- Chris Campanelli
Utilizing the StandGuard Decoy During the Season
Hunting pressure is one of the most underrated factors in deer hunting. We know that deer can thrive with proper food and habitat, but we often neglect the fact that whitetails need an absence of human pressure to truly thrive. We can see this at play in many states across America.
Those states like Iowa that regulate hunting pressure to perfection tend to produce the biggest bucks.
The conundrum of human pressure and deer hunting will never be completely rectified. As long as we have to physically be in the field, and let's all pray that the day never comes where we have some autonomous deer hunting technology, there will be pressure on whitetails. The most we can do is play it smart and try to reduce that pressure as much as possible. Better yet, we can try to condition deer to human presence.
Look no further than the thriving state of suburban deer hunting to see how whitetails can adapt to human pressure. Whitetails in the suburbs are so used to seeing humans that they may even feed as Mr. Jones mows his lawn. I know that the deer are like that in my suburban neighborhood.
If whitetails can be conditioned to be moderately comfortable around lawn mowers and playing children, why can't they be conditioned to the presence of a hunter in a treestand? They certainly can be, and that's where the StandGuard Decoy comes into play.
We have introduced you guys to the StandGuard previously, and it's definitely one of our favorite new products in the industry. Replicating the silhouette of a human sitting in the treestand, the StandGuard Decoy is your secret weapon when it comes to reducing human pressure. Desensitizing deer to that glimpse of a larger being sitting on or off of the ground.
A lot of folks see the StandGuard and question how it could be useful during the actual hunting season. In fact, that was one of our chief concerns when we stumbled upon the decoy at the 2019 ATA Show. How can it possibly work simultaneously as I am coming to and from the stand to actually hunt?
To our surprise, the StandGuard really shines during the season. I like to think of it as keeping the deer guessing around the clock. A 24/7 presence that helps to eliminate that shock factor when a deer looks up at a typically empty treestand to see a human being peering back at them. With the StandGuard, the sight of a hunter in the tree becomes second nature.
That could mean an extra couple of seconds of calm that allows a bowhunter to draw and release a successful arrow.
The StandGuard is far from a pre-season exclusive. It truly brings year-round utility to the table, and that makes all of the difference. Not to mention that hunting with the decoy is as simple as could be. You simply collapse the decoy, fold it and buckle it to the tree. It's out of your way until the hunt is over.
It's really an incredible tool that makes so much sense it's silly. We provide endless amounts of food, work our tails off providing good habitat, but we almost always fail to go the extra mile when it comes to reducing human pressure. The StandGuard has a unique angle when it comes to reducing pressure and conditioning deer.
While the decoy certainly can't guarantee that deer will never spook at the sight of a hunter, it can only help to make that sight second-nature. That could be just the dose of comfort needed to keep a weary buck in shooting range for a bit longer.