Should I get a motion decoy (mojo )
- Thread starter Lodgepole
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Big Flounder
New member
I don't hunt without one anymore. I've got the FOXPRO Jack Jr and like it. When I do manage to call a coyote in they're focused on that motion decoy and pay no attention to the fat guy sitting in the fence row brush.
DiRTY DOG
Well-known member
No. It's one more thing to purchase and carry around. And batteries. And maintain. I've had too many decoys stop working, or start making noise, or start wobbling. The Foxpro FoxJack is good but it adds a lot of weight. Some predators seem to get spooked by decoys, especially ones that get surprised by it up close.
Anymore I just use a couple of duck feathers on a piece of fishing line and hang it from a stick or whatever. It weighs nothing and I store it in the Foxpro speaker. Perhaps sometimes it gets their attention or at least keeps them focused away from me. I don't know if it really works, most of the time I simply use it as a wind indicator to see where the wind is carrying my scent. If a predator locks eyes on it, that's just a bonus.
Anymore I just use a couple of duck feathers on a piece of fishing line and hang it from a stick or whatever. It weighs nothing and I store it in the Foxpro speaker. Perhaps sometimes it gets their attention or at least keeps them focused away from me. I don't know if it really works, most of the time I simply use it as a wind indicator to see where the wind is carrying my scent. If a predator locks eyes on it, that's just a bonus.
IdahoSawtooth
Member
Feather on a stick works great. I use a turkey feather they can spot it further away.
No Off Season
New member
The added cost, the longevity or lack of has been addressed.
I'll admit that they do work on occasion. However I find that call placement is one of the biggest keys to success when you have coyotes approach. You never know where they MAY come from but usually a pretty good idea of it. So NOT placing the call in what will likely be the direct line of sight or cone is a great bet.
When you are out, sometime just relax and soak it all in. If you run the call a little in an area that you feel good about seeing one, then cut it off and just wait. You can see that if one is working it's way into you, they will be looking at and can come right to THE SPOT that the call is! Not just in the general area. They know the SPOT. Having seen this so many times you really get a better appreciation for the guys that hand call. I use hand calls and howlers but no where near the amount of using electronic. With the remote and extensive range it greatly increases the odds when placed out front and off to a side.
Do I have one, yes. Do I use it, not often. It is something extra to tote and keep up with. Answering your question. NO, unless you just want the added task of tote, placement and perceived advantage.
I'll admit that they do work on occasion. However I find that call placement is one of the biggest keys to success when you have coyotes approach. You never know where they MAY come from but usually a pretty good idea of it. So NOT placing the call in what will likely be the direct line of sight or cone is a great bet.
When you are out, sometime just relax and soak it all in. If you run the call a little in an area that you feel good about seeing one, then cut it off and just wait. You can see that if one is working it's way into you, they will be looking at and can come right to THE SPOT that the call is! Not just in the general area. They know the SPOT. Having seen this so many times you really get a better appreciation for the guys that hand call. I use hand calls and howlers but no where near the amount of using electronic. With the remote and extensive range it greatly increases the odds when placed out front and off to a side.
Do I have one, yes. Do I use it, not often. It is something extra to tote and keep up with. Answering your question. NO, unless you just want the added task of tote, placement and perceived advantage.
WeaselCircus
Member
I tried using a Mojo Critter decoy for a number of sets last year. My experience was that it worked almost too well - so rather than having a coyote slink in slowly trying to find the source of the sound, I was having them burst out of the brush at a full run (most times before I even saw them coming), grab or nearly grab the decoy, then immediately run off at full speed when they realized it was a fake. Might be good if you are shotgunning, but not so much for a rifle. Oh, then like Dirty Dog mentioned the decoy broke after the 3rd time out. So not worth buying another and packing around to me.
SlickerThanSnot
New member
Originally Posted By: Big FlounderI don't hunt without one anymore. I've got the FOXPRO Jack Jr and like it. When I do manage to call a coyote in they're focused on that motion decoy and pay no attention to the fat guy sitting in the fence row brush.
curious, where is that motion decoy in relation to the caller?
is it attached to it? sitting next to it. 3 feet from it? 12 feet from it?
curious, where is that motion decoy in relation to the caller?
is it attached to it? sitting next to it. 3 feet from it? 12 feet from it?
Dealer's choice. On the + side, as Gary said, they are the cat's meow for cats. Coyotes probably 50-50. I've had some coyotes come in so intent on the decoy that you couldn't bark them to a stop on a bet.
The Jack Daddy works for me. I hunt coyotes primarily, but love to watch/photograph cats and the brush country is home to lots of cats.
I like to set up the call and decoy a short way apart. The constant bird sound has distracted many coyotes that, as has been stated, come out of the brush knowing the exact location of the call, whether it is silent or not at the time. They are often confused by the bird sound and motion off to one side and lock in on it long enough for a shot.
In more open terrain, if the coyote has spotted the decoy from afar, he will often blow in for a quick "drive by" making it hard to impossible to stop him for the shot.
I try to place decoy so that it is not visible to approaching coyotes until they are within rifle range to reduce the number of hard chargers.
As with anything else coyote, there are no constants.
Regards,
hm
The Jack Daddy works for me. I hunt coyotes primarily, but love to watch/photograph cats and the brush country is home to lots of cats.
I like to set up the call and decoy a short way apart. The constant bird sound has distracted many coyotes that, as has been stated, come out of the brush knowing the exact location of the call, whether it is silent or not at the time. They are often confused by the bird sound and motion off to one side and lock in on it long enough for a shot.
In more open terrain, if the coyote has spotted the decoy from afar, he will often blow in for a quick "drive by" making it hard to impossible to stop him for the shot.
I try to place decoy so that it is not visible to approaching coyotes until they are within rifle range to reduce the number of hard chargers.
As with anything else coyote, there are no constants.
Regards,
hm
Bail
New member
I don't make a set without one. I carry a shotgun and a rifle. Most of the coyotes I kill are with the shotgun and the decoy is the last thing they see. I think with batteries it might weigh 8-10 ounces. I've can count on one hand how many times coyotes have shied away from it. I've been doing this for 15 years. I also don't walk in 20 miles and I mostly hunt contests and only carry the necessities. I hunt everything from wide open prairie to tiny openings in the trees. You'll get different opinions on this like any other but for me I wouldn't hunt without it.
Big Flounder
New member
Originally Posted By: SlickerThanSnotOriginally Posted By: Big FlounderI don't hunt without one anymore. I've got the FOXPRO Jack Jr and like it. When I do manage to call a coyote in they're focused on that motion decoy and pay no attention to the fat guy sitting in the fence row brush.
curious, where is that motion decoy in relation to the caller?
is it attached to it? sitting next to it. 3 feet from it? 12 feet from it?
Mine is the model that stands alone, since my FoxPro Hellfire doesn't allow for an attached decoy. I usually have it 10 to 15 feet in front of the call.
That being said, I am still fairly new to predator hunting (this is my 3rd season) and don't have the experience the guys above do. Also, I'm hunting here in Indiana where I rarely have to walk in more than a 1/4 or 1/2 mile to hunt a field or woodlot. So the extra weight doesn't bother me, especially since I carry all my gear in a good pack. If I were hunting out west and having to walk in quite a ways, I'd probably carry less gear also.
And the guys have a point that I hadn't thought of. The coyotes I've shot since getting the motion decoy have all come charging in within a minute of switching from rabbit in distress to coyote pups in distress. Plus when I try to get them to stop, they want nothing to do with it.
I think I'll start putting the decoy out on half my stands and see what how it changes my results. Do a little experimenting so to speak.
curious, where is that motion decoy in relation to the caller?
is it attached to it? sitting next to it. 3 feet from it? 12 feet from it?
Mine is the model that stands alone, since my FoxPro Hellfire doesn't allow for an attached decoy. I usually have it 10 to 15 feet in front of the call.
That being said, I am still fairly new to predator hunting (this is my 3rd season) and don't have the experience the guys above do. Also, I'm hunting here in Indiana where I rarely have to walk in more than a 1/4 or 1/2 mile to hunt a field or woodlot. So the extra weight doesn't bother me, especially since I carry all my gear in a good pack. If I were hunting out west and having to walk in quite a ways, I'd probably carry less gear also.
And the guys have a point that I hadn't thought of. The coyotes I've shot since getting the motion decoy have all come charging in within a minute of switching from rabbit in distress to coyote pups in distress. Plus when I try to get them to stop, they want nothing to do with it.
I think I'll start putting the decoy out on half my stands and see what how it changes my results. Do a little experimenting so to speak.
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AWS
Custom Accessory Maker & Retired PM Staff
I use one a lot and have a half dozen sitting here, a few of them raffle prizes from the PM Convention. I like them but don't use them on every stand. I like to set them so they can be seen from a long distance, a coyote coming up on one at short yardage will spook him.
With a decoy you can get away with a lot of movement. At the convention we hunted three hunters at most of the stands and one was a newbie that had never shot a coyote before and sitting still on a stand was not one of his greatest attributes. In the three days he was there he killed his first coyote, his first double and another and was able to miss a few more. I attribute some of his getting these chances to having coyotes distracted by a decoy.
It isn't a must but just another tool that might put a couple more coyote on the boards.
With a decoy you can get away with a lot of movement. At the convention we hunted three hunters at most of the stands and one was a newbie that had never shot a coyote before and sitting still on a stand was not one of his greatest attributes. In the three days he was there he killed his first coyote, his first double and another and was able to miss a few more. I attribute some of his getting these chances to having coyotes distracted by a decoy.
It isn't a must but just another tool that might put a couple more coyote on the boards.
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SlickerThanSnot
New member
Originally Posted By: Big FlounderI think I'll start putting the decoy out on half my stands and see what how it changes my results. Do a little experimenting so to speak.
i think that would be wise. i tried decoys in my early years of coyote hunting. lots of different decoys. i really did give decoys a fair shake. learned i kill more coyotes by not using decoys. i kill most with a shotgun at fairly close range.
but i guess others do like using decoys. whatever floats your boat and all that.
i think that would be wise. i tried decoys in my early years of coyote hunting. lots of different decoys. i really did give decoys a fair shake. learned i kill more coyotes by not using decoys. i kill most with a shotgun at fairly close range.
but i guess others do like using decoys. whatever floats your boat and all that.
I found that my success rate fell when I was hunting coyotes while using a decoy. That made no sense to me, since I had heard people rave about decoys. After some pondering I realized that my stands were not set up as well when I was using the decoy. I tended to rely too much on the decoy to compensate for a poorly set up stand. So I ditched the decoy and my success rate went right back to normal.
As some of the guys have stated, decoys with cats can be more successful than with coyotes.
I find that if you set up your stands correctly, that by the time a decoy would have factored in, the coyote should be on the ground.
As some of the guys have stated, decoys with cats can be more successful than with coyotes.
I find that if you set up your stands correctly, that by the time a decoy would have factored in, the coyote should be on the ground.
AWS
Custom Accessory Maker & Retired PM Staff
I've had coyotes sit under the decoy looking up either waiting for it to die and fall out of the bush or trying to figure out how to reach it. I've had them jump up and rip them out of a bush, last year I had a big old coyote just about run over my nephew then launch himself at a dead run four feet into the air and grab a decoy while flying past it, he died when he hit the ground on the other side..
I hunt a lot of tall sage in rolling hills, coyotes that I can't see can spot the decoy from hundreds of yards away and come into the clearing completely focused on the decoy and call.
I hunt a lot of tall sage in rolling hills, coyotes that I can't see can spot the decoy from hundreds of yards away and come into the clearing completely focused on the decoy and call.
tripod3
New member
I have had groups of coyotes come in and stop inside of 100 yds and sit or even lay to watch the decoy. Have even had them whiz while watching.
Not being able to stand, the shots are sometimes impossible.
At that moment I remember a guy here saying something like a decoy won't get a coyote already coming in to something else.
Not being able to stand, the shots are sometimes impossible.
At that moment I remember a guy here saying something like a decoy won't get a coyote already coming in to something else.
Thanks ! We have lots of timbered public land with not much meadows or open land. I am beginning to think I would be more successful trying to call the more open timber than trying to get them out into the few open areas we have.I guess it is a toss up of opinions if they help .For about $60 I might see if I get more fur. They might be $70 -$ 100 this year.You guys are a great help and I really appreciate you input .Not nearly the coyotes there was 10 years ago as I guess the wolves have had their way with their canine kin folk !
SlickerThanSnot
New member
Originally Posted By: SnowmanMo
I find that if you set up your stands correctly, that by the time a decoy would have factored in, the coyote should be on the ground.
pretty much my thoughts also.
I find that if you set up your stands correctly, that by the time a decoy would have factored in, the coyote should be on the ground.
pretty much my thoughts also.
Here are a couple of different setups in which I believe the Jack Daddy played an important role in presenting the shot.
#1 was up close and personal. Setup was, as is usually the case, dictated by the terrain. We had to sit within 35-40 yards of the brush line from which we hoped to, and did, draw a coyote. Parking the jeep out of sight was very difficult, and I suspect the coyote, while charging the decoy either smelled or caught a glimpse of the jeep and changed course. He was definitely locked in on the decoy, which was, due to the small opening, placed closer to the call than I prefer.
On the last stand, we sat in the edge of brush line with call 20 yards front left and decoy front right. This coyote was approaching with caution, stopped multiple times to observe the decoy and finally paused, staring at the decoy, long enough for the shot.
Just two examples of setups with the decoy that worked, as planned. There have been a number of times that the coyote got too close downwind of the decoy and spooked, blowing the chance for a shot.
Can't say I disagree with any of the comments by others, but I plan to continue using the decoy. They rule w/cats (the bird audible shines on the Jack Daddy for both coyotes but especially cats) and I am just as happy calling and watching cats as I am shooting coyotes.
Regards,
hm
#1 was up close and personal. Setup was, as is usually the case, dictated by the terrain. We had to sit within 35-40 yards of the brush line from which we hoped to, and did, draw a coyote. Parking the jeep out of sight was very difficult, and I suspect the coyote, while charging the decoy either smelled or caught a glimpse of the jeep and changed course. He was definitely locked in on the decoy, which was, due to the small opening, placed closer to the call than I prefer.
On the last stand, we sat in the edge of brush line with call 20 yards front left and decoy front right. This coyote was approaching with caution, stopped multiple times to observe the decoy and finally paused, staring at the decoy, long enough for the shot.
Just two examples of setups with the decoy that worked, as planned. There have been a number of times that the coyote got too close downwind of the decoy and spooked, blowing the chance for a shot.
Can't say I disagree with any of the comments by others, but I plan to continue using the decoy. They rule w/cats (the bird audible shines on the Jack Daddy for both coyotes but especially cats) and I am just as happy calling and watching cats as I am shooting coyotes.
Regards,
hm