I don't see the risks of kids, officers or innocent bystanders being killed worth the rewards of busting someone who might otherwise without the enticement offered, never take a shot from the road.
The way I see it, if someone is driving at night with a high powered rifle, and does take a shot at a decoy, I imagine they have done the same with a real deer and would again in the future. I don't believe that many folks who would never have thought to kill a deer off a road at night would see a decoy, and for the first time in their life, shoot it. I look at decoy sting operations kind of like a bait car. Sure, the person that got caught stealing the car may not have stolen that particular car if it wasn't there as bait. But in my mind, if they'll steal the bait car, they'd just as soon steal my or your car as well. As far as risks vs rewards, there are risks involved in taking down illegal/night hunters, but there are also a lot of risks involved in night/road hunting in general. The night decoy operations seem to be a good way of picking off the especially stupid poachers thats for sure. And thanks for all the awesome stories Bhamfred
