This was a late October hunt in 2018. We were able to get access to a new area. It was mostly a scouting mission unit late evening when I slipped down the slope to a cedar thicket. I clamped the Heads Up Whitetail Buck Decoy and Whitetail Doe Decoy in front of me. There was a deep cut in the side hill of this canyon. I positioned the decoys anticipating there to be a bedded buck within ear shot of a calling and rattling sequence. The idea was to roust a buck out of the deep cut to see the decoys front and center. Seeing the decoys, he'd come in to ruin the party only to be shot at close range.
Like many times, deer do not follow the script. One of the reasons I like having control of the decoys. In this case, both were clamped to the brush a few yards from me. A buck sure enough appeared several hundred yards away. When I first saw him he was on a dead run to my set up. The closer he got the slower he moved.
Because he came from a slightly different direction than anticipated, my decoys were not perfectly set up for him to easily see them. Which is the reason I like having control of the decoy. this buck actually worked his way passed me and then eventually saw them again. He crossed the creek and started closing the distance. In the waning minutes of last shooting light, the wind had laid down and thermals kicked in taking my scent directly to him. The jig was up, but nonetheless it was a great hunt.
