Sometimes you have to nudge a coyote, fox or bobcat a bit to have them take that one last step from cover for a clear shot. Do it with decoys to improve your predator hunting success. The good news is you already may have a decoy in your hunting inventory that could do the trick.

Consider these decoy options the next time you head afield predator hunting, especially if you believe a little extra incentive is required for predator exposure.

Feather on a Stick

You may not have this decoy in your inventory, but simply revert to your childhood and embrace craft time in grade school. To make this decoy work you need to find a decent-sized bird feather, lightweight fishing line and a stake. A fluffy, turkey tail feather is ideal; lightly paint it white or gray if you want it to stand out in a shadowed backdrop.

Tie the fluffy feather to the line and attach the line to the stake. Now plant the stake in an upwind opening from where you intend to call. You may want to place your remote speaker nearby to authenticate the ruse. Finally, pray for a slight breeze to make the feather dance as you add the wails of something in pain.

This decoy is inexpensive to make, easy to assemble and deadly under the right wind conditions. Plus, it works for all species.

Duck, Duck, Goose

Are you a waterfowl hunting aficionado? If so your waterfowl decoy supply could hold the answer to luring a preying predator from nearby foliage. Field or floating decoys, whether stationary or lively, have the potential to catch the curiosity of any predator. Today, burgeoning populations of waterfowl invade urban and rural America alike proving predators with another food source.

A couple years ago I watched a sly red fox stalk ducks on a frozen pond. It almost found success. Had I not been sitting in a deer stand I would have definitely taken advantage of the situation, but regardless it did provide me with another option to employ when attempting to decoy predators.

Companies such as Mojo Outdoors stand out as leaders in the waterfowl motion decoy market. Even wind sock decoys can work with the right breeze. The addition of wailing waterfowl calls should definitely be a supplement to your setup.

Gobbler Fever

Use turkey decoys that move with the wind or the slight tug of a string to lure predators to your setup. (Photo by Mark Kayser)

On several occasions I’ve been front row to springtime coyotes stalking my turkey decoys. Several ended their marauding days with a load of Hornady Heavy Magnum Turkey to the noggin.

Since turkeys are as common as geese on a golf course, consider adding a turkey decoy to your predator hunting scheme. My experiences were in spring but any time works for a turkey decoy to lure in any predator species.

Your decoy should have some mobility. Most decoys bob on a stake with a slight breeze, but even in windless conditions you can add some bob to your decoy with a length of string attached to the decoy. Tug on it occasionally with some expressive yelps or putts of terror for the ruse to gain traction.

Deer Me

Since the majority of you hunt deer in addition to other species such as predators, there’s a good chance you or a close friend own a deer decoy. That decoy can prove to be the focal point of any predator hunt, especially for hungry coyotes. You may see pros using fawn decoys, but it’s more likely you have access to a buck or doe decoy in your hunting stash.

Like other decoys, place the deer, buck or doe, upwind and compliment it with a remote speaker. Deer bleats and bawling have the potential to bring a pack of coyotes into range. A tail wager kit goes a long way to make the piece of plastic look panicked.

Crow About It

Lastly, consider adding in a crow decoy or two into your setup. Coyotes, in particular, look to crows for signs of a meal to scavenge, but foxes aren’t opposed to easy pickings either.

Place your crow decoys on fence posts, tree limbs and maybe even set one on the ground. Hide the speaker nearby and start the cawing that is a standard sound on most digital callers.

Keep hidden and watch your movement as real crows characteristically show up for a reality-based setup. If the season is open you can always end a no-show predator hunt with a shotgun volley at responding crows.

All hunting pursuits have their economic limits, but you can save a few bucks on your predator decoys by utilizing what you already have at hand.