Turkey decoy setup question

[MK M GOBL]

I appreciate all the help.. never blind hunted, so it sounds like a great tip on putting it setup as a diamond not a square. I felt as if the feeder was more relaxed... but every thread i searched all say upright hen, which i was curious if there was a bird anatomy reason why. Thank you all for the help and suggestions

If you are going to have 3 dekes out I would have a (DSD) Upright Hen, Feeding Hen and Jake (the strutter is bit less mobile but I have had Great!! success with mine, you do need to learn how to hunt him right but we have killed jakes right in on a strutting tom decoy)

This was my buddies daughter and this jake came in on a full strut tom, she tipped him at 15 yards!

MK M GOBL

[backforty]

If I could only have 2 decoys it would be a half or quarter strut jake and an upright hen.  The upright hen can be set on a stake away from the jake or placed on the ground just in front of the jake like they are breeding.  I had great luck with the breeding setup last year.

[Mizzouhntr]

I appreciate all the suggestions. I thought about going to some land i have permission to be on a week before opener..just no hunting on this land and put a setup out and bring the kiddo and have some fun just calling and see what decoy setup seems to work. Obviously to save my land and not educate my birds

[RiverRoost]

So do you guys put the Jake or the gen closest to you?

[MK M GOBL]

So do you guys put the Jake or the gen closest to you?

I always set Jake/Strutter closest to me/us, that deke is set at 15 yards and to shooters strong side and hens are spaced so a tom/jake can walk around/between the dekes at any point give them some "elbow room".

MK M GOBL

[BBD]

I wouldn't put decoys too close.  Tight patterns with kids at 15 yds can be scary. 

[Marc]

I wouldn't put decoys too close.  Tight patterns with kids at 15 yds can be scary.

I have had birds hang up on decoys...  You can generally shoot the bird before he gets to the decoys.

[MK M GOBL]

I wouldn't put decoys too close.  Tight patterns with kids at 15 yds can be scary.

It would depend on your setup and gun...

I have 6 down for the year with the kids and closest at 11 yards and farthest at 17 yards, all of guns are scoped and Dead On at 15 yards.

MK M GOBL

[griffman]

This is great stuff.  What is your experience with 3 decoys as follows:

1. Upright hen facing the direction away from where you think the Toms will come.  Often placed to my left.
2. A jake in a breeding position over another hen place on the ground (i.e, not staked)

The jake/breeding hen will be placed facing the blind about 7 yards away as I am bow hunting.

I typically only use the jake and upright hen but was considering adding the second hen in a breeding position with the jake.

I know there is no right answer but was wondering if this has more to gain than lose or visa versa?

[ALfwlmth]

If I could only have 2 decoys it would be a half or quarter strut jake and an upright hen.  The upright hen can be set on a stake away from the jake or placed on the ground just in front of the jake like they are breeding.  I had great luck with the breeding setup last year.

X 1000 on this setup.  It will pull them a long distance once they see that red in the Avian X Half Strutter Jake.


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[Cut N Run]

When I've hunted over decoys, I've had great success using a feeder hen and a jake.  I normally set the hen 5-10 yards from me and angling like she was going to pass to my right (I shoot left) to give the impression that she's already looked in the area I am and is comfortable enough to feed.
I set the jake 12-20 yards where he is more visible, slightly to my right, like he is following the hen. Most gobblers either attack the jake decoy, or die before they get the chance. 

I only know of a couple of times when gobblers shied away from the jake decoy.  Once was the last day of the season when a pair of two year olds (brothers?) skirted the the edge of the woods and continued the direction they were going.  The other was an big gobbler who only gobbled once before he showed up.  It was raining and he stayed farther out in the field before he drifted off.

Jim

[Old Gobbler]

So ive been doing alot of reading and searching on the board lately. This will be the first year i take my daughter (6) along with me hunting. Ive always been a run and gun guy and only carried a hen decoy maybe half the time in the last 20 years. So knowing i will be hunting in a blind mostly due to wiggly kiddo, i decided to go with a jake and hen decoy setup. I was reading the recommendations here and alot say a jake and upright hen (and some say breeder if grass is short enough)... not alot saying feeder hen. any particular reason why an upright hen vs. a feeder hen? Just curious. I have bought one of each, just wanted to find out the why. Im hunting western MO and Eastern KS if that makes any difference.

Thanks for any help and guidance

Personally I don't step out of the truck without a decoy , for safety reasons if anyone is going sneak up on you perpetuate a hunting accedent .....the decoy will take the fall

Your out west where it's open , likely it's gonna be hard to make a gobbler commit unless they hear and SEE a hen , I prefer just a hen , but the jake decoy seems to piss em off, put the hen sitting  at the base of the jake standing  , keep the decoys close so she can take a easy shot

Good luck I hope you and your daughter have a good hunt.--shannon

[CMBOSTC]

Good thread. I hardly use decoys, it's probably been almost ten years but I had a situation yesterday where I had a gobbler come in and go into strut and then turned around and left. Ten more feet and I would have had a shot. I'm thinking that he left because he didn't see the hen. I'm going to carry a feeding next time.

[TRG3]

In the first Illinois 2017 spring season (April 3-7), I used my Pretty Boy over a hen in the breeding position and a feeder hen. Four subordinate gobblers came in shortly after fly down and flogged my tom decoy, much to the dismay of one of them. My next season was the third (April 14-19) where two birds would not come in to the Pretty Boy but stayed about 60 yards out and gobbled. They circled my position while gobbling, but would not closed the distance, finally leaving. I returned to the exact spot the following morning with my Funky Chicken and a feeding hen, tagging out at 5:55 a.m. My final permit is for the fifth and final season (April 27-May 4) where I will use my Funky Chicken, the feeder hen, and possibly the hen in the breeding position. While these are not intimidating decoys, they are also much lighter to carry than the Pretty Boy! In addition, I can stuff an extra jacket, etc. in the mesh decoy bag. These lighter decoys also are much easier to put on taller stakes to keep them above the ground vegetation in the later spring. Last year during the final season, I used a stake that put the foam jake a foot taller than the gobbler than came in to flog it.