decoyer


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decoy

de·coy

 (dē′koi′, dĭ-koi′)
n.
1.
a. A living or artificial bird or other animal used to entice game into a trap or within shooting range.
b. An enclosed place, such as a pond, into which wildfowl are lured for capture.
2. A means used to mislead or lead someone into danger.
tr.v. (dĭ-koi′) de·coyed, de·coy·ing, de·coys
1. To lure (an animal) into a trap or position to be hunted.
2. To entice or mislead by deception or into danger. See Synonyms at lure.

[Possibly from Dutch de kooi, the cage : de, the (from Middle Dutch; see to- in Indo-European roots) + kooi, cage (from Middle Dutch cōie, from Latin cavea).]

de·coy′er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
References in periodicals archive ?
Although shotgun hunters can often hunt solo, present the fan and entice turkeys close enough for a shot, this tactic works best for bowhunters who employ the buddy system, with one person getting and holding the birds' attention with the fan while the shooter sets up for the shot somewhere along the anticipated travel path between the birds and the decoyer.
Suddenly you had to become an expert decoyer to put birds on the ground.