Montana Decoy Antelope Fawn (Drew Pellman photo)
January 10, 2020
By Lynn Burkhead
When the first Archery Trade Show kicked off in Louisville back in 1997, the bowhunting industry was a little bit smaller than it is now. And for the most part, the items on display at what was then known as the AMO Archery Trade Show centered around bows, arrows, broadheads, stands and clothing.
Today, the aisles at the 24th annual rendition of the show in downtown Indianapolis feature plenty of the above items, but there are also countless booths filled with accessories and other goodies including decoys, calls, and attractants. With a new selection of such deer and big-game attractant products on display this week at the 2020 ATA Archery Trade Show, here’s a look at what’s new:
Montana Decoy Antelope Fawn For those who live out West, or perhaps even in portions of the Great Plains, an antelope fawn decoy from Montana Decoy offers a great way to trick old Wile E. Coyote into thinking he's got an easy meal this winter. Like the other big game and turkey decoys made by Montana Decoy, this fawn antelope model utilizes an actual photograph that can fool the best of them. Made of lightweight material, it is both easy to carry, fold up, and stuff in a pack or predator hunter’s vest. What’s more, the light weight can rustle just enough in a wind to convince an old song dog that he needs to come running in. Easy to use and extremely effective, this Montana Decoy can help turn a wintertime day into a predator hunt you’ll remember all year, and maybe even a few years from now when this year’s button buck turns into the monster whitetail of a lifetime. MSRP: $59.99 | montanadecoy.com
Primos Photoform Jake Decoy The folks at Primos are ready for spring turkey hunting, especially for those who like to use a decoy en route to filling their gobbler tag. Thanks to the new Primos Photoform Jake Decoy, there’s a new lightweight decoy option to consider, one that looks exactly like the real thing. Using 3D molded foam and a proprietary printing process that transfers an unbelievably realistic looking photograph to the decoy, the new Photoform Jake features exact coloration and details that will fool even the wariest of old toms into thinking that there’s an enterprising young whippersnapper invading the old boy’s hallowed turf. With realistic colors and a body posture sure to trigger a lovesick gobbler, this decoy is a run-and-gun spring turkey hunter’s delight due to its lightweight, high quality construction, and attention to detail. All that’s left to do now is to figure out your favorite wild turkey recipe after Big Boy comes strutting in! MSRP: $79.99 | primos.com
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Scent Killer Air & Space Deodorizer Some scent control sprays on the market these days seek to simply cover up smells that are emitted by a hunter's body as he or she moves through the woods, sits in a deer stand, and waits for a shot opportunity to present itself. That's not the approach that Wildlife Research Center uses with the company's Scent Killer Air & Space Deodorizer, a spray bottle product that seeks to destroy odor at the molecular level. Using No Zone technology, this Scent Killer spray is perfect for those wanting to eliminate game spooking odor in the woods. But it's also a great tool to use for those wanting to control odor in a hunter's truck, in a room at the deer camp cabin, around the house, in a stinky school locker, or even in a gym bag filled with smelly shoes and workout clothes. Bottom line, if you want to destroy odor, pick up one of these 32-ounce bottles from Scent Killer and start spraying! MSRP: $15.99 | wildlife.com
Wildlife Research Center Golden Estus Gel A few years ago, deer hunters enthusiastically bought the Golden Estrus Gel produced for a period of time by Wildlife Research Center. But then, the gel that turns the November rut even crazier than it already is, went away. But that was then, this is now, and the estrus gel product is back by popular demand! Fans of Wildlife Research Center will be happy to hear the news that the thick, sticky gel is making a return. For starters, the gel is potent estrus scent designed to lure in even the biggest and wily buck roaming the woods. And that scent isn’t short lived either since it will reportedly work for hours, days, or even a week or two depending on weather conditions. While not expensive by any means, these two-ounce bottles aren't cheap either. But for the big buck results that come squirting out of the flip-top squeeze bottle, when the rut is on in November, the Wildlife Research Center Golden Estrus Gel is worth…well, it is worth its weight in big buck gold! MSRP: $15.99 | wildlife.com
Tink's Peefuser Coming in an orange battery-powered unit, the Tink's Peefuser diffuses the company's iconic estrus scent into the air near a hunter's stand in 30-second bursts that go off every three minutes while the unit is activated. And while you can position the unit on the ground — even as a yardage marker for a bow shot — the Peefuser is equally useful up in a stand where it’s elevated position can filter the scent on the breeze to fill the woods with a scent guaranteed to drive a big buck crazy! By the way, each package comes with the Peefuser unit as well as a two-ounce bottle of Tink's 69. All you've got to do next is to remember to keep your taxidermist's phone number on speed dial! MSRP: $29.99 | tinks.com
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Hunter Specialties No Bull Deer Call Thanks to the new No Bull Deer Call from Hunter Specialties, I may have to change which call goes into my hunting pack this fall. According to the company, this is a line-in-the-sand call designed to target the biggest bucks in your local hunting woods. The call aims for that goal using a rigid frame and a blend of soft rubber. Those materials combine to deliver realistic, throaty grunts aimed at Mr. Big. The call works even harder to get his attention by allowing hunters to growl, roar, or snort wheeze in addition to the standard grunt, all sounds that can trip up a big whitetail as the November breeding frenzy approaches. With a history of making great calling products, this easy to use call from Hunter Specialties is another great tool to keep in the arsenal next fall when you're looking to increase your taxidermy bill! MSRP: $24.99 | hunterspec.com
Code Blue Earth Scent Field Spray Many bowhunters know Code Blue for the company's excellent deer attracting scents, including those estrous scent products that can drive a big buck crazy at the right time each fall. But the company also makes other scent products designed to help deer hunters notch a tag. And that includes the Code Blue Earth Scent Field Spray that can help create a cover scent and a scent eliminating spray all at once, a product all but guaranteed to turn a buck's nose against him. Using medical-grade silver nanoparticles, this spray bonds to odor causing molecules and neutralizes them. Then Code Blue adds an earth scent as a cover aroma that will cause a big buck or his winsome doe to throw caution to the wind and walk down the trail in front of an occupied deer stand. Already one of the company's best-selling products, this newly reformulated scent eliminating and cover spray will undoubtedly fly off the shelves again next fall. MSRP: $11.99 | codebluescents.com
Imperial Whitetail Conceal For many years, the product bags coming from the Whitetail Institute of America were designed to lure in a deer with game-attracting food plot seed. But the Imperial Whitetail CONCEAL product noted here is a bit different. Instead of giving deer a green food source that can lure them in and feed them well at certain times of the year, the CONCEAL product is designed to cover things up with a thick stand of concealing vegetation. From hiding a food plot to drivers on a county road to concealing a ground blind to helping create thick bedding cover, there are plenty of ways a hunter can use CONCEAl to his or her advantage each fall. The product — which comes in seven-pound bags and will plant a quarter-acre — can even be used to divide a food plot up into different areas, to create funnels that deer will travel through, or even make lanes that will conceal entrance and exit routes for hunters accessing a favorite deer stand. MSRP: $29.99 | whitetailinstitute.com
Buck Bomb Scrape Generator Strips An easy-to-use scent tool, Buck Bomb Scrape Generator Strips can help cause a big buck’s nostrils to flare in anger when he comes in and gets a whiff of this scent! Pre-soaked with synthetic forehead gland scent — which is legal in any and all states according to the company — the Buck Bomb Scrape Generator Strips come in packages of three and can be easily attached to an overhead licking branch above the mock scrape. And the synthetic chamois strips—which come with a pre-cut hole in one end — can be reloaded with the Buck Bomb scent product over time. When used properly, this can help position a big buck for a bow shot or cause him to pose for a few moments in front of a picture taking game cameras. MSRP: $9.99 | buckbomb.com