If you’re a regular visitor to this website, you know that I love decoying whitetails, especially during the rut. In the past, I’ve used a wide variety of decoys, including 3-D models from several manufacturers, as well as a couple of 2-D models from Montana Decoy Co.
My first year using the Trixie Whitetail Doe from Montana Decoy Co. was 2021; click here to read my field test report from that deer season. Because a few years have passed since that first field test, I thought I’d provide a brief update.
At the time of my first field test article, the only bucks that had seen Trixie on various South Dakota public land and walk-in properties were 1.5 year olds. I’m happy to report this has changed. In fact, as I write this update, it’s mid-November 2024, and I have a couple weeks of outstanding decoying time remaining this season. I mention this because I’m likely to have several more older buck encounters with Trixie in 2024, too.
As shown in the photo at the top of this page, my friend Scott was successful luring in a big-bodied 4x4 with Trixie in early November 2024. He hiked a half-mile on a South Dakota walk-in parcel and set up Trixie in a corner 20 minutes before legal shooting time. With a picked cornfield to the west, and thick bedding cover (cedars rimming a cattail swamp) to the east only 100 yards away, Scott placed Trixie in a grassy opening along a rutting buck’s likely cruising route between the bedding cover and food. He hid 20 yards downwind of Trixie in a makeshift natural ground blind beside a cedar.
The sun hadn’t peeked over the horizon when a 2.5-year-old 4x4 came in on a string and stopped 10 feet from Trixie’s tail to smell the doe-in-heat scent Scott had sprayed on the thigh-high grasses. The buck stood quartering away, staring at the decoy, while Scott drew his bow and sent an arrow on the way. Checkmate!
A few days before Scott’s success, I hiked into the same property and was set up in the identical corner, but sitting in a different cedar ground blind due to opposite winds. At daybreak, I had a 1.5-year-old buck come off the picked corn and interact with Trixie, then 15 minutes later a dandy 2.5-year-old approached from the same direction and offered me numerous shooting opportunities from 15 yards. Because it was the first morning of a 10-day whitetail vacation, I passed. I simply didn’t want my SoDak season to be over too soon.
Lessons Learned
What I’ve learned from four deer seasons with Trixie is that bucks don’t seem concerned about 2-D vs. 3-D. Bucks, even older ones, will walk behind Trixie (the skinny side), and they don’t react negatively. Of course, I can’t tell you what’s going on in their brain, but losing sight of the 2-D decoy for a second or two as they circle Trixie doesn’t cause them alarm.
As I stated in my first review, you must pay attention to wind speed when using Trixie. If the wind is blowing more than 10 or 12 mph, which is common on the South Dakota prairie, you must face the decoy directly into or away from the wind, otherwise it will push her over to the side too much to look natural. Of course, you want bucks to see either side of the decoy from a distance, so care must be taken when planning on whether Trixie will work on a windy day, depending on the terrain and available ground blind or treestand locations.
Regarding odor control: Before heading into the field, I cover Trixie with an unscented odor-killing spray such as Dead Down Wind Field Spray or Wildlife Research Center Scent Killer Gold. After this step, I’m careful to never touch the decoy or stakes with bare hands; I always use the same pair of clean leather gloves when handling it. After placing Trixie in the desired spot, spray doe-in-heat scent on grasses/brush just behind the decoy.
I’ll end this update with a reminder: Practice folding Trixie so it becomes second nature. Even though I understand the concept of how to fold it, I seem to forget from year to year the best method to fold it into a compact package. Watch the YouTube clip below, position your hands in the exact manner shown, and the decoy will collapse as shown. (And don’t forget to wear gloves after spraying it with an odor-killer.)
