By Glen Wunderlich Outdoor Columnist Member Professional Outdoor Media Association
Hunters are always looking for an edge and good ones are always finding new ways to exploit a given animal’s vulnerabilities, while playing within the rules. It doesn’t seem to matter what position on the food chain an animal assumes, in its environment it demonstrates how much keener its senses are than ours. Some may not have the best sense of smell, such as the wild turkey, but its eyesight compares favorably to the finest optics from Germany. The whitetail’s eyes can be fooled by an experienced, motionless hunter, but if that hunter is upwind, the deer is gone in a flash, if he catches the scent in the breeze. Mother Nature has endowed all critters with a certain innate level of protection often mistaken by hunters as smartness; however, the hunter has the ability to top them all, if he exercises his brain.
With the advent of the hunting shows on television, a novice hunter can gain valuable lessons from the comfort of his living room. While I have nothing against books or magazines, trying to understand vocalizations made by animals from printed material proved impossible for me. For example, name the bird that sings this song: Madge, Madge, Madge, put-on-your-tea-kettle-ettle-ettle. Of course, anyone will recognize that description as one belonging to the common song sparrow. Or, not.
That’s all changed forever with shows on Versus, The Sportsmen’s Channel, Outdoor Channel, and others. Watching an expert turkey hunter work a slate call and how he sets up his blind and decoys, just about anyone can catch on with ease. But, a few weeks ago on Outdoor Channel, I was thoroughly astounded by a simple decoying tactic used on a show called “On Your Own Adventures” (www.OnYourOwnAdventures.com). As indicated on its website, the show is dedicated exclusively to non-guided hunting.
Hunt after hunt, I watched in awe as a couple of hunters were successful on government land for bear (without bait), elk, and finally antelope. And, it was the New Mexico antelope hunt that opened my eyes to a tactic I never dreamed of. Most people consider antelope hunting a long-range proposition, because of the keen eyesight of pronghorns.
But, these guys had a trick to try that even they were unsure of: A cow decoy. That’s right. A black and white cow silhouette with a light framework and a hole in the center used for spotting and shooting. They were laughing and so was I, as the two men closed the distance on on their quarry. Session after session, they approached within a stone’s throw of the wary animals, that were completely oblivious to their potential demise. If I remember correctly, they strolled within 80 yards and harvested a monster pronghorn with assistance from the Moo Cow decoy from Montana Decoy Company. (Check it out online.)
I had seen an archery hunter years ago successfully use a large antelope cutout decoy in the same manner. But, I couldn’t help but think some wild-eyed wacko might take a shot from long range into the decoy mistaking it for a trophy. But, hopefully, nobody is going to mistake a cow for a game animal.
Now I’m wondering how to make one myself to test on the neighborhood deer population. Stay tuned.
