2 dimensional foam core decoy during the rut. It's certainly a different tactic, and a lot of fun. I Stalked about 100 yards on a hot doe and 3.5 yr old buck across a cut corn field to get about 50 yards away. The doe finally came to her senses and bugged out with the buck:-) I used the 2D decoy like seen a prong horn hunter used one on a stalk. It blew my mind. I'm confident with a 40 yard shot, but the wind was to strong for me take the chance at 50.
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I have killed a few bucks over a 2 dimensional foam core decoy during the rut. It's certainly a different tactic, and a lot of fun. I Stalked about 100 yards on a hot doe and 3.5 yr old buck across a cut corn field to get about 50 yards away. The doe finally came to her senses and bugged out with the buck:-) I used the 2D decoy like seen a prong horn hunter used one on a stalk. It blew my mind. I'm confident with a 40 yard shot, but the wind was to strong for me take the chance at 50.
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[glow=red]Happiness is only a gut pile away[/glow]
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Re: Oscar the imposter and Dolly the doe
I am thinking about putting out a decoy this year when i hunt Iowa and wanted to try a bedded doe with a buck as well. I have had bucks come in to the buck decoy in the past and they always approach head on. My thought was to have the doe facing the buck since they like to approach does from behind. Have you decided on your set up?
- Southern Man
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Re: Oscar the imposter and Dolly the doe
Love it. Great job... as usual.
You Can't Argue With A Sick Mind
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Re: Oscar the imposter and Dolly the doe
binney59 wrote:I am thinking about putting out a decoy this year when i hunt Iowa and wanted to try a bedded doe with a buck as well. I have had bucks come in to the buck decoy in the past and they always approach head on. My thought was to have the doe facing the buck since they like to approach does from behind. Have you decided on your set up?
Just as you described plus I might add another bedded doe for the calming effect of a "herd" out in the field.
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Re: Oscar the imposter and Dolly the doe
Million dollar idea.... Run with it
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go DEEP or go HOME
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