Decoy with real deer tail that wags
Whitetail Deer
I had an idea to add a real deer tail to a decoy so here's what I did...
I started with a deboned tail off of a buck I killed last year. I soaked it for a couple days in a bucket of water and no-scent soap, rinsed it well and then hung it to dry for a couple days. Then I picked up a screen door spring from Menards.
I poured borax into the hide incision to preserve the hide.
I used some 14lb test Berkley Fireline and a curved needle to stitch the tail around the spring
I used some 14lb test Berkley Fireline and a curved needle to stitch the tail around the spring
Hey Mike:
Back when I used to hunt from a treestand I rigged up a piece of fishing line from the tail to a tiny pulley on a limb above my stand, then down to a small foot pedal at my feet. Worked pretty slick.
When I left and took the decoy, I just unclipped the line and attached it to the bark at the base of the tree. When I got back, it took only seconds to reattach and it was ready to go.
Finished tail.
Sorry about the double post above, I lost track of where I was...
I had previously drilled holes in the rump of my decoy through the tail knob while I was experimenting with the spring and tail. I decided it would look better with the knob that the plastic tail attaches to removed so I cut it off with a hack saw.
You're getting ahead of me Jaquomo_feral :^)
I discovered after cutting the knob off that the hole I drilled was now too big for the spring. I started to wrap some duct tape around the spring to fill the gap but then I had a better idea. I cut a piece of vinyl hose that I had lying around and slid it over the spring. It fit very snugly over the spring and also held the spring very tightly into the hole in the decoy’s rump. It was perfect.
After sliding the spring into the decoy’s rump it seemed like the tail was sticking a little too straight out.
I took a piece of coat hanger wire and bent it to double it up so it would be stronger and fit snugly inside the spring.
I inserted the wire into the spring. The wire inside of the spring allows me to bend the wire to change the angle of the tail or put an arch in it.
After experimenting with the tail I trimmed the spring and made it shorter a little at a time so I didn’t mess anything up. I ended trimming the spring pretty short and wrapped the end with some Gorilla tape.
I tied some fishing line to the loop in the end of the spring and inserted the tail into the decoy. The idea is that I can sit in my treestand and pull on the fishing line to make the tail twitch as needed. The spring allows the tail to twitch back and forth a couple times with one tug of the fishing line and the motion is pretty realistic. The tail might be a little big for the decoy but I don’t think the deer will notice…
The tail looks a little bigger than it really is from the rear view because it's closer to the camera.
Very cool.
How will you route your fishing line to your treestand?
Also....I assume when you tug on the fishing line you are actually pulling the bottom of the tail toward you as I assume you have your decoy quartering toward you.
Is this correct?
Thanks Bowfreak,
I'm not sure on the routing. I might just run it directly to me. Yes, I would be pulling the bottom of the tail forward on the decoy and toward my side. The tail would twitch at an angle then rather than perfectly side to side. I don't know if it would matter though.
I also thought I could take an eye-bolt with wood threads and screw the eye-bolt into a tree directly perpendicular to the decoy and run the line through it and up to my stand. That way the tail would twitch side to side.
I like the idea of the eye bolt. Very cool. I will save the tail of the next mature doe I shoot (figure it would be more the size of my decoy) and try something like this. Thanks!
Very nice,, I tried to rig tails before and did not have anything like yours. I did however buy a tail wagger kit which twitches the tail every 8 or 16 seconds with battery power.best 49 bucks I spent
I've used my modified Redi-doe w/antlers for the past two seasons and I have yet to have a deer react negatively to it. It has real antlers and taxidermy eyes. I brought in two basket 8's last year and I just had two successful decoying encounters this season. Sunday evening I brought in a yearling buck on a field edge. He approached head on, then circled to his blind side, which was up wind. He hung around a few minute then turned and left, then a lone yearling doe came to it and that buck started following her in. She approached from head on, then circled behind him and feed in the field. They both left unalarmed. Then Monday night I was setup in the opposite corner of the field and had another buck come in and I think the same doe a little while later. I thought she just wanted to feed in the field, but I had rattled and grunted both evenings and she definitely came to my setup the second night. She came out of the same section of woods and purposely came to me. She was never interested in the other buck and I think she wanted a new boy friend. But it's not the first time I've called in does either.
Sorry, the point to my post is I don't think a moving tail is worth the effort. I do like the looks of that tail though and I would like to rig a lifelike tail like that on mine, but somehow make it so I can have it down or in a horizontal position, but I don't want it to get damaged while transporting it. On that Monday hunt, the wind was wrong and I couldn't hunt out of my stand, so I set up in a ground blind. I packed in my gear similar to how I turkey hunt. I had my stand and chair in a 5 gallon bucket that is secured to a hand golf cart. I also put the legs to the decoy in the bucket, then had the torso in a decoy bag on my back and secured the head with antlers and ears to the blind with the synch strap on the cart.
The tail I use is a light foam one that came with my Tail Wager that I attach with an all weather velcro. I keep the tail in my pocket while transporting it. I added white maribou to the underside of the tail so when the wind blows the maribou moves. I also added white maribou to the inside of the ears and some black maribou to the eyes for eyelashes. This helps to create that subtle movement around the head and tail, where any big movements could startle them. Moving parts just have the propensity to fail or get damaged when you least expect it, or create unwanted sound.
It really wasn't a lot of effort. I have about 2 hours into it max which is nothing compared to some of my projects ;^) I guess I just like farting around with stuff especially when I get an idea in my head.
Even if movement doesn't matter much, I figured it would add some realism. Also, most of my hunting is in the woods rather than on field edges so a little movement might help bucks see the decoy.
With the wire inside the tail I can bend it and position it fairly straight out. And the tail pulls right out of the decoy for transport.
I tie flies so I'll have to dig out some maribou for the ears and eyelashes.
I go to Hobby Lobby and buy white and brown womens Boas. Fold white under the brown and cut to length. Zip tie end and zip tie top to screw in deer decoy butt. Moves in slightest wind because its feathers. Costs about six bucks for mateial for about six tails. Takes five minutes.
