Deer Decoys, Chair Blinds and Crossbows
By Glen Wunderlich
The whitetail action is hot and furious in mid-Michigan! If you’ve had enough of political mudslinging, how ‘bout doing some slinging of your own! I’m talking arrows or bolts, whatever your flavor may be, before the gaggle of gunners descends upon the land in less than two weeks.
It’s no secret that whitetail bucks are prone to lose their wariness during the rut, or breeding period, if you will. It is that time. I’ll focus on a particular strategy that can produce heart-pounding excitement and effectiveness, although very few hunters may have attempted it.
The concept involves a portable blind, a vertical bow or crossbow, and a deer decoy. For those with conventional archery gear, blinds tall enough to accommodate the upward limits of a bow may be used, although natural ground blinds or even treestands will do. However, a more particular method involves compact, one-person chair blinds and reverse limb (aka reverse draw) crossbows such as the Horton Fury (or older Vision), the Barnett Vengeance, or Scorpyd models.
Although chair blinds may have been intended for firearms, they can serve double-duty for the above-cited, narrow-design crossbows. The unique design of chair blinds makes for easy concealment, shelter, comfort, portability, economy, and strength to stand up to the harshest elements over the course of a season. Ameristep makes them in one and two-man configurations and other manufactures produce them, as well.
Chair Blind
The totally portable one-person models are quite restrictive, however, and allow no more than a 90-degree field of shooting opportunity in the forward direction. Although such limitation may seem too slight, the tight maneuverability can be an asset at the same time with compact reverse draw crossbows. Here’s why: Because a hunter’s only option is to shoot almost directly in front, there is no need or possibility to be spinning around looking for a shot, only to be busted by wary whitetails; it simply cannot be done.
Experience has demonstrated to me over the years that deer will pick off a portable blind and look directly toward it, if they get within sight of it. By tucking it into cover some 10 yards or so, it can be undetected until the cautious critters are in a hunter’s sights. Because the hunter remains neatly seated inside with the compact crossbow in the ready position, the bow can obstruct a deer’s view of the hunter’s face, thus adding a level of camouflage, which is especially useful for hunters wearing eye glasses.
Since decoy tactics abound online and in print elsewhere, I’ll only add a few recommendations: Place them in a position that assumes bucks will get downwind of them; silhouette decoys such as Montana decoys work well, but only without strong winds; and, finally, dispense cover scent around (not on) the decoy – and, your boots, while positioning the accomplice.
In one startling moment, the action can be in-your-face, adrenaline pumping, nuts. In fact, this past week, I’ve had two deer actually touch the decoy with their noses. Another doe ran half circles within feet of the decoy in an obvious attempt to get a reaction. It’s totally unpredictable!
Our northern whitetail’s narrow window of conception is upon us, and if you haven’t got the shivers with the quivers yet this season, check with your doctor to make sure your heart can take it.
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