When the rut is still going, not much gets a big buck riled up quite like a decoy. In fact, deployed at the right time, a whitetail decoy will sometimes be more effective than any other method out there for getting a big buck to drop his guard. Case in point is the amazing trail camera video captured by the Deer Society and posted to YouTube. Post-rut, this big buck falls for the same decoy trick not once, not twice, but three separate times. And it's fascinating to watch how he reacts to each encounter.
In the first encounter, the buck is spoiling for a fight. He pins his ears back, his hair rises, and he doesn't hesitate to ram the decoy out of frame. He does the same thing in the second encounter, albeit a little more cautiously. In the third encounter, his interest is still piqued, but he may have finally figured out the new rival invading his turf is a big chunk of foam and plastic.
This just goes to show how a decoy can draw a buck in when all other methods fail. That little bit of visual stimuli is sometimes all that's needed. If you can add a little scent and a grunt call into the mix, it's a potentially lethal combination for whitetails.
It seems the buck finally started to grow wise to the ruse by the third time. However, there was still clearly enough testosterone flowing that he felt the need to scope out this rival and at least give him a stare-down. It's always fascinating to watch these animals react to a decoy.
We can't help but wonder what must have been running through this buck's mind after the decoy went to pieces both times. The buck must have been very confused when his rival showed up again intact.
