Whether you’re looking to add excitement to your whitetail hunting life or a new way to maximize your success, keep reading, and you’ll discover everything you need to become an on-the-ground whitetail assassin
I’d love to write that I pioneered the idea — invented it — and teased it to life. That, though, would be a lie. What isn’t a lie is that I’m a hardcore, seasoned Western bowhunter who loves to get after big-game animals on the ground.
Sure, I will post up in a tree or ground blind and play the sit-and-wait game, but if the option is there, I slither across the prairies or inch through patches of aspen.
It was difficult when I got bit by the whitetail bug. My best option seemed to sit high in a cottonwood or well- blended-in ground blind and wait on a mature buck.
Then, my amigo, Danny Farris, found Ultimate Predator Gear.
A NEW WAY TO WHITETAIL
Like me, Farris is a Western bowhunter. Also, like me, the man is addicted to whitetails. Years ago, Farris created a ground-game system for big whitetail bucks — a system that has filled his walls and freezer.
“Mostly, I was looking for a way to hunt big whitetail bucks in open spaces,” said Farris. “I hunt a lot of public ground, and I have several good whitetail areas that are nothing more than weeded creek bottoms, plumb thickets, and tall native grasses. There are no trees for a stand, and really, no way set a ground blind on travel.”
I’ve known Danny Farris for several years. He’s a heck of a hunter and a deep thinker, and come heck or high water, he would figure out an on-the-ground whitetail system.
“I found a company called Ultimate Predator Gear,” Farris continued. “The company makes bow-mounted decoys. They had a fair selection of species then, so I got the Whitetail Deer Stalker Decoy. Next, I purchased a pair of add-on Stalker Antlers. Using a hook-and-latch system, the antlers attached to the doe decoy allowed me to convert my bow-mounted doe decoy to a buck in seconds.”
Next, Farris purchased the best-looking 3-D buck decoy he could find, and when he returned to hunt one of his favorite open-range whitetail areas the following year, his new system worked better than he ever imagined.
THE LOCKDOWN SET
“My thought process was straightforward,” Farris went on. “I wanted to get the buck decoy in an area where he was very visible in the open terrain to other bucks out cruising for does. As for my position, I put the bow-mounted decoy on my bow and tucked myself into some 15-yard-away cedars. It would look like a buck locked down with a doe to a passing buck.”
Not long into his sit, Farris’ newly created LockDown Set worked like a charm. He shot a magnificent Kansas 10-point under 20 yards, and minutes later, while recovering his arrow and giving an interview to his cameraman, another buck decided to come in.
“It was nuts!” exclaimed Farris. “The second buck was a very respectable, heavy 8-point. He saw me in plain view. All I did was hurry back to the cedars and pick up my bow, and he forgot all about seeing me. I gave him a few ear flicks — nothing drastic, just a simple flick of the decoy’s ear to simulate natural movement, and he hung around for 15 minutes.”
FULL CIRCLE
Farris loved Ultimate Predator Gear so much that he purchased the company a few years later. Since taking over, Farris has been using his on-the-ground whitetail system across the country.
“It’s awesome,” Farris said of his company’s success. “It’s hard to convince serious whitetail guys to get on the ground, but this is one item every whitetail hunter should have in their arsenal.
“The decoy is durable and light. It folds up to nothing, takes up little room in the backpack, and we have multiple mounting systems, all of which take seconds to attach to the bow.”
Farris also noted that his on-the-ground system is for more than just open-range whitetail goers.
“I have decoyed bucks from Colorado to Kansas to Iowa to Illinois with my system. If you catch a buck in the right mood, it’s pure poison. They can’t take seeing another buck tending a doe, and I promise, there is nothing like being part of the decoy spread and watching these mature deer come into ultra-close range.”
Farris also recommends an excellent turkey-style chair like those from ALPS, rattling horns, and a quality grunt call as additional Lockdown Set gear items.
JUST A BUCK
Farris is a realist and knows there is a time and a place for his Lockdown Set. However, he’s closed the deal several times on a buck already locked on a doe by tossing the Stalker Antlers on his bow and creeping in close to the mating pair.
“I have had great luck during the Lockdown Phase using the Whitetail Deer Stalker Decoy with the antler attachment,” Farris said.
“A few years ago in Kansas, I spied a buck and a doe bedded in a heavy weed patch. I knew the Lockdown Set wouldn’t work, so I slapped the Stalker Antlers on, crept in close to the duo, and gave some grunts.”
Minutes later, the bruiser buck tossed weeds and dirt in the air with his horns. He’d heard the grunts, saw the imposter buck, and couldn’t stand it anymore.
THE ULTIMATE PREDATOR GEAR EXPERIENCE
I have been using Ultimate Predator Gear decoys for years now. With these bow-mounted decoys, I have shot pronghorn, elk, and multiple turkeys.
WHAT ABOUT A WHITETAIL?
Well, that hasn’t happened yet, only because I got so excited I sent an arrow under the vitals of a 170-inch buck at 21 yards. There is no excuse for a miss like that other than that I was shook.
The decoys use various attachment systems to adhere to your bow’s top and bottom limb pockets. The appearance of the decoy is a lifelike image. The cool thing is that each decoy has a long, oval-shaped shoot- through window. This means you don’t have to have the decoy mounted to your stabilizer and offset on your bow. The decoy is your bow. It feels like part of your rig and not a bulky attachment.
I do recommend practicing with your UPG decoy of choice before use. The only times I don’t recommend using them are in strong winds — the decoy can act as a sail — and during gun seasons on public dirt. Though these decoys have built-in orange safety straps, they are remarkably lifelike.
Exercise extreme caution when using UPG decoys, or any decoys for that matter.
Most decoys weigh less than 10 ounces, and the durable, UV-free micro-suede fabric quickly dries. None of the decoys come with a weapons attachment system. Those systems are sold separately. However, each decoy has enough Velcro straps to mount the decoy should you want to avoid purchasing a weapons attachment system.
