Field Guide / Gear
The Best Deer Decoys for 2025
Hunters have been using decoys since early tribes roamed the plains and forests of North America centuries ago. Reports from the first settlers describe Powhatan Indians wearing buckskins with their heads attached for stalking whitetail bucks during the rut.
These and similar hunting tactics were common practices among several other Indian tribes. Along with deer calls, decoys have been modernized over the years, but the tactics remain fairly unchanged — because they still work.
If you have not hunted using large game decoys before, this can be an exciting new way to bring deer in close and can add another tool to your skillset to help you tag out this fall.
So, how should you get started with these decoys? Check out this guide and learn about some of our favorite deer decoys.
Updated June 9, 2025
Why Use Deer Decoys
Using a decoy can be a great strategy when you try to distract a wary buck or want to draw one closer into bow range when they otherwise wouldn’t have a reason to. But deer don’t just identify each other by sight; they also use their nose.
Deer will attempt to circle downwind to identify this new intruder before approaching face to face. Adding bottled deer urine to the ground underneath can add another level of realism to the setup and can help trick a buck into thinking this fake is the real deal.
Our 5 Favorite Deer Decoys for 2025
A good scent-and-decoy combination can help you divert attention away from you and lure this year’s target buck into bow or rifle range. So, here are our top five decoys for 2025.
1. Most Portable: Whitetail Buck Decoy from Heads Up DecoyPrice: $99.99 The Whitetail Buck Decoy from Heads Up Decoy is lightweight and foldable, weighing in at only fourteen ounces. This decoy doesn’t take up much room in a pack and is built to suit mobile and stationary ambush hunters alike. High visibility and detachable antlers add flexibility to your tactics and allow this decoy to be used as either a buck or a doe. With an optional bow mount or stand-alone clamp (both sold separately) for hands-free use, this deer decoy excels for solo hunts when calling and rattling during aggressive spots and stalks when bucks are in the lockdown phase of the rut and defending receptive does. |
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2. Most Realistic: Posturing Buck from Dave Smith DecoysPrice: $649.99 The Posturing Buck from Dave Smith Decoys is our pick for the most realistic decoy. Long known for their ultra-realistic turkey and waterfowl product lines, Dave Smith Decoys continues to make their decoys in the USA. The aggressive posturing in stance and attitude in the ears and body of this life-size decoy triggers a challenging response to any dominant bucks in the area looking for a fight. It comes with a field stake but can come with an optional field base ($49.99) for use on frozen or hard ground. Made with soft A.C.E. 2.0 material, this deer decoy is quiet when transported through the woods. At 35 pounds, it is the heaviest and most expensive decoy on the list. However, the level of realism makes up for any of those limitations and could be what it takes to fool the buck of a lifetime. |
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3. Best Bang for Your Buck: Montana Whitetail Dream Team Decoy ComboPrice: $129.99 The Montana Whitetail Dream Team Decoy Combo is a buck and doe duo that gives hunters the most situational opportunities for their dollar to use throughout the hunting season. Use the single doe as cover as you spot-and-stalk in open terrain or staked out as a confidence decoy in feeding situations during the late season. This cloth-printed combo is great during the peak rut when any dominant buck will take offense to this younger buck tending to what he thinks is a receptive female. |
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4. Best Doe: Flambeau Mates Series Grazing DoePrice: $165.99 The Flambeau Maters Series Grazing-Doe is a true-to-life size doe that works great as a confidence decoy, as the anatomically correct feeding pose will put other deer at ease. The lug and keyhole leg attachment design sets up quickly, and the legs and head fit in the body cavity for easy storage and transportation. However, carrying the decoy through the woods may be noisy. Opposable ears allow you to set the mood and adjust the attitude the decoy presents to other deer to best suit your specific hunting situation. |
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5. Best for Stalking: Ultimate Predator Whitetail Deer Stalker DecoyPrice: $84.95 Stalking decoys have been all the rage in western archery pronghorn and elk hunting circles for years, and now they’ve made their way into the whitetail woods. The Ultimate Predator Whitetail Deer Stalker Decoy is a hands-free system with a built-in shooting window and optional weapon mounting systems to conceal your approach. Built-in high visibility orange safety straps help you stay safe in the field and optional antlers add versatility by allowing you to display a doe or buck. |
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How to Know Where to Place Your Deer Decoys
So, with any of these decoys (or others you have in your gear setup), where should you put them? Learning how to use a deer decoy is as important as buying the right one for your hunt.
After finding the best place to hunt, the HuntWise map feature can help you find the best spot and circumstances in which to place your decoys. In larger fields or open terrain, use the Satellite + Contours layers to decide where the optimal place to set a decoy that can be easily seen in relation to any potential travel corridors you expect deer may enter or exit from.
HuntCast and WindCast will also help you determine the direction deer are likely to circle downwind to inspect your setup and the times and phases of the rut when bucks are most likely to be on their feet.
Learn more about decoy placement in the video below from our friend and HuntWise Pro John Dudley!
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