Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk ALTurkey Talk -- Beards and Spurs Decoy/No Decoy?

I have been turkey hunting for about 15 years and have encountered many schools of thought among hunters on decoys. I used to use them, just hens, and did kill some turkeys with them; however, I did have a lot of problems with older birds hanging up just out of range and putting on a show, but never getting close enough to kill. Does using a jake or mature gobbler decoy solve this problem and which would you recommend?

I've had much better luck with a jake/hen decoy setup than with a full-size strutting gobbler decoy. I have spooked birds with the gobbler and started fights with the jake. I like picking fights, so I'll only be using jake/hens from now on.

I use these in fields or along open roads only. In the woods, no decoy for me, or only 1 hen...

I've used a jake decoy with a hen and had gobblers come up to the jake. I've had a lot of success with just a single or a pair of hen decoys. I've never had success with a full strut decoy alothough I've only used one in the past three or four years and not very often. In all, to me it comes to the call and knowing when call softly or be agressive. But there have been times where I just couldn't get the strutter to come in all the way with or without a decoy. The gobbler expects the hen to come to him and we are trying to make him come to the hen so there will be hung up birds.

I use them in fields or roads. Killed a bird last year in a food plot with a hen/jake combo. Was on another kill where we set the same combo up in a logging road. I've had a gobbler spook when seeing a decoy in the woods. They have their place but like anything in hunting, nothing works everytime.

Dr. B

Well said and I agree with Dr. B.

good post

I carry 2 hens that MIGHT get put out one time a year.

They make a good back rest dont they?

Yep

I leave mine in the truck most of the time. I will get them out sometimes in the afternoon.

I had 4 longbeards hang up at 65 yards this weekend when taking a friends son. They saw the hen/jake setup and froze. started feeding in the field and walked back out the way they came in. But I have had them do the opposite and jump on my jake decoy.

Me too.

While hunting with my 2 sons, I called up 2 jakes and they walked across a field right up to my single jake decoy. I have a hen decoy (the kind you blow up with air) but she had a small hole in her and deflates after about 20 minutes of being blown up. so I kept her in my vest.

They work in fields especially. However, if the wind blows hard enough to make the decoy spin like a windmill, it will spook the turkey. I found that out last weekend. they did not like the exorcist move.

Never killed a gobbler with a decoy in my 48 years of turkey hunting.

i use them very rarely in the afternoons...hen/jake combo and only on large fields or food plots...only time i have ever seen them work is when i had a group of 5 hens come over to investigate them...after a minute or so they moved on